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Shopping Directory
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Other Opinions:
By jdh, I ordered a camera on this site for less money than anywhere else and on a Sunday night I placed my order. The camera shipped on Tuesday and should be to me by Thursday - amazing! I couldn't have asked for better. I called to find out on Tuesday what the status WRK meant and while I thought I was going to be frustrated (because I got sent to 2 different people first) I was pleasantly surprised when I spoke to someone in Shipping who said with certainty that my camera was just about to be shipped. He knew exactly what I was ordering and informed me that without a high speed memory card I'd have lag time with taking pictures. He was more concerned that I have the correct product and not with pressuring me to buy it. It was really nice to take to a salesman who knew what he was talking about and not just pushing me to buy something (especially since I had been in the store to buy the same camera that weekend and the guy at best buy didn't tell me anything about the memory card...clearly he didn't know the camera!). Also, I liked that I received emails of the steps along the way such as email confirmation, shipping notification, etc. Alot of online stores don't send shipping track information. I would definitely buy something from here again.
Let me be the first to admit that I was skeptical about ordering my new Sony DSC-R1 from Butterfly: 1. Their price was $140 less than my usual source on a thousand dollar item... I figured there had to be a catch. 2. I suspected that the most of the ...
WARNING! This online merchant promotes itself heavily and encourages positive online ratings. In fact I question some of the ratings and user reviews as ficticious? I spend some $10,000 annually on photographic equipment and such is accomplished via ...
Butterfly Photo talks about themselves as being an online leader in electronics, parts, warranties, & more. Their site offers cameras, home theater systems, MP3 players, computers, & DVD players to name a few of their products. I ordered a digital ...
Ordering was easy and delivery was within a week. Customer service was only fair. The sales representative was impatient when I requested more information about accessories I was interested in purchasing. Within a month of purchase, I had a problem ...
I have always shopped on-line. But shopping for a low cost, yet high performance digital camera on-line has been an extremely discouraging experience to me. I live in CA and had spent many hours on shopping.com to compare the feature and prices, I ...
I was a bit weary of Butterflyphoto at first, due to some horror story ratings and interestingly worded descriptions of service on the merchant's website. But I'm not one to be bossed around by hard-sell tactics or bad service, so I decided to take the ...
I see 2 main problems with this company. - Certain problem individuals in customer service - Soft definition of what is "in stock". INEPT CUSTOMER SERVICE - Every time I asked one CSR a question, she had to put me on hold to get an answer. - ...
Needless to say, I was extremely skeptical about ordering a $3,500 LCD TV from an Internet retailer, particularly after reading many of the Epinions.com reviews, especially the ones for ButterflyPhoto.com. I had pretty much narrowed down my retailer to ...
The ordering process was easy enough, but the delivery process was terrible. Here's a timeline: Tuesday night: ordered a PowerShot S60, ground shipping. Thursday: tracking page still said "billing", so I called. ButterflyPhoto said there was no ...
The ordering experience is satisfactory. The order went through fine, and within a few hours I had an email stating that I needed to call them. I had read several reviews, so I knew what was coming. I politely listened as the salesman told me about the ...
I found Butterfly Photo as a result of a CNET.com Shopper search (http://shopper.cnet.com). I normally buy new-technology products by mail order to save money. Butterfly Photo has an attractive web site that covers their products and policies. As ...
I placed an order for the Panasonic PV-GS50S ULTRA-COMPACT MINI DV CAMCORDER on Sunday, 12/14/03. I did so via their Internet Web site. It was relatively easy to do. I wanted to order from them because their prices were very good. This camcorder was ...
I am horrified at the handling of my order at Butterfly Photo. I ordered a 47-inch Sharp Aquos LCD TV (a $2000 item) the last week of November. Today is Feb 4 and I do not have the merchandise nor have my money back. Nov 27. Order placed online. ...
Butterfly photo stinks!!! And I mean this in the sincerest way possible. After doing tons of research on the Casio EX-S500, I placed my Christmas order early (November 23 to be exact.) Right after hitting the send button, I was bombarded with ...
After reading some of the reviews at epinion, I decided to purchase some items from Butterfly Photo, despite a somewhat higher price than at a couple of other sources. I should have read all of the reviews available and I am proffering this as a balanced ...
Found at:
I highly recommend Butterfly Photo. I purchased a Sony camcorder based on reviews from this site and price. I purchased the item over the phone, the price was the same as on-line, the sales rep. was courteous and professional, and I received the item in perfect condition the next day using overnight shipping. The transaction was perfect, everything was as described, I highly recommend and will definitely use again.
my experience with butterflyphoto.com was a very pleasing one. the sales rep handled my questions very well and he was extremely informative about the answers. shipping was a breeze. thank you butterflyphoto.com and im sure that ill do more business with you guys.
Read what customers complain, not just the rating. The rating for this store does not look right. I wish I had read what other customers complained. Ordered a camera. I was asked to call back with NO reason. I did not do it because it is rude. I send an email asking either ship or cancel the order. No response for a while, followed by a few emails asking me to call back with NO reason (same as the one before).
Wonderful prices, great sales help, fast turn around. Digital camera nut.
Purchased a Pentax *ist DL camera body.. Recieved typical comfirmation sales pitch call the next day. Sales person wasn't rude or anything. Camera was sent out 7 days after order date, recieved camera 4 days after shipment date, so about a 2 business week delivery for the camera. I was a bit worried about the camera arriving at all due to reading horrible stories about people recieving broken cameras or empty digital camera boxes. But I think my camera was a gray market camera since I didn't recieve a US warranty card with the camera. So I am kind of screwed if anything happens to my camera since it cannot be warranted in the US. To say the least I will do better research next time when buying electronic equipment online.
Bought the Panasonic PV-GS150 from Butterflyphoto.com and then found this site. Was worried about the mixed reviews but had a great experience with them. I did get the dreaded confirmation email and phone call from Chris (tried to sell me the wide angle lens and the extended warranty), but after declining both, he said my stuff would ship out immediately by Fed Ex 2 day (I had paid for the cheapest ground service -- 7-10 days). Very polite interaction - he wasn't pushy at all. So - got my camera a whole week earlier than I expected and the only problem is with the manufacturer (Panasonic) vs. the retailer -- discovered too late the dreaded 3-red line problem under low light conditions in this type of camera that other Panasonic GS150 users have also encountered. Read lots of review sites on this camera and just never stumbled on this problem until too late. Hopefully, the manufacturer will act responsibly and take care of this defect.
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an update: had to take the satisfaction rating down a notch. Don't believe them when they say they will get back to you if you ever have a problem/question. They promise a 24 hour response time and so far, it's been 2 weeks with no response to my emails. Clearly they don't really care about customer support/loyalty after they make the sale which is too bad becuase I was going to buy something else and now I don't think I would buy from them again.
Stay away from this company. They will stole money from your Credit Card.
I ordered a digital camera from Butterfly on 10/24/2005. The price of this camera from Butterfly was not the best. The reason I ordered from them, instead of others, because other websites did mention it was Jewish holiday and they will ship orders until 3 days later.
So I ordered from Butterfly, since they did not mention this kind of holiday delay on their web site. However, I received an email from Butterfly the same day I placed the order. The email said they will delay my order since it was their Jewish holiday. What gives. So I called them to cancel the order. The guy who received my call is Larry (ext249). He is kind of polite. When I said I want ed cancel the order, he seemed fine. He said it was cancelled and I will never see my credit card been charged. I believed him.
However, 20 days later, when I received my Credit card statement, I was astonished. Butterfly did charge my card.
I called Butterfly service right away. The guy who received my call, hang up my call immediately knowing I am disputing my credit card charge. He placed me in to a line, which I have to wait for half an hour to get to talk to someone else.
This new guy said they will refund the charge in 4 days. I told them if one week later, I still do not see the refund, I will notify my CC company. He said, "it is OK", then hang up. Please note, nobody said sorry about charging my CC.
Let's see what will happen a week later. I will update if I do not receive my refund.
Please do youself a favor to stay away from this store. It it not worth it.
