Might be fun to send a note to the whatever NYC bureau deals with consumer fraud etc. Ditto to NY state AG.
Adorama needs to get their act together. Way too many bad stories here.
best
Might be fun to send a note to the whatever NYC bureau deals with consumer fraud etc. Ditto to NY state AG.
Adorama needs to get their act together. Way too many bad stories here.
best
This is so right! Apple is the same. If you buy a 3rd party product in person and it doesn't work, they'll swop it out, right then and there! Wait or call by phone and you will depend on your interaction with the particular person you get on the phone. Then you have to generally get redress from the MFR not Apple.
Amazon is THE place for best return rights and option. I'm nort sure whether it's 10 or 30 days, but it works.
I frequently buy from Adorama and have never had any issue. There will always be an occaisional problem so call the manager.
B&H has one person, Mr. Posner who deals with public interface and that is a great experience generally. I don't know of anyone from B&H. In K&H, Tim is really helpful.
This SD card incident is not IMHO any reason for me to stop buying lenses I want from Adorama. I do call and get an assurance that if it doesnt work I can return it.
An SD is a commodity item and I've had cards from mail order sites fail and had to go to the MFR!
Asher
My only in-store experience with B&H was many years ago. I came in and asked to see a monorail camera, and some accessories I was thinking about buying. I told him that if I liked it, I was going to buy it by telephone, to avoid sales tax. The salesman was polite, helpful, did everything I asked, let me play with the camera, etc. Ultimately, I decided it was not for me, and bought nothing. No complaints, no problems. Nice guy, very helpful.
Via mail order, I have bought many items. I returned a MF lens that cost lots of $. There was nothing wrong with it. It was just the wrong focal length for me. I called after a few days. They accepted a return and refunded 100% of my money without question.
I mostly deal with MPEX now, but I never, ever had a problem with B&H.
On the other hand, a few weeks ago I e-mailed Adorama customer service regarding a used item shown on their website. About 2 weeks later they responded asking for their item number. I answered the same day they sent the e-mail. It has been days with no response!
Fair enough, in my zeal, I lumped B&H with Adorama and that's not right on my part. I too have had no issues with B&H (no issues with Adorama either since I follow my own advice!). My bad. My apologies.
Communicating by e-mail with Adorama is an exercise in futility. They're bad enough in person, so this route is slightly worse than self-flagellation.On the other hand, a few weeks ago I e-mailed Adorama customer service regarding a used item shown on their website. About 2 weeks later they responded asking for their item number. I answered the same day they sent the e-mail. It has been days with no response!
Regards, Art.
Good point, Art... although I notice that relatively few buyers (including myself) have any major problems with B&H. Regarding the inspection of the item(s) on the spot, I would add:
-Check for broken seals on exterior boxes or interior packages (this includes scotch tape on little plastic bags). Also, look for empty bags or packages.
- Try to know what normally should be included with the item. Batteries, neckstraps, instruction booklets, cases, pouches, body caps, lenscaps, eyecups, coupons, long guarantees or forms to fill-out for rebates*, etc. Sometimes these accessories or extras are listed on the manufacturer's website.
-This is perhaps obvious, but look for signs of previous use or abuse (such as the battery already having been installed, the straps already attached, fingerprints, dust, etc.)
Best,
Christopher
*I've heard stories of certain dishonest retailers who write fake invoices with the name of, say, the owner's son-in-law as "customer". These are then sent to the manufacturer so that the rebate money comes back to the store. As well, how would you feel about paying for an "extended warranty" and later finding out that the item already carried the longer than usual protection? Whether these stories are true or not, it doesn't hurt checking ahead of time to know if any rebates, promotions or programs will apply to your purchase.
. . . . . . .
I actually got a reply. With photos!
FWIW I've never had any problems from B and H, and all the transactions I've had were mail order.
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
Adorama listed a 90mm Super Angulon on ebay in VG condition ... They rated it, had pictures of it, and a full description ... I was the only bidder @ $147 ... a pretty low price ... I paid by PayPal the same day... when it didn't arrive in 7 days , I inquired. My only communication from Adorama was a message from PayPal that my payment was refunded ... the note from Adorama within the PayPal message was that the lens "did not pass their pre-shipping inspection." They reveiwed, rated, photographed, and took the time to describe and list the item on ebay ... and it doesn't pass their "pre-shipping inspection?" I'm guessing, of course, but I don't think I would have been allowed not to pay ... but they felt fine about not shipping.
I asked for either a comparable lens or that they ship me the lens that was listed. They refused both ... even though they listed at least 4 similar lenses on their website over the month and a half in which we exchanged emails.
Did I lose any money ... no ... did Adorama screw around with the customer ... yes ... I ended up passing up a comparable lens and going on a backpacking trip without a 90mm that I thought I had bought because ... I suspect ... they didn't get the price they thought they should ... or they got another offer while the auction was supposedly going on ... and took it.
Complaints to ebay were fruitless ... but I will NEVER, EVER buy another item from Adorama and I will be sure to tell everyone I know about this thread and several other threads about Adorama's ethics. In the meantime, I have had great dealings with Badger and B&H.
Make sure you inform ebay and paypal, that kind of thing is very much against the rules and pretty obvious in this case...
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