rondeb Posted November 13, 2009 Share #1 Posted November 13, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) JUST got a call from Willoughbys in NY, but I already got my M9. 1-800-378-1898 - andy Good luck. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted November 13, 2009 Posted November 13, 2009 Hi rondeb, Take a look here M9 available NOW. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
wattsy Posted November 13, 2009 Share #2 Posted November 13, 2009 Weren't these the outfit that were trying to flog an M9 at a premium well over the RRP recently by bundling it with a lens? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsnyc Posted November 13, 2009 Share #3 Posted November 13, 2009 I live in NY, and I wouldn't trust Willoughby's as far as I can throw them. I think they are only one step above those perennially "Going Out of Business" stores that try to rip off tourists. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnoble Posted November 13, 2009 Share #4 Posted November 13, 2009 Don't be fooled by the 'Established in 1898' monicker. Until the 1970's Willoughby's was probably the largest and most famous camera store in the US, located down the street from Macy's. Thereafter it headed down hill as the market changed, going through a succession of owners until it went into bankruptcy in 1993 after which the storied Willoughby's name was bought out of bankruptcy and attached to a much smaller store some blocks to the east. Today Willoughby's is just another New York 'Syrian store' with a reputation to match, as a quick Google search will confirm. Stick with B&H! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Fines Posted November 13, 2009 Share #5 Posted November 13, 2009 Always check Store Ratings, Reviews: Trusted Shopping, Praise & Complaints, Avoid Scams first before dealing with a seller you aren't familiar with. Their lifetime rating is 7.03/10, which is higher than I expected. Not good, but higher than most of the scammer stores in NY. Their 6 month rating is 3.33/10. Reading the posts it sounds like a mixture of bait and switch scams along with some happy customers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanJW Posted November 13, 2009 Share #6 Posted November 13, 2009 When I was a young man, just starting in photography, I really looked forward to an occasional Saturday expedition by subway to Willoughbys for paper, chemicals, etc. That Willoughbys is long gone. Of course al long gone are many small local camera shops, who could not compete on price and/or did not recognize the sea changes required to survive in an age of digital photography and the Internet. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spersky Posted November 13, 2009 Share #7 Posted November 13, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) I bought it. Thanks for the heads up. It is grey which is pretty cool color. He wanted $7700, but I convinced him to sell it to me for $6995 because I wanted the Leica 28mm 2.0 as well Thanks, Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnoble Posted November 13, 2009 Share #8 Posted November 13, 2009 Keeping my fingers crossed for you. Seems like they suffer from a split retail personality. Perfectly legit mail order transactions one moment and then the next they just can't resist the temptation to play the games that make a certain segment of the New York camera/electronics retail market so (in)famous! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bo_Lorentzen Posted November 13, 2009 Share #9 Posted November 13, 2009 Congrats Steve. lovely camera, I picked up a gray yesterday. . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spersky Posted November 13, 2009 Share #10 Posted November 13, 2009 Actually, I am not too worried. If the items I ordered are not up to par or exactly what was represented. I will just call up American Express and cancel payment. That is the beauty of using Amex. BTW, I talked with the guy and he seemed very legit, and I asked him many questions about the items. They are new in box never used full Leica USA passport Warranty. If that is not what is sent to me, then we would have a problem. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bo_Lorentzen Posted November 13, 2009 Share #11 Posted November 13, 2009 Amex is good stuff for that. Hope it all works out, you are going to like that camera for sure. . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spersky Posted November 13, 2009 Share #12 Posted November 13, 2009 To the OP thanks a lot for the heads up. I am extremely excited about this. I got 2 day air and it will arrive on Monday 11/16/09. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jager Posted November 14, 2009 Share #13 Posted November 14, 2009 Congratulations, Spersky. Glad to hear there appears to be some good karma out there! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
d2mini Posted November 14, 2009 Share #14 Posted November 14, 2009 Willoughbys has one M9 listed on Amazon right now, body only for $8999. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jager Posted November 14, 2009 Share #15 Posted November 14, 2009 Willoughbys has one M9 listed on Amazon right now, body only for $8999. And in a few months when the supply of M9's has caught up with demand, I'd encourage folks to remember that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishblimp Posted November 14, 2009 Share #16 Posted November 14, 2009 I purchased mine from them as well. It was legit. Sure they try to squeeze more out of you but all i had to do was say I'm not interested and then it was their decision to sell at terms I liked or not. I even checked the data on the first photo I took to see if it was the first shutter count and it was. I'm not sure how they get their m9s faster than other folks (I got mine from them week after 9/9) but they do. Guy at store told me that he's sold a couple to some "high profile" people (a prince of somewhere that I'll leave out the name of). While that store does have some aggressive tactics, if you're a true new yorker AND you come in informed thrn you should be fine. It's a chore to have to argue about buying something on your terms but I guess it's no different than buying a car, especially since this camera is half the price of a low end car. Anyway, you will e happy with your camera. I used Amex as well so you will be fine. Good luck sleeping this weekend as you wait. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spersky Posted November 14, 2009 Share #17 Posted November 14, 2009 I purchased mine from them as well. It was legit. Sure they try to squeeze more out of you but all i had to do was say I'm not interested and then it was their decision to sell at terms I liked or not. I even checked the data on the first photo I took to see if it was the first shutter count and it was. I'm not sure how they get their m9s faster than other folks (I got mine from them week after 9/9) but they do. Guy at store told me that he's sold a couple to some "high profile" people (a prince of somewhere that I'll leave out the name of). While that store does have some aggressive tactics, if you're a true new yorker AND you come in informed thrn you should be fine. It's a chore to have to argue about buying something on your terms but I guess it's no different than buying a car, especially since this camera is half the price of a low end car. Anyway, you will e happy with your camera. I used Amex as well so you will be fine. Good luck sleeping this weekend as you wait. Well he originally wanted $7700. I only convinced him to sell it at $7000 because I needed a lens as well. He did not want to lose the sale. Anyway, I tossed and turned last night. Maybe because I am excited about the camera or the fact that I just charged 11k. BTW, he did ask if I wanted all these extra items. I said no, and he said ok. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishblimp Posted November 14, 2009 Share #18 Posted November 14, 2009 Yeah he tried to sell me extra stuff too but I really didn't need anything else. He ended up selling to me anyway. Actually I find b&h and Adorama to be far more aggressive and annoying with their pressure to sell. When I bought it I was very surprised that no one else had found it and bought it (especially in NYC where you can't throw a dime without hitting a photographer or photo hobbyist). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spersky Posted November 17, 2009 Share #19 Posted November 17, 2009 Willoughbys came through. I took delivery today. New grey M9 not a single frame taken with the camera. Never opened. Works perfectly. Thanks Leica forum!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilfredo Posted November 17, 2009 Share #20 Posted November 17, 2009 Don't be fooled by the 'Established in 1898' monicker. Until the 1970's Willoughby's was probably the largest and most famous camera store in the US, located down the street from Macy's. Thereafter it headed down hill as the market changed, going through a succession of owners until it went into bankruptcy in 1993 after which the storied Willoughby's name was bought out of bankruptcy and attached to a much smaller store some blocks to the east. Today Willoughby's is just another New York 'Syrian store' with a reputation to match, as a quick Google search will confirm. Stick with B&H! I was a customer of the old Willoughby's and sorry to hear the name has gone down hill but I see no need to single out a particular ethnicity. I actually find it offensive. B&H has tried to stiff me in the past, so don't be so sure about those guys. You just have to know what you are buying regardless of location. New York City is no longer my first choice for camera gear. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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