Very bad experience. Ordered camera, everything looked fine, showed as "processing" on website. Received a message from a sales guy saying my order was having "billing difficulties" and I needed to call him to fix my order. So I call him, he asks for my credit card security number, and I give it to him. THEN, he tried to sell me stuff I didn't want to buy like "special" batteries, accessories, etc. for like the next half hour. I told him no, over and over. He kept changing the deal, giving me better offers. I continued to tell him "NO! I ORDERED WHAT I WANTED, IF I WANTED ANY OF THAT OTHER STUFF, I COULD HAVE GOTTEN IT OFF THE WEBSITE!!!" Finally after 30 minutes of my refusals to all his HIGH PRESSURE SALES TACTICS, he says bye. I'm thinking my order is fixed since I gave him my credit card security number so I wait a few days for the camera to ship. BUT, I check the later, and my order had changed, to include the freakin' battery he was trying to sell me!!!!! I couldn't believe it, and on top of that, I got another call from the billing department asking me to call them about my order. I call them, and they say my order was having problems with my credit card. I lost it, I asked, "Then why the hell did I spend half an hour with "Mike" talking about my order. And why did he ask me for my CC security number?" The guy replies, "I don't know why he asked you for it." Finally out of disgust, I just asked them to cancel my order.
I recommend you stay away from this dirty retailer. Unless you enjoy the gamble of getting a order go through successfully, or having to play mind games with a sales guy trying to rip you off, STAY AWAY.
I ordered a Canon PowerShot S2 IS after seeing very high ratings on ResellerRatings. Everything on the 7/1/05 order confirmation e-mail looked fine, but then I received another message on 7/3/05 saying "Thank you for your on-line purchase. We hope your shopping experience was pleasant. Please contact us regarding Your order BFW190112 ." I sent a reply saying I didn't understand why they couldn't discuss any problems in an e-mail, and would they please respond. Today, 7/6/05, I have heard nothing in return from them, so I cancelled my order.
Since they had rather good reviews and satisfaction feedback on ResellerRatings, I didn't expect one of these call-back ploys, and I have no interest in doing business with people who aren't straight up with their (potential) customers. I have no idea why they wanted me to phone, unless it was to do some high-pressure add-on selling. I can't imagine ever considering doing business with them in the future unless I got a really good explanation and justification, and an apology.
(16 July 2005) After cancelling my order with ButterflyPhoto, I ordered from Profeel. To my message of cancellation I received the same boiler-plate reply mentioned above, to which I sent another e-mail saying I had cancelled. Again I got the canned response, around noon July 7th. At 1832 that day I got a Shipping Confirmation, to which I replied with another notice of cancellation. (Profeel had already delivered the camera, with no hassle or extra shipping charges.) Delivery of the cancelled order was attempted on 11 July, which I refused, but my credit card had already been charged, and not to ButterflyPhoto or to the "BDD Solutions Inc." they specified in their order confirmation, but to a "Digital Acquisition Cor." I consider this to be a case of fraud, and I would never consider having anything to do with ButterflyPhoto, except for reporting them to the FTC, BBB, Visa, and, of course, ResellerRatings.
I purchased their Panasonic TH42PD25 Plasma TV. The price was competitive and in stock, I could not find another online retailer that had this in stock for the same price. I wanted this well before SuperBowl.
I live in a remote area and most all large freight companies won't come out here, they drop it off in town 80mi away. The deal closer was they offered 2-day delivery to my front door.
Yes, I did receive a call from Victor as others have mentioned here. He asked if I was interested in an extended warranty, and I politely replied, "No thank you." He thanked me for the purchase and promised the item would ship today. The call took less than two minutes.
I received the item two days later. It was well packaged, sealed, with a warranty card, and the packing box hardly had a scratch on it.
The only kludge was with the card verification process, in which I had to fax a copy of the card, driver's license, and a signed paper. I don't have a scanner, so I sent in a jpg of the card & license. This delayed my order from Thursday to the following week. A little disappointing, but no real problem.
I am very happy with the entire experience and would buy from them again.
Placed an order on-line for a digital camera on May 23rd. However, I still hadn't received the camera by June 9th. Their confirmation, which was prompt, stated 24-72 hours for processing. When I called the 800 number listed on the confirmation e-mail, I was cycled through 3 different reps. Each rep put me on hold only to be answered by someone new. I lost connection after being put on hold a 4th time and gave up altogether after being placed on hold 25 minutes during a second call that never reached human voice. I called credit card company to cancel the order and request a credit.
My experience with ButterFly Photo was a positive one.
I am a very skeptical person, and when it comes to transactions via the internet, I am very cautious, and question every purchase and pose the question, what are they really selling, but I digress. Therefore, I felt obligated to share my experience with ButterFly Photo.
I was in search of the Sony F828, and found some great deals on the internet, but the reviews of the venders made me weary. I did some more researching and found a great price at ButterFly Photo. I looked for all the negative reviews, and read them to find out what were the major complaints about this vender. After reviewing the risk vs. reward of conducting business with this vender, I felt it was worth my while to make a purchase with them. With that being said, I am glad I did, because I received an excellent deal on my camera, furthermore they shipped my camera the very same day.
If I had a complaint, it would be that I never received an email confirmation; however, I was able to track my order from their site. Now I am not sure if I did not receive an email confirmation because I called to upgrade my shipping from regular ground to next day air? Nonetheless, I received my camera today (the next day after my purchase), and the camera was brand new in the box, as expected, as well as properly packaged to avoid any damage during shipping.
To conclude, if I have any other needs that ButterFly Photos my service, I will do business again with them.
- Jason
This place is a nightmare to buy from. If at all, pay extra and buy somewhere else. From the beginning they lied and said anything they could to get the purchase. Never once were they truthful with me and actually lied about a couple of things. The problem with their company is that they back there bad service up. If you try to cancel the order because of an issue, they charge you restock fees or they don't credit you the correct amount and then give you a story why they did what they did. Everything is about giving you the "run-around" to keep your business with them. I had a problem and to help resolve the issue, they indicated to me that they upgraded shipping to three day so I could have my order by that Friday. Well, I didn't receive it til next Friday. No emails or calls were ever returned, even though they promised. Not once was I sure what was going on during the whole process. Some issues are yet unresolved and I wonder if I'll ever get anywhere. I will never do business with this company again, as this was the single most worst experience I have ever had with a mail order company. STAY AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ordered a Panasonic PV-GS120 DV Camcorder. Two days later I received call confirming order and politely asking if I wanted to but accessories. No hassles. Order was shipped that same day. Very good price and service.
Ordered Dimage A1 on Sunday. They called Monday to confirm order. No hard sell on any other stuff. Was offered the Minolta rebate offers which I declined. Camera arrived 2 day Fedex on Wednesday. Brand new out of the box with everything as listed. Excellent experience. Thanks.
I purchased a Nikon Coolpix 8800, reveived it in less than three days. The camera was boxed up in the original package and I opened it up to find that the camera lens cap strap was missing. I called the customer service number, and I received the lens cap strap the next day. Not too shabby since I live in Northern California and they are located in Brooklyn, New York! The price was good and so is their customer service!
I�m glad I decided to order from butterflyphoto.com, because their prices can�t be beat and I received my order on-time, with all the standard retail packaging.
I�m always hesitant to deviate from the tried and true resellers like newegg.com. I was particularly concerned about buying from butterflyphoto.com, because I had heard that their sales department would contact me and try to sell me camera accessories before they completed my order. Fortunately, I received no such phone call.
I can�t vouch for all low-cost online resellers, but I can say that I would definitely buy again from butterflyphoto.com.
Ordered a digital camera for a fraction of the price I've seen elsewhere. Butterfly Photo called me to verify my purchase personally, as well as answer any of my questions on the spot. Fixed a shipping issue easily. Easy to use website. Highly recommended, and I'll more than likely use them again.
I ordered my Nikon Coolpix 3700 from the ButterFly Photo through the phone, and talked to a sales representative named Justin since I read good things about him on dpreview.com. I spent about 5 minutes talking to him and everything was nicely done. He even upgraded my shipping from the Ground to the Fedex Saver. His handling to my purchase was very professional and efficient. He is a nice person to talk with and I did not feel pressure at all. Three days later, I received the camera. My experience with the ButterFly Photo has been very positive so far. I highly recommend it.
Bought a Digital Rebel/300D camera kit, saitisfied, recommended to a friend who bought the same camera, no problem.
On-line shopping at Butterfly Photo was easy and straight forward. Like most on-line stores, shopping is as easy as a few clicks. I spent so little time at the website, I don't really recall anything special, different or negative about my experience. I simply ordered and received my order in a few days. There are a couple things to the ordering process that you must know, however, that I wasn't aware of, but didn't impact my shopping experience. As others have mentioned, they do give you a followup call to make sure the shipping information is correct. I'm not too sure if that is the real intent of the call, but more likely to sell you some overpriced accessories or warranties. Still, the caller was not overly pressuring. The other thing that I have not noticed from other mail order shops is the specific instructions on the shipping box to the FedEx driver not to accept a written signature on a note and leave the merchandise without a person to person sign and deliver.
