Adorama Camera Reviews

Do not buy from Adorama camera. I wonder how many used cameras they have sold as new? I have good vision up close and many people do not. My other used camera that I have had for over 15 years was in much better condition than what Adorama sold me. Thank goodness that Paypal is a very reputable company and helped me get my money back.

Happy with this I said "okay I would appreciate if we did that." He said he would get back to me in 1-2 business days. That felt a little shady to me so I decided to go back and look at my product I had purchased just to see all I was getting. The product then said ITEM NO LONGER AVAILABLE. It did not even have it as an option to buy anymore. I called customer service, and someone named George, a woman, informed me that yes they no longer are selling that item, and the manufacturer is no longer making it either. I was FURIOUS. At the time I purchased it, the product said in stock. As soon as I gave my information, the product went on backorder and I kept being told wait 1-2 business days. I was never going to receive an email stating what I had ordered wasn't available at all. I am very disappointed.

This was supposed to be a surprise after he broke his, and it is hard to find this exact one, because the ones they make now are for the newer iPhones, and they have changed. The woman didn't even seem to care, and I am just curious, if I hadn't have pushed the subject, would I never have received anything? Don't waste your time. After doing more research you see they have more complaints than compliments. But because people don't look before purchasing, they end up being screwed over. Awful company, needs to be put out of business.

End of day arrives, surprise surprise, no package. I call again, and only THEN does the person actually check anything and say, "Oh, there was an error with your tracking number, it was impossible for you to receive." Offered either a reshipment or a refund, I went with refund. We'll see if it actually comes through. I am never, EVER shopping at Adorama again, and I highly recommend nobody else does, either. They've refused to even glance at an issue, do not provide customer satisfaction, and have attempted openly lying to my face.

What upsets me is that NOW the lens is not for sale anywhere and will cost me an extra $150. The Canon rebate period is also over. So now I have a tripod I really did want and should have been free, but cost me $25 plus now the extra cost of getting the lens after the instant rebate or Canon rebate period. They are still selling this exact same package for more money. So the lens was in stock. Is this some sort of rebate scam where they are getting rebates and never selling the product? They never emailed me to tell me of my refund or I would have purchased somewhere else for the same price while it was still on sale. They did this on Dec 31 the end of the Canon rebate. Interesting.

Original Review: Dec. 3, 2016

Ordered a 27" Dell Ultra sharp that they had described as crystal clear and great for photography. I received the product and was so excited, and as soon as I plugged it in my heart sank. It's a piece of junk. After writing customer service and telling them they sold a product with a misleading description, they basically told me "they strive to provide the best customer service." If that's the case, I should have been provided a return label for the awful product I was sold. Instead, they said to pay for it to be shipped back ($100.00) AND basically what I see as a punishment for returning a crappy item, they would also deduct the cost for them to ship it to me. Seriously, the worst company I have ever given my money to.

After placing my order, I receive the email below saying that my item is back ordered. This email came within 15 minutes of placing my order. So, being concerned that the item shows in stock I called customer support. The lady I spoke to sounded like she was not in the USA. She stated that they have an open order with Canon for these printers and they are currently just awaiting delivery. They were expected to deliver within 1 to 2 days to the warehouse and then they would ship. That was the reason for the may require 1-2 days to process. 2 days passed and I still didn't have an update on my printer. I contacted support again, and they stated that the website doesn't update as fast as their back end system and that my item is still on backorder. They offered to get me with a salesperson who could recommend a similar machine that would meet my needs or cancel the order.

First law violation: They sold me a product (bait) and then knowing they don't have the product to sell, tried to get me to switch to something else (switch). For those that don't know it's called a bait-and-switch law and it's illegal. Second law violation: They have now debited my account almost $300 for a printer that they have no intentions of shipping. This would be fraud! Now the item is back to regular price on their website. It still shows as in stock online and they are still taking orders for these machines that they are not shipping. Don't sell to this company or buy from this company if you actually want money or your product. You will lose both! I will not be shopping here again. I am filing a claim with the better business bureau today and I will be contacting the New York Attorney General's Office today about this company and their fraudulent ways. It is likely that he will direct me to the FBI Cyber Crimes, but we will start with these two first.

There was no point for me to continue with the order since the person receiving the item as a gift was flying out from the country so I could have spent the same amount of the purchase on trying to send abroad this item to that person. An apology just doesn't solve the issue and I have the proof (they as well) of how they are not behind their policies advertised on their website and how someone on their team made a mistake that they should have resolved around the customer.

Think twice before relying on such incompetent resources and hopefully they could train their representatives better so they don't waste their customer's time. I will do my best to discourage anyone I know that is considering Adorama by sharing my experience and provide better options so they don't buy with them. Thanks again to Adorama for messing up with me and the whole story behind this gift. The only thing I got from Adorama instead of a nice gift was nothing and someone that got away with it.

Original Review: Sept. 3, 2016

This is my story. Nikon D750 body with just over 1,500 shots. Nikon SB 900 with all blank warranty papers. Nikon 28-300mm Which I just bought from Adorama for over $1,000.00. Tamron 24-70mm newest version the best lens. Canon XA-10, with Mic, and aftermarket Hi cap battery, charger And some accessories. These items are in excellent condition, along with all warranty papers. After I talked to Avi ** He told me that I will hear from him soon, after waiting for a few days I got a reply from Avi that I can get roughly for $3,470.00. I am happy to see this $3,470.00, and I thought that I might get some more after they get all my gears.

A week after I called Avi whether he got my package, they did and I asked Avi that how much more I can get for my gears, Avi transfer my phone to Jack. My first question I asked Jack is how much more I can get, Jack told me that I can get for $2,500.00. I said "No" to Jack immediately. How can I want to sell my gears for that much, when I see the first number $3,470.00 that they show me. If I didn't see that number, I didn't think I will send all my stuffs without questions. Amir told me that Adorama will buy things from customer 70% based on the market price. If doing so my whole gears can get paid over $4,000.00 based on the price on Adorama Website.

Please help me, if Amir didn't give me the number $3,470.00 then there is no way I will send all my photo equipments in such wonderful condition. I told Amir that I want to buy a camera that can do both video and still. This Nikon with big lens banged to my 3 years old daughter a few times, I don't want that to happen again; therefore, I have to let them go.

Now, do you think I can get the price that the first time Amir told me which is 3,470.00 or I can only get $2,500.00. Just think like this. If you sell all my gears for half of the market price, you already make a lot more than you pay for me. I am not a Pro guy, and I am just a Handicap guy. I can get over $1,000.00 a month, and I have four mouths to feed. I love to take photos for my kids, now I think if I sell these to Adorama, I will get more money than selling them on Ebay. Please rethink this matter, and help me.

Please anyone out there can help me, I am so greatly for all helps that I can get. Jack told me that Deal is a deals many time, and He spoke very fast; therefore, I have to make sure that I can get $3,470.00 by asking Jack over and over again. Ok I said. Before hung up the phone I asked Jack that I want to buy a camera which can do both still and video, Jack suggested me that the Sony A7II is good for that and if I buy it then I can get $250.00 off. Wow that is great. A week later I got my Sony along with a check $250.00. I call Jack right away because How can I get that much, Jack told me that I can get that much along with $400.00 in my account? I didn't have any Adorama Account as I recalled, and no one told me that is what I get pay, and I didn't asked them to do so. Jack explained to me that the sony A7II is $1,700 plus $400.00 in my account plus a $250.00 check therefore, the total that I can get is $2,350.00.

Jack, are you out of your mind or you are taking advantage on non English Native Speaker. Please do your math. If someone out there has all my gears and sell them on Ebay for %30 percent of the market value right now, then I am sure they can get a lot more than Adam pay me for $2,350.00 on Ebay right now. I am very scary and sad, because of how can a big company with the Reputation can do such thing for a Disabled guy like me. Jack told me this over and over that our conversation on the phone has been recorded, then there is no way I can do anything about it. Jack, if you are a decent man, please don't do that to me and either you pay me $3,4700. Or returned back all my gears. Thank you.

Adorama did not disclose in Amazon.com that the software was for MAC. As you can suppose, this item is going back to Amazon right away, but you know what? I guess it is all my fault. 4 years ago I purchased from crappy Adorama a professional video camera and I had a similar experience. I swore myself not to buy from them anymore and I did it, I deserve what happened because I already knew them. That time I kept the camera, but now they will eat this piece of garbage they sent to me. Minus 10 stars for Adorama.

Updated on 8/2/2016: This is the second part of my terrible and awful experience with this crappy company called Adorama. After 2 long weeks of dealing with this people, they issued a refund for the item I bought from them via Amazon.com, but they kept the shipping cost. I bought that item because was described as NEW and they sent me a USED, BOX OPENED, INCOMPLETE AND PROTOTYPE item (prototypes are not supposed to be sold). Why do I have to pay SHIPPING FOR AN ITEM I DID NOT ORDER? People, please, do not buy from Adorama. Purchase experiences with them are really BAD and the returns even WORST!!!

Apparently the credit card charging failed due to MasterCard marking the deal as "Suspicious". After 2-3 calls to MasterCard, it was resolved. She said (the representative) it will be shipped out today during all of our calls before and after resolving the payments. They finally were able to charge me after me making almost 14 phone calls to them overall. I was sure it's all over and I'm gonna get my item in time.

A couple of short minutes after finally getting this done, after spending my entire last day in the US on phone calls with them and being sure everything is fine - they called me from Verification and said "Your order is back ordered, it won't be available to ship". WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU OFFER 1-DAY ON BACK ORDERED ITEMS?? This is absolutely unacceptable! and INFURIATING! Why move a customer through all of this frustration and phone calls for no absolute reason? Why commit to 1-day shipping if you're going to take 2 days to even reply to an e-mail. Just ridiculous. DO NOT DEAL WITH THEM.

I called Trixie the next morning and she gave me the runaround. She told me not to worry that everything was fine. I asked her again about the second charge, but she kept ignoring my question. Finally, I was very upset and I told her to get a supervisor on the phone and that is when she told me that she would cancel the first order. I receive a cancellation email with a copy of an invoice, but it had another name & address on the invoice. She was trying to scam me! I tried calling her again and I ended up talking to another rep. He never answered any of my questions and the only thing he said, "It happens a lot, sorry sir." I will never buy anything from Adorama and I will never give my credit card information to anyone else. I called my credit card company and they are aware of the problem and they will be reversing the charges. Buyers BEWARE!!!

