Messages

31

EOS Bodies / Re: What a day at Adorama! I GOT IT They also have the KIT

« on: April 09, 2012, 02:19:55 AM »

For anyone that wants the KIT, go tomorrow in the morning because they do have it in stock despite the website not showing any and as I left the store, they were closing up.

The website reflects only the inventory that we have at our DC in NJ; the store inventory is completely separate.

UPDATE: In a nutshell, the one "body" physically in the store warehouse was on hold for a customer because there were some issues with the form of payment he was attempting to use, and it was not available to sell until the issues were resolved.

The salesperson, tracked it down and found that it was in fact available to sell as there was a 2nd copy in the NJ warehouse on hold for the same customer.

I understand that the comment by the sales rep to the store manager was a joke.......

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

32

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Got 5D III today from Adorama, shutter messed up

« on: April 05, 2012, 02:26:19 PM »

Adorama are ok guys, had been shopping with them for the past 13 years. However I miss the days of peanuts for packaging. B&H seems to have gone back to peanuts, at least for some of the shipments.

We stopped using peanuts several years ago, because:

Peanuts are:
•         Very expensive in the long run
•         They take up a lot of valuable warehouse space to store them
•         They are very messy and blow all over the warehouse in the summer
•         Not all peanuts dissolve in water that is an additive that costs an additional fee for those type of peanuts
•         Most people dispose of them in landfills not water
•         You need to fill huge hoppers that hang from the ceiling above packers
•         Peanuts have been proven to serve as inadequate protection to what is available nowadays.  Items packed in the center of the box surrounded by peanuts can actually shift to the bottom during transit and could take damage to the item. 
 
Pillows:
•         The machine is compact and the pillows are on a roll.  So everything fits neatly on a packers desk
•         Each roll is in a box stacked neatly on a pallet which fits into a pallet rack location
•         They are proven better shock absorbers
•         Pillows are cheaper than peanuts
 
The OP's problem sounds like a sporadic issue with the packing team, because we were trying to get these all out the day they came in to us and using temporary staff.  We actually pack above and beyond the industry standard. 
Most packaging companies that come in and see our operation are taken back by the amount of pillows we use in one carton.  They actually drool to try and get the business because it is not the norm.  The industry standard is to put the item in the box to one corner and then fill the void with dunnage whether it be peanuts, pillows, foam, or paper.  We actually blanket the bottom and the sides of the box and then place the item in the middle and then fold over the pillows and add more to fill the box where needed. 
The only thing we don’t add any pillows to are items that ship in the vendor box, and soft goods (t-shirts, backpacks, hats, etc).

That being said, I'd always invite anyone with a packaging issue to take pictures of the item in situ immediately, and if the outer packaging is damaged to take pictures of that, too before doing anything else.
If we need to make a claim, for example, the more info we have, the better.

I'm always only an email away for any queries or questions regarding any part of Adorama service or products.
If I don't immediately have an answer myself, I should be able to find someone who does!

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador
Helen@adorama.com

33

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Adorama 5D Mark III Pre Order Shipping & Order Status

« on: March 25, 2012, 10:32:17 AM »

Unfortunately I just received the following e-mail after I had canceled my order at B&H because a customer service rep at Adorama told me my kit will ship at latest tomorrow:

We received report that our warehouse encountered an error in regards to the numbers of item that we received from Canon. Apparently, the order was not able to get any allocation and may not be able to ship until we receive another shipment from the manufacturer.

We apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause.

Now, thanks to Adorama, it looks like I will not have the camera for an upcoming vacation.

We have LOADS of MK III kits in stock!

If you email me directly I will do my best to help sort this out for you: Helen@adorama.com

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

34

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Adorama 5D Mark III Pre Order Shipping & Order Status

« on: March 25, 2012, 03:44:31 AM »

A lot of comments and queries here; too many to respond to individually…….

Firstly, thanks so much to all for your kind feedback regarding the speed at which Adam and his team at the Adorama Distribution Center got the MK III bodies out last week.

I would also like to take this opportunity to apologize for any confusion regarding the numbers of bodies and / or kits which were / are still available. My assumption is that this was related to the speed at which they were flying out of our inventory - by 'phone, Internet and our affiliates such as Buy.com and Amazon.

If anyone still has unanswered concerns or queries regarding their orders, please email me directly: Helen@adorama.com with your order number, and I will do my best to assist everyone today with relevant updates etc.

