Digital Powell

Got ripped off paid like 3 times what the uv filters are worth. Very high pressure sales tactics!

This occurred in 2013. I was an 18 year old college student at the time and I was unaware of what type of camera I would buy as my first camera. I entered digital Powell and they offered me service but I asked the cashier can you find me a camera for a decent price and good quality. He chooses a fuji film sc3300 which had double aa batteries which I noticed when I arrived home. I paid $ 400 dollars for the camera and when I checked on eBay and Amazon the price for the value of the camera was worth $ 150, $ 180 at the most. I was ripped off and they will do it to future customers, so I warn you they are trying to gain profit not increase customer service and satisfaction. This is unjust but this is why private businesses go out of buisness and get bad reviews on Unilocal for not satisfying the public interest, the most important thing to a buisness to continue gaining revenue is the customer and I will never enter that store again. And you have a choice and the decision to purchase from there store but I’m warning you they are CROOKS… And by the way they have a no refund policy but you can exchange and return for a 25% charge of whatever you paid so your store credit would decrease. Just something to consider.

Stay away from this place called ‘digital powell’ (by union square) if you need camera gear in a pinch. This guy claiming his name is «Taylor» is extremely rude! wouldn’t even answer a simple question.

Wow. Do not buy anything from this place. They are dishonest and in my experience, lying thugs. I purchased a product for $ 50 that I knew I could get for less elsewhere, but because we were on a family trip, needed it right away. Usually I do my research on both the store and the product, but this was not one of those times, my fault and one mistake I won’t make again.
With that said, I brought back the Selfie-​Stick (my two young girls were dying to have one for their first trip to San Fran) because it did not operate as the sales guy said it would. My phone kept falling out of the bracket each time we attempted to take a family photo. I had all the original packaging and the receipt showing we had purchased it earlier the same day. I went back to the same sales guy who sold it to me. As soon as I said I wanted to return it, he went from cheesy nice guy, to aggressive. He abruptly told me that they do not take returns. I explained that he had sold it to me knowing that I intended to use my phone with an external case, and that is would 100% work without having to take my phone out of the case. He said «I was using it wrong» «I did not lock it properly» «I did not know what I was doing». At this point, I explained that I have advanced degrees, and felt that I was using it correctly, but that the product did not work with the external case. He then began to belittle me and tell me to come back later to speak with his boss. I told him that we were leaving for home later that day and could not come back. He then told me that was my problem and not his. At this point, I wanted to punch him in his smug face, but decided that was not the best option. I tried to reason with him, but he was not intelligent enough to do so. He then, out of anger, said he would take it back but for a 35% restock fee. I told him he was being absurd. To that he looked at e as if he did not know what than meant.
Overall, it was only a $ 50 product, but for me it is worth writing this review, if it keeps one honest hardworking person, like myself, from buying anything from DIGITAL POWELL, ever, big or small. Total SCAM Artists at DIGITAL POWELL.

I wish there were negative stars. NEVER DO BUSINESS HERE! I needed a phone charger and it said $ 59.99. I told them I wasn’t paying that so he said okay $ 20.00. I came back to my hotel and it didn’t work. I went back to the store to tell them it was a rip off and they already knew it was. They’re scam artists! Don’t ever do business here.

I wish there was a negative star option. Don’t go here to buy anything! Salespeople are not professional and use sarcasm and belittlement to avoid facing questions or problems. My friend from Taiwan who does not have the best English purchased a tulip lens hood and found that he could see the lens in the pictures he was taking. He asked me to help him try and return the product or exchange the product. The first time we went in we were turned away because the individual who sold him the lens was not in.
We then came back to the store the next day. We went in and immediately received sarcastic smiles and glares from three of the salesmen working at the time, one of them being the man who sold my friend the camera lens hood. We then proceeded to tell him about the fraudulent product as he laughed and told us that he talked to my friends mother and my friend two days ago and that it wasn’t my issue and my friend didn’t need a lawyer (myself) to help. I told him I was just a friend helping with the language barrier. He laughed inconsiderately and said friends are good. We then spent 30 minutes trying to tell him that the lens hood did not work and you could see it in the pictures. He said where? We showed him. He said we shouldn’t worry about it and that we should just be happy. My friend got a little annoyed by this and said that this was ridiculous and that it was obviously not working. He laughed again and mocked my friends comment. Extremely unprofessional. I started talking to the salesman again as my friend started to secretly film the guy in our discussion. As soon as the salesman realized this, he promptly excused himself saying he was tired of talking to us and walked to the back of the store without another word. I then asked another salesman if he would buy the lens hood if he knew there was an issue. He said it wasn’t his problem, at which point the other salesman popped around the corner and told us to leave and to talk to the manager in 5 days. BS. We’ll see.
Again, do not ever shop at or enter Digital Powell for any reason, for they are incapable of deductive reasoning or completing thoughts in a logical manner, or any manner which involves consideration of the (potential) customer. Help teach this company the consequences of bad customer service by not visiting their «store», and recommending others to do the same.