Overall, this was a good shopping experience.
Bought a Canon Rebel XT and got a follow up call to try to sell me an extended warranty and assorted accessories. It wasn't a hard sell, but the salesman did falsely claim the Canon warranty was only 90 days on labor. Even so, the item arrived the next day even though I didn't pay for overnight and the price was about the lowest I could find. I would do business with them again.
Extremely satisfied with Butterfly Photo. Order was placed on 4/28/04 (wednesday), for an Olympus C-750. Very same day I was contacted to confirm order, and that it will be shipped out the next day. Then on 5/3/04, i recieved the camera. Brand new with 1 year warranty, as it should have been!
I was asked to purchase additional items to go along with the camera, but I politely declined the offer, and they were all cool with it, no hassle.
I will buy more again VERY soon!
First, I got a very good price on a DLP TV from butterflyphoto and the TV arrived on time and in good shape. The shipping company used by butterfly photo (manna.com) was responsive too.
Be aware though, that you will have to call butterfly to confirm your order and they will try to sell you overpriced accessories. They will get VERY grouchy when you politely turn down those accessories. My phone call ended with the guy saying "You're gonna regret it!" and hanging up.
SLEAZY is to good for this outfit.
Last month I located a battery grip on their website and noted that it was "in stock". My experience has shown that I must call this outfit to determine if the item was "really" in stock. Reason being that most of the time, "in stock" means nothing to these individuals", and because I knew they would leave a message on my answering machine a day later asking to verify credit card information.
The salesperson, "Jim" I believe, told me that the item was in stock and there was no problem. I made him aware that CANON no longer makes the grip in question and I wanted to make doubly sure that it was in stock. Jim continued to assure me that it would be shipped out and would arrive within 10 days. Of course he wanted to sell me some extra batteries, which I declined.
After 10 days I checked my credit card and found that it had been charged when I placed my order. I began calling and leaving messages which Butterfly never returns. I called the order status number and talked to a lady. She apparently counld only find that I placed an order, but I was going to have to talk to some other mysterious person who doesn't return calls.
I waited a few days for a call and nothing. I called the order status line again and went through the same thing...and never received a call back.
Finally, it was November 8th and I made my "hope to be" final call to the order status line. The lady looked up the order and admitted that it was on back order. I asked why it would be on back order if CANON doesn't even make them anymore. I also asked why my credit card had already been charged since it had obviously not been shipped. She had no answers and would not refer my call to someone in a higher position that would take my complaint, although she did promise to pass it along to her supervisor.
This is undoubtedly the worst company I have ever dealt with! If you value your time, money, and blood pressure, I would recommend you do not have any dealings with this ripoff company! You may get away without a problem once, but they will bite you!
The order status lady agreed to refund my money...I am waiting to see if she is any more reputible than the rest of the employees at this outfit.
All went well in the checkout process. Phone call follow-up today with a considerate young man. Great price on the Olympus Digital 410. I would recommend Butterfly to others.
In a word: HORRID. I will NEVER try to buy from this company again. I got FOUR emails within 48 hours telling me that I needed to contact them regarding my order (and that includes one that I received AFTER I called them). Upon calling them I discovered there was nothing wrong with my order; they just wanted to give me a sales pitch for accessories and extended warranties. I had to take time out of my schedule to call them for a sales pitch before they'd process my order?? Then I get home and find a voice mail telling me there was a problem with my credit card, and to call them back. So I did, at 6:32pm, and listened to hold music and "your call is important to us" for half an hour. At 6:58pm a new recording came up telling me that - surprise! - their offices are closed. The voice then tells me that their normal hours are from 10am to 8pm and I should call back then (ignoring the fact that it was only 7pm). I canceled my order and bought from B&H instead, where they treat their customers with respect.
I ordered the Panasonic Lumix dmc-fz5 for $436,subsequently called a "chris" and was bombarded with extra products to purchase. When I politely declined to purchase a memory card, battery, or any other accessory, "chris" responded with an abrupt "we'll be shipping it shortly." and hung up. I called several days later to find that they still had not shipped my item. A rude representative then told me they would ship it "in a few days." I called three days later to find that the camera was on backorder and ended up cancelling my order out of frustration. This was approximatly two and a half weeks after I placed my order. I asked to have them refund my money and am waiting for the them to recredit my credit card. I do not understand how they have such a high rating on such shopping comparison sites as pricegrabber and shopzilla. When I later looked on resellerratings.com, I discovered that others had the same thing happen to them. I would never do buisness with them again. They are a disgrace to Online shopping.
Bought a canon eos digital rebel xti from these guys. Had to call them to complete the order. They did try to sell accessories and extended warranty, but not too much pressure on it. I was put on hold a few times. Order was shipped out immediately via DHL and got here pretty fast. Camera is in working order, everything is accounted for that's suppose to be in the original box.
I ordered a Casio Exilim EX-Z40 from butterflyphoto.com because they had it at the lowest price. I opted for 2nd day Fedex shipping because I was leaving for a trip in about a week and a half and wanted some time to get used to the camera before that. I received a defective camera three days later. I called customer support, and they said they would send me a new camera as soon as they received the old one. They also told me I would be reimbursed for my shipping costs AND I would receive a free camera case for the inconvenience. I decided to send the defective camera back 2nd day Fedex because I wanted to receive the new one before I left. I received the new camera and the free case. The case is CRAP. It wasn't made for the Casio Exilim and adds A LOT of bulk. One of the main reasons I bought that camera was because it's super small, so the case defeats the purpose. I called customer support regarding my shipping reimbursement and they said the free case was the reimbursement (which is not what they told me the first time). I asked to speak to a manager and since then I've been given the run around. I was transferred to over 5 different people before I got sick of it and hung up. I WOULD NOT RECOMMENT BUTTERFLYPHOTO TO ANYONE!
Very nice on the phone, was my first purchase with Butterfly, I would definity order from them again. The price was right, and said it will go out right away. I'll be back to update my review after I've received the product. Extremely Happy with Butterfly! Would highly recomend them to anyone who even hesitates to order from them. I told him my situation where we were leaving on vacation the next week.
I'd also highly recomend the CANON POWERSHOT A70, which I got from them.
Thanks Butterfly!
I order a Samsung LN-R328W from Butterfly Photo. After 5 hours of broadcast the TV started changing colors on me. Most noticable is black turning red. And the rest of the other colors seems like you are watching from an infared scope. I tried calling Butterfly Photo and they directed me to Samsung. Samsung's only option is to dispatch a technician. Technician will only come out if i submit a picture of the SN# in the back of the TV and a copy of the PO statement. After days of following proper procedure, i'm unable to get any help or service. I called BP again and they gave me the run around. 5 hours of a new TV and the technician which is ordering parts told me that he as to replace the main board on the TV. not even a day and it's major surgery? I wish there is some method for customers who are experiencing similar issues like me. If i decide to sumbit a complaint to the Consumer Affairs when will they get to this??
5-10 years??
Highly delighted with the service I received from Butterfly Photo, I can�t recommend them highly enough. I was very cautious about buying this expensive camera (Canon EOS 20D) over the Internet. I read some complaints about rude high-pressure sale staff � this was not my experience. I did have to ring them to confirm my order, I spoke to the Sales Rep Victor. He did try to sell me accessories, which I did not have a problem with; the guys have to make a living after all! Victor was very polite and courteous. The camera was shipped the same day I ordered it and arrived in perfect condition. I will definitely use them again.
Butterfly Photo is a bait and switch merchant. When I placed my order, I verfied multiple times if the item was In-stock. I was assured it was. When I didn't order any of the extra (overpriced) accessories they were pushing, my Order was then delayed. The salesperson couldn't commit to a shipping day. A few days later I called to check status, they stated the item I ordered was now Out of Stock (poor inventory control). They had charged my Credit Card on the date of Order (without shipping anything), and I am still waiting for them to process a Credit after canceling my Order. Do not purchase anything from Butterfly Photo!
The usual rude pushy sales associate.
Hung up abruptly when he could't up sell me.
Poor packing of product in shipping box, product rattled around due to a lack of filler. Expensive product needs to be treated more carefully.
First class experience.
Was contacted via email and phone to verify shipping address and thanked for my order.
Received everything in 3 days for the minimum shipping cost.
Have already recommended them to coworkers.
Will definitely check them first for the next purchase.
Very efficient ordering process. Did not try to unload any extras. Sold me what I wanted and let me go.
Close call.. placed order, they claimed credit card security card failed, tried hard upsell, then delayed order w/o proper notification. Emailed support detailing their violation(s) of the Fair Trade Commission (there is a civil penalty up to 11,000)
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/mailorder.htm
Soon after I emailed this, stock magically appeared and they shipped my product. whew...