I emailed Helen around 11:00 am and shared my frustration with receiving my camera back to me in damage condition. I received an email back from her within that hour saying, "I was concerned to read that this was your experience. I just discussed with the Used Department Manager, and he assured me that a member of his team will be in touch with you directly. Please accept my apologies for the inconvenience caused, and don't hesitate to come back to me if you need any additional help." Manager Jack ** contacted me and he offered for me to send my Sony z5u camera to Sony for repairs.

The camera was sent to an authorized Sony Repairs Center, but I opt out from getting the repairs done to the camera. Jack ** suggested to me, that since I was trying to buy the canon 5d mark 111 camera; he would subtract the repair cost plus subtract additional money from the price of an out of the box used canon5 d mark 111. This suggesting made it affordable for me to purchase the Mark 5d 111 camera with a 24-105 Lens. I was very happy with Helen ** and Jack **. Adorama is one of the nation's largest photo, video and electronic retail and mail order suppliers, because of people like Helen **. Thanks.

I have requested a refund as well as to return the item for a new one and they said they don't have any more drones and will try to figure out the battery and maybe I should wait a year until it is out of warranty and then go through the service plan I paid for. However the service plan won't warranty something that has an open ticket so I have a $600 drone that I have never been able to use and no one from Adorama will assist me.

Original Review: April 9, 2016

When I purchased a camera from them in July 2015 they never stated or informed me that the ex1 camera was not updated with the latest firmware. I missed my first photo shoot because I had to send the camera in for update. I get the camera back 6 weeks later and 5 weeks after that I used it for a shoot and put 10.5 hours on it. 10 weeks later used it for another shoot. Worked ok but I had to use manual focus. Put 12 hrs on it and lost revenue because of it. Sent it to another photographer and he took a look at it and told me to send it back. I sent a email to Adorama and they told me I was out of luck and to send it back to sony for repairs. This company knowingly sold me faulty equipment and refused to fix or exchange the camera. Mind you it only used for 30 hrs. They are crooks and shysters that should not be allowed to sell damaged goods over the internet.

A few day later also NewLeaf call me that demanded that I have to send the unit back to repair center... I tried to explain to the supervisor that there was no repair only replace according to Adorama. So I contact Helen ** from Adorama and explained the situation and she told me that they will deal with NewLeaf and that I should send the unit back and she gave me an order number... Two day later even before I send back the broken battery, a new one already was on my doorstep... That was the best customer service I ever have of any American company.

The woman I spoke with on the phone seemed to care less about what I had spent to return the item PLUS my LOSS of $8.00+ for the 'FREE" shipping. This experience just reminds me why I need to NEVER shop online unless it is with AMAZON. Adorama lost what would have been a VERY GOOD customer on this deal. Live & learn.

The next day I received an email along with a return UPS label saying they would exchange the Phantom. The day Adorama received the Phantom back, I received a phone call saying they would not exchange the item. No explanation was given, and the person I spoke to didn't even know they had the Phantom back. The person I spoke to said they would ship the Phantom back to me that day or the next.

After 5 days of not hearing anything about the return shipment I called Adorama back. The person I spoke to said the item would be shipped that day, and then changed what he said, and said he didn't know when it would be shipped. I don't understand why they said they would exchange an item when they had no intention of making the exchange, but just as much why they won't ship it back to me. I think Adorama should honor what they said, exchange the Phantom for a new one, but at this point I just wish I had my Phantom back and never heard of Adorama.

Original Review: Feb. 19, 2016

I purchased a Samsung Gear S2 Classic from Adorama online as a Christmas gift. They were offering a $50 rebate MasterCard with purchase done between Dec 15 and Dec 21. I immediately tried to file for the rebate online but could not proceed because I needed the serial number. No big deal I thought. I would get the number before I gift wrapped the present. Once I received the item, I filed the rebate online - but WAIT. The rebate is not processed unless they receive a signed rebate form, the physical receipt (even though you've already had to attach a copy with the online submission), and the original UPC.

I mailed everything in on Jan 19th. On Jan 20th, I got an e-mail reminding me to send the physical forms in. A few weeks later I got a reply that the rebate is not valid since I took more than 30 days from the original purchase date to mail in the documents. ARE YOU KIDDING? I called the rebate headquarters, just to be told that it was Adorama's policy and to call Adorama customer service. I talked with Adorama's customer service and they said that there was nothing they could do since they did give you time to submit everything. (30 days minus 5 days for shipping plus having to wait until after the present was given and then having to wait to get the original UPC from the gift recipient does not equal a lot of time.) On top of that, since they ask for the original UPC, you can not return the item either. LOUSY CUSTOMER SERVICE. Will NEVER recommend.

Received an email 2 weeks ago saying they had received my camera and someone would be contacting me regarding the value. I've tried and tried to get a response from Jack ** on the value... and to just let him know to please send my camera back. It's been over two weeks and nothing. I fear I'll have to contact a lawyer to get my camera back. I never complain or take the time to submit a review but I will now and try and spread the word about how terrible this company really is. I wanted to give a business other than B&H a try but was stupid to do so. Please, never use Adorama for anything!!!

After 2 weeks I did not get any update and when I contacted the Customer care I was told that it will be rejected as there is address mismatch. I informed them that I was told that the updating was taken care by the customer executive while I called, but she was saying that I denied address updation by customer agent when I called. I dont understand why would anyone deny correct updating of address? I did contact adorama and update the address in my invoice and why wouldnt I update the same in rebate form? The agent was too rude to me saying that address in their database was different from my invoice. But the contradictory part was that when I called them I was asked to verify my address, and it was verified with new address which they said that is correct.

After some time when I asked for the status of rebate I was told that they have old address in their database and said it was rejected. I dont understand then how I was verified with new address. Its a kind of scam where adorama advertise saying all kind of rebate to get sales and rejects the rebate after selling the item... All should be aware of this scam and keep away from these. Go with amazon which offer far better customer experience.

I told them I could just keep the lens cover since I didn't have the cardboard, but they said to take a picture and send it to them so they can see the condition. The package is a bundle so they want everything back. They have not replied in days since I sent the photos. I am worried I am going to be stuck with a $1,200 lens because I don't have the cardboard for a $30 lens cover. Terrible customer service so far. Wish me luck.

I called and serve for the third time a man named Eric ** and again sent me the wrong package, made a very quick order, in my opinion with very little interest, so are the big companies, and they sent me the wrong order again. Or is that they are showing an image that is not selling. I recommend you think twice before buying into that company, otherwise you do not have anyone who speaks Spanish, so when you speak Spanish they treat you like you're something. I decepcionado Adorama much of which would be considered a disaster as a result. I imagine the mess they have in their stores.

I was originally planning on giving them two business days to respond, but on 12/29 when the tracking information still had not updated, I decided I would call their Customer Service. I was treated very poorly by the man on the phone. I did not feel like he was listening to me at all. Finally he told me that I had to contact Amazon. I found this frustrating, because on Amazon's page it told me to contact the seller. I informed him of this, at which point he got rude. Incredibly frustrated and upset, I ended the call and called Amazon's Customer Service, who were very helpful. Because the tracking information had not updated, they requested that the seller give me a refund. At this point, I reordered the product, this time to be fulfilled by Amazon rather than an outside seller. I continued checking the tracking information, which still had not updated.

On the morning of Wednesday, 12/30, the package arrived. At this point, with a new order on the way, I was uncertain what to do. I called Amazon and their Customer Support recommended refusing the shipment and having it returned to the sender. Amazon would initiate the return and refund process. Since then, Adorama has taken no action save sending an email on 1/04 to tell me that "Your question is related specifically to Amazon processes and is best handled by Amazon Customer Support." Amazon, for their part, has been wonderful, even calling and checking in with me. Both Amazon and myself have submitted requests for a refund, which Adorama still has not honored.

Original Review: Dec. 27, 2015

Bought a Magic Mouse for $59.99, $39.99 after $20 rebate. Filled out the online form and mailed in all my materials and received a denial a week or so later due to incomplete rebate form. Email said I was missing the serial number barcode, which does not exist. Clever deception to make the rebate requirements impossible to complete while simultaneously making this fact impossible to know prior to purchase. Adorama's business is fraud.

I immediately noticed that both of the lenses had marks on them - one more than the other. The lenses appear to be scuffed. I also noticed that something had evidently hit or scratched off a small area of black paint from the body of the binoculars (that small area was silver in color). It is clear that these are not a new pair of binoculars, and I will be contacting Adorama to ask their customer service department for assistance in sending a new pair. I am hoping that the model they sent was a current one and not an old model. I will be checking on that. I plan on writing back to report on the quality of assistance that Adorama provides.

My opinion is that Adorama doesn't want to help customers, and that other companies may provide better customer-service online. My suggestion for a trusted online-retailer would be Amazon (obviously). Also, please Google 'Adorama online reviews', or just search 'ResellerRatings.com' for other opinions on the company. My other opinion about Adorama is that Helen ** (I'm just taking a guess here, but she is more likely not a 'customer service' agent.... but more likely their online social media manager since she responds so quickly to any online criticism), doesn't offer solutions - which in my opinion is a little underhanded as the purpose is to most likely distract & not actually give the customer any tangible solutions. I was also informed that their call centers are located in Manila (Helen ** personally emailed me this information) - so they do not support local jobs, apparently.

Well, later that evening I chose Adorama over B&H photo. I placed the order relatively easily through PayPal and using a credit card. I specifically chose to use PayPal verified account to avoid a block on the charge by the bank or by the merchant. Still, the bank blocked the charge because the merchant attempted 4 charges in amount of +$2,500. I instructed the bank to allow only one charge to go through but I was told I had to replace the order with the merchant. The next day, 12/23, I contacted the merchant to clarify the situation. AT LEAST A 15 MINUTE WAIT TIME TO GET TO SPEAK WITH SOMEONE. I spoke with Salvin. I told him, "I placed another order after speaking with the bank because the previous one was blocked by the bank due to suspicion of fraudulent charge." He suggested to cancel the new order (which he did in about 10 minutes) and to re-activate the on-hold order by giving him the card number.

I did that and I specifically told him the order was a gift and I needed it released the same day. I was assured the order went through and there will be no problems. I checked with the bank and there were 2 pending charges of +$2,500. So far, so good. A couple of hours later I checked Adorama account only to see the order was still on hold. I called them again, another 15-20 minutes wait time, but I was in luck as eventually I got to speak with a CSR named Ned. He checked the order again. He told me the order was on hold after I've already told him that. He reassured me the order was in good shape. The first red flag, what company takes 2 hours plus to verify an order in the internet age? They called on both our numbers to leave a message to call back – we were not in.

