Horrible experience with Adorama camera

[eml58]

To the OP: am I correct in understanding from your description that you placed a high dollar order with Adorama without either knowing your credit card limit or knowing you were over the limit at the time you placed the order and figured you could sort it out later? If that is correct, then I think you need to reconsider where you are placing blame. If my understanding is not correct, then please clarify.

Try reading what the Op has actually said before Pontificating, The Guy "wire" Transferred the Money, it arrived 24 hours late, Adorama Personnel got "Rule Bound" and effectively told him to take a hike, unless I've read it wrong, and I think I read it right.

Well Natureshot, welcome to the world of Big Business, and the Bigger Egos that work for Big Business (and generally don't much give a hoot about Adorama, as long as the Pay Checks in the Mail), I at least appreciate your frustration and your attempt to warn us of your treatment & frustration with Adorama, situations like this do colour my future decisions on purchases.

As has been suggested in previous Posts, at the end of the Day you control the situation, albeit with some time delay, take your Business else where, hopefully B&H will appreciate you more as a customer, if they do, they get 20k in Business right now & the distinct possibility of another 20k over the next 10 years, we are Photographers, it's almost a Guarantee.

Then, when you get your Lovely new 1Dx, 600f/4 & 70-200f/2.8, sit in the bright sunshine and just, enjoy.

In a day or two you wont give a Flying Frog about Adorama.

 

[Swphoto]

...I live in NJ and they charge NJ sales tax on all orders, so I also have a financial reason not to buy from them online these days.

You are not going to buy from them because they support your local economy??? Funny how nobody wants to pay tax and yet everyone wants to have their streets paved or to have the police come when they call 911.

Governor Christie would just buy some more cheese burgers with my stipend!
(BTW...I pay PLENTY of taxes...i live in NJ ..we are taxed to death here..toll roads, bridges, tunnels, pay beaches, etc..etc..etc...I do not need to be chastised for making a perfectly legal choice to keep more of my hard-earned cash in my pocket..just like Apple or Mitt Romney..It's the USA..I look for loopholes...I take my power back wherever possible!)

In this case it's not a loophole - you are legally required to pay taxes on those purchases, whether the business collects it at the time of sale or not. Very few people do, though, so the Marketplace Fairness Act has been created so that out of state businesses will have to collect it up front.

Here's the specific (current) law in NJ: http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxation/su_5.shtml

 

[risc32]

sorry but i side with adorama on this. you ordered something without having the funds to cover it until days later. man,they get stuff cleared and out the door very quickly, you have to be ready to go when you order something. it used to be with them and B&H if i ordered stuff from them before about noon, i would have it in my hands the next day. for whatever reason adorama and B&H aren't that fast anymore, so it takes an extra day, but either way they are both fantastic. I have a good friend that had a similar exp with amazon. I blamed him too. but no big deal, you got your stuff, and all is now well. looks like you're loaded for bear, have fun.

My Berlebach (B&H) just arrived today.

 

[DJL329]

...I live in NJ and they charge NJ sales tax on all orders, so I also have a financial reason not to buy from them online these days.

You are not going to buy from them because they support your local economy??? Funny how nobody wants to pay tax and yet everyone wants to have their streets paved or to have the police come when they call 911.

Governor Christie would just buy some more cheese burgers with my stipend!
(BTW...I pay PLENTY of taxes...i live in NJ ..we are taxed to death here..toll roads, bridges, tunnels, pay beaches, etc..etc..etc...I do not need to be chastised for making a perfectly legal choice to keep more of my hard-earned cash in my pocket..just like Apple or Mitt Romney..It's the USA..I look for loopholes...I take my power back wherever possible!)

In this case it's not a loophole - you are legally required to pay taxes on those purchases, whether the business collects it at the time of sale or not. Very few people do, though, so the Marketplace Fairness Act has been created so that out of state businesses will have to collect it up front.

Here's the specific (current) law in NJ: http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxation/su_5.shtml

Quite right. In any case, Adorama has a warehouse in NJ -- I've had items shipped from it -- so they are legally bound to collect taxes for all orders shipping to NJ.

 

[infared]

...I live in NJ and they charge NJ sales tax on all orders, so I also have a financial reason not to buy from them online these days.

You are not going to buy from them because they support your local economy??? Funny how nobody wants to pay tax and yet everyone wants to have their streets paved or to have the police come when they call 911.

