davenfl wrote:
.... While I do have personal positive thoughts about Adorama it points out a potential flaw in their ordering system. Yes every system is dependent on people but system designers always attempt to make them stupid proof because when people get busy things can slip through the cracks. To Helen I would say have your programmers add a check in the system when making changes to an order that has expedited shipping to log a warning message on the screen such as" Rush Shipping in Effect, Double Check No Delays Will Occur". Problem solved, unfortunately not yours Mpaul.
Dave
Exactly my point as well ... and exactly why forums such as this are invaluable. Look how many pages and threads it took to uncover a simple (but important) lack of communication, personal or electronic, in Adorama's ordering and delivery system.
Now that Helen realizes that Adorama's sales agents and the efforts of the anti-fraud department aren't in synch, she can make recommendations to correct this. And it obviously needs correcting! Dave's suggestion is probably a good one, if not the best one.
In addition, any and all Adorama sales agents, as I've previously posted, should be well-informed about the possible shipping delays resulting from credit card re-verifications and should be able to communicate same to the customer.
Camera will be arriving soon and I'm excited about that. Paying $76 bucks was a big deal to me. It hurts because I can't afford to throw that money away. But it feels like I have. If I am refunded the overnight shipping it won't feel as bad as it does right now. I will be much more careful in the future and will avoid ordering at the busiest time of the year also!
abam wrote: 'Paying $76 bucks was a big deal to me. It hurts because I can't afford to throw that money away.'
independent of the above, i would suggest that you stop buying $2600 cameras if you can't afford to misplace $76...
Hardly. I got the money for the camera buy selling my old gear and making a little profit on it. This is not a hobby camera. And just cause I got an expensive camera doesn't mean I am rich and throwing away $76 is nothing to me.
veroman wrote:
Exactly my point as well ... and exactly why forums such as this are invaluable. Look how many pages and threads it took to uncover a simple (but important) lack of communication, personal or electronic, in Adorama's ordering and delivery system.
Now that Helen realizes that Adorama's sales agents and the efforts of the anti-fraud department aren't in synch, she can make recommendations to correct this. And it obviously needs correcting! Dave's suggestion is probably a good one, if not the best one.
In addition, any and all Adorama sales agents, as I've previously posted, should be well-informed about the possible shipping delays resulting from credit card re-verifications and should be able to communicate same to the customer.
veroman wrote: No way of knowing? I would maintain that any sales representative within Adorama should be sufficiently informed and trained to know that a change in order such as the one described would result in a credit card re-verification process that could affect the timing of the delivery. If you know this, Helen, why wouldn't a sale agent?
Indeed, why wouldn't any and all Adorama sales agents be aware of the procedures followed by the anti-fraud department? After all, what the anti-fraud department does is part of the sales process, is it not?
- Steve
The sales agent IS fully aware of the procedures; what he didn't know was that the sheer number of orders being verified by the anti-fraud verification department at the exact time the order was changed would have this effect. [Please don't give me credit for knowing it, either, because I didn't!]
oster wrote:
The sales agent IS fully aware of the procedures; what he didn't know was that the sheer number of orders being verified by the anti-fraud verification department at the exact time the order was changed would have this effect. [Please don't give me credit for knowing it, either, because I didn't!]
I am very surprised that in all the years Adorama has been operating they would not know this. Surely this happens every year?
mpaul73 wrote:
I am very surprised that in all the years Adorama has been operating they would not know this. Surely this happens every year?
Our ability to intellectualize things to death often gets in the way of using simple language: yes, it happens every year. This year, Adorama screwed up your particular order, and Helen is looking into things. That about it, folks.
Just a thought. When you called the second time and modified your order, did you talk to the same sales person? If not, he/she might not be aware the rush status of your order? Even if you talked to the same person, he/she may not remember you since they handle so many calls. Of course, it would be really nice if there were a comment for this particular order to flag it.
Hope both parties learned something from this mishap.
I've had a problem with Adorama, especially this week with a rude customer service person and the blaming of Christmas. HOWEVER, that did not make me come here and complain. Oh yea, those prints showed up while I'm typing this. Instead of standard USPS shipping they sent them overnight to get them here. BRAVO.
You are on the West Coast? Why not buy from someone there? Because you got the $250 back? Then why complain about $76 shipping? Then you complain about a $6 shipping increase...hello: more stuff = more weight = more cost to them to ship = passed on to you. It seems there is a lack of common sense on your part in this equation.
You know, I can totally see why you wanted to sensationalize your original claim without all the facts. Because you didn't think the facts would be found out on here by someone from the company trying to save face for them.
Someone posted a few posts ago that the customer is always right. If you are a business person, I truly feel sorry for you if you believe that because you are getting screwed left and right. If I know a customer is lying to me to receive an advantage or something for free, I'll let them know that I am not stupid and they will not be receiving anything. I had one lady tell me her prints were damaged, then she told me after I told her she was full of it that she told me her cat peed on them.
EVERYONE: REMEMBER THERE ARE MORE THAN ONE SIDE TO A STORY.
Pondria wrote:
Helen is apparently a very dedicated and competent person. But I am not sure if she plays her role well as the "Customer Service Ambassador", as she claims.
