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07/10/2008 05:24:20 AM · #26


Originally posted by GeneralE:

Originally posted by blindjustice:

What is handling? I mean, ups and fed ex pick the stuff up so are you telling me that you are charging me for the people that work in your own warehouse? put it in the price and don't play games is what I say.

"Shipping and handling" is broken out on the invoice because those charges are usually treated differently than the cost of the product itself by state taxing authorities. If the S&H charrges were rolled into the price, you'd be paying sales/use tax; as it is, the item may be taxable, but the S&H charges are not.

Yes, some places use it to shield income from such taxes (FREE! Pay only Shipping and Handling!), but as a rule with mail-order retailers, having the S&H charges separately is to the customer's benefit.


Thanks for the 411-

Message edited by author 2008-07-10 05:24:38.
07/10/2008 02:43:09 PM · #27
Update: around 8 last night I got an email from Adorama telling me that they were refunding my money in full.

The catch - it will take 3-4 days before it shows in my account report.

So they took my money a week ago today, when they were not supposed to, and now are holding it a few days longer. That's just great...
11/20/2008 05:23:08 AM · #28
Originally posted by Frankie_Lv:

Hope they don't try and hit you with a 15%-20% restocking fee !.


We have no re-stocking fee

Sincerely

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

helen.oster@adoramacamera.com
//www.adorama.com
11/20/2008 05:28:48 AM · #29
Originally posted by scalvert:

My experiences have been mixed. Most recently I ordered some in-stock lenses from Adorama early on a Thursday. Any order from B&H would have arrived the next day (both are in NYC and I'm close enough that even ground shipping gets here overnight). Adorama didn't even process the order until the following Monday. Needless to say, they're not going to be my first choice in the future.


I too had mixed experiences with them, I tend not to deal with them any more.
11/20/2008 05:30:32 AM · #30
Originally posted by dwterry:

I'm sorry to hear of your bad experience. As you mentioned, you've had lots of other good experiences with them as have I. I feel for you... but I personally won't be avoiding Adorama. They've simply been "too good" for me, going above and beyond the call of duty in several instances.

I do hope they will come to their senses and resolve the issues you are having to your satisfaction. It's an unexpected blemish on an otherwise excellent company.


Thank you for your support for Adorama - although in this instance, there is no doubt we deserve to be admonished!

Sincerely
Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

helen.oster@adoramacamera.com
11/20/2008 06:01:55 AM · #31
Originally posted by scalvert:

My experiences have been mixed. Most recently I ordered some in-stock lenses from Adorama early on a Thursday. Any order from B&H would have arrived the next day (both are in NYC and I'm close enough that even ground shipping gets here overnight). Adorama didn't even process the order until the following Monday. Needless to say, they're not going to be my first choice in the future.


You are quite correct - our turnaround time for the dispatch of orders has not been as quick as other suppliers. We have always tried to guarantee that orders placed by 1pm would ship the same day, and about 6 weeks ago we moved this up to a 2:15pm guarantee.

Two weeks ago we moved this forward yet again to 4pm.

All of the processes in the picking, put-away, replenishment, and shipping departments are being put under the spotlight to find the right scenarios to make this work, including changing employee schedules, moving the operational clock, and dialling down the operating procedures in order to better serve our customers.

We appreciate any feedback from our customers in relation to these improvements - by contacting me directly, with the relevant order number: helen.oster@adoramacamera.com

Sincerely
Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

11/20/2008 06:44:42 AM · #32
Originally posted by pineapple:

I deal with Adorama quite a lot - being in Town - for prints and equipment. 99% of the time it has been a good experience. The few times I was unhappy was the result of a particular sales assistant dealing in a cavalier manner. One sales assistant ended up giving the dealer a bad name. I certainly feel for you and think you had lousy treatment. Adorama would do well to make sure this type of issue is dealt with sternly on an internal basis.

I am not a fan of buying used equipment because I do not think that it is always possible for the seller to completely check it out. The extra money paid for buying something new is worth it - not that I always have any extra money ;-)


You are quite correct - it only takes a single employee who is either not on the ball - or not up to the job - to lose not just one, but dozens of customers. At Adorama we take this extremely seriously; as soon as we are made aware of such a situation we do take immediate action.