Governor Christie would just buy some more cheese burgers with my stipend!
(BTW...I pay PLENTY of taxes...i live in NJ ..we are taxed to death here..toll roads, bridges, tunnels, pay beaches, etc..etc..etc...I do not need to be chastised for making a perfectly legal choice to keep more of my hard-earned cash in my pocket..just like Apple or Mitt Romney..It's the USA..I look for loopholes...I take my power back wherever possible!)

In this case it's not a loophole - you are legally required to pay taxes on those purchases, whether the business collects it at the time of sale or not. Very few people do, though, so the Marketplace Fairness Act has been created so that out of state businesses will have to collect it up front.

Here's the specific (current) law in NJ: http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxation/su_5.shtml

Ok..I misspoke (knowingly), it is not a loophole...But it is a law that is NOT enforced. i am just speaking frankly. Since you have gone out of your way to specifically point this out to me...do you pay your state sales tax on ALL of your Internet purchases??? (If you say yes...I will not believe you), I do not know one person who does, nor has anyone paid state sales tax on OOS catalogue sales for many, many years. As I said ...I live in a state where we are oppressed by taxes. It's truly obscene.
The Marketplace Fairness Act has not been enacted yet..so I will continue to enjoy purchasing online tax free with a clear conscience for as long as I can...like everyone else. I am just being honest.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Paying by wire transfer is a problem, particularly if your bank is slow or unreliable. I do a lot of wire transfers to buy things for my business, and it usually takes a minimum of three days to arrive in the sellers bank account. Promising someone a wire transfer in one day is something that isn't going to happen. A bank agent takes the info for the transfer, then it goes to a wire room, where it must wait its turn to be sent, which may happen the following day (Unless you try to send it on Friday) Then, it takes a day to show up in the other account. If your account does not have the funds, its another delay to transfer them.
It does sound like you need another bank, if they did not transmit any information about who was sending the money.


Sending one without a name and address as well as contact information should result in it being refused, there are just too many fraudsters, and Adorama does not know you.

I've bought a lot of equipment from them and B&H as well as others, no problems. But then, I never bought 100K worth of equipment that justified a wire transfer, my CC seems to work, its technically unlimited.

 

[Helen Oster]

I placed a very large order with Adorama on Wednesday the 29th of May. I had never made a purchase that large and was informed by my bank that I would not be able to transfer the funds until Friday. ..........I will write back with further updates.

Firstly, please accept my apologies for your frustration and disappointment with this order.

I'd welcome the opportunity to investigate further, but will need your order number. Can you please email me directly: [email protected] and I will give it my immediate attention.

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

 

[Forceflow]

Paying by wire transfer is a problem, particularly if your bank is slow or unreliable. I do a lot of wire transfers to buy things for my business, and it usually takes a minimum of three days to arrive in the sellers bank account. Promising someone a wire transfer in one day is something that isn't going to happen. A bank agent takes the info for the transfer, then it goes to a wire room, where it must wait its turn to be sent, which may happen the following day (Unless you try to send it on Friday) Then, it takes a day to show up in the other account. If your account does not have the funds, its another delay to transfer them.

Sorry for going OT, but holy crap!
Is it that complicated to wire money in the US? Here in Germany the banks are legally required to wire the money within no less than 1 working day. And if you wire money within the bank from one account to another one it's usually there within minutes. Sometimes even if you wire money across banks. (Seen this happening when I wire some money to my dad or he wires money to me)
No wonder you guys pay everything with plastic.

 

[tpatana]

Paying by wire transfer is a problem, particularly if your bank is slow or unreliable. I do a lot of wire transfers to buy things for my business, and it usually takes a minimum of three days to arrive in the sellers bank account. Promising someone a wire transfer in one day is something that isn't going to happen. A bank agent takes the info for the transfer, then it goes to a wire room, where it must wait its turn to be sent, which may happen the following day (Unless you try to send it on Friday) Then, it takes a day to show up in the other account. If your account does not have the funds, its another delay to transfer them.

Sorry for going OT, but holy crap!
Is it that complicated to wire money in the US? Here in Germany the banks are legally required to wire the money within no less than 1 working day. And if you wire money within the bank from one account to another one it's usually there within minutes. Sometimes even if you wire money across banks. (Seen this happening when I wire some money to my dad or he wires money to me)
No wonder you guys pay everything with plastic.

Yea, that was one big culture shock for me when I moved from Europe to Usa. And there's still checks around everywhere. Too often at a grocery store someone pulls out the check book and starts writing a check. That's one reason why I like the self-service lanes as people with checks don't ever use those.