Stated my item is in stock when I ordered. Obviously it is not. Website still claims the item is in stock. In response to their emails, my attempts to call customer service during published operating hours have proven futile: "We're currently closed. But you can order online 24 hrs a day!" Um, thanks but no thanks.I paid them via Paypal transfer from checking acct, which has already been debited. One begins to wonder how much they earn on the float. Why, oh why did I stray from the egg?
Good service, good product. They even called to confirm I made the purchase and upgraded the shipping for free. Product arrived as promised (though more padding would have made me feel better) and works great.
I'll make this short! Phoned the company to place an order for a Nikon Coolpix 5700. Didn't bother placing the order over the web as I knew they'd make me call to "verify" the order anyway in order to sell me more accessories. The price was among the lowest that actually had a good writeup here on this site. Phone rep was decent. Tried to sell me every accessory possible, but wasn't real pushy. I took the cheapest thing that I could actually use (probably inflated price, but figured I may need to buy something to actually get the camera shipped). Told the rep I needed the purchase to go through by the next day to get the manf. rebate. Got a fedex # emailed to me later that day, the 2 day fedexed the product. It arrived quick. It was boxed well with all accessories and in perfect shape. I would definitely use them again
ps. I was a little worried going in, but the order came out great. I don't have any connection to the company.
I purchased a Panasonic PV-GS250 from these guys and I'm extremely satisfied. Lowest price I've seen. I opted for the ground shipping but they send it through Fedex 2day Air (with the ground shipping price!). Excellent! I bought the Repairtech warranty from Larry. He gave me a discount. Again, it was the cheapest 4-year protection plan I've seen online and the protection plan comes from a reputable company (Repairtech Warranty). Larry was not rude or anything. He was really nice and patient. He offered me some accessories but I politely declined and that was it. No harrassment at all. I was hesistant at first because the video camera was a big investment for me but it all went well. I will buy from them again. Price and service are highly recommended. They're worth checking out! BUTTERFLY PHOTO REALLY FLIES HIGH ON MY LIST!
Ordered a camera from them. Looked perfectly OK on the webpage. Next day get a phone call saying that I forgot to order a warranty, since, according to their words, the camera comes with only 90-days replacement plan. Knowing that all Canon SLRs come with at least 1-year US warranty, I ask them whether the camera has a US warranty. The answer is "No." apparently, they were trying to sell me a grey-market version. I immediately asked them to cancel the order. Would not buy again from this seller.
Ordered Panasonic DMC-FZ20 camera from Butterfly Photo by phone. Good price. Shipped from Brooklyn, NY, same day ordered. Two days after order, received in Hawaii. Well packaged. Very happy with service! Would buy from Butterfly Photo again.
I placed my order on 9/14/06. I decided to call Butterfly Photo because I wanted to avoid the call back mentioned in the reviews. I talked to a very professional service rep and informed him I wanted to avoid the call back. He said no problem. I ordered a Sony DVD camcorder for $552 which is about $250 cheaper than websites/stores like circuit city, Best Buy, etc. I also ordered a second battery which was cheaper than circuit city's price. The sales rep did attempt to sell me a couple items. This should be expected when the price is so good. I ended up ordering the 4 year warranty which was much cheaper than priced on their website. The sales rep never tried to pressure me and was professional the entire time. The rep told me the order would ship within 48 hours. A few HOURS later I received an email with the tracking number. I paid for the 2-3 day shipping and BP shipped via DHL. No fault of Butterfly Photo, my package was late. Apparently DHL only delivers to small towns like mine (population 1,000) three days a week. Then DHL went to the wrong house (houses are numbered) and couldn't deliver the product. I finally drove to the big city and picked up the product myself. I called DHL and they are going to refund Butterfly Photo for DHL's mistake. Bottom line is that I received everything I ordered at the prices I expected. I got the camcorder, battery and 4 year warranty for cheaper than Circuit City sold just the camcorder. My advice to Butterfly photo is to only ship via UPS. DHL and Fed Ex are terrible at shipping to rural/small towns because they use contract carriers. My advice to people ordering from Butterfly Photo, treat your sales rep with respect and be upfront with what you want and they will treat you well. Remember, the price is worth many inconveniences.
I'm please with the the store's service. Great service.
I ordered a Sony Camcorder PC1000 on Sunday. They have the lowest price (914.00). I received an email to call to confirm the order on Monday. I called Justin and was asked to buy accessories which I declined. I asked whether he can express shipping the camcorder because my trip started the following Friday. He said he cannot warranty the item will arrive on time. I received the camcorder on Thurday 2nd day fedex without additional shipping charge.
I had a wonderful trip with wonderful video and images.
Ben
Very pleasant shopping experience! I bought Konica Minolta Dimage Z2. With the lowest price, no pressure to buy accessories and very kind attitude. seemed to be very busy answering phones, though. delivered on time and everything was clean and perfect. would shop here again and recommend others! Nice shop!!
I was a bit leary of Butterfly after reading some of the negative reviews, but couldn't pass up the great price. Since I generally don't like to make "online" purchases, I called them up to place my order. Of course, they suggested a memory card and batteries, but politely took no for an answer. Received an e-mail with tracking # the same day, the camera arrived on the west coast 2 days later. Great! Uh oh, there's a problem...manufacturer's defect with the camera (not Butterfly's fault).
Now I'll find out about the "real" Butterfly Photo, I think. I called customer service, and after only 4-5 minutes on hold, they answered and were very helpful and polite, gave me an RMA# without hassle. I shipped the unit back and recieved it's replacement only 4 business days later! Awesome!
I was happy enough with the service, that I recommended them to a friend, who immediately purchased a camera as well, and had a good experience also.
Purchased digital camera
Great price and fast shipping.
Product looks great and seems to be in perfect working oder.
Packaging could have been better for a 500+ dollar item one strip of air tubes.
I bought a Canon G-6 from them and it had issues so i called them for and exchange all went well until they told me I will be charged 10% restocking fee. I asked why I am not returning for credit I just want another camera. They more or less said tough luck that is their policy and has been for sometime. I have bought from them before and even sent back a camera and they exchanged it gladly but I guess that is no longer true. In the past I have highly recommended them but will no longer do so.
After reading so many horror stories about Butterfly Photo (and most of the discount internet retailers operating out of Brooklyn, NY), I was apprehensive about making a major purchase (Samsung LN-S4092D 40" LCD panel HDTV). However, the fantastic price and shipping for $.01 were too hard to pass up and I went ahead with my order. I called the 800 number to order since I knew that submitting my order online would only delay the processing due to the inevitable "call us back right away...there's a problem with your order" e-mail. The sales associate I spoke to, Eddie, did indeed upsell me (I originally was intending to buy the LN-S4051D model, which is about $150 cheaper), but I ended up getting the 4092D model for $40 more than the 4051 due to a pricing error on their end, so it worked out to my advantage in the end! They also tried to sell me HDMI cables and an extended warranty which I politely refused and they didn't haggle when I did. Anyway, they answered all my questions and addressed my concerns (mostly confirming that the TV was brand new, factory sealed, full warranty, etc), and within 20 seconds of hanging up the phone I had an order confirmation e-mail. The following morning (I ordered at 8pm on Wednesday Aug 22), I woke up to find a second e-mail indicating my TV had already shipped and included was a tracking number for DHL. Now, for $.01 shipping, I was expecting an economy freight/trucking company to deliver the TV in 2-3 weeks. However, the DHL tracking indicated that the TV would be delivered in 2 business days! Turns out that DHL was not able to deliver on the 2nd business day because the oversize box necessitated they deliver 1st thing on the morning of the 3rd business day, so I arranged to go pick up the TV myself at my local DHL facility (8 minute drive) because I didn't want to wait. The TV was packed in the original box with all accessories, in unopened/unused condition. There was absolutely no damage or indication that the packaging had been open or resealed. The warranty information was included, and the outer box had the original UPC label. Bottom line, I got a brand new, perfect TV for $1000 less that it would have cost at Best Buy or Circuit City or any other brick & mortar electronics store. I had no problems whatsoever with Butterfly Photo, and while I may avoid ordering from them in the future just based on the sheer number of negative reviews I've read (quit while I'm ahead, right?), I am extremely satisfied with how my order went. Your mileage may vary, but here's one success story involving Butterfly Photo.
