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Brooklyn, NY - Online Electronics Stores Caught in Consumer Fraud |
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Soon, Sonic Photo employees called him, pressuring him to buy a more expensive model. Mr. Evans discovered that the rating site he had visited was fake and the company was actually known for cheating its customers. When he tried to cancel his order the company said it would charge him a fee of more than $100.
“It was pretty obvious, once they had the hook in my mouth that I was being reeled in by some nasty people,” Mr. Evans said on Thursday.
These were the illegal tactics used by seven online electronic stores — including Sonic Photo — as they swindled customers seeking cameras, camcorders, projectors and other items out of hundreds of thousands of dollars, the state attorney general, Andrew M. Cuomo, said on Thursday in a news release.
The companies, all of which are based in Brooklyn, have agreed to pay a $765,000 settlement after a lengthy investigation by the attorney general’s office.
“These companies engaged in the worst kinds of consumer fraud, from classic bait-and-switch schemes to blatant lies and bullying sales tactics,” Mr. Cuomo said in the release.
As part of the deal, five of the companies — Best Price Camera, Foto Connection, 1 Way Photo, 86th Street Photo and Broadway Photo — have agreed to change their business practices and accept continual monitoring. Two other companies, Camera Wiz and Sonic Photo, will close.
ALERT!! Many Jews have been affected by this scam please take note. Customers seeking restitution will be able to submit claims to the New York Better Business Bureau from July through December.
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Read Comments (28) — Post Yours »
1
Jun 25, 2009 at 04:52 PM Anonymous Says:
I actually worked in one such a type company locally based by Heimishe Yidden. i did my best correcting my boss's ill doings but he didn't like it and was happy wen i left. 6 months later all his web sites and business closed. in checking reviews they were atrocious but respective cm name me as having dealt very nicely with them.
2
Jun 25, 2009 at 04:43 PM Eli Says:
You don't have to second guess who owns these companies, unfortunately this is a huge chilul hashem, while B&H is the perfect example of how a Jewish owned business should run.
3
Jun 25, 2009 at 05:05 PM idf tank driver Says:
i knew something was completely messed up with these rip off cheating animals I almost bought a camera on broadway photo until i shortly thereafter realized some fishy actions going on in there so i wrote them a letter fuming about there unethical ways and you know kind of a response i got? got no response!!
4
Jun 25, 2009 at 05:03 PM Anonymous Says:
It"s about time!! I had to cancel my credit card once because of these crooks!
5
Jun 25, 2009 at 05:19 PM Anonymous Says:
Companies like Broadway have MANY different websites and company names. wouldn't surprise me if some of the company names above are run by many of the same people.
6
Jun 25, 2009 at 05:57 PM Anonymous Says:
It's stories like these that give me great pride in being a B&H employee. The company strives for yashrus in every facet of its operations. May they go Me'chayil el chayil and continue to see much hatzlocha and brocha.
7
Jun 25, 2009 at 05:48 PM Anonymous Says:
“ Companies like Broadway have MANY different websites and company names. wouldn't surprise me if some of the company names above are run by many of the same people. ”
I agree with you. i'm poster #1 and the comp i worked 4 had bout 4 different sites for cameras and two for other stuff. credit cases got charged right away however processing and delivering promised goods was way behind that.
8
Jun 25, 2009 at 06:57 PM Chaim Says:
“ i knew something was completely messed up with these rip off cheating animals I almost bought a camera on broadway photo until i shortly thereafter realized some fishy actions going on in there so i wrote them a letter fuming about there unethical ways and you know kind of a response i got? got no response!! ”
No response- of course they can't read English
9
Jun 25, 2009 at 06:48 PM fraud sites Says:
That’s news HA HA HA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This fraud is all over, most online websites if the address is in Brooklyn (hundreds of them are from Brooklyn ) then its 80% chance that he is a fraud
10
Jun 25, 2009 at 06:10 PM Anonymous Says:
#5,
The BBB website usually lists most if not, all of a company's affiliated names and sites. Last time I checked, Broadway Photo had around 8 other sites they business under. I actually worked there years ago when they were on L off Nostrand. They actually train you in all the despicable tactics they use, as their "regular" form of doing business. I could not work like that with a clear conscience and left after a week. I truly am surprised they're still in business 10+ years later.
11
Jun 25, 2009 at 07:15 PM Anonymous Says:
Beach Camera in NJ is fine also.
12
Jun 25, 2009 at 08:00 PM Anonymous Says:
At least 5 or 6 of these eight businesses are run by "heimeshe" (aka chasideshe) yiddin. Is this the way hashem wants us to conduct business?? Do they think its ok since most of the customers they are ripping off are also yiddin??
13
Jun 25, 2009 at 09:04 PM Anonymous Says:
How does this work? sometimes you read news about a company that defrauded consumers or whatever, and all they get is a fine and no indictments, I honestly have no clue who the owners of these photo companies are and if they are Yiden I'm not wishing for any Yid to go to prison, I'm just confused as to how it works, why sometimes if you're caught you go to jail and many times all you get is a monetary fine? can anyone explain how the system works?
14
Jun 26, 2009 at 04:16 AM habbit for pictures Says:
recently i was looking to buy a certain lense, B & H didnt have it in stock i found a heimishe business in flatbush that claimed they did have it, (i checked with many stores and no 1 had it)
so i called them they said they have it, i offered to go pick it up because i wanted it sooner then UPS or FEDEX , they refused, only by shipping and i have to pay in advance, i got suspicious and hung up the phone on them,
i guess many people dont believe in ehrliche parnosse these days,
15
Jun 26, 2009 at 02:24 AM Elchonon Says:
#13,
I dont know, but they sound horrible. As the owner of a online business, I have 1 policy on oversells - offer customer free upgrade of applicable, if its a HUGE monetary loss i'll offer the customer to upgrade if they take some of the loss off..i'll refund instantly no charge if they want and sometimes give them a 5 - 10$ coupon.
