Any opinion on 42nd St Photo?.....

UpNorth · 01-27-2012, 01:46 PM

Not sure where this post fits, so I thought I'd try here.

I saw this on 42nd St Photo last night. http://www.42photo.com/pd-productid-105548-k-pentax_k5_163_megapixel_digital_camera_body.htm

Has anyone dealt with them recently? Seems like about as good as the price is probably going to get, but I seem to remember these guys having not the best reputation years ago. Am I remembering that wrong, or maybe they've changed their tune, or (as I suspect) should I just wait until B&H goes that low sometime down the road (fingers crossed)?

Thanks,

Tim

vonBaloney · 01-27-2012, 01:51 PM

Their return policy includes a "restocking fee" so I wouldn't buy anything that I felt there was a chance I might be returning...

westmill · 01-27-2012, 01:55 PM

Originally posted by UpNorth

Not sure where this post fits, so I thought I'd try here.

I saw this on 42nd St Photo last night. Pentax 14748 - K5 - Pentax - 16.3 Megapixel Digital Camera Body

Has anyone dealt with them recently? Seems like about as good as the price is probably going to get, but I seem to remember these guys having not the best reputation years ago. Am I remembering that wrong, or maybe they've changed their tune, or (as I suspect) should I just wait until B&H goes that low sometime down the road (fingers crossed)?

Thanks,

Tim

Ive just learnt a big lesson ! I bought a lens from Simply electronics. If it had been ok when it arrived it wouldnt have been toooo bad.
I waited a whole month for delivery. only it arrive in Nikon mount !!!!! I had then to post it back.
Talk about abbismal diabolical service ..... im amazed they are allowed to trade in the UK.
three months before it was sorted and the lens is rubbish lol. I doubt I would see it for yet another 3 months if I was to return it.
My advice... Stick to your freindly local stores

UpNorth · 01-27-2012, 01:59 PM

Yeah - That's kind of what I figured.
There has to be a reason they're lower than everyone else!

Thanks,

Tim

Docrwm · 01-27-2012, 02:25 PM

Mixed reviews these days it seems. I bought from them in the late 70s and early 80s when there was no internet and I got large paper catalogs from them and they were fine. But you might want to look at this search:
42nd - Search Results - PentaxForums.com

**blackcloudbrew** · 01-27-2012, 02:41 PM

It is so hard to know which of those NY/NJ photo store are ones to deal with and which aren't. Personally, after Adorama and B&H, I've dealt with Tri-States and Abe's of Maine very successfully over the years, after that verify before trusting. The problem is that some of those other places do deliver sometimes and sometimes they live up to that bad label. 42nd's been around a long time, they must make money somehow. That's the conundrum.

Colbyt · 01-28-2012, 02:12 PM

No where near recently. In the past all was good.

noblepa · 01-28-2012, 09:09 PM

A good site to remember, if you're going to buy things on the internet, is Store Ratings & Reviews - ResellerRatings.com - Find Trusted Stores. They have many, many user ratings of hundreds of online retailers.

42nd Street has a pretty high rating: 42nd Street Photo / 42ND St Photo Reviews - 42photo.com/ Ratings at ResellerRatings

42nd Street's rating is 9.62 out of 10.

For comparison, B & H gets a 9.82, so 42nd St. is not too far behind.

fayf · 01-31-2012, 09:09 AM

I bought from them way back when, and recently made a purchase there again. Extremely happy, everything came on time, the right products... I think that although their reputation has been tarnished, at the core they're still a professional business.

FrankC · 02-01-2012, 04:47 PM

B&H (bhphotovideo.com) is probably the most well respected of the big NY stores. One caveat - If the store is in Brooklyn, run - don't walk - away. The only time i've ever had a bad experiance with on-line stores is when they were located in Brooklyn. I think it was Tri-State cameras. I've also seen news reports that support my observation.
However - Now with most companies having minimum advertise price (MAP) policies, you're not going to get a better deal from any other authorized dealer. You'll know they're authorized because of the price being the same as any other store on the web.
So, with that in mind there's alway Amazon. With Amazon.com you get purchase protection up to $2,500. So if you buy something from one of their 3rd party vendors (you'll see a 'sold by' disclaimer next to the price in your cart) and it ends up being a brick in a box or something like that, then you're covered for the cost of the product and I think shipping too.
So short answer: B&H or Amazon.

vonBaloney · 02-01-2012, 05:07 PM

Originally posted by FrankC

B&H (bhphotovideo.com) is probably the most well respected of the big NY stores. One caveat - If the store is in Brooklyn, run - don't walk - away. The only time i've ever had a bad experiance with on-line stores is when they were located in Brooklyn. I think it was Tri-State cameras. I've also seen news reports that support my observation.