We did quite a lot of research and knew what we wanted, so were looking for the best deal when we found Butterfly. They definitely have the best prices and included some great options for accessories. After having a credit card stolen some months ago, we were especially pleased that we received a call verifying the order and our identity. Our purchase arrived a day earlier than promised and everything works just fine. The whole process was easy and secure which makes for a very pleasant Internet buying experience. We would definitely use this sight again.
I read a lot of negative feedback about the store and took that into consideration when ordering my new sony cybershot dsc-h5. I did much research regarding pricing and found that butterflyphoto.com had one of the lowest prices and being that they weren't located in the state where I reside I wouldn't have to pay tax made the negative feedback a little less harsh.
When I called to place the order I mentioned to the salesperson that I was apprehensive about ordering because of negative feedback and that my order would have a time constraint on it. He assured me that they had over 250 of this specific camera in stock and that I shouldn't have a problem getting it delivered to my home in 2 business days. I paid the $25.00 shipping fee (which was not in addition to their regular fee).
The item arrived in less than 48 hours after my telephone order.
The salesperson did go through the usual list of accessories, including the warranty to purchase. They got me on the UV lens and that was it. He was friendly and helpful and wasn't too pushy about the additional items/offers.
I called the following day after placing the order to confirm that it would ship that day and the person from customer service was very professional and had an upbeat personality.
I would recommend them and buy from them again. I would suggest following up right after your purchase from any online store and follow through until you get a tracking number by email to make sure that your order didn't slip through any cracks.
GREAT Experience...
Service,Price,Delivery...Victor called to confirm order, no high pressure to buy ad-ons when I said "no thanks". Samsung Digimax I5 received in four days.
+Great Service+
For a week I searched online for the best price possible on the Panasonic DMC-FZ15. Most places were $400 and up, yet I only had $390 to spend including shipping. PriceWatch found that ButterFly photo had the best over all cost, and I decided to check it out. The first place I came to was Reseller Ratings to research customer satisfaction, and service. Heard a few horror stories, and some great ones perhaps 60:40 were satisfied/happy customers.
Thus I placed my order at Butterfly Photo around 9AM on February 1st. The total included "standard" shipping. Recived an e-mail to contact Victor who was a Sales Rep. He asked if I wanted a memory card which I kindly declined, an extra battery, and also last a UV lens filter. After declining both the battery and the UV lens he kindly let me know that my order was processed and would be shipped the same day! He said thank you for shopping with us, and I said thank you too before ending the conversation. That night I recieved an e-mail with my FedEX tracking number, also that the shipping was upgraded to "2 Day FedEX"! This was at no charge! I recieved the camera today which is February 3rd at 12PM. I was expecting to find an item or two missing from the box, but it was in untouched condition and included the warranty card! Everything worked smoothly and I am extremely happy with this purchase and company.
Summary:
Quick processing.
Polite and unpushy sales rep.
Shipping upgrade at no charge.
All items untouched and new.
Better price than most online stores.
I can say that if I need to purchase another digital camera. I would buy from Butterfly Photo!
These folks were really professional. My camera came faster than expected and communication was excellent. I would use them again. Price was great as well! What a pleasure.
I ordered a Yamaha RX-V659 receiver from Butterflyphoto.com on Saturday(09/23/2006) and promptly received a confirmation e-mail. I received no additional communication for the next 6 days.. this despite their website still showing the receiver 'in stock' and 'usually ships 1-2 days'. Checking the order status online did no good as all that could be seen was a blank space in the status field.
I e-mailed customer service asking for a status update on my order and surprise, surprise.. a few hours later I got an e-mail asking me to call their 800-number to discuss my order. This I did, spoke with a couple of perfectly agreeable people, declined the service plan or whatever it is they call it.. finally I was told my order was on its way. Coincidence?
My order was shipped DHL 2-day and I got my order on 10/03/2006.
Overall, I had a technically proficient yet personally smarmy experience with this vendor. You will not get the feeling of the warm-and-fuzzies ordering from them. There seems to be no priority in communication, and their 'you must call us before we'll ship the item you've already paid for' policy defeats the entire purpose of ordering online.
Excellent Service. Prompt Delivery. Friendly Manner. Offered me additional products, some of which I accepted.
I ordered a Minota Z2, a very competitively priced digital camera on their site. Got a confirmation call today to verify my order. Very nice service. I will update my review when I receive the order that was promised to arrive in 3-5 business days.
Update: My order was received within 3 days. The camera was exactly as described with all items included. I appreciate their prompt delivery and nice service. I will definitely recommend this site to my friends and will visit their store again.
Very interesting purchasing experience: I order on May 26th and the Rebel XT kit shipped out May 30th (the next business day). It arrived yesterday on June 6th but the shipping box was tampered with, damaged, re-taped. The canon box inside was also torn apart and instead of a Rebel XT body, I found a Sony HC-3 MiniDV camera in my box. Could this be the exact one that a previous reviewer mentioned that was missing? I also called Butterfly they they filed a claim with FedEx (FedEx picked up the box the next day). I'll have to wait and see how this works out...
Well, when I called 6/8, was told it would be shipped Frday 6/9 or Monday 6/12. Waited til 6/12 before calling again. Called in the morning and CustServ said it will ship that day and I should get a email w/ tracking. I didn't get one so I called later in the day and was told it was not in stock and would not ship that day but to call again the next day to see if they got a new shipment from their distributor. Wanting the camera, I waited til next day. Called again, not in stock, cancelled. My credit card was credited the next day (was told 3-5 days, so that's good).
Summary:
Price: cheapest I've found - GOOD
Sales: aside from getting "the call", not a big issue, no hard sell (from my perpective) - OK
Shipping: shipped next biz day, arrived when expected - GOOD
Shipment: damaaged box, damaged product box, wrong product in box - BAD
Return: FedEx picked up next day after calling Butterfly - GOOD
Replacement: was back-ordered, after waiting 3 biz days, cancelled order. - BAD
Refund: credit card was credited next day 6/14) - GOOD
All stores, even the best will have some orders that go wrong. Mine just happened to go wrong. If you have issues, don't e-mail but call instead.
I had friends that bought from Butterfly and they didn't have issues but I did. I think Butterfly is ok if your order doesn't have any issues.
Order 4 days b4 Christmas. With 5 day ground shipping. Arrived on Christmas eve, I think thats just amazing how they went out of there way to see it was here b4 holiday w/o charging the extra for 2 day shipping. pretty awesome. Thanx
I was somewhat hesitant to buy from them after reading the negative reviews. I wanted to purchase a Yamaha RX-2700, and after comparing the prices, I decided to try my luck. It turned out to be a nice surprise. I ordered online, and followed up with a phone call. I talked with Jim at ext. 270. He was great, very helpful, and no hard sell. I got the shipping notice the next day, and received my package on time. The packing is not as nice as Amazon or some other vendors, but the product is factory sealed and in perfect condition. Will definitely buy from them again.
waited 5 weeks for order, still has not come in. EVERY time i called, they assured me it SHOULD be shipped within the next few days and, because of the delay, they've upgraded shipping to "expedited". At this point i've missed countless uses for it... many of the reasons i bought it have expired and still all they can do is give me upgraded shipping... on a product which probably WON'T be shipping anytime this week. my order information has shown me "shipping" since the day i placed the order. they blame it on Nikon. but they could at least be honest to their customers instead of decieving them week after week... the applying rebate may expire by the time i get this thing.
Completed transaction, but would not purchase from again. The people were polite but as all brooklyn camera operators, they call you to "confirm" and sell you crap. I refused in a nice way for about 15 minutes. They guaruntee shipping within 48 hours but it took 7 days before they shipped. I called every day until they shipped it. They used a professional shipping company with online tracking. The TV appears to be new and works well so far. I will never order from a brooklyn, NY company again.
Excellent seller! I received the camera within 2 days. They were nice enough to send the camera using 2 day FedEx service even though they didn't charge for shipping. All this with the best price that I could find online! I will be purchasing from them again for sure, and I highly recommend them to anyone looking for a good price as well as a "no scam" vendor. Thanks!
The order is stated by the ButterflyPhoto.com to be shipped free while choosing ground shipping. The free shipping shows in the order summary before I place the order. Right after I hit the "place order" button, the shipping cost changed into $17. How is that? Called in the CSR, and was simply told that the system changed. Is that possible? I have to cancle the order right away because I can't trust this store any more.
I was told by another company that Butterfly photo was not that good to deal with due to their reseller rating. I beg to differ with that company. I bought a Minolta Dimage Z3 from Butterfly photo, thinking that they were going to try and scam me into a bait and switch deal. This was NOT the case. Since Butterfly photo had one of the lowest prices on this camera, they did try to get me to purchase some accessories. When I told them No thank you, they sent the camera with all the basic starter kit that comes in the box from Minolta and sent it FEDEX 2nd day ground. Can not beat that. Every other company like B & H who have overinflated prices, said that Butterfly photo was a bait and switch type company based on reseller ratings.
