My Dreadful Experience with Bally Photo

[DarkPlatinium]

Should report this shop to CASE. few months ago wanted to buy a Hoya CPL. But end up swapped with a linear PL. Went back to exchange but was refused. This Shop is out to CHEAT people. Must blacklist. Hope this shop close down and go bankrupt soonest possible to saveguard people who are not aware.

BALLY PHOTO= ROBBER & CHEAT!!!

 

[whomovemycheese]

Perhaps should find one fine day, have a group outing at Bally and get the sales to take out few cam sets and lens to test and give them a false impression of buying. When they started to pack and issue the receipts then tell them not enough cash and will come back again. Think their faces will be so funny :bsmilie::bsmilie::bsmilie:

 

[daredevil123]

Perhaps should find one fine day, have a group outing at Bally and get the sales to take out few cam sets and lens to test and give them a false impression of buying. When they started to pack and issue the receipts then tell them not enough cash and will come back again. Think their faces will be so funny :bsmilie::bsmilie::bsmilie:

Good try.

Except that part of their ploy is to ask you to pay first before even bringing out the box. Do you think after so many years of doing this kind of business, you can outsmart them? :nono: :bsmilie:

 

[daredevil123]

Should report this shop to CASE. few months ago wanted to buy a Hoya CPL. But end up swapped with a linear PL. Went back to exchange but was refused. This Shop is out to CHEAT people. Must blacklist. Hope this shop close down and go bankrupt soonest possible to saveguard people who are not aware.

BALLY PHOTO= ROBBER & CHEAT!!!

Report to CASE? No use one. They are already blacklisted for a long time. So are many many shops in SLS and Lucky Plaza. Life and business goes on for them. :bsmilie:

 

[ManWearPants]

Goodness gracious, yet another one got slaughtered at Bally. :hung::hung: People just never learn.

It's not that people never learn. If you have been following these threads for a while. You will see a pattern. Now I am suspecting if all these people are telling the truth. Why don't they scan a receipt or post up a police report as evidence. It just seems so coincidental that there is someone that will misled all these new posters to that shop.

 

[kwttan]

Goodness gracious, yet another one got slaughtered at Bally. :hung::hung: People just never learn.

Well, maybe not everyone is as smart as you.

 

[coolthought]

The Tam 28-75 is not a more expensive lens, its going for $450 brand new with mass sellers and people selling pre-owned in mint cond at around $400 still takes a few days to sell off.

duh... really... not that expensive...I will probably become the next carrot... thanks.
Do homework and stay with your decision and not sway by these salesman.

 

[coolthought]

Report to CASE? No use one. They are already blacklisted for a long time. So are many many shops in SLS and Lucky Plaza. Life and business goes on for them. :bsmilie:

I have said this in another bally's bad experience thread. Interestingly, the boss run 2 different business models in the same business... :sweat:. Carrot model and honest model.

 

[raydio]

I could have very well screamed and shouted and demanded that I only pay $1600 for the canon lens and drive away all their customers, but I just accept that it’s my own stupidity that I was conned. So a $200 lesson was what I got from all this.. Hope you guys dun make the same mistake that I did.

Really impressed with how you kept your cool. Thanks for the heads up. Many people have been scammed by this dishonest shop.

I think its time that someone scammed Bally. Give them a taste of their own medicine.

 

[dougs]

Hey guys,

Let me share my experience, this happened to me last Friday in my attempt to buy my camera and lens.

I went to Bally Photo with a friend who encouraged me to go there because he had gotten a lens from there before and felt that they were quite sincere and knowledgeable..

The price quoted for a 60D was $1440 which was quite reasonable. So I decided to purchase it. At the same time, I wanted to get a Canon 17-55mm IS USM lens, but then the salesperson brought out a 28-75mm tamron lens and told me that it’s a professional lens compared to the 17-55mm Canon which was EFS and can’t be used on a FF camera if I wanted to upgrade in future. To cut the long story short, he was very convincing and smooth and I was swayed to purchase the tamron lens instead. Nothing wrong with the lens, but what was wrong was the price.

