Online Camera Marketing MPB US Inc – Legit Or Fake
Mpb.com is an online marketplace for people with unwanted camera gear. MPB buys, sells, and trades camera equipment.
About MPB
MPB was established in 2001, by Matt Barker who claims to have three headquarters in Brooklyn, New York; Berlin, Germany; and Brighton, England, according to the About Us page. The About Us page does not provide physical addresses for MPB headquarters. The US support phone number is (646) 513-4309. The area code covers the Bronx and Manhattan in New York City.
A Delaware business filing does connect Matthew Barker to MPB.
Yelp Reviews
MPB has a mixture of customer reviews, ranging between 1- and 5-star. The 1-star reviews claim MPB non-payment for camera gear, low-quality camera equipment, low-ball price quotes, poor customer support, and stolen camera equipment.
According to the Yelp customer reviews, MPB has a history of selling damaged equipment at top dollar, non-payment for expensive camera gear, and non-existent customer support. All the reviews are similar to those on BBB.
MPB US, Inc Business Search
A business filing for MPB US, INC. was filed on March 10, 2015, in the State of Delaware.
Domain Information
The website was registered on April 25, 1995.
BBB Rating “D-“
The BBB filing provides the address, 45 E 20th St., Floor 9, New York, NY 10003.
MPB is not accredited by BBB. Six BBB complaints have been filed against MPB in the past year. A complaint filed on November 8, 2021, claimed MPB failed to comply with a $1939-price quote for pre-owned camera gear. The customer shipped the equipment to MPB but never received payment. The case was closed on November 18, 2021, so hopefully, the customer was finally paid.
Another BBB complaint, filed on September 20, 2021, claimed to have sent MPB camera lenses valued at $1,100. The customer disputes one of the lenses was cracked when it was shipped to MPB. The customer claims to have requested the lenses to be returned to no avail. The BBB case is still unresolved.
Another customer claims to have received a damaged camera lens, which MPB refuses to warranty. MPB claims the customer received a refund via a chargeback, but the customer disputes the claim.
A BBB complaint filed on December 14, 2020, claims MPB does not guarantee deliveries. MPB response claims the customer-validated delivery of the order but agrees to issue a refund via its insurer.
PRG Rental Service
According to a Crain’s New York Business Corporation press release, MPB signed a lease for 20,000-square-feet warehouse space at 147 41st Street in Brooklyn. A Google search connects the address to PRG Production Resource Group, a camera equipment rental company, and several other businesses. PRG deals with camera, computer, lighting, and audio equipment rentals.
Afterword – MPB Scam
Is MPB a scam? MPB US, Inc. is a Foreign Business Corporation, registered with the State of Delaware. The CEO is listed as Matthew Barker. The DOS was filed on December 1, 2015, according to the New York Department of State Division of Corporations online business search.
BBB has rated MPB a “D-“ for 17 customer complaints, regarding delivery, warranty, advertising, billing, and sales issues. Since there is no evidence to support the level of inventory MPB deals with on a daily basis, it is impossible to link the complaints to business oversight.
MPB is connected to various addresses, some of which are difficult if not impossible to validate. You must consider, the fact the addresses are multi-story warehouse and commercial buildings. The Crain’s New York Business Corporation article is very interesting as it connects PRG to the same warehouse building as MPB. Unfortunately, it is impossible to determine if MPB and PRG are working as a unit. It could be, MPB is selling its customers’ pre-owned camera equipment to PRG. Again, there is no evidence to support this claim.
There is no evidence of where MPB customers are shipping their used camera equipment. This information would be helpful in validating the legitimacy of MPB.
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