I purchased a Canon Rebel digital camera and found the price for my camera to be excellent. The sales person was very helpful and certainly knew the product. Shipping and customer service was more that expected
Great seller! Fast shipping, attentive customer service!
Price for the Lumix DMC-FZ15K was great, ordering was easy.
When I got the confirming phone call I was ready for an upsell, and thought I was hearing it when the man offered to upgrade me to a faster speed SD card.
He explained how the quicker write times would allow faster picture taking, and gave me an upgrade cost of $70- outta my price range, I really was near the limit with the original package selected.
Then he offered to give me the higher speed 256MB card instead of the 512 I'd chosen, as it was the exact same cost.
As I was saying "Ok" to that idea, he interrupted and said he'd give me the 512MB card at $40 instead- "Could I do that?".
Yeah, that was feasible, if only barely, and much appreciated.
And he wasn't pushy about it, also appreciated. If that was an upsell, it was very clever, and did not come across as one.
Delivery was faster then expected: I had selected 7-10 day ground, but some kind soul bumped me up to 2 day express, so I received the camera on Friday after ordering on Wednesday- wow.
Package was in good shape, no damages, all equipment is working properly- the next time I need a camera or supplies, I'll be coming back to Butterfly.
Update: the Merkury battery that was bought as part of an extras package was bad.
I contacted Butterfly about the problem, and they had me send them the defective battery, then sent out a replacement, took less than ten days all together- good, quick service.
Bought a Canon CP-200 photo printer. Easy ordering, good price, no tax and no shipping. I received an email asking for a confirmation call on my order, but no hard sell on other items when I called. Just one question as to whether I wanted the ink/paper kit, and when I explained I got it for less at another store, the rep was very nice, even congratulating me on such a good price, and finished up the details of the order in a timely and efficient manner. I was told when the product would ship and when I could expect to receive it, and received tracking information about a day later. Got the package, safe and sound today--could've used a little more cushioning in the box to keep it from moving around, but not really an issue since the packing in the Canon box itself had the printer well protected. The only glitch was that Fed Ex had to redeliver 3 times before I was able to be home to sign for it--I should've asked the rep if a signature release was possible. I'll keep that in mind for next time, since I would definitely do business with this store again.
i got my nikon coolpix 8800 at an amazing price of $695, including shipping and handling; before $100 mail in rebate from nikon. i got the camera shipped to my home address within 5 days of purchase. the package had everything brand new; the camera, accessories and the original nikon warranty. i was amazed to see that the camera was made in japan, not made in china. on the second day, i was called by a sales rep and gave me details about the shipping. he wanted me to buy some accessories but i refused to do so. he was polite and informative. i am 100% satisfied with butterfly photo. and this was my first purchase from them. i give them full marks.
Was professional in taking order. Was exactly as advertised. Did not try to bush me with other items. Got confirmation concerning order and shipping within an hour.
I had read lots of reviews on here, so I was ready when my online order prompted an email asking me to call to confirm my order. When I spoke to "George", he tried to sell me some stuff, which I declined. The most shonky bit of selling was that he told me that the battery that ships with the camera will only last 35 minutes! Not true of course. Anyway, I declined everything else and he said it would process and ship soon. The next day I got a call from their billing department to clear up some confusion over my CC# and to check that I'd authorised the item to be shipped to my work address rather than my billing address. All was in order and they said it would ship on that day or the next (Weds or Thurs 26/27th).
With no emails saying it had shipped, or anything else for that matter, I called at the end of business on Friday 28th, and was told it should ship that day......but nothing, so I called on Sunday 30th and spoke to Daniel, who told me they were actually out of stock! And had been since some mysterious time between me placing the order and then, despite not getting any contact to let me know. I wouldn't have minded it being a bit delayed, but I did mind that they hadn't told me.
Daniel told me they were expecting a new shipment on Tuesday and would ship my camera from that, and I should call if there was no shipping notice. Of course, there wasn't, so I called, and he told me that Nikon hadn't included what *they* said they had in their delivery, so they still had no stock. There was nothing I could do but wait until the next shipment, which should have been today. So I called today, and apparently Nikon didn't even fulfil their shipment today. Remarkable bit of blame-shifting, but I suppose it could be true. They have no stock of D50s at all, including the kits that show as in stock on their website. Anyway, I've decided to cancel my order and buy it from somewhere else. I will be watching closely to see how quickly they refund my credit card!
Butterfly photo is just one of the suspicious looking webstore but I had great experience with them. At the time when I ordered, they had the lowest price for Casio EX-S600 digital camera. I went ahead and tried to order from them.
Again, I was e-mailed to finalize my order. I called them and I was offered battery and stuff. As usual, I refused it but the sales guy was okay about it.
My order arrived 1 week later. It was brand new and everything is included. The downside, I think it was a gray market product. Anyhow, I could careless about gray market product (unless rebates are involved). To me, all products that I bought always messed up right after the warranty expired. All I need was a good price and a good product, that's all.
I'm still using my Casio Exilim EX-S600 until this point in time without any problem. To me, I get what I paid for. So, don't set your expectation too high and you'll be satisfied.
They even sent me a thank you card after I bought the camera. It's a nice little thing that a store can do to make customer happy.
Butterfly Photo had one of the cheapest prices on the Nikon D70 (and cheap shipping). I ordered it on Tuesday and it showed up on Friday in great condition and with all the parts included. Camera works great. The only glitch was that I didn't receive an initial confirmation email of my registration or my order. I called up the next morning and they sent me the order confirmation and a tracking number.
Purchased a digital camcorder and items were shipped and arrived promptly (I'm only about 2.5-3 hours away from the store). I got a call from a salesman before the item shipped and he sold me a second battery, but misrepresented it. He told me the battery that comes with the camcorder only practically lasts 45 mins, which is true, but their replacement non-Sony one lasts 2.5 hours. I bought it, but after receiving it I noticed the packaging stated that it replaced the same model battery that came with it (Sony makes other models that last longer). I called them and someone else told me that even though the battery is the same model it lasts longer. I charged it in my camcorder and it's saying that it will last the same amount of time that the original lasts. I've decided to keep it anyway due to the good price.
Also, I called about a question with my order, since there was some haggling about the price of the replacement battery and possibly some other extra's thrown in, but I was transfered to someone's voicemail and they never called me back.
So these guys do a good job of selling and shipping items, but seem to be pretty poor on customer support.
Well, I am trying to buy Canon Digital Rebel. After investigating to-good-to be true prices. I found this place. Obviously, they have a good deal on camera, but try to upsell you stuff. However, they are REAL professionals. I was shopping in 3 scamming places. The guy spend at least 1 hour trying to convince me to buy additional accesories. They put my order on hold. Next day I found the same accessories almost 2 times cheaper at RitzCamera, which is one of the most expensive and reliable places. Hence, I tried to cancel my order. The salesmen was mad, and tried to put it on hold. I said, I can order it myself on-line. However, at the end he cancelled the order. The web-site did not say so. No e-mails confirming Order Cancellation, or anything. Well, I blocked my credit card just in case.
However, if you are smart, reject any accesories right away. I just decided to go with BeachCamera. Price is the same (because shipping is free), plus they have much higher rating.
By the way, I have not seen a single web-site that offers nice packages. Always accesories are cheaper to buy separately.
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Now after few weeks I have it all over with the Butterfly Photo. In general you probably can buy from them, however, you need to be a smart buyer. They very often try to upsell you accessories. However, these guys are not bad. They will actually sell you the camera. I decided to go with BeachCamera.com. It is just smoother. No phone calls at all. Like shopping with Staples.
Was a little leary purchasing from this store, Bougtht Nikon 8800 & they do try to sell accessories. Just bought the camera & received it in 3 days.
terrible service, I send more than 4 e-mail requesting the tracking number, never answered, I call more than 7 times, waiting period more than 10 minutes, and nobody answered.
A pleasant purchase experience. Very professional, got exactly what I ordered and all promised services. Nice to make a purchase with no problems or hassels.