He told me it was $1500 for the 28-75mm tamron lens. And because it was a shop recommended by my friend, I did not think twice about checking. It was only later when I went home at night did I bother to check and realize that other shops were selling it for $650 at most.

The next day I went back to the shop and asked nicely if he wanted to cheat me, which actual was a silly question because he obviously did. Anyway, he went on to say that because the Tamron comes with a 3 year warranty, his cost of the camera was $1000 and he wanted to make $500, that’s why he sold it to me for $1500. Which we all know is rubbish.

I told him I wanted to exchange for the 17-55mm which was retailing at $1900 but you can get it for around $1.6k from other shops. So I suggested to top up $100 from the $1500 that I paid to buy it from them at $1.6k. He said the best he could do is to ask me to top up $300 and he would sell it to me at $1800.

Immediately after, he suggested that he would instead give me a free batt or battery grip worth$200 plus and asked me to stick with the Tamron lens. It does not take a genius to calculate that with a $200 free gift, I would still have effectively paid $1300 for the Tamron lens which I could have got at $650 from any other shop.

Then he suggested that instead of topping up $300 to exchange for the 17-55mm, why not I top up $340 for a 50mm F1.4 which was selling for about $580 from other shops. If I do this, then I will get 2 lens that can be on a FF camera in future instead of only 1 “entry level” 17-55mm lens. This argument would sound alright, if not for the fact it would mean I would still have paid $1260 for the Tamron lens which only cost $650. Even if there’s an additional 2 year warranty, it will at best be worth $850?

Anyway, at the end of the day, I still chose to exchange for the 17-55mm and topped up $300 to get it. So effectively, I spent $1800 on a 17-55mm which I could have got for less than $1600 from maybe MS-color.
So I take it as a lesson learned that I got conned for $200. Still way better than being conned $850 for the Tamron lens.

Just to test the guy to see if he will continue to cheat me, I asked how much a lens hood for the 17-55mm will cost and he told me original canon lens hood was going for $120. If I’m not wrong, it cost around $40 only. Brilliant, still trying to con me after all these time.

Guys, the purpose of my post is to share my experience and also to advice you guys to take extra precaution and check the price guide in this forum before committing to any sales. These sales people have no integrity and even after they have cheated you, they will still continue to try cheat you and lie to you.

I could have very well screamed and shouted and demanded that I only pay $1600 for the canon lens and drive away all their customers, but I just accept that it’s my own stupidity that I was conned. So a $200 lesson was what I got from all this.. Hope you guys dun make the same mistake that I did.

you sound pretty experienced in camera shopping. anyway, if everything you said was true, you were probably misled by your friend. Did your friend go with you and what were his/her comments on your entire episode?

thankfully, you paid only $200 for a huge lesson.

thanks for awareness of this scam shop, which has been brought up countless times. be more careful with big item purchase in future.

 

[dougs]

Should report this shop to CASE. few months ago wanted to buy a Hoya CPL. But end up swapped with a linear PL. Went back to exchange but was refused. This Shop is out to CHEAT people. Must blacklist. Hope this shop close down and go bankrupt soonest possible to saveguard people who are not aware.

BALLY PHOTO= ROBBER & CHEAT!!!

did you file any offical complaints as this is plain cheating?

 

[kevjfc]

It's not that people never learn. If you have been following these threads for a while. You will see a pattern. Now I am suspecting if all these people are telling the truth. Why don't they scan a receipt or post up a police report as evidence. It just seems so coincidental that there is someone that will misled all these new posters to that shop.

Hmm.. what benefit is there for me to type such a long post if not as a form of warning to others? I dun have anything against Bally Photo, just sharing my experience. I've also specifically mentioned that it was my stupidity and accepted it. What's the point of posting a receipt? To convince you?

Also what's the point of making a police report? I did agree to pay the price that was quoted, and the shop has the right to sell at whatever price that they want as long as the buyer is agreeable. So there is no case actually except that they overcharged for the item. Is overcharging a crime? I'm not familiar with the law in this aspect. Also they were agreeable for me to exchange for the 17-55mm at a top up still below the suggested retail price, so in all fairness to them, they just wanted to make a higher profit except I do not agree with the methods used and the lying.

