10/30/09

operates toghether wit Le Petit on 5th A ve

by hilma

I want to warn everybody for the shop on the opposite on 5th Ave with the name of Le Petit Inc. Maybe it seems another shop than Lafnac but this shop used to have the same name (also Lafnac) . The way they operate is exactly the same! I was swindled and cheated badly in the shop of Le Petit. They sold me a cameralense for $300 and when I looked on the internet later, I saw the price was only $60 at Amazon. The userviews I read of Lafnac are quite similar. I did a complaint on www.nyc.gov/consumers and I hope one day someone can stop thes guys, because I feel quite helpless.

The rating is far below zero !!!!!!!!!!!!!

• Pros: robbing tourists on purpose
• Cons: never buy there

10/18/09

Oh no!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by Tha Dog

first we bougth an iphone for 499$ its a good price and a camera for 299$, its cheaper in germany but not much and its ok but than he showed us the isonic pp 100 beamer. samy (the shop assistent) said its only 4000$ and he will give it for 1700$ include the camera. he said its 3200€ in germany and its good for presentations. first we didnt buy it but he said its only today open and we bougth it. than he tried to give us two accus and other includes(asseccioars are cheaper in germany too). the sum was 3300$ and we took it for 2600$. he said we can ask questions any time so we went at the next day there to look in other shops and we saw that the shop was open. but we tougth we made a little price for all the things. so we went at home. in germany i looked in the internet and saw that the beamer is only 300€. ok all the things work but he robbed us so much.

now we will close our creditcard and talk with him.

THE POLICE HAS TO COME IN THIS SHOP AND I WANT MY MONEY BACK.

10/14/09

LAFNAC 5W. 42ND STREET NEW YORK

by CUNRM

DO NOT...DO NOT .... DO NOT GO TO THIS STORE... YOU WILL BE ROBBED.. LIED TO.... SCAMMED.... authorities should close places like this..... I WILL NOT REST UNTIL I SEE THEM CLOSED... I WILL GO AND REPORT THEM TO THE CONSUMERS PROTECTION... TOURISM OFFICE OF NEW YORK... THE MAYOR..... We went in for a Camara and where practically "forced" to buy a computer the camara never appeard, but they charged for the lap top.... promised the camara would be there next day...otherwise I would be able to return the lap top (eventhough they did not accept to make the charge back that same day) ..... obviously the camara never arrived.... I am sure they assumed I would not be back...but we did..... they got mean.. agressive....the guy insulted me.... talked about laws in the US (who asked them???!!!) ..... threw the lap top to the floor and made the charge back to my credit card....

if you do not want to spoil your holidays... AVOID THIS STORE... ADVISE YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY.... REPORT THEM!!!!

I ended up at B&H buying a great camara for the correct price and came back home truly happy....

• Cons: THE WORST SHOP

09/01/09

Don't enter this store!

by Hoekie

August 8th 2009, visit to NY:

I bought there an I-phone: newest one, cheaper, internet everywhere. Price on the back: $1499,97.... Paid: $816, plus a chip (???) to make internet accessible everywhere. I paid $ 300 for this chip. It was off my account before they told me about it.

Back home in the apple store: It's absolutely not the newest I-phone. Made simlock free and with newer software on it. It was sold to me without box and information.

And then this little beamer, 'very good for business-presentations!! Buy 2! Also for your friend at home.' I am glad I didn't. Paid $ 1700 for it. I can buy it here for € 300 !! And the 2 extra batteries for $319 were paid before they told me.

The more you trust their information, the lesser you know about the stuff, the more they robb you! Let the police do something here.

• Pros: Never been so cheated!!
• Cons: A shame to NY!

08/03/09

daylight robbery!!!

by c2bella

The buisness that these two men conduct should be illegal and they should be shut down. My parents came in from the uk and were led to believe that the camera these guys sold them was orginally $599 and that he was just charging them $299 to give them a great offer. Another $60 for a cheap looking camera case, $100 for a 1GB memory card and another $70 for a bogus additional battery, which didnt work...total of $570 with tax..PLEASE!!!! i could of picked all this up online or at a department store for not much more than $250. I did the research and wrote down real prices from different vendors before i went back in.

I went back with them to the store and guess what, NO REFUNDS!!!!! I screamed at the top of my lungs until they finally upgraded the camera...Still was not even close to being good enough! But what can you do! At least now they were down 200 instead of 300!

These men are con artists and should no be allowed to rob people on a daily basis..My advice is to never step foot in the store and research online what you should be charged for a camera before you shop!