The BBB does not recommend Butterfly Photo due to their business practices. After dealing with them I agree with their analysis. I ordered a NIKON 5700 digital camera from Butterfly Photo (BP). It arrived and I took three pictures and it broke. I called BP and they said that I needed a firmware update. Nikon said that was a lie, there is no way a firmware update would fix the problem. I called BP and they said that I could not return the camera because I had cut off the UPC for the rebate. I asked them why and they said they would not be able to resell the item if the UPC was taped on the box (I guess they resell refurbished cameras). I was very disappointed with there so called 10 day exclusive exchange/refund. I am going on an African vacation in a few weeks and I have no camera. I later learned they are not an authorized Nikon dealer. I may have saved some money by using BP, but they hung me out to dry. Spend the extra money and buy from an authorized dealer.
I had great luck with this seller. On Sunday night I ordered my Panasonic FZ5 for $435 with free shipping (it was going for $500 most places). Monday morning I had an email and voicemail to call them. I called back and talked to Sam, who tried to sell me accessories, which I declined. (They are accessories I need but I purchased them somewhere else for a better price.) He gave me the sales pitch but when I said no, he said okay and to call them if I needed help with the camera. It was shipped via Fed Ex 2-day that day, and they emailed me the tracking number. I had my camera by Wednesday night, and everything seems to be in order. The camera works great.
This store was my second choice when looking to buy my next digital camera. My first choice didn't work out. I eneded up purchasing from this store and overall was satisfied. My ordering process was easy and I got a call from them to confirm my purchase. They offer me some accessories but I pollitiely said no. No high pressure sales after I said no. He then asked me how I wanted my shipping and offered me to upgrade to 3 days for 10 bucks. I said no and he said their standard shipping would take 7-10 days. I said fine. I got my package at about 7 days and everything I expected was there. No major complains.
Well - I bought from them for the 2nd time... The same experience which I can't say is perfect but it is ok: there are good and bad sides.
Both time they asked me to call them to verify the credit card informations although I was using the same card. They have tried to suggest some acces. but I politely declined and both times it didn't take long to finally hear 'ok, your order will be shipped within next day'. So you have to talk to the guys in any case and they try to sell you more but you really don't have to.
The order was promptly shipped, tracking information was provided, received the order in two days -- I live quite close to Brooklyn.
Both times packaging wished to be more carefull - although it was packed properly, original box with camera was loose within bigger box.
I'm not sure if the original box had to be sealed or not, but all the parts were carefully packed and everything looked like new, but nothing was really sealed... may be it didn't have to but may be it is a reconditioned item? I dunno.
They had the best legit price I had found on the web. I had to call them to "discuss" something, but they wanted to sell me more stuff. I didn't want anything else, and I still got my order as promised, no problem.
UPDATE ***
On Monday June 26th, exactly one month to the day I initially placed the order and MULTIPLE PHONECALLS to their claims department, the refund was placed on my American Express card by Butterfly Photo. I am not changing my sentiment because the entire experience was nuts.
I read the post about the guy who ordered a Rebel XT and received an HC3 instead...That was probably my camera but you can keep it! :)
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Ordered a Sony HC-3 HD Video Camera...Price seemed great. $1199...this is what happened...
The shipping box contained a CANON POWERSHOT box that was in fact empty itself. The shipping box has been razorbladed down a corner, so it has been TAMPERED WITH or has been rigged to SHOW tamper. You could not tell about the tampering unless you unwrapped the tape. Then the box would just "unravel". Seems that it could have been shipped from Butterfly in this condition. I would surely hope not but I'm suspicious.
Needless to say I am furious but you get what you pay for. $1199 seemed a bit low to me, but it was a good price and resellerratings had DECENT reviews of Butterfly photo. Could be shills stuffing positive remarks.
SO I called Butterfly and they are starting a claim with FEDEX. I also called FEDEX and they said if I don't hear anything from the company within the next 5 business days, to call them and they would start a claim.
Then I called American Express. Talked to their claims department and they started a claim. They are actually going to contact Butterfly directly and then keep going from there.
So...inside the shipped box I received...
1) Empty Canon Powershot box.
2) Canon 16 meg SD card.
3) Canon shoulder strap.
4) USB cable.
5) Sony 512 Memory Stick
I ACTUALLY ordered:
1) Sony HC3.
2) Extra FP50 Battery.
3) Sony 512 Memory Stick
I got 1 out of 3. That's bad. Not even good enough for a Meatloaf ballad.
* IF THIS GETS RESOLVED WITH A POSITIVE OUTCOME, I WILL CHANGE MY SENTIMENT AND LET EVERYONE KNOW. *
I read many of the reviews here before actually going to purchase with butterfly. They had the best price around and thought I would take a chance. I wasn't let down. The ordering my Canon 95 was simple and quick. Delivery took a little longer then expected but i guess that was on fed-ex's part. A sales rep did contact me to confirm my other and then, politely, to tried to sell me a larger SD card, a set of rechargeable batteries, charger and carrying case. I refused politely and that was the end of that.
After 6 months or more of research on purchasing a Canon 20D camera, and reviewing numerous online sites to purchase this camera, I settled on these guys. They seemed to have the best overall rating for the most competitive price. Instead of purchasing the camera on-line I called the "1-800" number and spoke with "Chris." After ordering the camera he began offering me accessories, which I was somewhat prepared for, but what I was not ready for was him offering free accessories if I would purchase some of his suggested items. I bought the camera for $1350, a high-speed 512 mb flash card for $129 w/ a free camera bag and I broke down and bought a 3 year extended warranty for $149 (I figured the camera is basically a computer so with my luck anything was possible) and he offered a free UV filter free if I bought the warranty. The only thing I felt I was hurt on was the flash card which I have learned can be purchased for around $70, being in the sales business you would think I would have known better! He offered me some others accessories but I refused. He actually said " I am not going to force you to buy this if you do not want." My shipping was also upgraded to 3-day express for no increase in charge. When I received my shipment my UV fliter was missing, I was nervous and expected the worst but I called 2 times and got in touch with Chris, told him of the problem, asked for an order number and 3-4 days later the filter showed up in the mail. Everything else went like clockwork. I am now in the market for 2 lenses and I will probably call these guys in the next few weeks to order those, they are negotiable beyond the on-line prices if you have the patience to spend some time with them. Be careful though, they will try to sell you items to go with your purchase, if you do not want anything just stand your ground.
Ordered a Canon EF22-55 USM zoom lens, they charged my credit card on 10/14. After 6 phone calls to Customer Service, they still had not shipped the lens as of 12-3. Many promises to "ship it out tomorrow first thing", no results. Latest promise is to ship it out on 12-5 and I "will definitely get it by Monday". We'll see... I believe Federal Interstate Commerce regulations require companies engaging in interstate commerce to notify and offer a refund to customers not receiving merchandise within 30 days of being charged for it.
Update: As expected, usual "we'll ship it out today" response when I called yesterday. So I tried to cancel the order. They disconnected me instead. Took several phone calls but finally I did get a customer service (and I use the term loosely) rep who tried to sell me another lens but then promised to credit my card account. However I'll just dispute the charge with my card company and let BPhoto deal with them instead. Typical NY camera ripoff outfit!
Contacted the store on THREE occasions (with three very rude reps) to verify they had the silver (not beige) colored Canon SD550. On all three occasions was assured that silver was the only color they carried. Placed the order for my g/f's birthday based on this information and guess what I receive the following week. You guessed it, a beige colored SD550. Called the store again several times and was given the run-around by numerous representatives. Highly unprofessional. In the end my g/f was happy enough with the camera so I didn't bother pursuing any further action. I will never do business again with these unknowledgeable people that don't know the meaning of customer service.
I am very glad that I made the decision to buy from Butterflyphoto.com - this is one of the best shopping experiences I've ever had since my first internet purchase in 1994. I bought a Sony DSRL A100 camera kit. They had the best price with FREE shipping. I placed the order over the phone. It took just 5 min. It was Monday morning at 11:30am. Guess what, the camera was at my door exactly 24 hours later - Tuesday morning 11:30am! They use DHL 2nd day delivery. I cannot expect more. The camera was factory sealed with all the documents. The sales guy was polite. He just asked me if I want to order any accessories,and not pushy at all. I'll certainly buy from butterfly photo again.
So far I am extremly satisfied. I appreciate the personal touch by a call confirming my transaction. I consider this good business from my side and also from yours. I will not hesitate in purchasing another product from SHUTTERBUG-PHOTO IN THE FUTURE. EARL RICEMAN
While the camera was shipped promptly it was an opened box which always makes me suspicious.
Secondly I had to call them. They said it was to confirm my credit card but they then tried to sell me accessories.
I will NOT do business with them again.
I had a wonderful transaction experience with this vendor. I have had problems in the past with other photography stores. This company was very helpful over the phone and guaranteed that I would receive my camera by the weekend. I am very impressed and would recommend everyone to do business with them.