What i'm unhappy about is that they sold me an item that was more than double the market price which i felt was unfair to a consumer. And also till the end, the salesperson was still trying to lie to me by telling me his cost for the Tamron was $1000.

Anyway, you dun have to believe me if u're so skeptical, u can go buy something from them..

 

[garagez]

i've posted this before,post #11

http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?p=6629177#post6629177

 

[ManWearPants]

Hmm.. what benefit is there for me to type such a long post if not as a form of warning to others? I dun have anything against Bally Photo, just sharing my experience. I've also specifically mentioned that it was my stupidity and accepted it. What's the point of posting a receipt? To convince you?

Also what's the point of making a police report? I did agree to pay the price that was quoted, and the shop has the right to sell at whatever price that they want as long as the buyer is agreeable. So there is no case actually except that they overcharged for the item. Is overcharging a crime? I'm not familiar with the law in this aspect. Also they were agreeable for me to exchange for the 17-55mm at a top up still below the suggested retail price, so in all fairness to them, they just wanted to make a higher profit except I do not agree with the methods used and the lying.

What i'm unhappy about is that they sold me an item that was more than double the market price which i felt was unfair to a consumer. And also till the end, the salesperson was still trying to lie to me by telling me his cost for the Tamron was $1000.

Anyway, you dun have to believe me if u're so skeptical, u can go buy something from them..

I am just curious why someone who is so helpful to the extend of wanting to warn/inform others of their plight would refuse to post up a simple receipt to substantiate their claims. It has always taken the same pattern and approach - "I don't have anything against them, just want to share....", "I admitted my stipidity....and only myself to blame", "you don't have to believe...I am just sharing". I am not standing on the side of Bally. I just found it suspicious that none of those who are so willing to share their experiences are willing to take it one step further - substantiate their claim by posting a picture of their receipt with the store's name, item description and amount charged. There are no names or confidential information on the receipt. It would have been a simple thing to do to be credible.

 

[fastfocusing]

Thank you for your post. The number of victims posted on the forums could be more than what were already posted here.

I believe there are several avenues to check the prices before posting.

1. Refer to prices on www.ddelelectronics.com.sg and www.tincheungcamera.com.hk
2. Refer to Nikon and Canon (Equipment for Sale). Members post both prices of new and used equipments.
3. Check with your friends who have bought the equipments. They would be able to give you an estimated price to the best of their knowledge.
4. Cherry-picking

Last but not least, do not write-off used lens. Most photographers upgrade their lens from time to time. You may be able to get a good copy at a discounted price. Refer to forum.

 

[Smiles88]

Thank you for your post. The number of victims posted on the forums could be more than what were already posted here.

I believe there are several avenues to check the prices before posting.

1. Refer to prices on [B][SIZE="3"][COLOR="Red"]www.ddelelectronics.com.sg[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B] and www.tincheungcamera.com.hk
2. Refer to Nikon and Canon (Equipment for Sale). Members post both prices of new and used equipments.
3. Check with your friends who have bought the equipments. They would be able to give you an estimated price to the best of their knowledge.
4. Cherry-picking

Last but not least, do not write-off used lens. Most photographers upgrade their lens from time to time. You may be able to get a good copy at a discounted price. Refer to forum.

?????? Refer to prices THERE?

 

[Smiles88]

Sorry, I meant to put the focus on DD electronics. Why would you refer to the prices there? It's usually cheaper as the goods are gray market am I right?

 

[spree86]

Sorry, I meant to put the focus on DD electronics. Why would you refer to the prices there? It's usually cheaper as the goods are gray market am I right?

Agree with you, why would he recommend to check the price at DD? it just doesn't make sense, wouldn't most people recommend checking at the price guide section of this forum?