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

35

EOS Bodies / Re: buying a 5DIII overseas or local?

« on: March 05, 2012, 06:49:17 AM »

thank you very much for that enlighting reply which means I don't have a choice after all unless I wanted to gamble

Actually, you do! You can purchase an International extended warranty at the same time. Many customers from outside the US find that even with the cost of the warranty added, they can still make a considerable saving - and have piece of mind.

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador
Helen@adorama.com

36

Canada / Re: Adorama shipping to Canada

« on: March 05, 2012, 06:40:23 AM »

This is an old thread, not sure why it was bumped.  But, since I'm here reading, I can tell you I've looked at Adorama and while they look like a good company, I won't buy from them because their only shipping options to Canada are UPS and Fed Ex Air. 

Adorama also ships USPS to Canada.

You are most welcome to email me directly for details: Helen@adorama.com
Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

37

EOS Bodies / Re: 5DMiii at BnH or Amazon?

« on: March 05, 2012, 06:35:20 AM »

Adorama on the other hand emailed me 8:30 this morning saying it is on back-order. I ordered it 10:30PM PST last night and they already used up their initial allotment with the pre-orders. 

Actually, that isn't the case.

We do not yet know how many units we will receive in the first shipment - and if past releases are anything to go by, neither we, nor any other major retailer, will know how many have been allocated until the trailer is unloaded on the day of delivery!

A back-order email is generated automatically whenever an item is ordered but it isn't on the shelves. So you could receive a b/o email if the units were sitting in the Adorama unloading bay but hadn't yet been entered into our system.

38

United Kingdom & Ireland / Re: Best place to buy photographic equipment in the uk?

« on: January 19, 2012, 03:08:32 AM »

..........My concern is that they should be clearer on their website that what they are selling is grey imports. 

If you're happy with the warranty that these stores provide and the fact that your purchase will not be covered by a Canon warranty, then by all means go ahead and save yourself some money.   I don't mean to bang on about this, but I feel it is important to make it clear for people who aren't knowledgable about grey imports

I've just picked up on this thread, & thought it might be helpful to clarify the position re the "grey market", at least as far as reputable retailers from the US are concerned.

"Grey market" refers to products imported directly into a country, rather than through the manufacturer's authorized agents / distributors. It is perfectly legal to directly import & sell these products; the term "grey market" was coined by manufacturer's authorized distributors who wanted to discourage consumers from buying these (less costly) goods.

With no factory authorized middle-man involved in the import of these products, costs are lower, so the price is lower to customers. Many items which are in short supply or not imported at all by the manufacturer's authorized distributors are available in direct import.

A reputable retailer will ensure that any direct import / grey market products which are being sold as such will be clearly marked, and you should always contact a company directly should you have any concerns regarding a specific listing.

There should be no difference in the actual products. Occasionally manufacturers will name them differently for example the Olympus USA Digital Stylus Cameras are called Olympus MJU Cameras in Europe.

On direct import products a reputable retailer should offer the same warranty as the manufacturer  warranted products carry - the only difference might be that you would need to ship it to the retailer, rather than the manufacturer, for warranty service.

For, I think, about the past 10 years, the policy of Canon USA has been to honor their warranty for any unit sold though an authorized Canon reseller, whether it has been imported by an authorized agent or is direct import.
All the customer requires is original receipt to verify the reseller and the date of sale – apparently you don't need the warranty card - and even if you do have the warranty card, you will still have to provide the receipt.

BTW Nikon USA will not service a direct import item at all, whether the customer is willing to pay or not.



I hope this helps.

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador
Helen@adorama.com

39

EOS Bodies / Re: Ebay or Adorama Used?

« on: January 04, 2012, 05:35:27 AM »

FWIW, I've only used Adorama once for used stuff, but found their gradings to be representative. Meaning I was pleasantly satisfied with a T1i I bought from them.

Delighted to hear it, thank you!

40

EOS Bodies / Re: Ebay or Adorama Used?

« on: January 02, 2012, 10:11:20 AM »

.....When I sent my used gear into Adorama to be appraised and the rep was I dealing with through emails had no idea where my gear was even though it was signed by somebody at Adorama as recieved.

We are carrying around 25,000 used items in our warehouse at any one time, and we receive literally hundreds of items for evaluation every single day.
They are delivered and signed for at our New Jersey Distribution Center; from there they are carried by a small truck to the used department which is in our offices in NYC.