No matter what you do, angry customers happen. Sometimes one decides to go out public this way. It would have been probably wise that the Ambassador contacted the person offline and apologized first ( yes, you got his $2700+S/H after all ) then settle the issue diplomatically. Instead, Helen decided to seek the justice in public court. She digs out the order records and now tapes ? She is determined to win. What would be the result of this ? Either Adorama will be proven responsible or Martin will be. Neither of which will be good for Adorama.
Adorama clearly had ( may still have ) a chance to settle with Martin offline and turn him into a happy customer again. The longer this dispute lasts, the more Adroma hurts.
sunpole wrote:
I want to share my sympathy with you OP. Customer is never at fault, its the sales person's job to inform you to the best of his ability. In this case, he obviously failed. Busy is no excuse, we are all busy.
To adorama, as a superstore just suck it up and make it right.. stop using evidences to your advantage and make the customer look stupid.
Oh please, you guys are way too much.
If anything this has improved Adorama's image in my mind as it shows the effort that they go to in order to please one customer who has an issue.
If someone goes pissing on Adorama in forums like this I applaud their effort for trying to make the situation right and trying to show the truth of what really happened.
And, no offense to the OP, but if my primary concern was to get the camera in 24 hours the last thing I would do would be to call and make any change in my order, no matter how trivial. I would have called once I had received the camera about the CF card and silly bag. You've got to keep your priorties in mind in situations like this.
I think many on this forum just like to complain when things aren't perfect; I really wonder what the hell it is that they do for a living that they never make an error or if they do they aren't accountable for it. You should all just be thankful that we live in a country where you can order things online or phone and receive them as promised and on time 99% of the time. You should all be forced to live in Uganda for a few months; that might change your attitude.
Tanner_J wrote:
You are on the West Coast? Why not buy from someone there? Because you got the $250 back? Then why complain about $76 shipping? Then you complain about a $6 shipping increase...hello: more stuff = more weight = more cost to them to ship = passed on to you. It seems there is a lack of common sense on your part in this equation.
$250 cash back is totally independent from the shipping charge. If you save $250, are you supposed to piss it away? $250 is cashed in your pocket, its your money, end of story.
I doubted by adding those accessories as part of the package would result in $6 additional shipping cost on top of $76! Most likely because they were shipped out seperately due to Adoramas' f up.
In my opinion, OP has every right to claim every dollar that is rightfully belonged to him. If I run a store like Adorama, given the situation I would refund him the entire shipping cost as a courtesey. save face baby
Edit, OP you should look into filing a disbute with your CC if it remains unresolved.
Yeah, I wouldn't trust Adorama for shipping stuff in a timely manner either. I ordered something 2-day to arrive before the weekend and it totally shipped out the day I expected it to arrive. For my order, they said most orders ship the same day if placed before 6pm. Mine was labeled as in-stock and I placed my order around noon. I guess mine wasn't.
Guess who I don't trust anymore?
For the record, I will buy from them again in the future. I just won't be paying for anything other than standard/ground shipping!
I am sorry about the OP's disappointment in not receiving a camera he wanted for a special event. I am also sorry about the bashing both he and Adorama have taken in this thread.
Let me offer my perspective. Whether the ultimate cause of this situation was a lack of planning on the OP's part or a busy salesman who didn't inform the buyer of a possibly unforseen consequence to an order change or whatever, I am thankful for companies like Adorama. I live in the Tampa metropolitan area, which is not tiny, but is not large enough to support dedicated high end camera stores. We have one camera shop that stocks mid-range camera gear and some high end stuff as well. I like the guys there and try to give them some business when I can. Of course, I don't buy that much and if they were relying on people like me they wouldn't be able to feed their families. On top of that, their prices are VERY HIGH. I went in last week to look at an EF-S 17-55. They had one. It was over $1400. I don't remember the exact price, because when I heard the $14-- part my ears started humming. I can get the same lens from Adorama of B&H for around $1000. It is hard for me to spend that much extra to buy here at home.
So, I am glad that there is an online alternative. I am also glad that these businesses, while they do mess up from time to time, seem to be honest businesses who desire to satisfy their customers. Back, when I bought my first digital camera, the original Rebel, I tried several camera stores listed in the back of some photography magazines. They advertises VERY LOW prices, but were complete frauds. I became so frustrated that I almost gave up on buying a camera at all. I began to think that all camera dealers were complete crooks. To find stores that actually have the items they advertise and will sell it to you at the price advertised was so nice.
So...I hope this all gets worked out so that everyone can be happy. I hope the OP gets his camera and loves it. I hope Adorama makes a profit and stays in business.
sunpole wrote:
I doubted by adding those accessories as part of the package would result in $6 additional shipping cost on top of $76! Most likely because they were shipped out seperately due to Adoramas' f up.
oster wrote:
The original order was placed in plenty of time to allow for credit card verification - and shipping out on 17th December. Unfortunately, when the new order was placed, the credit card needed to be re-verified (this is a Bank requirement and not within Adorama's control).
The sales agent would have had no way of knowing that the credit card couldn't be re-verified in time, (this is handled separately by the anti-fraud department).
Toss the bag and CF card in the package. Same price, same deal. Done.