One message was from Andrew from the verification department with the request to call back. They also called on another number we left with them and recorded a difficult to understand message but coming from Adorama. Regardless, I called the 3rd time and a lady told me again the order is on hold but that was usually normal. I did not have anymore patience and I demanded to get to the bottom of the entire charade right away. She put me through with the verification department and a guy named Tom (?). He asked me all kinds of relatively normal question for an identity check, and I gave him the answers but he closed the call by LYING in saying the order was approved and "you're good" twice as it refers to an order. If you think a rectal examination is more degrading than this order check, think twice!

I asked this character Tom if the order was okay, "How come it was not reflected on the online account page?" He claimed it takes a few hours or so. As I spoke with him I used the word we in saying we placed an order or we called. The Tom dude asked me in a very inquisitive and unprofessional manner who were we. Well, aside from the fact that today same sex marriage is no longer something to crucify a person about, I can choose my partner as I see fit and I don't have to give anyone any details about it. As I returned to the site a couple of hours later, the order was canceled.

Now, I understand they need to verify orders and all but to be mislead the way they did is something unheard of. It would have been simpler and more decent to say, "Your order is canceled." than to give me the run around for hours. Simply unethical and unprofessional. If you want the same treatment, go ahead and you'll probably find water-boarding a step in the right direction if you dare to buy from these people.

Knowing that Adorama had taken an unusual amount of time to ship a simple order, I carefully looked at the sealed boxes the laptops came in before opening them to confirm they were the right model. Something from the evasive responses on shipping I had received from Adorama and their extraordinarily slow shipping process suggested I shouldn't trust them I guess. Sure enough, they had switched out the computers I had ordered and shipped a much cheaper model that could be purchased anywhere for less.

I think they were hoping I would make the typical mistake most people make by opening the manufacturers computer boxes upon receiving them. If I had done that I would have been forced to keep them. And sure enough, almost the first question the customer service person asked me when I called to tell them they had sent the wrong computers was, "Did you open the computer box?" I got the feeling they were really hoping I had and were disappointed when I told them I had not.

Over the next ten days, I then went back and forth with several Adorama Customer Service personnel trying to get them to ship the correct computer. Various excuses were offered for the continuous delays over this period of time, none of which were legitimate, but as time went on it became pretty clear to me they weren't going to honor their advertised price, and every response was just another attempted rationalization on their part of their intent not to honor their advertised price.

Even more concerning is the fact that they left the ad posted out on Rakuten for a long time after they claimed it was an error. Now who would do that if they had actually made an honest error? So they essentially knowingly continued to falsely advertise by leaving the ad up. Who knows how many other unsuspecting people might have been similarly caught in this "trap". They blamed Rakuten for the ad error, but after talking to Rakuten I was able to confirm that all the ad content was provided by Adorama.

Adorama never admitted their error, ran me out of time with their delays in decision making such that I could no longer order the computers somewhere else at any price and have them in time - they were Christmas presents and Adorama knew this. Instead they offered a $100 per item discount off of their regularly priced computers or a $50 gift certificate. Even with a $100 discount on the item I could order the computers cheaper elsewhere, and I don't think I would care to risk ordering anything else from Adorama in order to use a $50 gift certificate.

I even went the extra mile and asked them to at least price match their competitor which would have cost me a lot more but would have resolved the problem with a compromise I was willing to accept in the interest of time, but they refused to price match. In short, I believe I was the victim of a bait and switch, so everyone beware. If you do for some reason order from Adorama, whatever you do don't open the box the manufacturer provides the product in until you have first verified the model number is actually what you ordered or they will have beat you at their game.

However, she won't budge and kept insisting the amount that was taken from me is for shipping and is non-refundable. I know this is only a mere 12 dollars but it's the principle of doing business and providing me the customer false promises and information. I use to like the company and have purchased a bunch of my photographic equipment over the years, but this time I've lost faith with them and the way they handled my issue. Never again will I ever purchase from Adorama even from Amazon or Ebay. I would rather deal with B&H which is ten plus better than them and their business practice is excellent all around. Also, you can cancel your order immediately if you mistakenly order an item. They deserve no star but the system won't allow me.

The 3rd stupid thing is she didn't even check the email attachment I attached (which is essentially a screen capture of the price at the time of request) before replying. This is not even about price match, not about customer support. It is a common sense. If she didn't read my attachment before answering me, she is wasting our time. This is not only down right stupid, but completely impolite.

After I sent an email addressing her stupidity, she replied "When you can address people politely, in a way that makes them want to listen, I will" (I guess "I will" means "I will read the attachment"). I told her to think about how impolite she was first (answering without reading clearly what's happened to waste our time). Secondly, she has to do it no matter what. She is obligated to do it. Unless she is fired. If she don't understand this, she is not capable of being a customer support (in these years customer support are so self-centered). And I remind her again, I am not asking her to something that she could do it "in the future" (the "I will" part she said), I am saying she should have done it in the past--read the attachment and refunded at the very beginning, rather than waste us so much time.

All in all, 1) she is too stupid, 2) too self-centered to think people need to address her politely even when she is that stupid indicating she do not understand her job (as customer support in general, and about what price match means in particular), she is not really suited to this job. In the hindsight, probably this is Adorama's tactic to make the customer supports looks so stupid to avoid refunding customers. I am looking forward to see their business ends.

Updated 12/17/2015 - Following the previous review, after ** played stupid and avoid the price matching, her manager finally agree to price match. The problem is, he calculated 29.95-24.49=4. Are they really that stupid? Or perhaps a way to avoid refunds.

Well I now realize this seller is extremely shady and has no sense of integrity. I would stay as far away from this Adorama Camera as I possibly could. Or you could be like me and end up with a used printer you paid full price for. What some people will do for money. In conclusion I reached out to the seller for a possible resolution and they basically told me to go kick rocks. Sounds like you got a winner here Amazon.

I was contacted in a timely manner by Stephanie who helped me through much of the transaction. Jack ** was the rep who evaluated my equipment and I felt gave me a very good price. The Sony equipment transaction experience was great, Stephanie even bumped my shipping up so I would receive it sooner. I have purchased equipment from Adorama since the late 70s and several times in between. I have always been treated professionally. This experience was just the way one would expect to be treated by a professional company.

So I called Amazon and they weren't much help, they said that they would contact the seller (Adorama) and see what they could do and I'd hear back in 24-48 hours. I'm impatient so I called them directly. They said that they would not honor the price because they made an error in pricing. Offered me a discount off the "correct" price. Well, I can't exactly swing buying 2 new laptops at normal sales price (thus the Black Friday shopping) so that wasn't helpful. I would think that a decent size business would honor their prices. Even grocery stores here in Omaha honor their prices. It's a matter of reputation and character that obviously this company doesn't have. I would urge people to shop elsewhere where they stand behind their word and let this company sink.

The online purchase said I would get free 2 day expedite shipping which I really needed because I was planning to use it for a shoot I scheduled around the delivery. It's been 3 business days so I look at the tracking and it won't be here for another week! I called customer service and the person that answered the phone literally, no joke, says "hello" and nothing else, like he is answering his personal phone. Seriously??? Then I tell him the issue and he is immediately rude and very unprofessional. He said he didn't know why it says another week or why I didn't get expedite shipping and that it could come tomorrow but that he really didn't know. That's it. No explanation, nothing. So rude and not helpful at all. I will never order anything from here again and will be switching to B&H Photo for all of my camera needs.

Original Review: Nov. 14, 2015

I purchased a laptop from Adorama on 10/19 and it was unfortunately just dropped off at my doorstep. My neighbors came home and found a box ripped open with the packaging scattered on my stairs and sent me photos. I contacted Adorama immediately and they opened a dispute with UPS, and UPS subsequently tried to deny responsibility. Anyhow, what has resulted was I had to call Adorama every 4-5 days to check up, only to be told to be patient and wait, and then told that they're going to discuss with UPS again, and to be patient and wait. It's been almost a month. I still have no laptop. I am at a loss of what to do.

While adorama has been polite, they have not been particularly effective. I can't help but feel that had I purchased from a larger company the outcome would have been better expedited. Anyhow, I do not think I will make such an expensive purchase from Adorama again. This has been a truly disappointing and frustrating experience.

They are very good at put their fault upon UPS with bad shipment. Even it is the fault of the UPS, it is their responsibility to deal with UPS, not the customer. It's been 15 days since I file the claim and no action was taken at all. They declare that the customer can return the product in 30 days on their website and it's been 24 days since I purchased the printer. They probably will wait until that time and they won't need to do anything then. TOTALLY SCAMMER!!! They are testing my patience and I have been patient enough. It is my first time with Adorama and it will be my last time. I will tell everyone never shopping with Adorama. I would rather pay more money to buy this printer on the official site or Amazon.

Original Review: Aug. 18, 2015

outnumbered the supply that we had on hand. At this moment we are not able to get more quantity to be able to fill this order. We therefore have no other choice but to cancel this order."

I call in to customer service to let them know that I do not mind a back order and I just want it for the sale price. Unfortunately I was told that the item was discontinued and no longer available... strange. So when I go back to Adorama's website the product has been marked as Discontinued/No Longer Available. Well I complain and try speak to a supervisor but just get shuffled around. Then today (2 days later) I check and the product is back on their website and available to order at the full price $999.99! I couldn't believe it. It appears that Adorama has canceled my order in an attempt to avoid filing my order at the sale price.

In stark contrast, I got absolutely nowhere with the 7 unsympathetic "standard" Service Representatives. If the company limits these employees from making broader accommodations to solving customer's issues, (from personal past experiences this can happen) I highly, highly recommend you enable these employees to have more authority in offering accommodation towards customers. The responses I received from these employees were VERY scripted. Which quite frankly led to most of my frustration, even more than receiving the wrong product.

Ultimately, I felt "no one" was genuinely listening to my complaints, and as a result, I got churned through the ranks with zero resolve and accountability, only adding unnecessary troubles to the issue.

However, if it comes down to these employee's proficiency in their people skills, or lack thereof, fire those that under perform, or whomever company you're sub-contracting with. Because "they" will eventually sink the reputation of your entire business into the ground and YOU WILL lose money. After all, they are the face of the company in the eyes of the customer.

Since you, Adorama, offer comparable prices to your competitors, you have to differentiate somehow. Exceptional customer service and loyalty seems like a good angle.

