Adorama

[Doc Holliday]

UPDATE:

After this posting, Adorama worked with me to resolve the problem and, after a couple of weeks, I got another refurb'd XTi which worked fine. I appreciated the amount of effort that they put out to solve this problem.

I would have to say what happened to me was, probably, a fluke...

I am not sure this is the place for this, but I would like to make a few comments on service from Adorama...

I bought a refurb Canon XTi from them. The sales person on the phone was about as helpful and knowledgeable as a rug. He wanted to charge me $50 shipping on an item that was listed on their website as having 'free shipping.' He argued with me for awhile, before he gave in on the shipping price.

I got the camera and the sensor was out of alignment. I called Adorama and the person who answered sent me to 'tech support.[As a refurb, the camera was warranted by Adorama] I got an answering machine. Left a message and waited a couple of days for them to call back. Nothing. I called back. The person whom I talked to the second time said that Adorama didn't do tech support. [So why did they connect me to tech support the first time, if they don't do tech support?] They said I would have to call Canon.

Called Canon. [Canon got me to a tech rep without any 'hold' time.] Canon, after I described what was happening with the camera, said the sensor was out of alignment and I should call Adorama about it. So, back to Adorama - and another person telling me they don't do tech support.

I told them I wanted to return the original and get another camera. They emailed me a UPS return shipping label. I packed the camera up and sent it off. [After paying a ten dollar 'pickup fee' because I live in a place without a UPS drop off point.] This was a week ago. Three days after I had sent the camera back, I got a call from Adorama's non-existent 'tech support'.

Since I hadn't heard from Adorama since sending the camera back, I called them today. Adorama said they wouldn't receive the camera I sent back until 03 AUG '09 - about two weeks from the time I shipped it. [It took four days for the camera to get to me, UPS ground.] They told me I had to wait for the original camera to get to them, before they sent me a new one. Seems reasonable. Until I did the math and figured out it will be, at least, the third week in August before I got the replacement. And they will have had my money for nearly two and a half months, without me having a working camera... So, I canceled the order.

I am planning a trip into the mountains, for which I specifically bought the XTi to take with my XT so I wouldn't have to be changing lenses. The altitude of the place I am going is 10,000 feet or more. Access is very limited and it gets cold there, early. Waiting until the end of August isn't an option. This is, maybe, part of my frustration with this situation.

Needless to say, I will never buy anything from Adorama

[WooD]

I made my first major camera purchase from them back a couple three years ago. A D80, battery grip, and my 80-200 f/2.8 lens, and hood.

Never had a problem with them.

[stitchbug]

Wow, what a cruddy experience!

I always shop at BH. They have the BEST service and fantastic prices! They earned my lifelong business from my first transaction wiht them 7 years ago!

[castman]

Sorry to hear about that. Did you try B&H? They are very good there!

[RustySterling]

Sorry you had such a bad experience. I've bought the majority of my gear from Adorama and I have never had a problem -- including refurbs. Hope I don't in the future.

[navcom]

I've bought tons of stuff from Adorama and never had a single problem. Quite the opposite...I've always received excellent service and items ship very quickly.

That being said, I have never purchased any used gear from them. That may be a "different department".

[RexK_Cozumel]

I have never used Adorama before but have heard good things about them. Anyways after your story I will not be getting anything from them.

Not that it really matters cause I almost always get my gear from B&H. Never had a problem with them.

[lputman]

I purchased my 5DII from them in April since they were the only ones that had it in stock when I was ready to purchase. No problems at all and I would buy from them again.

[picman]

Glad I read this, I was going to recommend them to a friend that is in the market for a camera body, now we will think twice before we order!!

[navcom]

I don't work for Adorama nor do I have any vested interest in them, but I think we need to be careful here. We seem to be smearing a company based on one bad experience. This is not meant to diminish the OP's justifiable complaint, but in this thread I've read one bad experience compared to several posts of nothing but positive experiences. Also, just doing basic research will tell you that Adorama is not that bad of a company.

I've been doing business with them for years and have never had a problem as have many on this forum. I've been doing business with B&H as well, and I did have one problem with them a couple years ago. So does that mean that Adorama is the better company? When you compare their reputations and my own personal record with both of them...in reality there isn't a difference between them.

As a business owner, I know full well the value of a good reputation. I also know that it is impossible for any company to satisfy every customer all the time every day. We are human and humans have good days and bad days. This is especially true in a large company that has many employees and thus many public faces.

Remember the old saying...if you do something right, your customers will tell one person. If you do something wrong, they will ten people.

So I only hold out some caution. Please don't judge a company based on one bad experience. Look at their whole record. You would want your possible customers to do the same for you.