There is absolutely no excuse for poor customer service, and we welcome feedback regarding any transaction that was not conducted correctly.

Sincerely

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

helen.oster@adoramacamera.com
11/20/2008 08:01:21 AM · #33
Hahaha. Whoever said complaining to yourself on a forum was a fruitless endeavor!
11/20/2008 08:28:10 AM · #34
Originally posted by HelenOster:

You are quite correct - it only takes a single employee who is either not on the ball - or not up to the job - to lose not just one, but dozens of customers. At Adorama we take this extremely seriously; as soon as we are made aware of such a situation we do take immediate action.

I'm sorry Helen, but I have to laugh when I read this statement. During the time I spent trying to get Adorama to fix their mistake, my phone calls were never returned, my emails went unanswered, and I was outright lied to.

The CS supervisor didn't care one bit that the issue occurred, and she didn't mind lying to me. Her supervisor didn't care about any of the above, either. And when I called the VP at corporate to complain, he wouldn't answer the phone or return my messages. From all the signals I was given, it's clear that no one cared that they messed up, no one cared that they stole my money for a week, and no one cared that their customer service was one of the worst experiences I've ever had, anywhere.

This wasn't an isolated, "one-employee-has-a-bad-day" type of incident. This involved the whole chain of command. And I would really, really, like to know what "action" was taken after my money was refunded. Was the cause of the original mistake investigated? Was the problem ever identified? Were any of the customer service people involved questioned? Disciplined for their very poor behavior? Did anyone bother to contact me for a follow up, or to explain what happened in an effort to regain my customer loyalty? (No, to the last question, at least.)

This appears to me as Adorama's effort to address bad feedback, not to address the situation and try to make amends. Your efforts are transparent, and too little, too late.
11/20/2008 08:34:14 AM · #35
My recent experience was similar to this one. I ordered a new camera bag a month or so ago (one of the "reporter" bags that will hold the laptop and camera equipment -- I saw it reviewed recently in one of my magazines). I paid extra for quicker shipping, and they took over a week before it was "packed" and longer for it to be shipped. I've never seen B&H take that kind of time. I'll stick with B&H in the future. (The camera bag was only available at Adorama -- I believe it's something only they offer.)

Originally posted by scalvert:

My experiences have been mixed. Most recently I ordered some in-stock lenses from Adorama early on a Thursday. Any order from B&H would have arrived the next day (both are in NYC and I'm close enough that even ground shipping gets here overnight). Adorama didn't even process the order until the following Monday. Needless to say, they're not going to be my first choice in the future.
11/20/2008 08:58:44 AM · #36
Originally posted by OdysseyF22:

Originally posted by HelenOster:

You are quite correct - it only takes a single employee who is either not on the ball - or not up to the job - to lose not just one, but dozens of customers. At Adorama we take this extremely seriously; as soon as we are made aware of such a situation we do take immediate action.

I'm sorry Helen, but I have to laugh when I read this statement. During the time I spent trying to get Adorama to fix their mistake, my phone calls were never returned, my emails went unanswered, and I was outright lied to.

The CS supervisor didn't care one bit that the issue occurred, and she didn't mind lying to me. Her supervisor didn't care about any of the above, either. And when I called the VP at corporate to complain, he wouldn't answer the phone or return my messages. From all the signals I was given, it's clear that no one cared that they messed up, no one cared that they stole my money for a week, and no one cared that their customer service was one of the worst experiences I've ever had, anywhere.

This wasn't an isolated, "one-employee-has-a-bad-day" type of incident. This involved the whole chain of command. And I would really, really, like to know what "action" was taken after my money was refunded. Was the cause of the original mistake investigated? Was the problem ever identified? Were any of the customer service people involved questioned? Disciplined for their very poor behavior? Did anyone bother to contact me for a follow up, or to explain what happened in an effort to regain my customer loyalty? (No, to the last question, at least.)

This appears to me as Adorama's effort to address bad feedback, not to address the situation and try to make amends. Your efforts are transparent, and too little, too late.