I am not swimming in cash to be honest, but oversells, as hard as they are to prevent, are the business's fault.
Besides, if i made $ on a phone sale, upgrading the guy usually see's me break even and a happy customer.. a refund just makes them upset.
The onlne issue vs b&m (brick and mortar) is that in b&m you get the merch before / when you pay.. if you like a style shoe, you can know right away if they have it in your size. .
And inventory control systems are expensive.. they may work well for phones but not small stuff.
16
Jun 26, 2009 at 01:05 AM mayer Says:
86th st photo was selling the canon sd1200 for $99.00 when the regular price is over $200 when I placed a purchase for the camera I got a call that I should buy an extra bettery, I told that I don't need it, they told me that the camera is out of stock & they will get it in 2-3 weeks, so I don't know if they will send it.
17
Jun 25, 2009 at 10:58 PM Anonymous Says:
86th St. tried getting me, thankfully I cancelled my order before it went through. They tried selling me all sorts of accessories for a GPS I was buying when in fact I needed none of them. They lied straight out about certain things and thankfully there was no long-term damage done to me (I hope I don't need to worry about the CC I originally gave them).
18
Jun 25, 2009 at 10:57 PM Anonymous Says:
This is not news. There is a report out, do a search on the word crooklyn and see what a busha it is to us. Go to any pro photography board and you'll hear horror stories about the places in Brooklyn.
19
Jun 26, 2009 at 09:09 AM Anonymous Says:
“ At least 5 or 6 of these eight businesses are run by "heimeshe" (aka chasideshe) yiddin. Is this the way hashem wants us to conduct business?? Do they think its ok since most of the customers they are ripping off are also yiddin?? ”
Heimishe yidden in many cases, and Syrian yidden in many others. Anyone buying anything from any merchant online should read MANY reviews first. A lot of the reviews will be 5 stars by the company itself posing as a reviewer, but you can usually tell this. If there's a bunch of 1 star reviews with VERY negative experiences that many people describe, and then you see a bunch of 5 stars with raving reviews, you can tell that they are fake.
20
Jun 26, 2009 at 08:45 AM Anonymous Says:
“ At least 5 or 6 of these eight businesses are run by "heimeshe" (aka chasideshe) yiddin. Is this the way hashem wants us to conduct business?? Do they think its ok since most of the customers they are ripping off are also yiddin?? ”
#12 you are stereotyping, this has nothing to do with chassidish, this has to do with the nature of a person
21
Jun 26, 2009 at 09:38 AM Anonymous Says:
“ recently i was looking to buy a certain lense, B & H didnt have it in stock i found a heimishe business in flatbush that claimed they did have it, (i checked with many stores and no 1 had it)
so i called them they said they have it, i offered to go pick it up because i wanted it sooner then UPS or FEDEX , they refused, only by shipping and i have to pay in advance, i got suspicious and hung up the phone on them,
i guess many people dont believe in ehrliche parnosse these days, ”
Usually, if B&H doesn't have it, rest assured no one else does
22
Jun 26, 2009 at 11:04 AM postnobills Says:
this is how it works , the list a camera below cost so the sale starts below the company actually cost , then when you call to buy the camera the well versed and capable sales men try to up sell the camera or electronic with over priced accessories if the customer buys items and the sale is above cost ( meaning there is profit in the sales ) then that ships it out , other wise you will receive an email saying it is on back order for 4 to 6 weeks at that point most people cancel and if you wait it our you will receive another email saying it is on back order and this will happen until you cancel ,
now depending on how bad of a company is how bad they will sell you , some just advertise the camera at cost and and ship out no matter what ( though most of those companies are not open any more ) other ones will advertise 50 percent below cost and sell u a memory card for 300 dollars and sell hard so that is how it works,, if you see a camera and it is less than anywhere else its a scam the lowest believable price should be near what b&h is selling them for
23
Jun 26, 2009 at 10:11 AM Anonymous Says:
#16, that is what the problem is. They are offering you an upsell, and the battery will be more expensive than anywhere. It's a major major chillul hashem not to mention illegal. Oh, and that sd1200? It would have been gray market or a Eurpopean model. It would not be under USA warranty and you would get no service.
If an item is so much cheaper than anywhere else, there is shtick involved. A good deal is a good deal but some things are too good to be true.
B&H, Adorama, Buydig/Beach, Newegg are the most trustworthy places I've found online. There is one more I use but only as a last resort because they always try to upsell.
24
Jun 26, 2009 at 11:08 AM Raphael Kaufman Says:
"You go to B&H"
25
Jun 26, 2009 at 11:23 AM Anonymous Says:
They arent owned by chassidim.
26
Jun 26, 2009 at 11:22 AM Avraham Says:
Just buy from normal, big stores, avoid aggrevation and becoming anti-Semites yourselves.
27
Jun 26, 2009 at 12:44 PM Anonymous Says:
“ How does this work? sometimes you read news about a company that defrauded consumers or whatever, and all they get is a fine and no indictments, I honestly have no clue who the owners of these photo companies are and if they are Yiden I'm not wishing for any Yid to go to prison, I'm just confused as to how it works, why sometimes if you're caught you go to jail and many times all you get is a monetary fine? can anyone explain how the system works? ”
I'm also curious how these things work, I guess since there was no response to your question, no one here knows the answer.
28
Jun 29, 2009 at 09:18 AM GadgetMan Says:
You nvever ever ever buy electronics except from a very well-known and reputable place such as B&H, J&R, Best Buy.