Original Review: July 11, 2015

I can not believe the lack of competency and accountability of this company. They are a direct competitor to B&H, yet with about 10% of B&H's great customer experience. I ordered a lens in mid-June for a shoot happening 2 weeks later. The order came with free expedited shipping so I knew I would receive the lens roughly 3-4 business days later, which it did. The issue, it was the right OEM product but the wrong mount system. I had ordered a Bower 1.5 NX mount and received a Bower 1.5 Nikon mount instead. My order form clearly stated an NX mount. Not only did the lens packaging have the word Nikon in bright yellow plastered all over the box, the box itself was seriously torn and damaged. Luckily (for me) the lens and contents were all fine.

Frustrated, yet tolerable, I jump on email to customer service and explain what happened. The next day, I receive a reply with a customary apology for the mix up and instructions how to begin the return process. I explained I needed the correct lens for an upcoming shoot. The CSR explained in order to receive the correct lens that I must take pictures of the wrong lens. So I promptly did and sent those to the CSR.

Two days later, I receive another email from a different CSR, thanking me for the pictures. I again inquired about getting the correct lens and this CSR sent me a return form. (Not a return label) Annoyed, I filled out the form, packaged it up with the wrong lens and went to my local UPS store to send back, costing me $26 dollars out of pocket. I got back on email and sent them a text and picture copy of the tracking number as well as the receipt for the shipping cost. (Since they didn't send me a shipping label).

Three days later, a totally different CSR responds that they have the tracking number and receipt that I sent. However, this CSR informed me that the lens was on backorder. I complained that their website did not reflect that information, otherwise I wouldn't have ordered it. By this time, I'm very upset, not only at the misinformation, but the length in the gaps in correspondence, the constantly shifting CSRs, and the lack of communicating with me as a person in a bind caused by their negligence. Never responding directly to any of my complaints and frustrations. Scripted apologies.

Fast forward, I looked up the tracking number on the return and it stated the Adorama had received the lens and someone there signed for the package. I email again to follow up. Again, a different CSR responds and informs me they received it and placed a credit on my account for the entire cost of the lens. I wanted the credit because the correct lens is still on backorder. I asked what about the shipping cost I had to pay for. They responded to please send a picture/scan of the shipping receipt. So I sent it AGAIN!

The next day. I email to inquire about the status of getting reimbursed for the shipping cost. Yet, you guessed it, another CSR responds. Their reply? "Please send a picture/scan of your receipt." At this point, I feel irate yet, defeated. So I send it again as a common png file. I get a reply from a different CSR that they can't open the attachment. To please send a pdf instead. So I converted the png into a pdf, sent it back yesterday morning and have yet to hear back from them yet.

Turns out Adorama's CS is closed both Saturday and Sunday. The New York store is closed on Saturdays. Who in the hell closes their business on the busiest commerce day of the week? Adorama, that's who. I went online to see where I could see my credit. It turns out, if you choose to receive a store credit, you cannot apply that online. You have to order over the phone with a CSR. Or maybe many CSRs. At this point, I have to say this has been the absolute worst customer experience I've ever, ever had with any company. I've had way better service from even these cheap Chinese vendors.

I know blunders happen, even to the best of them. But this is way beyond a blunder. This is total lack of care and concern for the customer. And a total lack of accountability, putting all the legwork of a return on the customer. I have a feeling this is how Adorama does business from the top-down, as every CSR reflected the same lingo and attitude as the one before. No one is talking to each other.

An added kicker? I work for Microsoft and we do a very high volume in media advertising. We employ entire film crews akin to Hollywood productions. Often, we work with multi-million dollar budgets. Adorama was a trial company before I would recommend them to my film colleagues. I clued Adorama into this fact early in the return process and as a result it didn't generate one single incentive for them to expedite the return process on my behalf as a customer, nor on the behalf of their own interests as a business. Trust me, to get a contract with a company like Microsoft could make a smaller company extremely profitable. If Adorama doesn't care to please someone like me, let alone serve their own interests, how does that fair for your average joe? Maybe the 7th CSR can tell me that. The worst. Stay away. B&H is still the way to go.

Original Review: July 10, 2015

I've now ordered 2 different items recently from Adorama, both involving rebates. Both times the items arrived without any invoice or packing list needed for the rebate and the emailed receipt isn't acceptable as "proof of purchase" despite the fact that you have to supply the invoice #, date, purchaser name, purchaser billing address, and original UPC first. Only after my last claim was denied twice and I complained to Adorama did they finally produce a totally different invoice that they emailed to me. So, on this item I sent an email requesting a copy of the valid invoice and the emailed reply stated he had just sent me the invoice "in a separate email" and that I should "check your spam/junk folder if you don't see it."

Not surprisingly, no invoice was actually sent. No explanation was made for why they wouldn't just attach it to the email that I DID receive, but I don't need an explanation; obviously Adorama has a corporate policy of doing everything they can to get rebates denied. Apparently that's the only way they can make money. Don't ever buy anything from Adorama that involves a rebate. Actually, don't make my mistakes and don't ever buy from Adorama period. Find a company that actually engages in legal business practices. I'm amazed that no one has filed a class action suit against them yet. Incidentally, I gave them 1 bonus star because my product arrived very quickly. Hey, I'll give credit where credit is due.

I waited three days to be delivered. It arrived 5:00 pm Friday. I opened the box and it was used unit. I tried to call them. They were closed and the answering machine message state they close 5.00pm on Friday and do not work on Saturdays but open on Sunday. After reading their terms of the return I backed the unit and took it to the UPS store and shipped the unit 6:30pm same day. I asked them to refund my money and the shipping cost as they were dishonest with me on the condition of merchandise. They are refusing to refund the shipping cost.

I do not recommend this company for any purchases as the deal with used product no one is sure what they receive from them is used or new product. Avoid them. Can anyone advise how to report them for fraud and misleading the public? Paid by credit card and I have already informed the credit card company about the dispute. I lost approx 40.00 dollars on shipping the goods to them.

Once I had it on, the tab key was acting weird... When I 'touched' not pressed the tab key, it would tab... so if I was resting my hand when I was playing a game around the number and 'qwer' keys or just browsing... it would go through my web browser. I told Adorama and they told me to get a MSI case number by calling MSI. I got a case number and gave it to Adorama, they provided me with a return package slip. This means that they have it on their end that I am return this laptop and should be expecting it. I put everything back in the parcel and with printed form RMA form. I properly filled it out and asked for a refund. At this point, I was very dissatisfied and never wanted to purchase an MSI product or from Adorama.

Now, a week later. I get a text from people who live in my previous apartment in Virginia saying that they got a big parcel under my name. When they showed me the picture, I saw the Adorama tape and I had a huge "WTF?" moment. How does Adorama receive a returned product that they should have in their system and a proper filled out RMA form clearly requesting for a refund, and make a mistake...? They don't even confirm with me or even send a notification that they've received the returned item. The warehouse folks just take it and ship it to my old Virginia address.

I am assuming that looked at my billing address and not make an effort to see where I shipped the laptop in the first place... So I call them and all they can say is "sorry", granted putting your anger out on the customer service folks is wrong. So I just wanted this resolved. They told me to provide the phone number of the current residents that live in my old Virginia apartment. Adorama folks said that they'll get UPS to contact the living in Virginia and pick it up. UPS called them and said that they'll pick it up today... but they didn't come. I called Adorama, and all they can say is "Sorry." I will never buy from Adorama nor MSI. I will make an effort to tell everyone my horrible experience and tell everyone to never buy from Adorama.

Original Review: June 17, 2015

I purchased a camera bundle from Adorama Camera while chatting online with one of their camera techs. I asked him to verify what the bundle included and he verified, as he looked at the offer, what I would receive. After calling the company about the order 3 days later they denied that this bundle ever existed. I provided them with a screen shot of the offer and the chat log with their expert who saw the offer. They continue to say "Sorry for the confusion" and "Sorry for the inconvenience." Their only offer to make this right is for me to return part of my order to get the rest of the offer because now "that offer no longer exists." It existed when I ordered it. A reputable company would honor their offers. Won't buy from Adorama again!

Original Review: May 31, 2015

They shown in listing set of bits 9 pieces, but send me set of 5 pieces, which I wouldn't buy in the first place; and now I do not want to return, because shipping cost will eat up my refund. After I contacted them, they told the set of 5 is correct. Even listing on website rakuten.com shown set of 9 bits.

Come Wednesday, one week after my first call, and I get an email that the item is now "Out of Stock". I call and customer service is incompetent and only keeps repeating "sorry for the inconvenience". I don't care if you're feeling sorry... I just want to buy an item and get it eventually. In the end, they are back ordered and have no idea when they'll get more in. I complained to a friend of mine from NY and he said that's normal. "In-store service is terrible too," he says. If you are wanting to commit suicide but need a little motivation, well Adorama can push you over the edge.

Original Review: May 21, 2015

I have made 3 different orders over the past 2 months that were 'supposed' to be free shipping and will ship out same day if order is placed before 10 am. All 3 orders charged from $2 to $5.99 for shipping and always shipped out the day after and one 2 days later. They also have issues with their online inventory as some of the items showed in stock and let me place the order only to find out 2 days later when the order shipped that some items were on back order. I placed an order about a month ago and one of the items is still on back order. One of my shipments came with the box torn apart with some of the items missing which Adorama refused to replace until I sent the originals back which I do not have because they fell out of the torn open box.

I called the customer support line but got a 'don't care attitude' and nothing was done. My last order 2 days ago was free shipping and I had ordered at 4:23 am eastern which is definitely before 10 am eastern but I was charged $1.40 for shipping, shipped via US mail and it just shipped out this morning which is 2 days later. Now, the lens and film I need for an event this weekend will not be here in time which is why I placed the order in the first place. With free expedited shipping and same day shipping this should not have been an issue. I'll admit they have the best value on photographic enlarging paper but this is the last straw. I'm done with Adorama camera. I hope my review makes a difference either by saving someone else grief or by someone at Adorama who actually cares will clean up these issues.

I called a few sales reps, and argued that this is ridiculous because I have a receipt for the bundle and camera for $1,299 and that they must honor that. Finally they told me to repurchase the item for $1,500 and they would deduct $200 and add the bundle I originally purchased. At this point I knew they were trying to appease with no actual intention to send me my purchase. I was told by Adorama that after a few weeks, if the open PayPal order is not charged, it will close. Well since the item is on backorder, Adorama does not charge until the item is shipped. So I emailed customer support, asking if the same exact thing will happen again, the response stated that they had no control over the payment, only PayPal does.