Also some years ago I tried to transfer funds between mine and my wife's account, in the same back. I initiated a payment, then the system sent email to her 3 days later (or any email I would have provided), then when she received the email, she clicked a link and 3 days later the money arrived to her account. I chatted with the CSR, and they confirmed that at the time that was the best they could do online transfers. By far the best way was to write a check and drive up to the bank to deposit it.

Fortunately they've gotten bit better over years, but I'd say many of the services are still some ~10-15 years behind compared to Europe.

 

[Helen Oster]

They are not my favorite either...I had incredibly rude treatment in their store 20 years ago...it was so rude I never went back.......................

I can appreciate why you may feel this way, but in all fairness, the Adorama management team today is not the same as it was 20 years ago

...I live in NJ and they charge NJ sales tax on all orders, so I also have a financial reason not to buy from them online these days..............

Actually, Adorama doesn't charge sales tax; the state of NJ charges it and for NJ residents we are legally obliged to collect it.
There is a provision on the NJ income tax forms for you to declare out of state purchases that are subject to NJ state sales tax; many NY / NJ residents actively choose to purchase from retailers who collect on their behalf, as it saves them the bother - in any case, you really do need to pay that tax when filing your state income tax return.

As an example, if the state rate is 5.5% and you purchase $5,000 worth of equipment from an online out of state retailer that doesn't collect sales tax on orders shipped to you, it is your responsibility to send in 5.5% of that $5,000 ($275) to your state Department of Revenue.

Fines for tax evasion can be very high, and it adds up quickly with fees, interest etc added onto the tax owed. If you're ever audited you'd be very happy that you have been taking care of this year by year. The best thing to do is to ask your local tax agency as well as a good local CPA.

[It is probably not a good idea for anyone to even suggest on an internet forum that they don't pay sales tax on out of state purchases.
With the financial crisis that NJ and many other states are in, it is only a matter of time until they start cracking down on this].

 

[Helen Oster]

The worst shipping I've seen has come from orders with Adorama. I've paid for next day and it takes them two days just to get an order out the door.....

.......it used to be with them and B&H if i ordered stuff from them before about noon, i would have it in my hands the next day. for whatever reason adorama and B&H aren't that fast anymore, so it takes an extra day.....

Adorama ships SAME DAY on all orders for new, in-stock items, provided the order has cleared ID verification by 8:00 pm ET, Monday to Thursday (and up 'til 1:00 pm ET on a Friday).
If that has not been your experience, please email me the details so I can look into it for you: [email protected]

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

 

[Helen Oster]

Never had a trouble with Adorama... even once they give me a $200 dlls gift card for price protection (Bough a $1999 85L and 3 weeks later it was at $1799).

If you are reading this Helen Oster...

you Rock!

I am!! Thank you!!!

Helen ;D ;D ;D

 

[barracuda]

I have nothing but good things to say about Adorama. The one problem I did have was graciously solved by Helen Oster who provided great customer service. Another "You Rock!" endorsement for Helen!

 

[AlanF]

From many of the postings in other threads, it seems that some buyers are far less principled than the retailers. Particularly selfish was the report about someone who would order from different vendors several copies of a lens so he could choose the best and send the rest back. To order one copy and send it back because it is unsatisfactory is perfectly reasonable, to order several with the deliberate intention of sending all but one back is simply unfair by wasting other peoples postage, time and possibly lowering the value of the goods for subsequent sale.

The response in this thread is overwhelmingly annoyance with the OP who is getting pretty close to trolling by mentioning names etc.

 

[infared]

They are not my favorite either...I had incredibly rude treatment in their store 20 years ago...it was so rude I never went back.......................

I can appreciate why you may feel this way, but in all fairness, the Adorama management team today is not the same as it was 20 years ago

I mentioned that my experience was in the past and that the majority of your customers have positive experiences today, in my complete statement. I believe that you may have quoted me out of context?

...I live in NJ and they charge NJ sales tax on all orders, so I also have a financial reason not to buy from them online these days..............

Actually, Adorama doesn't charge sales tax; the state of NJ charges it and for NJ residents we are legally obliged to collect it.
There is a provision on the NJ income tax forms for you to declare out of state purchases that are subject to NJ state sales tax; many NY / NJ residents actively choose to purchase from retailers who collect on their behalf, as it saves them the bother - in any case, you really do need to pay that tax when filing your state income tax return.