But why blame it on Brooklyn, as opposed to say stores that start with the letter "T"?

FrankC · 02-01-2012, 05:39 PM

Not to bash on Brooklyn I'm sure that there are but a few companies that should be avoided in all of Brooklyn as in any big city anywhere in the world. However it appeaers to be the facts of life that there are alarming number of shady photo/electronics businesses in that part of NY. That's just my $0.02.

DeadJohn · 02-01-2012, 06:25 PM

I agree that quite a few Brooklyn-based electronics stores were/are shady. Many of them were run by the same owners. Open a store, rip off customers, change names, repeat. That was a few years ago and I don't know if those scammers are still around.

DeadJohn · 02-01-2012, 07:36 PM

P.S. Those interested in bad camera stores can learn more at the links below. It's informative to see how bait-and-switch, aggressive upselling, unpackaging (pulling included accessories out of the box and trying to resell them to you) and other sales tactics are used so you can protect yourself. Basically, charge everything to a credit-union-issued credit card, and if you can't resolve an issue with the merchant dispute the charges with your credit union.
Online Electronics Stores Caught in Consumer Fraud - NYTimes.com
Brooklyn camera stores: The scam stops here - Computerworld Blogs
Brooklyn Camera Store Generates Complaints Nationwide

01-27-2012, 01:46 PM	#1
UpNorth Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Minnesota, U.S.A. Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 714	Any opinion on 42nd St Photo?..... Not sure where this post fits, so I thought I'd try here. I saw this on 42nd St Photo last night. http://www.42photo.com/pd-productid-105548-k-pentax_k5_163_megapixel_digital_camera_body.htm Has anyone dealt with them recently? Seems like about as good as the price is probably going to get, but I seem to remember these guys having not the best reputation years ago. Am I remembering that wrong, or maybe they've changed their tune, or (as I suspect) should I just wait until B&H goes that low sometime down the road (fingers crossed)? Thanks, Tim

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01-27-2012, 01:51 PM	#2
vonBaloney Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Albuquerque, NM Posts: 6,029	Their return policy includes a "restocking fee" so I wouldn't buy anything that I felt there was a chance I might be returning...

01-27-2012, 01:55 PM	#3
westmill Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Stoke on Trent Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,146	Originally posted by UpNorth Not sure where this post fits, so I thought I'd try here. I saw this on 42nd St Photo last night. Pentax 14748 - K5 - Pentax - 16.3 Megapixel Digital Camera Body Has anyone dealt with them recently? Seems like about as good as the price is probably going to get, but I seem to remember these guys having not the best reputation years ago. Am I remembering that wrong, or maybe they've changed their tune, or (as I suspect) should I just wait until B&H goes that low sometime down the road (fingers crossed)? Thanks, Tim Ive just learnt a big lesson ! I bought a lens from Simply electronics. If it had been ok when it arrived it wouldnt have been toooo bad. I waited a whole month for delivery. only it arrive in Nikon mount !!!!! I had then to post it back. Talk about abbismal diabolical service ..... im amazed they are allowed to trade in the UK. three months before it was sorted and the lens is rubbish lol. I doubt I would see it for yet another 3 months if I was to return it. My advice... Stick to your freindly local stores

01-27-2012, 01:59 PM	#4
UpNorth Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Minnesota, U.S.A. Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 714 Original Poster	Yeah - That's kind of what I figured. There has to be a reason they're lower than everyone else! Thanks, Tim

01-27-2012, 02:25 PM	#5
Docrwm Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Somewhere in the Southern US Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,285	Mixed reviews these days it seems. I bought from them in the late 70s and early 80s when there was no internet and I got large paper catalogs from them and they were fine. But you might want to look at this search: 42nd - Search Results - PentaxForums.com

01-27-2012, 02:41 PM	#6
blackcloudbrew Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Cotati, California USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,460	It is so hard to know which of those NY/NJ photo store are ones to deal with and which aren't. Personally, after Adorama and B&H, I've dealt with Tri-States and Abe's of Maine very successfully over the years, after that verify before trusting. The problem is that some of those other places do deliver sometimes and sometimes they live up to that bad label. 42nd's been around a long time, they must make money somehow. That's the conundrum.