Firstly, I do want to apologize that I didn't pick up your postings earlier, and of course, to apologize, somewhat belatedly, for the experiences you describe receiving from our Customer Services Department.

I have a presence on over 200 photographic forums, websites and blogs, and take my role very seriously, which is to act on behalf of our customers - responding to postings such as yours; to investigate what went wrong - and more importantly, to take steps to ensure that such occurrences are not repeated.

From the details you have given, it sounds to me that you were treated extremely badly by every member of staff you dealt with at Adorama.

I would like to identify the Customer Services supervisor who you noted promised, but failed to contact you on Sunday 6 July, and the Customer Services Manager you spoke to Wednesday 9 July.

I am unable to confirm at this stage whether or not your complaint was investigated, and will need your order number to check this, and to follow up on what action was taken.
I will, of course, update you as quickly as possible

You can contact me directly: helen.oster@adoramacamera.com

Again, my apologies.

I do look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador
helen.oster@adoramacamera.com

11/20/2008 09:00:15 AM · #37
I'm more comfortable using B&H myself. Used to consider both of them on equal footing, but that changed a couple years ago. I'll go to Amazon.com now as an option if B&H doesn't have what I need. However, if Adorama is the supplier for Amazon on that item, I'll usually just wait.

Ordered a Sigma EX DG HSM II 70-200/2.8 from Amazon last night. :-) B&H was out of stock.
11/20/2008 09:01:02 AM · #38
Originally posted by alanfreed:

My recent experience was similar to this one. I ordered a new camera bag a month or so ago (one of the "reporter" bags that will hold the laptop and camera equipment -- I saw it reviewed recently in one of my magazines). I paid extra for quicker shipping, and they took over a week before it was "packed" and longer for it to be shipped. I've never seen B&H take that kind of time. I'll stick with B&H in the future. (The camera bag was only available at Adorama -- I believe it's something only they offer.)

Originally posted by scalvert:

My experiences have been mixed. Most recently I ordered some in-stock lenses from Adorama early on a Thursday. Any order from B&H would have arrived the next day (both are in NYC and I'm close enough that even ground shipping gets here overnight). Adorama didn't even process the order until the following Monday. Needless to say, they're not going to be my first choice in the future.


Dear Alan

Please contact me directly, with your order number: helen.oster@adoramacamera.com, and I will give this my immediate attention.

Sincerely

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador
11/20/2008 09:25:30 AM · #39
All the companies looks good when everything goes fine, but you know a good company from a bad one when things like this happens and you need to resolve a problem and reach a resolution, I think I'll be avoiding them, as I know I am jinxed and most probably will have to deal with their CS.
Thanks for sharing.
11/20/2008 09:33:59 AM · #40
I am glad to see someone from Adorama come in and try to deal with their issues, although its likely too late for many of the jaded customers that have posted here.

I do have to say that their handling of orders is pretty lame compared to B&H and I wont buy from them either, for that reason alone. I had an order that was delayed in being processing not quite as bad as Alan's situation but enough to make me realize that B&H and their customer service and order processing will always be worth any savings I might have gotten from Adorama. I ordered from Adorama simply because they were offering free shipping on the items I was ordering, now I understand why..........because they will ship it whenever they are free to do so. :D

Matt
11/20/2008 09:39:34 AM · #41
I'm another former Adorama customer ... poor customer service and extremely slow order processing/shipping times have caused me to take my business elsewhere ... B&H and J&R are my 2 preferred retailers at this point. Unfortunately, no matter how many posts I see by an Adorama representative at DPC will get me to change my mind regarding where I make my purchases ...
11/20/2008 09:57:46 AM · #42
I'm lucky enough to live right down the street from Norman Camera. Their prices are usually the same as B&H or Adorama or at least within a few dollars. I do have to pay sales tax, but I don't have to pay shipping, I get what I want right away and I'm supporting a local business.

If they don't have something, I usually try Calumet first since they're in Chicago and that means that I can get UPS ground the next day.

