I bought a Nikon D5200 from the website for $385. The price was low but there were other sites with similar pricing, so it seemed realistic. Within a few hours, I received a call from salesman "Joe" who told me that I had mistakenly bought the upgrade package, meant for individuals who had an older model and didn't need essentials like a battery or a charger. "Joe" said the price for the basic starter package is $550 and that I should upgrade to this package. I refused repeatedly on the basis of the money alone because it was more than I had intended to spend. However, I didn't feel that it was an unreasonable price since $550 seemed to be the median price based on my prior research. As such, when he offered to throw in a one year warranty, a 16 gb memory card, and faster shipping, all for free, it was too good to pass up. After receiving the confirmation email, however, I noticed the SKU for this "starter kit" is the same as the SKU for the "upgrade kit" that I had initially bought. I revisited their website and found that the $385 I paid was for the kit that I had now paid $550 for, minus the additional items that threw in (which was not worth anywhere close to the $165 difference). I called the very next business day to cancel the order and was told by "Joe" that my order had already shipped the same day that I placed it--a miraculous circumstance since the email confirmation said to allow 1-3 days for processing before the item would be shipped. "Joe" said I will have to wait until I receive it in order to return it for a refund. Still, this company is so clearly a shady organization that I'm afraid returning the item will result in me never receiving a refund. In closing, DO NOT SHOP AT SMARTPHOTOHUT.COM
What a bunch of crooks! Don't do business here! smartphotohut, aka shopsmartphoto, aka shopsmarttvs, and maybe other names.
I ordered a lens at the end of November (after black friday) because it was advertised at $100 cheaper than anywhere else. Order goes through, but then the next day I get an email asking me to contact their sales department before they can ship it. He confirmed which camera it was for (Sony E-mount), and just as we were about to hang up, he informs me that this is the "overseas" version, has plastic threads, and does not include a factory warranty, but for an extra $XXX, he could upgrade me. What's the point then, that makes it more expensive than I could have found it elsewhere! Sounded suspiciious, so I said I would call him back.
After some research and involving a knowledgeable friend, I realized he was trying to bait and switch me. The older version of the lens has plastic threads. So I called him back, called him out on it, informed him that I wanted the one that I ORDERED, with a metal mount, for the price I paid. He "apologized" and said he thought I was trying to order the older model. After trying again (and failing) to sell me a warranty, he told me it would be on a 2-3 week backorder. Fine, whatever. After 27 days, the order still shows as "processing," even though the item I ordered still shows as "in-stock" on the website. I contact them through email, and was informed by a Mark Leiser at shopsmarttvs.com, that "the item is on a heavy backorder, 5-6 weeks." Yeah right! I didn't fall for their bait and switch so now they are playing dumb and hope I cancel the order. I replied and told them I thought they were trying to not honor the price they sold it to me, and to ship the lens or face bad reviews. No reply. On the 37th day after my order, I get a random email saying my order has been canceled. No indication of a refund or anything.
Good thing I used Paypal when I ordered! I'm not sure I will be hearing from them again. If I don't hear back from them in the next few days, I will have no choice but to open a paypal dispute to get my money back.
DO NOT do business with these crooks. They are shady, unethical, and apparently have a habit of changing their name every so often to avoid reviews like this. They are also known as shopsmartphoto, and shopsmarttvs.
SmartPhotoHut Reviews
I bought a Nikon D5200 from the website for $385. The price was low but there were other sites with similar pricing, so it seemed realistic. Within a few hours, I received a call from salesman "Joe" who told me that I had mistakenly bought the upgrade package, meant for individuals who had an older model and didn't need essentials like a battery or a charger. "Joe" said the price for the basic starter package is $550 and that I should upgrade to this package. I refused repeatedly on the basis of the money alone because it was more than I had intended to spend. However, I didn't feel that it was an unreasonable price since $550 seemed to be the median price based on my prior research. As such, when he offered to throw in a one year warranty, a 16 gb memory card, and faster shipping, all for free, it was too good to pass up. After receiving the confirmation email, however, I noticed the SKU for this "starter kit" is the same as the SKU for the "upgrade kit" that I had initially bought. I revisited their website and found that the $385 I paid was for the kit that I had now paid $550 for, minus the additional items that threw in (which was not worth anywhere close to the $165 difference). I called the very next business day to cancel the order and was told by "Joe" that my order had already shipped the same day that I placed it--a miraculous circumstance since the email confirmation said to allow 1-3 days for processing before the item would be shipped. "Joe" said I will have to wait until I receive it in order to return it for a refund. Still, this company is so clearly a shady organization that I'm afraid returning the item will result in me never receiving a refund. In closing, DO NOT SHOP AT SMARTPHOTOHUT.COM
What a bunch of crooks! Don't do business here! smartphotohut, aka shopsmartphoto, aka shopsmarttvs, and maybe other names.
I ordered a lens at the end of November (after black friday) because it was advertised at $100 cheaper than anywhere else. Order goes through, but then the next day I get an email asking me to contact their sales department before they can ship it. He confirmed which camera it was for (Sony E-mount), and just as we were about to hang up, he informs me that this is the "overseas" version, has plastic threads, and does not include a factory warranty, but for an extra $XXX, he could upgrade me. What's the point then, that makes it more expensive than I could have found it elsewhere! Sounded suspiciious, so I said I would call him back.
After some research and involving a knowledgeable friend, I realized he was trying to bait and switch me. The older version of the lens has plastic threads. So I called him back, called him out on it, informed him that I wanted the one that I ORDERED, with a metal mount, for the price I paid. He "apologized" and said he thought I was trying to order the older model. After trying again (and failing) to sell me a warranty, he told me it would be on a 2-3 week backorder. Fine, whatever. After 27 days, the order still shows as "processing," even though the item I ordered still shows as "in-stock" on the website. I contact them through email, and was informed by a Mark Leiser at shopsmarttvs.com, that "the item is on a heavy backorder, 5-6 weeks." Yeah right! I didn't fall for their bait and switch so now they are playing dumb and hope I cancel the order. I replied and told them I thought they were trying to not honor the price they sold it to me, and to ship the lens or face bad reviews. No reply. On the 37th day after my order, I get a random email saying my order has been canceled. No indication of a refund or anything.
Good thing I used Paypal when I ordered! I'm not sure I will be hearing from them again. If I don't hear back from them in the next few days, I will have no choice but to open a paypal dispute to get my money back.
DO NOT do business with these crooks. They are shady, unethical, and apparently have a habit of changing their name every so often to avoid reviews like this. They are also known as shopsmartphoto, and shopsmarttvs.