BOATPIX.com
 

Had a small Helicopter buzz me yesterday taken pictures of my boat and others, has BOATPIX.COM written on the side, when to the website and they want a Credit Card before you can even take a look at what the took a picture of!

Is this a scam....I have a feeling it is!

a simple search on these crooks should clear it up for you



http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/s...hlight=boatpix

search young jedi...be wary of the darkside!!

DOH! Search function!

Sorry....I am now more edumucated...


Too bad its a scam, I would have loved to get some nice pics!

I paid to see the pictures. If they would have been a better quality, I would have bucked up for them, but there would have had to been some serious negotiation going on. $700 for 3 pictures is higher than a giraffe's as$!

Full throttle ahead..
Run like heII..

Wish I'd have researched before filling out the online forms. Pics not that great, sent them back. Had to pay shipping and ins. charges both ways. I guess a $50 lesson is an inexpensive one in the boating world

jetjock www.jaxperformanceboatclub.com Jen and Barry took some nice pictures of you,sorry again about your line I will have you one next time I see you, it was nice meeting you.

Jen takes the BEST pics ever!

No worries about the line!

Cheers :ernaehrung004:

I've had pics from them 3 diff. times and never had any issues. You can get them to e-mail you proofs but they will be lower quality and watermarked. Pick the ones you want then give them a lowball offer. They will take a lower offer because it is better than nothing!!

Make sure you correspond by e-mail and get everything in writing!!!

I have some great pictures from them. You can call them and negotiate the price you are willing to pay. I bought 3 pictures for what I thought was a good price.

I saw a "boatpix" copter heading south out of Austin today on a trailer.......


...........wish I had my camera handy to take a few pic's and send out to them :evilb:


Doug

How could these phucks still be in business?
I read the other thread. They should be strung up by their balz.

Was out on the water at Travis a week ago, and this chopper buzzed me twice, and tooks some pics. I was going to check them out on the internet. Guess not.

I2D

I used them twice now over the years. Never had one issue with them and they always did what they said they were going to do. Never had a bit of trouble at all. I don't honestly know what all these threads are about? These guys make a living taking hard to get photos of boats from a chopper. Put a price on that.:Whatever:


RAF

Talked with a lady at Boatpix, said I didn't need a Credit Card to look at the pictures they took...she did say I would have to wait a few weeks for the pics to get to her before she could send them via email. I'll update along the way.

I bought 2 pics from them, paid 100$ for one and 75$ for the other,

you just have to play by there rules, i amagine they have been screwed 10000000 times by guys getting proofs or the pics and just scanning or making more copies,

granted, im sure they have f'ed their fair share of undeserving people as well, i say play by there rules, but there rules are a little one sided too......

What they said. I had a good experience with them....and paid less than half of what $$ they wanted!:cool: I said do you want something for the pictures ....or nothing for the pictures, it's your choice!!!:drink::evilb:

I've also had multiple experiences with them since 1998, no issues for me.

They just sent me some pics, I thought they sucked! Might as well have been taken from the top of a pontoon boat. I paid 25 bucks and sent them back.

They also charged the initial shipping on my credit card after I sent mine back. Cost me $50 just to turn down some poor pics

Seems to me most of issue here is the business approach/process of these guys; sending pics unsolicted, with what more or less amounts to a bill, and having to spend money to opt-out for something you didn't ask for in the first place. That's questionable, at best.

While there may be a few -- right now I can't think of any other legitimate business model that operates that way.

Boatpix
 

I'm the President of BOATPIX and log on occasionally. Yes, I'm a speedboat guy myself. I think I photographed my first poker run in Maryland in 1990. Photographed more poker runs and races than I can count. I think there are people that want to buy pictures and they do. These people report in these threads that they have had great experiences with our company and usually the list that they are repeat customers. I think most of our customers are happy. We sure try darn hard to make them happy.

I dont have a problem with you taking a pic of my boat, and ASKING if I want to buy it, but please dont mail them to me, and then expect ME to pay the shipping back to you if i dont want them. In fact with todays modern technology, why not e-mail them and save both me and you $$$. Oh yeah, you cant get my e-mail from reg #'s:lolhit::eek::grinser010::party-smiley-004::angry-smiley-038:

I'm sure you do have some repeat customers and others who have been happy. But, as you can see from this thread and others....your business model STINKS.
One of your choppers took pics of my Cig last Memorial Day out near Catalina island. I'm sure it was a good shot, but I went to your website and read about how to get the pics and immediatly walked away from my computer and never looked back.
Asking a customer to spend money upfront for something they have never seen is absurd. Furthermore, making the pay return shipping if and when they are unhappy with the product only shows your lack of faith in your product.
Get with the program and wake up. You could double or triple your profits if you simply revised your business model. Take digital photos and post them all on you website. It is ery easy to protect the photos from being copied and you can watermark them as well. Then, all the customer has to do is select the photos they KNOW they want, send payment via PayPal and you send them high rez digital images electronically.
How hard is that ?

You might want to have your "Chopper" pilots review the FAR's on flying low taking pictures..ie within 500 feet.

FAR's (FEDERAL AVIATION REGULATIONS)

the FAA loves to REVOKE a Pilot's certificate for such actions.

I am a 10,000+ hour Pilot and I was NOT IMPRESSED by the stick jockey that was attempting to take pictures of my boat and others.


FAR PART 91.113 Careless and reckless operation of an aircraft

Boatpix,
I think you were at the NYC Poker Run. I would love to view the pics and possibly make a purchase but think its absurd that you cannot open your website and view the pics. To fill out that form is ridiculous.

Exactly - The second I saw that I realized these people operate in the stone ages. Who the hell fills out forms and uses the mail anymore ????
Welcome to the digital age, Boatpix....the fact that you are even here posting on an Internet BBS if evidence that you do in fact realize the benefit of digital commerce. I'm not trying to be a jerk here....just trying to help you provide a better product. There is nothing more valuable than unsolicited customer feedback.

Is this Tom ?

I remember when you had that Top Gun with 1000's and 3's that you kept at Everglades...

ACTIVE FUN,

I shot the NY Poker Run again this year.

Be sure to check out my site. You can view them them all right online.

And thanks to my sponsors, I am able to bring this event's prices at a sizable discount for a limited time.

Any questions feel free to call or email. Email is usually best.

Jet,

Believe it or not, at one point, not sure if it is still like this, they had a pilot training program, you get to learn how to fly a helicopter if you go up an take pics for them. Just think, your the photographer, want you license, and the pilot just got his license last week, come on lets go fly low over these boats in the inlet:eek:

I have contacted your office several times regarding the negative information one of your people submitted to the credit reporting agencies regarding pictures your people claim were sent to me and not returned. My letter have gone unanswered.
I have literally thousands of helicopter photos of my boats form the 100's of poker runs and races I have been in. I would have no reason to keep your photos without paying. Just about anyone on here can tell you that is not something i would do.

Why don't you have the negatives removed from the 3 credit reporting companies and that would make me "PRETTY DARN HAPPY"!!
GINO

In reading the last page of responses... You might try a new business strategy to make them happy. :party-smiley-004: