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Most! Evil! Photography! Store! Ever!


By

Jacob Dobkin

Published Nov 30, 2005

Modified Mar 7, 2008


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By

Jacob Dobkin

Published Nov 30, 2005

Modified Mar 7, 2008


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2005_11_5ddisaster1.jpgWe know you hate the exclamation points, but seriously-- this story deserves them. Thomas Hawk tried to buy one of the new Canon 5Ds (retail price: $3000+) from PriceRite Photo in Brooklyn, and had what can only be described as a surreal bait-and-switch experience:

"I will make sure you will never be able to place an order on the internet again." "I'm an attorney, I will sue you." "I will call the CEO of your company and play him the tape of this phone call." "I'm going to call your local police and have two officers come over and arrest you." "You'd better get this through your thick skull." "You have no idea who you are dealing with."

These are all direct threats that I received today from an individual who identified himself as Steve Phillips, the manager of PriceRitePhoto in Brooklyn, New York when I called to inquire about my order with them. My crime? Telling him that I planned to write an article about my unfortunate experience with his company regarding the camera order I had placed with him yesterday.

The long version is well worth reading, but long story-short: if you see a camera on sale for a really low price on the internet, best to be wary-- and definitely read the negative feedback on Amazon or Ebay-- not just the positive ones. For fairly competitive prices and good service, we recommend B&H Camera or Adorama-- both get crowded during the holidays, but you know you'll get what you pay for. Do you have any advice for good camera stores in NYC, or ones that are worth staying away from?

Tagged

advice

brooklyn

crime

holidays

internet

new york

nyc

police

technology

Thomas Hawk


Jacob Dobkin

Jake Dobkin co-founded Gothamist with Jen Chung. In 2019, Jake released Ask a Native New Yorker, a book based on his Gothamist advice column.

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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


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