Please DONT BUY HERE!!!
TOO EXPENSIVE, IS A TRAP
I bought a camera in 264 USD, once I arrive home and I looked on internet about the camera, I found the same camera completely NEW on Ebay and Amazon for 111 USD!!!
I want to cry!

The man who sold me my camera today is a crook and I am dope for trusting him and not checking it out on my phone first. I found the same camera online for $ 80 that he is selling for 175, but «bargained» down to $ 150 no tax. And they have a no refund policy, exchange within 3 days, but why bother and for what, when everything they have can be found elsewhere for nearly ½ the cost. I wish these reviews would actually be effectual but unfortunately the people who go there are just idiots (like myself) off the street wandering by.

I wish I could give a zero star, this store has a lots of crooks. I went to buy a Canon camera lens which was $ 500 as they mentioned, I know that i’m getting fool cause i could find that same lens around $ 200 BUCKS online, I tired to escape but they were like you have to buy it and yelled at me. What kind a customer service is it? Do you even know how to sell stuffs? Don’t ever go inside this store, they are totally fraud.

I wish I can do a negative stars but it not available. Rude and no respect is there customer service!!! DO NOT SHOP HERE!!! AGAIN, DO NOT SHOP HERE!!! YOU WERE WARNED!!!

The sales guy (owner) was of his rocker — I asked about a Sony Cam Corder and the price he said $ 799.00 I asked as a joke $ 7.99 he said come on and I asked why so much he told me to leave and called me a fagget??? YES, I’m Gay but, who the hell in SF calls someone that??? I didn’t leave I walked into the back and my Partner got into it with the crook? This place needs to be shut down and I mean FAST… He, doesn’t just rip customer’s off he discriminates and I don’t talk either to well…
On another note the same cam corder was listed on eBay for $under $ 300.00 so with that being said he will NEVER get my business!!! I will do everything in my power to have his/​this place investigated and shut down…

The sales people are a bunch of crooks who are looking to make a quick buck. STAY AWAY !
I purchased a camera battery for my Sony DLSR. It didnt work at the store and the saleman said I had to take it home and charge it. I did and the next day it didnt work. I returened to the store and they would not take it back because the saleman to who sold it was not there, even though I had a receipt and he spoke to me when I came the day before. Bunch of thieves !

I bought a used digital camera on eBay and needed to pick up a battery. I didn’t want to order one online because I’d have to wait a few days to try out my new toy, so I called Digital Powell to see if they had the battery I needed. They said they had the battery and I asked the price, and the sales person told me that he would not give price quotes over the phone. I argued with him a bit, but he wouldn’t budge. So, I decided to walk down there anyway, knowing they would want to tack a premium onto the sales price, but willing to pay a few bucks more if it meant I could have the battery that day.
The battery costs $ 20 new on Amazon, and dirt cheap used on eBay. Digital Powell tried to sell it to me for $ 149.99 … (unless my eyes were playing tricks on me…). The guy saw the look on my face and quickly started to tell me that he has the lowest price around and I’m not gonna be able to find a battery for my camera anywhere else. I told him he was a crook, got on my smart phone, called World of Stereo, got a quote for $ 25, and had my battery at a price I could live with ten minutes later. (I should tell you that the sticker price at World of Stereo was $ 39. Never pay the asking price at that place, you can ALWAYS haggle with them.)
TOURIST BEWARE! These guys are preying on people who are desperate for vacation photos and don’t know where else to go.
PS — I went onto eBay and ordered TWO spare batteries for a total of $ 7.95.

All I can say, is that everytime I pass by this place, i get that feeling in the pit of my stomach. Like someone will rob me. They made me feel it then and I still feel it now. Please save yourself the trouble. STAY FAR AWAY. I feel sorry for the tourist who do not know any better. I hope they check Unilocal and read our reviews before they go in here. Mean staff members and sneakkkyyyy owners. I can’t believe he yelled at me in front of everyone.

I don’t really get why this place calls itself Digital Powell. Sure it sells a decent variety of Nikon and Canon digital SLRs, but most of the shop space is dedicated to touristy, gimmicky netsukes. Their prices, too, seemed a bit high. Add to that tax and quickly the place becomes substantively more expensive than Amazon or even Wolf.
Also, the staff were not extremely helpful. I went to look at the digital SLRs in the back of the store and asked about Pentax equipment. The clerk waved me up front fairly dismissively, I felt, as though he looked down on me for having a Pentax and not a Canon or Nikon.
Basically, I doubt this store will ever receive my money. I strongly suggest walking past or visiting only if you leave your wallet at home.