That said, I have spent my fair share at B&H and Adorama. I've never had a problem with either one.
11/20/2008 10:10:06 AM · #43
As someone who has over 25 Years Warehouse management experience I find it amussing that after several months Adarama comes in to do PR work which should have been done at the time of the problem, failure to reacte quickly is I believe what started this thread. Good customer service groups act promtly and resolve the issues in a timely manner. Problems arrise in every business, its the way they get resolved that either helps or hurts a business.
11/20/2008 10:58:02 AM · #44
My problem with them is their shipping rates to an APO ( I am an American living in Germany working for the American Government). APO is just like shipping something to NYC. The government takes it from there. The only difference is you have to fill out a customes for, for free. I wanted to order a vest for around $40.00 and the shipping was almost $30.00!!!
11/20/2008 11:00:22 AM · #45
Well Helen never got involved in my horrid experience with Adorama. I pre-ordered the 50D from them. I had asked the sales guy if I could even pre-pay which he did tell me they normally do not charge the money from a customer until after the item arrives and ships. He asked why I wanted to pay up in advance and I told him...one I had the money today, and two I wanted to be assured of receiving a camera from the first batch they got in. He was fine with that and said he could do it. Well, the cameras came in and I did not get one. The CS then told me he never should have let me pay in advance. Well since they already had my money, I asked if I was going to be promised a camera from the 2nd batch they were expecting later that week. I was told there was no way I could be promised anything like that and that I would just get mine whenever they came to me on the waiting list. I asked for a refund and was told it would be processed right away....now is also a good time to mention originally I was overcharged by the sales guy and it took 2 weeks to settle that. The refund was to be charged right back to my bank. A week goes by nothing. 2 weeks go by nothing. I call them - three times before I get a reply. Another 2 weeks before the money even got to my bank. From now on I'll just drive the hour drive into Anchorage as our little tiny camera shop got me the camera and even called me to let me know it was in...took them only 5 days.
Now I understand that people can make mistakes, but the people at Adorama were ALL rude and had attitudes that said they could care less about the customer. And not just one employee told me falsehoods, but three different ones. They first denied then lied about why the overcharge was done. The sales guy lied when he said he could handle my pre-paid request and that I'd get a camera right away. The CS lied when they said they would refund the money right away. I will never give Adorama my business again, nor will I recommend them to anyone.
11/20/2008 11:44:11 AM · #46
I can't add much to whatever has been said already for some reasons. I live in Manhattan, so anytime I need anything, I go to the store in person. I've been to Adorama a couple of times only and I simply hated their service! I've never deal with them over the phone, so no comments there. But the store is claustrophobic and their sales staff is quite unhelpful - it could also be my fault, as I am not a very friendly guy sometimes (no smiles, a little of a frown on my face).

So, I am very partial to B&H - not the best sales staff either, but the store is much nicer and the prices are usually quite good.

I was curious about Adorama, so I checked the Better Business Bureau website and apparently they have not received many complains - see the link //search.newyork.bbb.org/reports.aspx?id=2477&pid=44&page=0&FindStr=adorama&SearchBy=company&Address=&City=&Phone1=&Phone2=&Phone3=&MembersOnly=False

Anyway, I am sorry you had to go through such a hassle. I hope in the end all ends well (you with your money!).
11/20/2008 11:57:48 AM · #47
I agree that B&H does not have the best sales staff IMHO. I have always used them for about everything camera bodies, lenses, etc. When I went to purchase lights I wanted to know if they would price match as they said they would from Adorama. I got the okay via email from customer service and when I went to place the order via phonenthe sales staff said sorry customer service is not authorized to do that and wouldn't price match. I left a bad review online and wrote back to the email address and the sales manager called - remedied the situation promptly and got my lights out fast. He apologized over and over. And... it seems the guys one or two layers beyond the 800 number are very competent. Another example, I got a call the morning after Thanksgiving last year from my B&H contact that he could get me a D300 that I had asked about a few weeks earlier and figured I would be on the proverbial waiting list - well someone had backed out of their reservation and he offered it to me I jumped on it.