 

[mayhemics]

I am just curious why someone who is so helpful to the extend of wanting to warn/inform others of their plight would refuse to post up a simple receipt to substantiate their claims. It has always taken the same pattern and approach - "I don't have anything against them, just want to share....", "I admitted my stipidity....and only myself to blame", "you don't have to believe...I am just sharing". I am not standing on the side of Bally. I just found it suspicious that none of those who are so willing to share their experiences are willing to take it one step further - substantiate their claim by posting a picture of their receipt with the store's name, item description and amount charged. There are no names or confidential information on the receipt. It would have been a simple thing to do to be credible.

probably a bunch of reasons.

it's easier to type text than post a picture.

visual account of their embarassment is harder (for the victim) to stomach than a narrative account.

they assume people won't be skeptical and demand proof.

etc.

at any rate, two things can be said. one, it is not impossible to make Bally disgorge whatever amount they scammed you. i did it. you just need to whack them back, very hard. two, threads like this aren't pointless. Bally is "featured" on this site so often, slowly but surely people (including newbies) are going to learn of their esteemed reputation.

 

[hanqiang1011]

Hey guys,

Let me share my experience, this happened to me last Friday in my attempt to buy my camera and lens.

I went to Bally Photo with a friend who encouraged me to go there because he had gotten a lens from there before and felt that they were quite sincere and knowledgeable..

The price quoted for a 60D was $1440 which was quite reasonable. So I decided to purchase it. At the same time, I wanted to get a Canon 17-55mm IS USM lens, but then the salesperson brought out a 28-75mm tamron lens and told me that it’s a professional lens compared to the 17-55mm Canon which was EFS and can’t be used on a FF camera if I wanted to upgrade in future. To cut the long story short, he was very convincing and smooth and I was swayed to purchase the tamron lens instead. Nothing wrong with the lens, but what was wrong was the price.

He told me it was $1500 for the 28-75mm tamron lens. And because it was a shop recommended by my friend, I did not think twice about checking. It was only later when I went home at night did I bother to check and realize that other shops were selling it for $650 at most.

The next day I went back to the shop and asked nicely if he wanted to cheat me, which actual was a silly question because he obviously did. Anyway, he went on to say that because the Tamron comes with a 3 year warranty, his cost of the camera was $1000 and he wanted to make $500, that’s why he sold it to me for $1500. Which we all know is rubbish.

I told him I wanted to exchange for the 17-55mm which was retailing at $1900 but you can get it for around $1.6k from other shops. So I suggested to top up $100 from the $1500 that I paid to buy it from them at $1.6k. He said the best he could do is to ask me to top up $300 and he would sell it to me at $1800.

Immediately after, he suggested that he would instead give me a free batt or battery grip worth$200 plus and asked me to stick with the Tamron lens. It does not take a genius to calculate that with a $200 free gift, I would still have effectively paid $1300 for the Tamron lens which I could have got at $650 from any other shop.

Then he suggested that instead of topping up $300 to exchange for the 17-55mm, why not I top up $340 for a 50mm F1.4 which was selling for about $580 from other shops. If I do this, then I will get 2 lens that can be on a FF camera in future instead of only 1 “entry level” 17-55mm lens. This argument would sound alright, if not for the fact it would mean I would still have paid $1260 for the Tamron lens which only cost $650. Even if there’s an additional 2 year warranty, it will at best be worth $850?

Anyway, at the end of the day, I still chose to exchange for the 17-55mm and topped up $300 to get it. So effectively, I spent $1800 on a 17-55mm which I could have got for less than $1600 from maybe MS-color.
So I take it as a lesson learned that I got conned for $200. Still way better than being conned $850 for the Tamron lens.

Just to test the guy to see if he will continue to cheat me, I asked how much a lens hood for the 17-55mm will cost and he told me original canon lens hood was going for $120. If I’m not wrong, it cost around $40 only. Brilliant, still trying to con me after all these time.

Guys, the purpose of my post is to share my experience and also to advice you guys to take extra precaution and check the price guide in this forum before committing to any sales. These sales people have no integrity and even after they have cheated you, they will still continue to try cheat you and lie to you.

I could have very well screamed and shouted and demanded that I only pay $1600 for the canon lens and drive away all their customers, but I just accept that it’s my own stupidity that I was conned. So a $200 lesson was what I got from all this.. Hope you guys dun make the same mistake that I did.

Who is this friend of yours to recommend this shop?