my girlfriend is a fledgling photographer, and as such is looking for good equipment at a good price. this is what soniccameras.com claims to offer. they offered the exact lens that she wanted, at the lowest price we could find anywhere new.
she ordered the lens, and the very next day received a phone call from a customer service rep. the conversation started out normal, he verified her address and typical things like that. then the sales pitch started. he tried to offer her filters at a "great" price. when she said no, he began to try to sell her a different lens.
he told her that it was the same exact lens she ordered, but only slightly different. when she pressed him to tell her what the difference was, all he would say was that it was a "macro feature". he was offering her the "same" lens with more accessories for less money. when she asked him why it costs less, he told her its the american version. last i checked, canon manufactures cameras and accessories in china, malaysia, and japan.
he then proceeded to hang up on her without giving her the chance to say yes or no. when she called back, he became more agressive. she told him that all she wanted was the lens she ordered, and nothing else. he then proceeded to tell her that that particular lens was "backordered" for two weeks, and that if she ordered the lens he was offering shed get free 3 day shipping. when she refused again, he hung up. she tried calling back later to cancel her order with the billing department, and they sent her to the same guy. she told him to cancel her order. he bacame hostile and insulting and she hung up on him. she called back again, only to get the same guy. he proceeded to lecture her on the maturity of hanging up on people, and also informed her that they are a huge company who is involved with google (that made me laugh), and that if they cant satisfy the customer, they have no problem moving on.
all in all this is a sham company who probably doesnt carry a single item they offer on their website, so that when they "confirm" your order, they can sell you some cheap piece of crap at a "great price". Beware and stay away from them.
Trevor
midland, Texas
U.S.A.