01-28-2012, 02:12 PM	#7
Colbyt Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Central Kentucky Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,417	No where near recently. In the past all was good.

01-28-2012, 09:09 PM	#8
noblepa Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Bay Village, Ohio USA Posts: 1,142	A good site to remember, if you're going to buy things on the internet, is Store Ratings & Reviews - ResellerRatings.com - Find Trusted Stores. They have many, many user ratings of hundreds of online retailers. 42nd Street has a pretty high rating: 42nd Street Photo / 42ND St Photo Reviews - 42photo.com/ Ratings at ResellerRatings 42nd Street's rating is 9.62 out of 10. For comparison, B & H gets a 9.82, so 42nd St. is not too far behind.

01-31-2012, 09:09 AM	#9
fayf New Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 5	I bought from them way back when, and recently made a purchase there again. Extremely happy, everything came on time, the right products... I think that although their reputation has been tarnished, at the core they're still a professional business.

02-01-2012, 04:47 PM	#10
FrankC Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Photos: Gallery Posts: 322	B&H (bhphotovideo.com) is probably the most well respected of the big NY stores. One caveat - If the store is in Brooklyn, run - don't walk - away. The only time i've ever had a bad experiance with on-line stores is when they were located in Brooklyn. I think it was Tri-State cameras. I've also seen news reports that support my observation. However - Now with most companies having minimum advertise price (MAP) policies, you're not going to get a better deal from any other authorized dealer. You'll know they're authorized because of the price being the same as any other store on the web. So, with that in mind there's alway Amazon. With Amazon.com you get purchase protection up to $2,500. So if you buy something from one of their 3rd party vendors (you'll see a 'sold by' disclaimer next to the price in your cart) and it ends up being a brick in a box or something like that, then you're covered for the cost of the product and I think shipping too. So short answer: B&H or Amazon.

02-01-2012, 05:07 PM	#11
vonBaloney Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Albuquerque, NM Posts: 6,029	Originally posted by FrankC B&H (bhphotovideo.com) is probably the most well respected of the big NY stores. One caveat - If the store is in Brooklyn, run - don't walk - away. The only time i've ever had a bad experiance with on-line stores is when they were located in Brooklyn. I think it was Tri-State cameras. I've also seen news reports that support my observation. But why blame it on Brooklyn, as opposed to say stores that start with the letter "T"?

02-01-2012, 05:39 PM	#12
FrankC Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Photos: Gallery Posts: 322	Not to bash on Brooklyn I'm sure that there are but a few companies that should be avoided in all of Brooklyn as in any big city anywhere in the world. However it appeaers to be the facts of life that there are alarming number of shady photo/electronics businesses in that part of NY. That's just my $0.02.

02-01-2012, 06:25 PM	#13
DeadJohn Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: New York Posts: 4,834	I agree that quite a few Brooklyn-based electronics stores were/are shady. Many of them were run by the same owners. Open a store, rip off customers, change names, repeat. That was a few years ago and I don't know if those scammers are still around.

02-01-2012, 07:36 PM	#14
DeadJohn Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: New York Posts: 4,834	P.S. Those interested in bad camera stores can learn more at the links below. It's informative to see how bait-and-switch, aggressive upselling, unpackaging (pulling included accessories out of the box and trying to resell them to you) and other sales tactics are used so you can protect yourself. Basically, charge everything to a credit-union-issued credit card, and if you can't resolve an issue with the merchant dispute the charges with your credit union. Online Electronics Stores Caught in Consumer Fraud - NYTimes.com Brooklyn camera stores: The scam stops here - Computerworld Blogs Brooklyn Camera Store Generates Complaints Nationwide