I had a feeling that Adorama would purposely hold the order till I either cancelled, releasing them of the purchase, or my order would go longer than the few weeks before it is closed out. Honestly, I read all the bad reviews about Adorama and their questionable methods. So I kept an eye on B&H photo and saw that they have the camera in stock on sale. So rather than wait and have my ordered cancelled again by Adorama, I went ahead and purchases from B&H which I highly recommend you do rather than Adorama. Interesting enough, as soon as I cancelled my order with Adorama, the camera is now in stock with them, hours later. Very happy to have went with a different company. It may be a coincidence, but I even mentioned to others I had a feeling they were purposely keeping the status on back order. I know this is a lot of text, but I hope it helps someone in a similar situation, go to B&H or Amazon.

Original Review: April 25, 2015

I receive an email for binoculars. Vanguard spirit XF10x42 for $129.00, but when I put it in the cart and go to check out, the price change to $199.00. I emailed Adorama and this is what they answered, "Special sales, and prices fluctuate based on market price and direction by manufacturer. We are not always given advance warning when a price is about to change or when a specific promotion will start or end. The price is now back to $199.99". I answered back saying that this was a false advertising. They didn't respond to that second email. I will never shop at Adorama again. Unethical business practices.

Third, I had never got the Fee Expedited Shipping with my new E-m5 mark II + new lens purchased. ALSO, the customer service was only care to get my credit card number and did NOT confirm my billing address which cost many inconvenience for me to get the package. My conclusion: Stay far away from Adorama for anything. My family members, friends and I will never again purchasing from Adorama.

Why ask for all that information if they're going to essentially do nothing about it? This is the type of practice that I expect from shady online retailers. Either shady shipping practice (bait & switch), or poor shipping logistic process. Poor customer service practice that, in this particular case, will cause me never to buy from Adorama again.

Amazon realizes that to compete with a B&M, the customer service has to be extraordinary. Adorama apparently has not realized this, and will most likely remain a small operation that will eventually be run over by the likes of Amazon. Save yourself some headache and deal with a better online retailer. Things might be okay if everything goes well with Adorama, but if something goes wrong, don't expect them try hard to fix it. Read their fine-prints carefully.

I'm not sure how this was ordered because I never ordered it. I called up Adorama and had a conversation with a customer service rep who had an accent. He is going to try and intercept the package otherwise I’ll need to return it. That's fine I don't want it anyways but he hung up before I could even ask when I’ll be reimbursed for this order that I didn't buy. Now I have to wait for PayPal to dispute this with Adorama so I can get my $949 back. I won't buy from them again.

Updated on 03/25/2015:

"Customer stated that he went to the 'website to check [my] order 4 days later. My order was not found anywhere'..." That is true. "When I asked him what and how he was searching on the Adorama website for his order - as he claimed he did not receive an order confirmation number….” I did not receive one by email. "...he refused to respond to me…" You have my phone number. Why not send me an e mail, I got 1 from you.

“It simply isn't possible to log into a website to search for an order, without an order number……” I went to the website, my account, down to order status. Return customer and signed in, no order found then I called the next day and was told I had no order… once again **. I called Adorama on the 26th…. Placed order again. I refused to respond, come on **. Do I need to complain every day? I have a job, can not get on this site all the time like you can. I was at work when I placed the first order and yes I should have written the number down but was told I would get a number by email.. I did not get one!

“When I asked the customer for his bank details so that I could try to trace his order by going backwards from the payment authorization, it took four emails before he replied to me…” I looked **, did not find 4 emails. Checked the spam box also. “Instead, he spent his time leaving false reviews everywhere possible…” You emailed once at my email address and then I sent it to you. This site does not count as a contact site and none of my reviews have been false.

“The bottom line is, Adorama does not charge until an order is shipped…” HAPPENED TO ME. “a) Refused to believe this - even though we ship around 30,000 orders each week to satisfied customers who would testify to this.” Not all are happy **. “b) Refused to accept that the first order he placed was delayed due to blizzard conditions, which made it impossible for UPS to deliver within the expected time frame.” No one told me this. Not UPS or Adorama. I was told I did not place an order that is why I did it again. I did get a confirmation on second try and it was still late. “c) Refused to cooperate with all my attempts to assist him…..” NOW THAT IS JUST NOT TRUE **. I DID GET AN APOLOGY BUT NOT FROM YOU **. I STILL WANT MY SHIPPING COST OF $42.00.

I replied to their email and explained their error to them. Their email had instructions on how to resubmit, by following a link to their site and clicking on a button labeled "resubmit." There is no resubmit button on that page. I followed their instructions to the letter, and they are blatantly lying about my situation. They have no intention of paying the rebate. Oh by the way, when they took my order they were out of stock. There was no information sent to me about this. When I didn't get an email with an order confirmation the next day, I went back online to find my Tablet was back-ordered. Take my advice and don't buy from this company.

I was authorized to send back the defective TV back to Adorama and received full credit.

As stated earlier, I was a repeat customer to Adorama and always was satisfied with their Service except this time with the TV.

I'm glad it ended well and Adorama helped in solving it.

Ramji

Original Review: Jan. 29, 2015

I'm another victim of this fake company Adorama. I purchased my LG TV 55 inch which turned out defective when I opened right out of the box. I immediately contacted customer service but they refused to replace the TV which I received 1 day back. They told me to get it fixed by the manufacturer. I even offered to bring the tv and return it myself so that they don't have to spend on return fee, but they refused everything.

Thank god I was about to order expensive camera through this store but never in million years. This is bogus company with absolutely no customer service. How will I know if the TV is good without opening, and if it gets damaged why should I get it fixed instead of replaced. I'm looking all options out there to complain in BBB and make my voice heard in all forums. Everyone should stay away from Adorama. If I can give 0 or minus stars I would be glad to do so. Thanks.

Anyways, I obliged, and provided the pictures. I had to re-send them 3 times - since they claimed they never received the first 2 emails. Ok. They finally had the pictures, and were sending them to the claims department. Keep in mind, Adorama doesn't give their reps a direct contact extension, so I was forced to speak with someone new EVERY SINGLE TIME I called.

Now about 2 weeks has gone by. I called them every day to get an update. Most times they said they'd call me back (which they never did), others they'd say the claim is being processed. Another week goes by - still no answer. About a month in and I finally receive an email with the return information. They wanted to reimburse me for the speaker - even after I told them on numerous occasions I wanted a replacement. So I had to wait another day for them to amend the return info.

I shipped the speaker back the next day - and it took 10 days for them to actually sign for the package. So now they have the speaker, but I've yet to receive any information or reply to any of the recent emails I've sent. It's been 2 months, and I'm still without the replacement speaker. Is this a joke? The system was supposed to be a Christmas gift, and that time has long since come and gone. Please, stay away from this company. Their customer service is embarrassingly bad - and I feel sorry for anyone that ever has to return a product to them.

Four days later the sounder showed up at my workplace. The box was shabby and the bar code had been blacked out with marker. I took the product home and opened it to discover it was missing many items including the power cord. I can't verify it was functioning because I could not plug it in or connect it to my television. When I contacted the company, they told me that they would send an email to the warehouse searching for the missing parts and maybe I would hear something back next week.

I purchased this item 16 days ago. I told them I want to return this and that I do not wish to do business with them. I am frustrated that Adorama sold me what appears to be a returned item without checking the contents of the box. This has been a waste of my time and will not order from them again. I would caution anyone from doing business with them and very disappointed with their shoddy service.

When I called the customer service the agent put me hold for 2-3 mins for every question. He said he could not help me as the promotion was no longer available. When asked to connect to the supervisor, I was on a 10-min hold and the supervisor came on the line. While I was explaining the situation she hung up on me. I waited for an hour and did not receive any call back. I then called back and talked to the representative and asked him to connect me to the supervisor. He put me on a long wait and told me that the supervisor as well as the earlier agent was not available. I called a multiple times and the same thing happened and every time they mentioned that the supervisor would give a call back. Never got a call back. When I lost my patience on my last call they connected me to the supervisor.

The supervisor was getting impatient on the questions asked by me. She said "It is a sales team problem and I am customer care. Let me talk to the higher ups and get back to you." I waited for 4 hours and there was no call back. The same cycle repeated that the supervisor is not available. I insisted on staying on line and after a long 15-20 min hold I was connected to her (SEEMS LIKE THEY JUST HAVE ONE SUPERVISOR TAKING CARE OF THE WHOLE CHEATING BUSINESS). She mentioned that they were giving me a 25$ Adorama gift card for the whole day they wasted and harassed me. And they would not even expedite my return of the device as I needed it for a graduation ceremony. WORST EXPERIENCE BUYING ANY PRODUCT. Hope there was a negative scale for rating this seller. BEWARE!!!!!

However, now the tablet was at a higher price. So I called in and spoke with sales explaining my issue and gave them the original order. The agent was rude and unwilling to help - don't know his name. He said I would need to go to customer service and abruptly transferred me. The only problem was that customer service was too backed up to answer. The recording told me to go to the website to place my order and hung up on me. Nice.

This morning I tried calling again and spoke with an agent. He was polite and pulled up my original order. I explained that the error was on MY end, and that I wanted to know if I could get the original price. He said that he would try to help, but would need to talk to the buyer since the tablet's price had changed. He would call me back. I received an email a little while later stating that I would need to buy it again at the new price. This is the part where I tell you why I am qualified to criticize:

I work in customer support for an IT company. We are both a call center and technical service center. I also work in retail at a specialty shop that does internet sales as well as brick and mortar sales. I know how retail works and I know how customer service works. I had many different people reply to me via email. There should have been some ownership of my call ticket - one point of contact. That way maybe my request to disregard the cancellation would have been received and acted upon. This is the part where I tell you what you should have done and why:

You should have allowed me to place my order for the original price. This way you would have kept a customer (repeat business - ever heard of that?), and not garnered negative reviews on the internet and social media (you know that people read those reviews... right?). I never blamed or accused Adorama of failing in any part of the original order. I owned up to my mistake and was looking for a little compassion and/or understanding.

Original Review: Dec. 4, 2014

Looking for some items for a photo shoot this weekend. Instead of ordering via Amazon Prime I decided to order from Adorama because website stated same day free EXPEDITED shipping on those items. So I ordered on Wed 12/3 (website says orders placed before 8 pm rate shipped same day.) At checkout I was charged an addition $0.50 for shipping? This caused flags but I didn't care as long as it arrived in three days as promised.

I called the day after I placed the order to get a status because order didn't appear on my online account. Was told "everything was ok." However at the end of the day only one of the three items showed shipped. On day two I placed another call to customer service asking about the remaining items. Again I was told "everything is ok" and that they would email me the tracking number (would not give to me over the phone; said it was too long).