Store was kind an petient. After screwing up the first order (issues with my bank and the bank's cash limit for orders wups), I submitted the second order. no problems, rep was happy and calm. As before, tried to hype up the accessories which i turned down. After doing telemarketing myself, i understand the upsell. tough job.. I called back the next day to purchase a warranty plan. Purchased that, but called back because they quoted the wrong price ($149 for 3 year plan on $1k-$3k camera.. the guy tried to sell it for $199) so the dude offered me a five year plan for the same $199 price which i though was thoughful.. like promised, the new camera arrived with no problems on the exact day they said it would arrive. Camera works flawlessly. yay! Received the warranty no problemo. only now, as i decided to submit information for the warranty, i realize they had given me the under $1k warranty. will be making a call, will let you know how that goes.
I ordered a Powershot A95 on Saturday. This website was the cheapest I found. I picked ground shipment 5-10 days and they sent me 2 day shippin from NY to AZ. It got here today, packed brand new and working great. I'm very satisfied with this. Great price, shipping.
These guys are schiesters!!! I purchased a slew of products from Butterfly Photo at a very good price. As stated previously, these guys are very good at pushing you into buying accessories. I ended up buying a nice Panasonic Digital Camera, and several accessories. On one set of three lenses, I got them to drop their price to $99.99 on an item listed at $299.99 on their website. I was very skeptical that this item would show up as described. As expected, when I got my order, they tried to pass off an inferior set of lenses instead of the actual lenses I purchased. I have now called these guys over 10 tens since this point to get what I paid for. First excuse was that I had to send back the incorrect product first - I did this (at my expense via UPS overnight,) then they said that they would immediately ship out via Fedex next day air - they didn't! Instead, they claim they sent the item via US Postal Service without a tracking number. They then said that it must have been lost and they couldn't send another one out until the first one was found - even though they confirmed with the US Postal Service that it was not delivered!!! Now they said they would send another unit out, but they have failed to deliver yet again. Buyer beware - DO NOT USE THIS RETAILER - ALTHOUGH THEIR PRICES SEEM GOOD, THEY ARE LIARS. Specifically, Jim in customer service is the guy that has been giving me the run-around. I own my own mortgage company and if I treated my customers as they have treated me, I would have NO CUSTOMERS!!!
I bought a Pentax *ist DS Digital SLR camera from them, mainly because of the price and the reviews seemed fair enough for the cameras. Because I read about the phone call they give you for all internet sales, I just called them directly to order. Yes, the salesman pressured me for a good 6 minutes about buying accessories, such as a memory card (which I purchased at newegg.com for a cheaper price) - but after that, the order was processed VERY quickly, I was upgraded to FedEx 2-Day automatically (for free) and my packaged arrived VERY quickly. So if you can handle saying "No" a few times on the accessories, then you're set. I'll buy from them again.
As advertised, as priced and delivered promptly.
That was my experience, but I must say I was holding my breath and being a nervous Nelly about the order after getting an email from customer service asking me to call them. I did and was asked for my 3-digit security code on the back of the charge card I used when I placed the on-line order. I was reluctant to do that, having heard horror stories about computer card fraud and related my concern to the representative I spoke with. Not to worry, the rep indicated he would revisit the order and get the number, which as it turned out got transposed somehow and that's why he was calling, because the credit card company would not process the order when he tried earlier to make the charge. Interestinly enough, I went to the website and saw that while the credit card number was no longer there, the 3-diget security card number was, along with my mailing address information. Anyway, I told the rep about the number still on the site and he said no problem he would get the information again. And he did and within a couple more hours I got another email from customer service message saying the order processed, giving an order number and gave me a fedex tracking number. And that helped me breath a whole lot better.
My, but Fedex is fast - shipped on the 29 and they attempted delivery on the 30th, but I missed them. So I stayed home today and got the delivery.
The camera was well packaged, with an invoice and all is well - everything works as it should and no surprises. And the price was competitive.
I purchased a Nikon Coolpix 5400 camera from Butterflyphoto.com
I read the review here, and was hestitant about ordering from them, but the price was right, so I ordered.
Two days later, I got the expected upsell call from Butterflyphoto. Told them I didn't need any of the extra items they were trying to sell (batteries/flash card). They were not pushy at all, and took 'no' for an answer with out any problems.
Bottom line is they have the lowest price I could find, and lower by quite a bit. Personally, I don't care if they need to upsell to people, if it means *I* get the lowest price I can.
My transaction went very smoothly. I purchased a Canon Digital Rebel (300D) and it was shipped very quickly (I got it in 3 days on regular shipping). I did get asked if I wanted a 3-yr extended warranty. There was no pressure when I declined. I would buy from this store again.
I placed an order for a camcorder online, with Fedex super saver shipping. Two days later I get a phone message and e-mail saying I must call "Victor". I replied by e-mail saying I had no interest in buying any accesories and that they should either ship the camera or cancel the order. I got no response except another mail two days later once again saying I must call "Victor". I sent a response telling them to cancel the order. Still no response and the order stills shows on their website one week later as "processing". I'm going to buy elsewhere and if they charge my card I'll dispute it.
I had a similar problem as many other customers. I placed the order on 14 July (they had the cheapest price for Pentax *ist DL). After a few hours, I noticed that they had raised the price by about $50-60. I was concerned that they might want to cancel my order or delay it to tease me...
Next day I get an email instructing me to call them for "order confirmation", when I called, it was really nothing they wanted to "confirm", and said that it'll ship "tomorrow". I was glad I didn't get any salesperson pushing me for overpriced accessories.
July 25: I checked my status on their website and it says "backordered" WHAT THE!! I check the current price on the camera; it was some $50 higher than my order price, and it was currently "available for purchase", but for me (who had ordered 10 days ago) it was out of stock!! I called their customer support, the CSR was apparently sympathetic that "it's wrong, it shouldn't be like that", but said he couldn't do anything at that time, and that I would have to call the next day. The camera was supposed to be at my uncles by 28th and even an order of 14th July wasn't shipped by 25th... and they still wanted to waste another day or two... I called again to ask him to let me talk to their supervisor, and guess what, the customer support is gone... no one's answering... I called again for "purchase" and a welcoming CSR was there to answer the call!! WHAT THE...!! I tell him the story and he says that he can't do anything about it right now... and he's the same person who "confirmed" the order on 15th July...
After wasting several more phone calls and waiting for another couple of days, they finally got the camera out, and didn't compensate for their bullthing by upgrading the shipping... My uncle couldn't receive the camera on time before he went for a vacation...
I wouldn't hesitate if I get any opportunity to harm/torture/kill any of their CSR's, provided that I have the option to walk out clean...
I'm sorry but don't listen to the naysayers. I received my Nikon D70s with 18-70 lens in perfect condition 2 days after I placed my order on the 5th. The naysayers must work for competing companies. I called to confirm my order and then they asked me two questions, were very polite and Sent the Item to the warehouse to be picked up. Awesome Company no bait and switch here. Definite Recommend.
I ordered a camera online and got a call from Sales person suggesting I might want accessories. I was reluctant since I couldn't spend the time researching while on the phone. Sales assured me the accessories were high quality and I could return if I didn't like them. Received the merchandise and discovered the accessories are not name brand. In fact I couldn't find much information at all (like not even a www site) and what I did find (in forums) was negative. Was assured if I didn't like the accessories that I could send them back without a restocking fee. When I tried to return them I couldn't get a response. Finally, after trying for several days, Sales denied offering me hassle-free return. Sales wouldn't take it back without a restocking fee. Ended up using my credit card company to dispute the charges. Will not buy from again.
I ordered a camera, spair battery, and an extended warranty. They didn't upsell me -- I called with the intention of ordering all of the above.
I was very happy with the service I got. They were polite, didn't try to upsell me (probably because I'd ordered so much to begin with), and the items were well packaged and shipped quickly. I'm very happy with this purchase.
I heard that this company does try to upsell a lot. So, instead of placing my order online, where things might get delayed if they sent me email to call them back for an upsell, I just called their number and ordered over the phone. It was quick and the service was good.
well, i was very iffy about purchasing from this company after i read alot of the reviews. however, i compared it to other online companies who had much much worse ratings, and decided to give this one a try. i am somewhat satisfied. a person called after i purchased it to see if i wanted any other accessories and confirm my order. i was expecting this and i knew they would try to sell me stuff. however, it wasnt as bad as i thought it would be. when i purchased it on the website, it clearly stated that if the billing and shipped address were different, then it coudl take several more days if i didnt call my credit card company and let them know to approve the address. so right when i bought it, i called and let them know. the next day i got an email saying the item was
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