As an example, if the state rate is 5.5% and you purchase $5,000 worth of equipment from an online out of state retailer that doesn't collect sales tax on orders shipped to you, it is your responsibility to send in 5.5% of that $5,000 ($275) to your state Department of Revenue.

Fines for tax evasion can be very high, and it adds up quickly with fees, interest etc added onto the tax owed. If you're ever audited you'd be very happy that you have been taking care of this year by year. The best thing to do is to ask your local tax agency as well as a good local CPA.

[It is probably not a good idea for anyone to even suggest on an internet forum that they don't pay sales tax on out of state purchases.
With the financial crisis that NJ and many other states are in, it is only a matter of time until they start cracking down on this].

Helen, while your statement is politically correct it is certainly not connected with the reality of the way that average consumers actually shop in the NY/NJ region. It's a red herring, so I made the type red, too.
At any rate, you appear to be proactive in helping the consumer have a positive purchasing experience at the establishment that employs you. Please, keep up the good work!

 

[sanj]

I have mostly had excellent experience at Adorama. Sometimes they get a bit rude, but overall they are great. (I do not remember her name). But Mike Fisher is a nice salesman. Helen is helpful.

I am not sure if I think Adorama was at fault this time: Most establishments cannot accept money without address.

 

[AlanF]

...I live in NJ and they charge NJ sales tax on all orders, so I also have a financial reason not to buy from them online these days.

You are not going to buy from them because they support your local economy??? Funny how nobody wants to pay tax and yet everyone wants to have their streets paved or to have the police come when they call 911.

Governor Christie would just buy some more cheese burgers with my stipend!
(BTW...I pay PLENTY of taxes...i live in NJ ..we are taxed to death here..toll roads, bridges, tunnels, pay beaches, etc..etc..etc...I do not need to be chastised for making a perfectly legal choice to keep more of my hard-earned cash in my pocket..just like Apple or Mitt Romney..It's the USA..I look for loopholes...I take my power back wherever possible!)

Bob Dylan wrote about the morals of NJ in Tweeter and the Monkeyman

Jan had told him many times "it was you to me who taught:
in Jersey anything's legal as long as you don't get caught"

 

[infared]

Bob Dylan wrote about the morals of NJ in Tweeter and the Monkeyman

Jan had told him many times "it was you to me who taught:
in Jersey anything's legal as long as you don't get caught"

Alan...thanks for the humor! (BTW...Good song!)

 

[JonAustin]

About 10 years ago, when I was first getting into SLR photography, I was planning a last-minute road trip, and wanted to pick up a couple of lenses for the trip (a 17-40 and a 70-200/4). One or the other was out of stock at B&H (probably the 17-40, since it was a new model back then), so I called Adorama. It was early in the day, and they claimed to have both lenses in stock. So I placed the order with them, used a credit card with plenty of available credit line, and paid for next-day AM delivery. According to the phone rep, all was well, and I would receive my order the following morning.

The next day, morning came and went, and no delivery. I called Adorama and learned that my order had been processed, but hadn't shipped yet. I was leaving later that day, so I cancelled the order, and did a phone search to find the lenses locally. I had to go to two different stores to buy both lenses, literally on my way out of town.

Since that experience, I have continued to do business with Adorama, but only if I can't find what I want elsewhere, and only if I'm not in a hurry to get what I ordered.

 

[Helen Oster]

About 10 years ago, when I was first getting into SLR photography, I was planning a last-minute road trip, and wanted to pick up a couple of lenses for the trip ......
Since that experience, I have continued to do business with Adorama, but only if I can't find what I want elsewhere, and only if I'm not in a hurry to get what I ordered.

As I noted above, Adorama has a completely new Management structure - since 2007, actually.

We now do not charge a credit card until an order actually ships, and as per our website:

http://www.adorama.com/help/shippingAndDelivery


Adorama Camera makes every effort to get your order to you as soon as possible. Orders for in-stock items placed on business days before 8:00 PM ET (Eastern Time) are generally shipped the same day (subject to verification, click here for details). Please note weekend orders, placed on Fridays after 1:00 PM ET will be processed on the following Monday. If there is a problem with your order, you will receive an e-mail within one business day to advise you about the situation.

Used items:
We guarantee next day delivery for orders received, processed and verified by 1:00 P.M. ET (Eastern Time) Monday - Thursday, and before 8:30 A.M. ET (Eastern Time) on Friday. Orders received after these times or those which require verification (see below) will be processed the next business day.

Delivery of TVs and other oversized items:
Oversize items like large televisions, which ship by truck, might ship a day later.