After checking my email and tracking, I found the remaining items were sent REGULAR FIRST CLASS MAIL!!! Called customer service back and after 5 mins was told that they use a variety of shipping methods. When I told the rep that wasn't the issue; the order was not being shipped as promised and would not arrive for another four days, I was offered a small credit which doesn't help me with not having the equipment for the shoot this weekend. Won't be ordering from Adorama ever again.

By this time I made more than 10 calls to their hopeless customer service to make sure everything is in place. I called them on 08/25. They said, "We received it completely and we are going to process and issue a new laptop in 8 business days." I waited and called back them on 09/08. They said the returns department didn't started the process yet will expedite it. The very same day, I got a refund of $411 as I bought the same laptop for $499 (I asked for an exchange. They didn't do that and on top of it they charged me a restocking fee.). I called them back almost immediately asked to speak with their supervisor.

Here starts the actual drama. She told that the returns department is not able to find the charger I sent. That's why they charged me with the restocking fee. I provided all the tracking information and she promised me to call me back on 09/09 with a solution. She called me today and explaining that the laptop was not defected that's why we are charging a restocking fee. She was rudely asking me like take this defected laptop or go to hell.

Let me explain about this supervisor (Her name is Aira **). She was the most disgusting customer service lady I have ever encountered with. She know that they sold a defected piece. In return she is blaming me on purchasing that laptop. How would I know it's a defected one when you guys advertised it as brand new one. Every time I called these people they kept me on hold for so long time and on purpose irritated me like anything. I asked Aira to get hold of their returns department evaluation guy who evaluated the laptop - I can explain it to him. She was not able to do that (Why because the reality is they don't have a guy who evaluated that and moreover they didn't evaluated it). She was so rude to me asking me take that defected laptop or we already charged the restocking fee (That means literally telling me to go to hell, we already charged, you can do nothing).

I need to tell this to Adorama. In the first place never advertise refurbished or defected things as new ones and don't cheat your customers. Secondly when a customer complained about some defected items, please evaluate properly and don't lie to your customers. Thirdly teach your customer service people a minimum courtesy and how to deal with customers especially to Aira **. And finally this will be my last purchase in Adorama and I will play a significant role in publicizing about your false and fake items you sell and how falsely you mint money from customers to fill your pockets, And I will try to stop as many people as I can visiting and purchasing from your Junk website.

Tip for consumers: The only tip I give to everyone is stop buying from this website. This is a totally fake website. They sell all defected items and when you find and returned it they will charge you a restocking fee of close to 20%. PLEASE NEVER EVER EVER EVER BUY ANYTHING FROM THIS WEBSITE.

Adorama is willing to give Customer Information Out to Other Customers! I incorrectly thought someone I know ordered the same product as me the same day I did but did over night so their order wasn't back ordered. I called and complained and Customer Service; Jason was his name; was all ready to give me the Order Information of this person if I had the Order Number. That's right they were going to give me Order Information on someone else's order.

When I called a 3rd time to found out when my Order would be filled as the week had lapsed in which supposedly it would "Exactly Maybe be Filled" by I was again informed that Warehouse Information wasn't linked to the Website and they couldn't give me an Exact time frame. Not even an Exact Maybe this time. I inquired about another Order that was also Back Ordered and Customer Service checked the Warehouse and said it was still not available with No ETA. 3 Hours later it shipped. That's right their Customer Service Reps can't even see when something is or isn't in Stock.

I have reviewed them on Yelp and Facebook. Five Days ago I was asked to e-mail a Relation's Rep directly. She choose 5 Days later to publicly blast me on Yelp instead of dealing with me directly, including lying about the situation. This Order has cost me more money than I was "Discounted" in the purchase. Don't EVER use them. Their Policy is to Blame Customers.

The replacement did not include the scope at all. It was a very old torn up box with dozens of labels scratched out and covered up and inside was a MESSENGER bag & not a scope! So I arranged for yet another replacement, this time was for the item I actually requested, an unbroken scope & kit. But instead of a scope I got an email that said they returned the money to my credit card. This is not what I asked for! After looking on the Adorama site, my scope was no longer available for sale. No one from the company told me that the item was discontinued, the item in any of the (3) phone calls or (5) emails. This company wasted over a month of my life and never addressed my concerns. I think they fraudulently sold me a broken scope & then tried to pawn off a Vanguard cardboard box with a messenger bag in it - which would have been difficult for me to prove that it didn't include the scope I originally requested.

Customer service was rude & unapologetic. I asked for a supervisor, which none was provided to me. It wasn't until AFTER I emailed them today indicating I was going to report them to the BBB & NY Attorney Gen's office for fraud that they emailed me to apologize that the item was discontinued. This would have been nice to know from the start; however, they tried to pawn off broken and wrong products instead of being honest from the beginning. Bottom line, don't do business with this company! I don't need an attorney to contact me about this complaint - my husband is an attorney and we just wanted to warn others about Adorama's bad business practices.

When I realized Adorama had the email address notated incorrectly, I corrected her, and she sent me an email supposedly with the Tracking numbers for two boxes, but in fact she only sent me the Tracking No. for one box. I called back. Got yet another salesperson with limited capability. He recited the same erroneous email address as the first clerk had - not five minutes after I had just corrected them as to what my proper address was!!! He then sent me two emails with tracking numbers for Box 1 and 2 except they were both the same tracking number. Fortunately I deduced that the tracking number sent by the first sales clerk was different - thus obtaining the two Tracking Numbers.

I certainly didn't want to waste any more time speaking with anyone else there. Called UPS, and they had in fact already attempted to deliver the boxes. Five days prior, when I first made my order, I had given the Adorama clerk explicit information for the UPS delivery. Adorama assured me my information would be given to UPS. None of that information had been given to UPS. I'm thinking the majority of my problem with this organization is the lack of responsibility to us as paying customers. Too many mistakes that could easily have been avoided. Hire people who understand English or who tell the truth, or don't attempt to sell things over the phone. Simple. I certainly won't be doing business here ever again.

I call again to speak with the manager (can't remember her name but I recorded that too). She clearly did not want to admit that there was a 30 day return policy at first but of course there is so she finally said that they would honor the 30 day return policy but her wording was suspicious as she kept saying over and over again that if it is not packaged right or anything at all it would be rejected as a return. She kept speaking in this manner so I obviously found that somewhat suspicious as if she has predetermined that they would not refund me when I return it. I told her that nothing was missing from the package and again brought up their return policy and she finally said they would honor the 30 day return policy and refund me the full amount minus $30 for the free shipping for initially sending me the camera. I am shipping it back to them in the morning and will see if there is a problem from there getting a refund...I'm sure there will be a problem considering the hassle I've already had with this but if not I will take that statement back. This process is so questionable that I video recorded me packaging the camera with all the items in it back up. I will come back to these review sites to follow up on this story.

When the box arrived, I opened it right away and set it up. I was very disappointed that they had sent the V750 with only the USB connection available. I was in a situation where I needed a scanner right away and did not have time to send this one back and hope that they would eventually either send the correct scanner or refund my money. It involves a lot of trouble, time, and expense to box up and send back such a large item.

I sent them an email right away letting them know that I was very disappointed with their service and felt that they had been advertising falsely, offering a product they did not have and sending me an alternative scanner without asking me first. I asked for an apology from them at least if not, some other compensation. I stated that the offer of a V750 scanner with a FireWire connection at a reduced price would be very tempting to me. I am not adverse to owning two V750 scanners as long as one of them has a FireWire connection. They replied that I must send photos of the box and the scanner to them before they would investigate. They did give me an apology. After all, apologies are free.

I sent about 10 photos of the box and the scanner including the back where the USB only connection was. That was 08/01/2014. I still have not heard anything else back from them and it is now 08/12/2014. They did not even send an email to let me know they received the photos and would start an investigation as they had promised. I know they got the photos because I checked with the email service and it was delivered properly.

Since they are not offering to give me a reduced price on a second V750 scanner with FireWire connection, I do not plan on ever buying anything from them again. I will stick with the web sites I know and trust from now on. It is obvious to me that Adorama has no intention of trying to make this right or even investigate as they promised. My advice to other buyers is not to buy anything from this company. They have not acted as a professional and trustworthy business should have behaved. An honest business would have been willing to properly investigate and then try to make the sale right in some way.

I order items from web sites often. My experience has been that others who sell over the internet are eager to correct their own errors and make things right with the buyer when a sale is not satisfactory for whatever reason. In this economy, competition is fierce. Those who sell need to treat buyers with respect or they will have no buyers. I hope this information helps someone else.

I called adorama customer care and request them to reach out to that person and let me explain him about the defect. Why I am sure is I am a technical manager for a well-known organisation. They have charged the restocking fees. Now my question is about the knowledge of Adorama technical team. Honestly speaking, trust me, if you want to throw some dollars you can shop from here. I am suggesting you not to buy any refurbished items from Adorama. It is an advice. Please try with some others like rakuten, new egg, etc.

Original Review: June 17, 2014

I ordered five (5) Western Digital RED Hard Drives from the company and patiently waited 1 week for them to arrive. I opened the box to discover all of the hard drives piled up on top of each other with no protective bubble wrap, no foam, no peanuts or any other protection. So the hard drives and their delicate circuit boards rubbed up against each other even tearing the seals open. Hard drives are extremely delicate and require thick protective foam around all corners and certainly between other drives. Their warehouse is obviously incompetent and I now must return them and hope I receive replacements with proper packaging. And that means I'll have to wait 2 more weeks while I have no storage. I should have read the other complaints before I ordered from this company.

They refused to let our card go thru (thanks to Visa) so I was still on the phone with Adorama when my husband relays this info to me. I told them what our credit card company told us and told them I preferred to just buy somewhere else. We then got red flags going up and called our credit card company back. Two hours later Adorama was STILL trying to use my credit card to get it to go thru! We closed the credit card! SCARY!!!!! I had heard good things about them in the past and have bought several things from them! BUYER BEWARE!!!!!

Till now (18 days later) I didn't hear anything from them at my many emails, telling them of my time lost and holding my money forever! My advice to you is avoid them at all cost!!!!! Worst company e-v-e-r encountered!!! Go with Amazon or B&H!! They advertised a product then send to you something different, and then they ask you for more money for the right product! You're going to lose a l-o-t of your t-i-m-e w-a-i-t-i-n-g for a refund or an answer from them!!! Atrocity. How come this type of company is still in business is a mystery! How come they have "good" reviews is another mystery (except their employees write them all day long!!!). Buyer be aware!!!!

