Cameta Camera pulls a Bait and Switch

Sorry for the brash headline, but my experience with Cameta Camera has me so fuming that I wanted to make sure I shared it on my blog and optimized it so others would find it also.

I’ve been shopping a Nikon D300s for a few weeks now. I’m a Nikon user and all my lenses are Nikon; so Cannon is not even a thought for me. The (camera) body retails for $1,589. That’s for the USA version of the camera, not the grey market shit you’ll find on eBay. I normally purchase from either Cameta Camera or B&H Photo. Sometimes, I venture to Berger Brothers, but they’re always more expensive. Cameta is a 10 minute drive from my house and B&H Photo is an hour drive into NYC. Both well known, both authorized Nikon dealers. Cameta generally wins my money only because of their proximity to my house.

Last Monday (Presidents Day) I went into Cameta, “just shopping”. I was going to have funds on Friday but wanted to see if they’d give me a package or deal on the D300s, MBD-10 (battery grip) and the SB-800 or SB-900 (Speed lights). Cameta has always had the “holier than thou” attitude. One that I often forget, but always remember after leaving their store. A deal was not an option. Ray (the sales guy) was very helpful. He took his time to learn what I was shooting and what my goals were. He quickly suggested that I consider purchasing a Nikon “factory-demo” version. It was explained to me that all of the bodies had very little actuations, were meticulously inspected and refurbished (if needed) and held to the highest standards. Not to mention they came with the same warranty that I would get if I purchased the “brand new” model. A total savings of $210. To me this allowed me to get the body and the MBD-10 for around the same as what I expected to spend. Ray assured me that they had six bodies in stock and would have one for me on Friday or Saturday.

I showed up on Saturday (2/20/2010), a few minutes after 10am. Ray was not working today but used car salesmen blank (sorry, I forgot his name) will be happy to help me out. I read him the list of what Ray and I had gone over and kept giving recognition to Ray for his help. He looked on his computer and said “oh man, we have none in stock”. He then proceeded to call “the warehouse” and they didn’t have any in stock either. He suggested I buy the D300s in retail. He said the factory versions always have problems. And I quote “out of 6 at least 4 of them always have to be sent back to Nikon”.

I expressed my disappointment and the conflicting stories. He even went so far as to try and sell me the D300. At one point he asked if I had a camcorder. I said yes. He said I really don’t need the D300s, the D300 would be fine. Seriously? You’re down-selling me? You’re telling me what I want?

I wont lie, I really wanted the camera and would have considered buying the retail/new version if they would have worked with me, even a little. I said to him that $1,589 was the same price they’re asking for on eBay. He confirmed. At which point I was just mad and clearly not buying the camera from them. I was fun to ask the question “doesn’t it  save you the percentage and fees with eBay as well the fees and percentage from PayPal?” He actually turned to me and said “come on guy, that’s the salespersons commission”. Seriously? And like that, a customer with cash in hand left the store. Not a hey wait or can you come back on Wednesday or why don’t you leave your number and I’ll have Ray call you when we get more in stock. They just let me leave.

Sorry Ray, but you wont get my sale. Sorry Long Island, I can’t reinvest into the Long Island community. And that just sucks.

What did I do? I used bing.com’s cash back program and bought the D300s from Abe’s of Main (in N.J.). Get this:

• It was cheaper – $1,504.50 (yes, they’re an authorized Nikon Dealer)
• I get 4% cash back – $60.18
• NO TAX
• Shipping cost me $35

Funny, in my quick investigating on Bing’s cash back site I discovered that Cameta pays 8% cash back. Not a bad savings, but too late. I took my business else where.

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