I hope this clarifies why it isn't always possible to immediately ID a single item sent in - and it certainly wouldn't even have been unpacked until at least the day after being signed for.

However, you are most welcome to contact me directly if you ever have any additional queries regarding either used or new items from Adorama: Helen@adorama.com

41

EOS Bodies / Re: Ebay or Adorama Used?

« on: January 01, 2012, 01:50:40 PM »

Adorama is a long established business with a good reputation.  Humorously, they also sell things on eBay...

Thank you for the feedback! (and I'm only an email away for advice and after-sales support if required: Helen@adorama.com)

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

42

Canada / Re: Adorama shipping to Canada

« on: August 30, 2011, 04:36:31 PM »

I will not order from Adorama again until they ditch UPS as their courier to Canada.

..........I will not be ordering from Adorama until UPS scamsville is no longer an option

USPS or purolator is the way to go to bypass the brokerage fee troubles.

Provided your order is below the insurance, weight and dimension threshold you can currently have your order shipped USPS - you only need drop me an email: Helen@adorama.com

Going forward, within the next 3 weks or so Adorama will be introducing the new shipping option which will be available to our Canadian customers.

43

Canada / Re: Adorama shipping to Canada

« on: July 31, 2011, 02:22:54 AM »

Helen is one of the reasons I buy from Adorama, she is there to help.  I've never had to ask her for help though, all my many orders have been perfect. 

That is very kind of you to say so, thank you so much.

I routinely order from B&H and Adorama.  Customer service has been excellent with both of them.  The only downside when I order from Adorama is their free shipping option.  Adorama uses a trans-shipper (StreamLite) who uses USPS for the end-point delivery.

I'm pleased to advise you that we stopped using Streamlite for delivery several weeks ago!!

I must say my experience with Adorama has been excellent.

On Tuesday monring, July 26, I ordered a 60D body, Hoya ND-400x 77mm filter, and a SanDisk 16 GB SDHC card.  By that evening I recieved an email stating that the order had been shipped.  I thought I would get it sometime the next week.  It was at my door Thursday morning, July 28!!!

Really good to hear - we appreciate you taking the time to feed back your experiences with Adorama.

44

Canada / Re: Adorama shipping to Canada

« on: July 26, 2011, 03:40:22 AM »

Has anyone here ordered from Adorama?  What was your experience like?

If there is anything I can help you with, please don't hesitate to email me directly Helen@adorama.com

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

45

EOS Bodies / Re: 60D & 7D Rebates coming February 20

« on: February 21, 2011, 06:29:46 AM »

When Canon raises the prices to retailers, rebates are generally offered for the first few months to delay the price-change for customers. We don't raise prices on our existing stock to match the new prices, which often means that customer prices drop initially; however within a week or two, when we've sold out of almost every Canon unit that has a rebate on it, as well as a few that don't - we have to pay the increased prices when we re-stock.

At the same time if Canon decides to enforce their MAP program more aggressively, it leaves us no choice but to offer the renewed inventory at Canon “estimated retail prices”.

Manufacturers usually require retailers to meet MAP restrictions in order to participate in a rebate offer program, and many of Adorama’s regular list prices are frequently too low to be able to offer the rebates. If we don’t comply, we’ll lose our Authorized Dealership Status

When a manufacturer or US importer changes MAP parameters and enforces them vigorously, retailers are left with no option. Therefore when our inventory is exhausted, prices have to go up to reflect the new MAP. Nevertheless, prices at Adorama will at no time be raised above MSRP.

MAP restrictions mean that when the rebated lenses are marked up to the Canon "estimated price," the cost of the unit with the rebate applied will in some cases either be equal to, or in some case greater than the regular discounted price that we were selling them for before the instant rebate program went into effect!

The reason that you may find units pre-price rise at a smaller or independent retailer while prices at the bigger retailers have already increased, is simply a matter of scale; stores that carry & sell on from a larger inventory, will deplete stocks bought in at the pre-price rise prices far more quickly than smaller stores with a slower turnover.

Also, the price at smaller retailers is rarely as variable as at larger outlets, because they are generally unable to offer the same level of deep discounting due to their smaller purchasing power, so price increases are not as great.


As retailers who care passionately about the products we sell, I can promise you that we don't like it any more than our customers do.

I hope this has helped to clarify how pricing works - but you are most welcome to email me directly if anything isn't clear, or you need additional information.

Helen Oster ☺
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador
HelenO@adorama.com   

http://twitter.com/HelenOster