Now, when the goods were shipped by Adorama through Express International shipment through UPS for which I paid for all the shipment charges. When the shipment arrived in Kuwait, local UPS agent denied to deliver the goods to me assigning a reason that the shipment contained restricted commodity. They however mentioned that the supplier can instruct to ship the parcel back to them if they wished. Even when I informed them that the local embargo on Samsung products only applied to bulk imports means for business they did not alter their decision. The latest shipment status till this day says "The shipment contains a restricted commodity. It is being processed based on the sender's instructions."

I contacted Adorama Customer Service and related the incident in details to them. Adorama said that if I agreed to bear the return shipment charges then they can recall the shipment and return the balance money or give me equivalent Credit to for other purchases on Adorama. I agreed to it immediately. After following up a few times I was told by Adorama that the parcel had been seized by the local Customs department as it contained restricted commodity and cannot be allowed to ship back. This sounded absurd to me.

Also, when I contacted local UPS office, they informed me that the parcel had been seized by local Customs. I then cross-checked with local customs to ascertain the facts. The local customs confirmed to me that they cross-checked all records and confirmed to me that they had NOT seized my parcel and that the parcel must still be with the courier. I approached the courier back, but they still maintained that the parcel has been seized by Customs and the parcel was now in the custody of Customs. When I asked for a Seizure Document duly signed and sealed by local Customs department, the local UPS staffs told me that the parcel had been seized from their custody by Customs without any document. I immediately smelt something fishy going on at the local UPS office.

I informed Adorama about it and asked them to demand the Seizure document (given by customs) if really my parcel were seized by local customs. But immediately with a few hours, ADORAMA informed me the following "We are truly sorry but there's nothing we can do about this issue". My grievance with ADORAMA is as they have accepted payment for the goods ordered, they are liable to deliver me either of the following: 1) the ordered goods, 2) provide me a copy of the Customs Seizure document if it has been seized and the items cannot be recalled back, 3) give me refund/credit voucher for failing to deliver me the goods

ADORAMA DID NONE OF THEM. HOW CAN ADORAMA WASH OFF THEIR HANDS AFTER ACCEPTING MONEY FOR WHICH THEY GAVE ME NEITHER THE GOODS/SEIZURE DOCUMENT/REFUND? It is really a very poor and shabby handling of the case and shows lack of seriousness in ADORAMA's intent of delivering quality customer service. I will refrain from ordering from ADORAMA henceforth.

I was shopping online for a new digital camera. I wanted to change from a DX system to an FX system. Adorama has a lot of positive reviews online so on January 3rd I called the store. I had read that they would buy your used gear. I did my homework before I called and got the going prices for my camera and five lenses. I researched several places that were selling used photography equipment.

I talked to Avi ** and he was very helpful and friendly. He ask what I had to sell, consulted his computer and gave me what I thought was a fair price, $1550.00. It was about two hundred dollars less than what I was asking for my gear. He also told me if I purchased my new camera from them I would get a discount on the prices they were asking online. I was excited and, right away, packed up my gear took it to UPS on Jan 6th. I even added a lens I was planning on keeping because he had given me such a fair price. With the added Macro lens my value now stood at about $2150 (based on his offer of the other gear).

I received an email from them on Jan 14th that my camera and lenses were there and had arrived in good condition. The email said someone would be calling me in eight to ten days. After one inquiry the sales department called me on Jan 28th. I talked to Jack ** who told me they would give me $1,100 for all my equipment. I was stunned based on what I had been told by Avi. When I hesitated trying to figure out if I wanted them to return my stuff, Jack quickly said they would also be giving me discounts on anything I ordered. By now it has been twenty-five days since this process had begun and my emotions are running high. I spent all that time studying cameras and lenses that I wanted. I was ready to get this deal done.

I said okay to their offer and placed my order. As it turned out, they did not give me any discounts, they sold me used or reconditioned items. Jack told me the camera (a Nikon D800) was a floor demo. Avi said in an email, "I understand your hesitation. We take great pride in making sure everything is in perfect working condition. If you have ANY issues you have 30 day return policy. If you need me please let me know. Thanks again!"

Adorama advertises they will ship an order the same day if placed before 8PM New York time. That did not happen and the order went out on Jan 29th. When I received the confirmation email the next day two items were incorrect. I called them and they sent the two (corrected) items along with an RMA so I could ship the wrong items back at their expense. The order arrived on Jan 29th (8 days after shipping). This entire process had taken a total of thirty-three days.

My order was a Nikon D800 and three lenses. One lens had an original box. Everything else, including the camera was wrapped in bubble wrap. It all came undamaged. They do pack well. Ten items were missing with the camera. If you buy a new one you get these ten items with your order. Since I was told this was a demo off the floor I would assume everything would come with the camera. Here are the ten items they left off: The owner's manual, a Nikon EN-EL15 battery (an off brand was substituted), Nikon MH-25 charger (an off brand was substituted and it is very poor quality), UC-E14 USB cable, AN-DC6 strap, cable clip, BM-12 monitor cover, BS-1 accessory shoe cover, Nikon View NX2 CD ROM and the original packaging (the box the camera comes in). The value of all this is only about $150.00 but it was things like this that I was never informed of that made this all so frustrating.

When it is all said and done I saved about $350 to $400 on the camera. In my estimation, it is not enough to warrant buying a reconditioned item. Knowing what I know now, having been through this, I would have gone straight to Amazon and bought the camera new and had it in two days. I honestly feel like I have been taken and it is a sick feeling to spend that much money and not be treated fairly. I have much more photo gear to buy and it will all come from Amazon and B&H because of this feeling of mistrust I have with Adorama.

Just beware, if you want to sell Adorama your gear, be prepared for a process like this. I was suckered into sending them my stuff with the inflated price they gave me in the beginning. I could have told them to send my camera and lenses back to me but then this month and a half long ordeal would have started all over again with another company. I will have to say in their defense, all the equipment was in good condition and the camera seems to be functioning, as it should. If you decide to go through this, good luck and be prepare to virtually give your used camera gear away to them and just know that they use bait & switch tactics.

The two incorrect items went back to them on Feb 6th. The refund was issued for the two items which were sent incorrectly on February 18th and 19th. That entire refund and mail back process took 14 days. It took a total of forty-nine days from the day I called Adorama to get a price on my gear until all items were delivered correctly and all refunds were issued back to my account.

In the past, I have considered Adorama for photographic and other consumer electronics but my experience has always been the same. Poor answers or none at all if using email and they simply do not have sufficient phone personnel to handle customers. Studies show that people simply will shop elsewhere. Also Adorama often has offers and "deals" which turn out to be somewhat deceptive. This may or may not be by design but you have to be very careful. I have my own explanation as to why Adorama is challenged but this would go into an area that is not appropriate for this venue.

There are many other online venues where the prices for consumer digital items such as cameras, PC's, Tablets, and other devices are competitive - where, as a customer, you can obtain quick answers and they have people who can actually answer your calls. They are not all in New York so shop around. I will now avoid Adorama. It should be noted that I purchased three mid-range DSLR's for myself/gifts during the past year and actually went to Adorama all three times. However, they simply seem to fall on their faces when it comes to responding to an information or pricing request.

I was aghast at myself for being nowhere near thorough enough to even notice that, PLUS I have well over 1,000 positive feedbacks and 0 negatives on eBay (better than Adorama!) and so was horrified that I had unintentionally victimized my client (through my failure to be thorough), but also horrified that Adorama had lied and sold me a very defective camera and then removed the serial number to escape any culpability!!!

I file an immediate claim with eBay, but unfortunately the time period for claims had expired. I filed the claim anyway because I could not believe Adorama had stooped to such a low level of lies, deceit and thievery! I later found out that what they had done is a felony offense of committing international mail fraud. I pointed this out to PayPal, eBay and Adorama. PayPal froze my funds because my client received this same broken camera through my being too trusting and not thorough.

I was on the phone with PayPal and eBay for more than 24 hours, diligently explaining over and over the full circumstances and finally one eBay supervisor told me that my solution I had created to have my client deliver the camera back to Adorama for full repair at no cost made sense and would be a fair and equitable solution. Several days later ebay contacted me and basically said Adorama did not have to repair the camera or refund my money and that I had to refund the money to my client. I of course did not have a problem with my client receiving a full refund but I have a major problem with PayPal, eBay and Adorama all working together to steal my money!!! DO NOT EVER TRUST ADORAMA, PAYPAL OR EBAY BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL LIARS AND THIEVES!!!

After dragging the claims process for 3 weeks, Adorama is now saying that their policy is to save the box for issuing a credit and denying any wrongdoing and they are not crediting back my money. Adorama is basically cheating the customer by not issuing credit for an undelivered item. Claims process was dragged out for 3 weeks and Adorama Customer Service person (Teena) lied that she told me to save the box (when she did not) and quoting some Adorama policies (which was never advised to me on phone or by email when filing the claim). Their missing item policy on their website also has no mention asking the customer to save the box. I still have all the emails and pictures as proof. Terrible Company - Do not use!

They would not sell me the other one; they would not fix it and they would not sell it to me as is and their posting says as follows: “Items Included: Fujinon TH13x3.5BRMU 13x 1/3" JVC ProHD Lens, Lens Hood, Tested prior to listing. Images are of actual items you will receive. Auction Info: Bid & Buy with Confidence!” All items have a Buy with Confidence! Buy with Confidence! Scammers! Buy at your own risk. They will waste your time and may cost you money if you are a business as they have done me.

This is really frustrating, not knowing what’s going on in the background. There is no ticket number or something that is assigned to you which you can use when calling customer care. Also, why should I suffer and keep waiting for my order until claims are done. The missing camera should have been shipped immediately.

They did offer to sell me an additional camera lens for a reduced price. However, their reduced price was not much less than if I'd have bought it online. What really upsets me, makes me angry and dissatisfied is that they were so unwilling to compromise one ** cent. It's obvious they have only one bottom line in mind when dealing with complaints: They won't budge and Adorama is to come out without any compromise. I would strongly urge others to reconsider dealing with Adorama.

They send me a bunch of crap about they didn't like the feedback I had left on eBay, which had nothing to do with me ordering from them at their website. These people are complete amateurs. They have a nice web presence, but they operate like a freaking Baghdad flea market. The only thing I can think is that these scam artists advertise low-ball prices online, in order to get search engine preference, and bug their competition, but they have no intention of selling at their advertised low prices.