I concur with everyone else: The business model of this place is to exploit tourists, the desperate, and those who don’t know better. I needed a bag for my new DSLR before an upcoming trip, and figured I wouldn’t have enough time to wait for delivery. I was already in the Union Square area, so I checked into nearby camera stores. I figured I’d pay a bit of a markup, but nothing obscene.
So I walked into this store and asked about bags. Suspiciously, all of them cost $ 69 and didn’t have price tags.
«That seems a bit much», my girlfriend rightly says.
«What are you paying with, cash or credit?» the owner says.
«Credit», I say.
Owner: «$ 59.»
GF: «What would it be if we paid with cash?»
Owner: «$ 59.»
Me: «I guess we’ll think about it.»
I hand the bag over and start walking out the door.
Owner: «What are you looking to spend? I’ll give it to you for $ 49.»
I decide that’s good enough and agree to the purchase. He hands the bag to the man behind the register and tells him the price I’ll be paying. I complete the transaction then head out to the street, pulling out my phone on the way. The bag I bought for $ 49 is available on the manufacturer’s website for $ 26.99 and on Amazon for $ 19.95. So I guess I paid less than double MSRP, but just barely.
So, avoid this place unless you’re truly desperate, and be ready to deploy your smartphone if you do go there.

Ditto what everyone has said. Absolute total ripoff for tourists. Paid $ 30 for a phone charger that should cost a third of that, because I was in a bind and had no choice. My bad, yes, but here goes a warning to anyone not in my tight situation –STAY AWAY.

WARNING! These people are not only overprized as someone else mentioned, they are straight out scamsters.
I went into the store to buy a spare charger for my camera while visiting San Francisco. What they sold me where whatever quality, but sadly it turned out that they ripped of my VISA card for 400 USD extra than the 20 dollars I was supposed to pay. I have reported the incident and the bank will hopefully be able to refund my money, but PLZ do yourself a favour and stay away from these Aholes.

Yeah. this place is a total rip off. I know, stupid me too. I needed a gps navigation because the car rental place is out of GPS for rent. Thinking that I needed a gps back at home anyways, I thought I’d just get one in SF and bring it back to LA. No big deal~ Anyways, I went to this place and got the GPS without thinking. I was just thinking that it might be a LITTLE expensive but it shouldn’t be THAT bad. But yeah. stupid me. I got it for $ 197. I didn’t even bother to go online on my phone to check the price. I was in a hurry to go out of town for a business trip. That night I FINALLY went online to check the price. It’s only selling for like $ 119 on BESTBUY. The next day I went back to the store. wanting to «REFUND» but of course, as stated on the receipt, it’s none refundable. But GOD I HATED THAT MAN! I said «purposely» really loud in front of other customers that «You are selling it for twice the actual price.» That guy just shrugged and said «Yeah​.SO?»
NEVER NEVER GO TO THIS PLACE FOR ANYTHING!!! BEWARE OF GETTING RIPPED OFF! Yeah. stupid me! but what do you expect? I’m a tourist…

Well, what do you expect when you drop into a tourist trap in Union Square? The targets for this store are definitely not Unilocal-​checking San Franciscans, but clueless tourists. I was in a bit of a hurry to purchase a digital watch, and I thought how bad could it be?
Very, very bad. Neglecting to use the Amazon app on my Blackberry to check prices or the Unilocal app on my iPod, I rushed in without preparation. Yikes. Started to buy a watch. Got quoted a price. Handed it back. Price went down $ 20, so I made the purchase (still $ 20 over Internet average).
But the worst part? I was sitting in the BART station ten minutes later, setting the correct time. I pushed the «light» button and the watch went blank. Just enough battery to get out the door. Oh, and the receipt states, «No Refunds, All Sales Final.» I certainly hope this place goes out of business soon.

I stopped in to buy a SDHC memory card for my camera.
They quoted me $ 69 for an 8gb card. I know they are not that expensive.
So I asked him about the mini tripod that I earlier priced at $ 4.00 online.
He was charging $ 25.
I went on to ask about an extra battery for my camera. He quoted me $ 59. Again, I’ve priced this online for $ 25.
I said to him I couldn’t afford his prices and I didn’t know what was in my bank account anyway.
He got angry with me and lowered the memory card down to $ 50. Then to $ 35. and finally with anger he said I was stealing it from him at $ 25 but I have to buy it right now!
I again said I really don’t even know whats in my bank account and he berated me for not knowing my balance. «Everyone knows how much they have in their bank accounts».
At this point he was yelling at me. «$ 25 you steal from me»
Angry and mean.
As I backed out of the store he kept berating me.
I went on line and found the 8gb memory card for $ 11.
And he initially wanted to charge me $ 69.
Stay away from this store. Do not reward them for their
behavior.
I feel sad for the tourists that get sucked in to this place and
fear for the bad impression that will be left with them.