• Cons: These two scam artists rip tourist off everyday!

08/01/09

Criminal Company - Ugly frogs in this shop

by marthuse

I'm very upset about the two salesmen in this shop. These two salesmen are thieves and work togheter to rip off the tourists. I was interested in a camera. They tried to force me in a bad manner also to buy a ibook and a projector. I'm happy, I didn't.

Paying the camera by mastercard, these two frogs disturbed me heavyly. They insisted, that they have to put the price on the check, because there is also to fill out the amount of the tax. Later I realized, that they put $ 335 instead of the agreed $ 185 on the check. With an stamp on the check "No Refund". I'm really upset about these frogs.

• Pros: Computers and cameras

07/17/09

DO NOT SHOP HERE!!!!

by Bigapple

These theives got me too! I was in town on vacation and purchased an iphone. The phone is completely useless.

These people prey on tourists because we usually don't discover the fraud until we return home. By then, its too late to go back to the store and they won't take your phone calls when you call to complain. They have been getting away with ripping people off because most people don't report them. I reported them to VISA and hope they will reconsider their business relationship with these crooks.

Do yourself a favor and avoid this store. If you discover that they indeed ripped you off, please REPORT THEM!! They are still in business because there have not been enough complaints of their fraudulent activity for anyone to do anything about it. When I reported them to Visa, they said my report was the first complaint they received about them. Don't let them get away with this.

• Pros: NONE
• Cons: PROFESSIONAL CON ARTISTS

07/16/09

Cuidado: auténticos atracadores

by uharka

Esta tienda en el centro de NY se aprovecha de su ubicación céntrica para atracar a los turistas. No entiendo como pueden seguir abiertas tiendas como esta en una ciudad que se supone civilizada y ajustada a normas de comercio internacional. Esto hace que los clientes se confien y no esperen actuaciones de autenticos mafiosos.

Ya se han recogido en otros comentarios las habituales prácticas de engaño que utilizan los vendedores (4 dias para inventario, cobrarte exageradamente los accesorios, ofrecerte productos de inferior categoría, etc)

Cuidado, no entrar a esta tienda

• Pros: Ninguno
• Cons: estafadores, atracadores

07/14/09

Do not go to this store

by Aussie

I also was ripped off by this company. I realised the next day and reported them to the NYC Dept of Consumer Affairs. They were very good and rang the store and told them to give me a refund. I returned the goods and got a credit on my AMEX which of course has never been presented to AMEX. AMEX has now given me a credit and is chasing their money with Lafnec Digital. All credit cards need to stop allowing these people access to them. You can make a complaint at www.nyc.gov/consumers. I feel very sorry for those tourists doing their big trip that they have saved for ever for and these creeps rip them off. I knew enough to know where to get help not everyone does. The credit companies and NYC have a moral obligation to close these people down especially when the pop up under another name as is the case so often. They should be in jail.

• Pros: none
• Cons: Will rip you off

05/23/09

Swindled by first rate con artists

by Goanna

Got hustled mega big time by smooth operator Andre & his friendly side kicks. Steered expertly from buying the PC on the advertisement in published Manahttan City Guide available at tourist information. Same sad tale of 40% off official manufacturer's price & just about to close for 4 day inventory sale and need to shift stock at knock down prices - according to stick on lables carefully removed after purchase, Suddenly a "bargain" kept increasing in cost which turned out to be the standard package but billed as if they were optional extras. No guarantees supplied despite the printed advert. So called receipts supplied in sealed Lafnac envelope & "everything in the bag". Challenged the extra $300 on bill & told it had already been approved by credit card comany and I was mistaken about prices. Returned to amazingly open shop the following day- 4 day inventory being conducted upstairs in the stockroom was the explanation. No way was there going to be a refund of money when I presented documentary proof that the correct price was $450 RRP and not the $1100. Got laughed at in response that they had misrepresented the goods, their value and the blatantly false sales spiel - they know about torts & civil action compared to criminal action. But loading the credit card is a criminal action so they reluctantly agreed to refund $600 by way of credit card refund. I watched the electronic transfer go through, have the recipt but no refund has appeared on my credit card balance 3 weeks later, Only now do I realise that it's just a slip of paper with no credit card company's name on it. I'm hoping my credit card company can dispute the bill as there's no way that I got the goods or value according to their published advertisement or sales spiel. This shop MUST be closed down and made to acount for its scam tactics.

• Pros: Top location for entrapment
• Cons: Gougers, liars, cheats, thieves to the core