As a result of their "abah-dabah" routine, I got jerked around, and had a PayPal charge to be reconciled, but eventually bought the item, and a lot more from their competition. People do need to know to stay away from these wannabes, because they are ricking getting get jerked around, lied to, and inconvenienced. They have a nice web store front, but under the surface, these amateur clowns are complete jerks. The New York Attorney General needs to put a muzzle on this operation for their fraudulent advertising and sales practices.

I notified them 14 days ago and still no resolution. The TV still sitting in the box in my garage, new car parked outside and they still have my money. I had 12 emails to Adorama and they still haven't even scheduled someone to come out and look at the damage so I can ship it back! Amazon is now involved to try and resolve, but that can take 14 days. Stay away!

Upon further examination, I noticed that the factory box had been opened and resealed at the bottom. I immediately called Buy.Com and was told Adorama was responsible, so I called them but their customer service department closed at 1:30 p.m. I then called Buy.Com back and was told that they would intervene on my behalf. I called Buy.Com back yesterday (Thursday) and was told Adorama responded and stated that I did not meet their return policy (which I did) and also, that I need to call the manufacturer and make arrangements for repair. I also e-mailed Adorama but never received a reply. Buy.Com is still working on this for me.

I also noticed that the bottom of the factory box had been opened and resealed. I tried calling Adorama, but their customer service closes at 1:30 p.m. on a Friday. I immediately logged a complaint with Buy.com and they contacted Adorama on my behalf. Adorama is stating that I exceeded the time limit for returns, which I did not. I also contacted Adorama by e-mail and received no response. I am awaiting Buy.com to resolve this. Stay tuned.

Anyway, this went on for a bit and was finally forgotten. Recently, I place an order through Buy.com for an item (NOT knowing), that Adorama would be the shipper.

To make a long story short, the item was shipped, and while it was out on the truck for delivery they recalled it.

Now, a company that bites off its own nose, to spite its face-- is not a good company to do business with anyway. I am also glad that they recalled the item that was out for delivery.

Anyway, as I never would have ordered, if I had known that it was this den of thieves that I was doing business with. Stay far away from any type of company that has complaint after complaint behind it, and some full-time clown doing damage control.

On the 21st of January 2011, I had purchased from their online store what I thought was a used Leica m 35mm summicron 7 element version. It was made in Canada (note the 7 element bit as this identifies the lens as a v.4. Summicron). Why did I think it was the 7 element version? It's because it was listed as the 7 element version (there is only one 7 element version that is made in Canada, the V4). This was purchased for $1249.00 (the invoice does not include the 7 element bit). Because it was such an expensive item, I decided to email them, just to make sure that they had listed the item correctly. This email was sent on Friday, January 21, 2011 at 4:32 pm. Adorama then replied on Sunday, Jan. 23, 2011 at 09:32:38 -0500, with this reply: “The lens has already been sent to shipping. It is not available for inspection.”

Because it was an expensive item, I knew I had to pay tax on it, and hence I needed to track the item. So a few days had passed, and I emailed them to get a tracking number (via UPS). And on Friday, Jan. 28, 2011 at 10:04:15 -0500 (a week after I had bought the lens), they wrote this: “As soon as the order ships, you will get a confirmation email with the tracking number.” What? I thought the lens was sent for shipping. I thought you didn't have the time to check whether you sold me the item that you listed. By the way, that's a week after I bought the item!

Then, I emailed them back. They confirmed that it has not been shipped yet. So, I waited. When it arrived to Australia, I had to pay $200 of the import tax (which I knew about and factored into my purchase). But to my surprise, they had sent me the Leica 35mm Summicron the 6 element or v3 version, not the v4 version which I thought that I had purchased. For those of you who are not familiar with the Leica lens line up, the v3 is much cheaper than the v4 version. I have seen them sold used for under $1000. Hence, I had good reason to think that I was purchasing the v4 version, especially when it was advertised as the 7 element version.

I have tried to contact them via email, and I am yet to get a reply. To me this sounds like a scam. They falsely advertise an item (especially to an overseas buyer). They reply to their email dishonestly. The buyer gets charged $200 tax on a lens that he did not intend to buy. They cease contact with the buyer once they have ripped him off.

Missing were the following: eyecup, wide neck strap EW-100 DGR, video cable VC-100, USB interface cable IFC-400PCU and no data cable, which is necessary to download files, no video cable, which is necessary to view images on a TV monitor and no neck strap, which is standard when you buy any new Canon camera body.

But most telling of all is that this camera has at least 9,000 shutter actuations on it, 8,870, to be exact. My first shot with the camera, using a newly formatted card, was 100-8871. The "8871 is the shot number using Canon's "continuous" numbering system. Like new! Little or no signs of use? With nearly 9,000 shutter actuations registering on the card, hardly! When I buy a demo or "like new" camera with "little or no signs of use", I do not expect there to be nearly 9,000 (or more) shutter actuations on it.

I feel ripped off and am now going to have to fight with the credit card company to reverse these charges, unless Adorama makes good on this by either giving me a full refund or a credit which reflects the difference between the fallacious "Demo" rating and a much lower rating, e.g., an E- or lower. E- camera bodies go for around $1050-1100 on their website.

Helen@adorama.com

Original Review: May 3, 2010

We received an order from a customer for a Meade 9mm illuminated reticle (this is a $70 eye cup, not a "piece of precision astronomical equipment" as is claimed in his posting on your site). Upon receipt of the item, the recipient emailed to advise us that it was clearly used and was "in a horrendous condition". Our shipping records lead us to believe that this is blatantly untrue; nevertheless the customer stated that unless we gave him a 25% discount to keep the item, he would post bad feedback on every possible board in an attempt to bring down both Adorama Camera and to put me out of employment.

We immediately sent him an apology and a pre-paid label to return it (actually, we sent 4 labels), but he is blasting us in every forum he can find. He has reduced his demand to 20% of the cost to keep the item. However, he has been advised that this is against company policy; if the item is in fact used, that is how it arrived to us as part of our inventory from the manufacturer and we need to return it. You need to be aware that in the posting on your site, this person has materially altered some of the emails which he claims to be from either myself or a member of our sales team. He has also quoted the experience of one customer whose case I dealt with personally, and who I remember very well was refunded and compensated in full.

Coincidentally, this member has placed a significant number of defamatory and harassing comments across a number of other websites and review sites, (which have subsequently been proven to be fictitious), involving other retailers and service providers in an attempt to reap financial gain. You are most welcome to contact me directly for additional information. In the meantime, we request that you consider the removal of the individual's posting. Thank you.

Would you want to do business with this company? Google "Adorama complaints" are no fewer than 20,400 complaints! I'm sure Adorama believes that they were all trying to rip them off also. I make a very good living and do not need Adorama’s 20% discount. But what I do need is for companies like this to stop sending out used merchandise as new. Enclosed please find the letters of harassment:

First Email: On Wed., Apr 28, 2010 at 5:11 am, Helen wrote: Mr. ** before you speak with Monique, a question; why Adorama? I actually fretted about you last night and slept badly, believing that we had treated you very badly. The Internet is a very big and powerful tool, in both honest and upright hands, as well as being a weapon for the dishonest and unscrupulous.

Second Email: **. Following your scurrilous and altogether unacceptable postings on certain websites, we have instructed our legal team. We have been advised by our legal team, following their initial investigations, that you filed for bankruptcy in Arizona, that you have claimed, falsely that you were formerly a licensed commercial pilot and that you have a Ph.D in Science. We are also aware that you use a number of aliases to attempt to solicit funds from retailers and service suppliers. I feel it is only fair to warn you that each and every false allegation that you make against Adorama will be refuted, and will be used in evidence against you. Therefore, be warned; this 'case' as you call it, is most certainly not closed.

Email from Jerry **: "Raymond, Based on your classless email to Helen, and yesterday's verbal abuse towards our customer service representative, it is quite obvious that your attempted blackmailing at trying to get a cheaper price and failing has upset you. It didn't work at some other companies as well as you are well aware (just google it). We gave you your final offer to return it and now we retract that offer. While you may have a lot of time to waste, we on the other hand are confident that for every customer we lose, we can gain another. The internet is a powerful tool and we use it to our advantage. Have a nice day. Sincerely, Jerry **, Supervisor/Adorama, Inc., 42 West 18th Street, New York, NY 10011"

These people like to post lies about other people and go on a campaign of revenge when those people complain about their service.

Three choices are possible now:

(1) I can return the item postage paid by Adorama and stop billing on my credit card.

(2)A 20% discount will be applied to my merchandise for receiving an open and repackaged box not marked as such, and notification of the proper authorities will be dropped. (Local BBB, YouTube video, Ripoffreport.com, Astronomy boards) among others.

(3) You can send me out a "new item", overnight it. This was my first order via Adorama and quite possibly my final one. The outcome is dependent on your response. I will also email the owner(s) if I receive a blow-off. This package tells a marvelous story about Adorama.

The shop insists in the blind reading of their website's text, which says in the event a shipment is refused and returned, any taxes, duties, custom fees, brokerage fees or shipping charges incurred from this return will be the responsibility of the customer. But if it would apply to a cracked product also, it means that any Adorama's fault will cost the consumer at least the loss of his duties money. Since I cannot legally ship to them the product in the way they requested, in fact they forced me to choice between two options, both of which imply losses or only my duties refund or remain with a cracked binocular. In other words, instead of investigating and putting the blame on the one responsible for the crack to whom these costs must be ascribed, Adorama insists in this grievance against consumer's rights, understanding that what I did was a frivolous refuse, without taking its own charge. Thank you very much for your attention.

I had to wait (after an initial wait of 10-12 minutes) another 15-20 minutes to speak to an associate. I explained what I wanted and had a print out from their website. He said I would be getting the same bag I got before. They are two completely different bags. I thanked him and the store for wasting my time and told the associate the store needs to change what is online because it is defective and inaccurrate.

As a result, I was not able to go to a competitor store, as I had not more time on my lunch and the store hours do not comport to my work hours (and Fridays they close earlier for Shabbos observance). I believe this is probably not the first time this has happened. And I would have been just as angry even if I got the product elsewhere but now I have nothing and I needed it for a trip.

The item I intended to purchase was described online and in the store as the letter D or Demo or Demonstration. The aforementioned terms describes the item as (the act of presenting something; "he gave the customer a demonstration" Excerpt: showing; exposition, demonstration; exhibition, production..."). I was appalled by the treatment I then received, and is it your policy that if a customer disagrees with your rating system he is then subjected to treatment equivelent to that of a Criminal?

I am hopeful that this letter reaches the appropriate individual(s) so that they may take a PRO-ACTIVE position rather than a re-active one when another customer disagrees with these individuals.