So I order a m4/3 adapter and check "standard shipping" stupidly believing that option provides me with basic ground UPS, which, from NY, means one day to my home outside Philly. HAH. It goes out of Adorama on the 3rd, hits the USPS local post office on the 4th - 3 miles from where I live - and has been languishing there until today. Of course the bullshit USPS didn't update the frigging tracking info until late yesterday, or I could've driven up there to pick it up. That means I should have it today - oh, the crap USPS website had it listed for "expected" delivery yesterday - unless of course it doesn't and then I won't have it until Tuesday this coming week because of course USPS has Monday off. I've already advised Helen Oster that it would be nice to have on their site a clearer indication that the bullshit option of "Mail Innovations" a) is what is meant by "standard shipping", and b) takes longer to get here than the proverbial molasses flowing from a jar, or, better put, the constipated Arabian race horse . So BEWARE of standard shipping option from Adorama, and, at least according to a 4 month old thread here, from BH as well.
Many vendors are doing that or using other weird delivery services and it is quite frustrating. When ordering online I make sure that the shipping states FedEx or UPS and nothing else.
anthonysemone wrote:
So I order a m4/3 adapter and check "standard shipping" stupidly believing that option provides me with basic ground UPS, which, from NY, means one day to my home outside Philly. HAH. It goes out of Adorama on the 3rd, hits the USPS local post office on the 4th - 3 miles from where I live - and has been languishing there until today. Of course the bullshit USPS didn't update the frigging tracking info until late yesterday, or I could've driven up there to pick it up. That means I should have it today - oh, the crap USPS website had it listed for "expected" delivery yesterday - unless of course it doesn't and then I won't have it until Tuesday this coming week because of course USPS has Monday off. I've already advised Helen Oster that it would be nice to have on their site a clearer indication that the bullshit option of "Mail Innovations" a) is what is meant by "standard shipping", and b) takes longer to get here than the proverbial molasses flowing from a jar, or, better put, the constipated Arabian race horse . So BEWARE of standard shipping option from Adorama, and, at least according to a 4 month old thread here, from BH as well. ...Show more →
yeah UPS Mail Innovations is perhaps the slowest mail delivery system ever created
from B&H order it today, get it tomorrow, with UPS regular shipping
with USPS get it a day or two later
with UPS Mail Innovations get it a week and half or three later
yep, you got that right! Adapter showed up today, so I'm grateful for that, but it'll be a cold friggin' day in hell before I ever use that shit system again.
I understand the frustration, but Mail Innovations is only one method that we use when a customer selects standard shipping.
We use a wide variety of carriers, FedEx, UPS, USPS, MessengerForYou, Manna, Mail Innovations and more. When an order is placed online, the carrier is selected by the shipping department at the time when the order ships out.
There are a variety of determining factors; item weight, item size, item value, delivery location, delivery speed requested. When the order is picked up by the carrier, we provide them with the time frame. While they often deliver faster than expected; a package is still “on time” as long as it is delivered within the time frame selected on your checkout page.
For future orders, if you would like a specific carrier selected please place the order over the phone with a salesman by emailing [email protected] or by calling 800-223-2500. A specific carrier can be requested and the salesman will manually select this carrier."
If you are placing an Internet order and specifically want it to ship UPS, you need to contact our CS department approximately 1 hour after placing your order and it can be noted manually that you require UPS Ground, rather than Standard Shipping.
It is important to understand that if you select standard shipping, that if delivery time is estimated as being 3-5 days, then if it arrives before the 5th day it is a bonus. If it arrives after the 5th day, we would give a complete shipping refund.
I have advised the management team on previous occasions that there seems to be some confusion with the meaning of 'standard shipping' as the term is being used by other retailers to mean something different.
We are currently awaiting the launch of the new Adorama website; we know that it will have a number of new features, but whether specifying every carrier that might be used will be one of them is not something I can predict.
Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador
Great thing about Helen is that, even on a Sunday, she replies with helpful assistance. She's the best. Standard shipping on Adorama appears to be the Mail Innovations option, so I'll now know to avoid that puppy
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jamesf99 wrote:
I was used to getting stuff over night - or in 2 days max - when Adorama or B&H used UPS (NY to Boston, only a little over 3 hrs away).
I've noticed a slow down too, but I just got something from Adorama that was sent to me in WA and it arrived in 5 days via the USPS.
Adorama still uses UPS!
When you place items in your cart, and enter your zip code, you should see the following:
Super Saver (7-10 Business Days)
Standard Shipping 3-5 Business Days
UPS 3 Business Days
UPS 2 Business Days Air
UPS Next Business Day Air
If you would like your item to ship UPS you only need select it.
Either Super Saver ('free' - but not actually free, since Adorama pays for it) or Standard will mean that your purchase ships via one of the methods noted above. UNLESS it is particularly large or bulky, in which case it will almost certainly ship UPS ground even if the Super Saver option has been selected.
So BEWARE of standard shipping option from Adorama, and, at least according to a 4 month old thread here, from BH as well.
From the UPS Innovations Website:
"Q. When will I receive my mail piece?
A. UPS Mail Innovations inducts your mail piece into the U.S. Postal Service within 48 hours of processing. The U.S. Postal Service will then deliver the mail piece within three to five days, on average."
That also happens to be the same time frame as "Standard Shipping 3-5 Business Days" that Adorama stated. That goes for ALL companies shipping that way. Adorama didn't write the rules. If you got it earlier than 5 days consider yourself lucky. It was your choice how it was sent. Same thing happened to me, I just didn't make it public and name names.
When you place items in your cart, and enter your zip code, you should see the following:
Super Saver (7-10 Business Days)
Standard Shipping 3-5 Business Days
UPS 3 Business Days
UPS 2 Business Days Air
UPS Next Business Day Air
If you would like your item to ship UPS you only need select it.
Either Super Saver ('free' - but not actually free, since Adorama pays for it) or Standard will mean that your purchase ships via one of the methods noted above. UNLESS it is particularly large or bulky, in which case it will almost certainly ship UPS ground even if the Super Saver option has been selected....Show more →
That was not a complaint BTW. I was surprised I got it that fast.
. So BEWARE of standard shipping option from Adorama, and, at least according to a 4 month old thread here, from BH as well. 