Bottom line, one bad experience from someone can alter a view but if you dig a little deeper hopefully you'll find they are the exception and not the rule!
11/25/2008 05:48:16 PM · #48
Originally posted by ShutterPug:

Well Helen never got involved in my horrid experience with Adorama. I pre-ordered the 50D from them. I had asked the sales guy if I could even pre-pay which he did tell me they normally do not charge the money from a customer until after the item arrives and ships. He asked why I wanted to pay up in advance and I told him...one I had the money today, and two I wanted to be assured of receiving a camera from the first batch they got in. He was fine with that and said he could do it. Well, the cameras came in and I did not get one. The CS then told me he never should have let me pay in advance. Well since they already had my money, I asked if I was going to be promised a camera from the 2nd batch they were expecting later that week. I was told there was no way I could be promised anything like that and that I would just get mine whenever they came to me on the waiting list. I asked for a refund and was told it would be processed right away....now is also a good time to mention originally I was overcharged by the sales guy and it took 2 weeks to settle that. The refund was to be charged right back to my bank. A week goes by nothing. 2 weeks go by nothing. I call them - three times before I get a reply. Another 2 weeks before the money even got to my bank. From now on I'll just drive the hour drive into Anchorage as our little tiny camera shop got me the camera and even called me to let me know it was in...took them only 5 days.
Now I understand that people can make mistakes, but the people at Adorama were ALL rude and had attitudes that said they could care less about the customer. And not just one employee told me falsehoods, but three different ones. They first denied then lied about why the overcharge was done. The sales guy lied when he said he could handle my pre-paid request and that I'd get a camera right away. The CS lied when they said they would refund the money right away. I will never give Adorama my business again, nor will I recommend them to anyone.


I can promise you that had I been aware of the situation then I would certainly have got involved. I've been in my post since December 2006, and am responsible for picking up posdtings such as yours from Internet web sites, blogs, photo sharing sites, forums etc. The problem is, there are a lot of them and only one of me.

However, if you would like to contact me directly:helen.oster@adoramacamera.com, then I would be delighted to look into what happened.

Sincerely

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador
11/25/2008 06:04:12 PM · #49
Originally posted by forsubscriptionsonly:

I can't add much to whatever has been said already for some reasons. I live in Manhattan, so anytime I need anything, I go to the store in person. I've been to Adorama a couple of times only and I simply hated their service! I've never deal with them over the phone, so no comments there. But the store is claustrophobic and their sales staff is quite unhelpful - it could also be my fault, as I am not a very friendly guy sometimes (no smiles, a little of a frown on my face).

So, I am very partial to B&H - not the best sales staff either, but the store is much nicer and the prices are usually quite good.

I was curious about Adorama, so I checked the Better Business Bureau website and apparently they have not received many complains - see the link //search.newyork.bbb.org/reports.aspx?id=2477&pid=44&page=0&FindStr=adorama&SearchBy=company&Address=&City=&Phone1=&Phone2=&Phone3=&MembersOnly=False

Anyway, I am sorry you had to go through such a hassle. I hope in the end all ends well (you with your money!).

Have you visited the store since it almost trebled in size, back in the summer? Not only that, but the staff (the ones who stayed...) have all been through rigorous re-training.

Mind you, after reading the posts on this forum, if I didn't know from my own experience how much work has been going into improving Adorama's service to customers, shipping, pricing structures etc over the past 18 months, I wouldn't buy from there, either....

Adorama has been trading reasonably successfully for over 30 years; nevertheless, change was certainly overdue. We can't alter what happened in the past - and in truth, I guess we can't promise 100% that we'll never mess up in the future.

The feedback on this forum suggests that most subscribers are more than happy with their current suppliers and have absolutely no need to take a look at what Adorama is doing now under a new management structure plus new staff training programmes as well as improved support and supervision systems in place.

If, however, you are a contented Adorama shopper, and you would like to raise an issue or complaint concerning any element of our service, please don't hesitate to contact me directly: helen.oster:adoramacamera.com

Sincerely

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

11/25/2008 06:46:56 PM · #50
Helen, you're taking a beating here. Sorry for that, but it's the type of job you have. Just to make your day I'll mention that I'm a satisfied Adorama customer. The only "problem" I ever had was a defective lens (bought from you used) that you promptly exchanged.
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