Plese tell me if what Adorama did seems legit

[TMC]

Im in the market for some strobes and I find a Elinchrom 500/500 BXRi To Go kit with stands, in used "D" condition, which is "little or no signs of wear". The price was $960 and than it cost me $22.50 for shipping. A new 500/500 BXRi kit on B&H is going for $1,249.99 so I figured I was getting a pretty good deal, right??? After my delivery arrives and I start opening the boxes I start to realize their are no Portalite soft boxes($119x2), no Skyport SPEED transmitter($109.99), and no monolight carry bag($94.49). That is a total of $442.48!!! Their is however, a standard reflector($39.99) and a wide angle reflector($23.74) in their which is weird since neither of those items come with the kit. 1st thing I do is go to check the listing to see if I missed something but its "conveniently" gone from their site. I do however have the invoice in the box and it lists Elinchrom 2X 500 BXRi TOGO KIT W/STNDS but that clearly isn't what i received. So I make a call to Adorama and explain what is going on and the rep. says she will get back to me after she speaks with the used department. Well after days of emails back and forth and a couple phone calls I am told they will not send me the missing items, that the kit didn't come with them and that best I can do is accept it as is or return it. So now to get the kit I actually wanted I have to spend $442 more! $442+$982= $1424!!!!! I should have just went to B&H and got a NEW kit for $175 less and without the headaches and delay. Do you think it is right that Adorama can decide to remove and replace items at their desecration and just call it "used" without making that clear in their description. To me a 500 BXRi TOGO kit is something that Elinchrom marketed and has decided what items they wanted to include in it, NOT ADORAMA! If Adorama, or some employee in the used department wanted to take out good items for themselves or whatever reason than it should have not been sold as a 500 TO GO kit, and certainly not use the same pictures and links to the complete 500/500 to go kit with all the original items in it. Well I decide I am going to return it and shop elsewhere from now on but 1st I am going to have to pay for the return shipping. Talk about a smack in the face!! I already paid $22.50 to have it shipped to me, now I will have to pay again to send it back because they didn't list the item correctly. I advise anyomne that is going to purchase anything used to be aware of my experience and not be fooled into assuming as I did, that Adorama, a company with 10 MILLION IN REVENUE wouldn't be out to screw over the little guy! I should have kept my guard up, ya know the way you do if purchasing something from craigslist!!! Please let me know your thoughts and if their is something I should do or I am just not seeing.


Edit: After contacting Helen Oster of Adorama all of my issues were addressed and resolved beyond my expectations. I could not begin to tell you how great a person Helen is and how lucky Adorama is to have her. I will also be purchasing from Adorama in the future, in fact I already have made another purchase. I recommend anyone that is having issues with Adorama to reach out to Helen Oster or her peers before creating a thread such as this one. If I would have gotten this advice or even knew of this option you wouldn't be reading this right now.

 

[Tee]

Yes. You got a raw deal. I have the same kit and love it, btw. I got mine through B&H. Helen Oster, the rep from Adorama, will probably reply to you in the morning when she sees this. You may get righted from the wrong so give it a day before taking your biz elsewhere.

 

[KmH]

Jeez. Big blocks of text are a pain to read. So I didn't.

I hope it works out for you. :thumbup:

 

[480sparky41 41]

Get back on the phone, and start working your way up the management ladder.

 

[2fastlx]

B&H has never let me down. Adorama however has. Last order they shipped the wrong thing and the one before that took over 10 days to receive. I really used to like them but 2 bad orders in a row are enough for me not to use them again.

 

[Derrel]

Jeez. Big blocks of text are a pain to read. So I didn't.

I hope it works out for you. :thumbup:

Is that attitude REALLY needed, Keith? I mean seriously... it only makes you look like an ass...

The poster is a new member and a newbie poster...

Your public smart alecky-ness seems...oh I don't know...unbecoming of a TPF moderator. Or are you just acting as a "regular member"???

 

[cgipson1]

Did Adorama's listing state those items were in the boxes? If not, then it wasn't their fault if you assumed they were.

But yea.. I would return it.. or ask for more money off.....

And a lot of us have never had any issues with Adorama!

 

[nycphotography]

These things can happen with used stuff. That's why Adorama lets you return it pretty much unconditionally.

I'd just return it and give "not as described" as the reason.

Then you can buy whatever you want as a replacement, from adorama, b&h, or from wherever.

 

[Derrel]

Here's a similar thread from about a week ago...a tale of woe, also involving Adorama and used studio lighting gear...

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...uying-experience-adorama-used-department.html

The fact that others have "not had any issues with Adorama" has ZERO, absolutely ZERO, bearing on the problems suffered by other customers. I myself had a big issue with them...they sold me one flash tube, then made me wait for WEEKS for multiple other tubes which they had listed as In-STOCK when I placed the order.

Stating that, "Hey, I've never had any problems with Adorama," doesn't mean SQUAT. it's a meaningless statement. And I notice the same poster made the SAME allegation in the prior thread--specifically, that "he" had not had any issues with the company in question. Well...that doesn't mean jack-squat. Millions of people have died of cancer. But hey...I have never even contracted cancer. So--cancer must therefore not ever be a problem. Right???

Adorama accepting my almost $600 order for multiple Speedotron flashtubes, billing me, then shipping me ONE flash tube, then making me wait WEEKS for the remaining $500 worth of identical-model tubes to be shipped is not what I call ethical or acceptable. It's called "computer-controlled inventory".

Using a manufacturer's "kit" designation and photo, then selling a stripped version????? If that is true, that is exceedingly unethical. A serious rip-off. Utterly unacceptable.

 

[manicmike]

I'd just return it.

For the record Adorama has always been easy to work with for me.

 

[480sparky41 41]

Did Adorama's listing state those items were in the boxes? If not, then it wasn't their fault if you assumed they were.

But yea.. I would return it.. or ask for more money off.....

And a lot of us have never had any issues with Adorama!

If, by the OP's description, all that stuff is included in the original sale of the KIT, then all that stuff should be included in any following sales of the KIT. If this is the kit, then what's listed should be in the box.



OTOH, check your packing slips.... maybe it's been shipped in more than one box and the other box(es) haven't made it yet.

 

[Overread18 6]

Contact Helen from Adorama's customer service department - she has an account here on the forums and she regularly checks it for messages (as well as scouts the net for problems like this). If anyone in Adorama can help you she can and its likely a lot faster than trying to climb up the management chain to get to more answers at the top.

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/members/29476.html

You can also send her an email here:
HelenO@adorama.com

Like I said for a resolution to any problem with Adorama Helen is the go to person if their normal customer service line fails to resolve the issue to a satisfactory standard.

 

[cgipson1]

If, by the OP's description, all that stuff is included in the original sale of the KIT, then all that stuff should be included in any following sales of the KIT. If this is the kit, then what's listed should be in the box.
.

I agree.. but since we can't see the used listing since it isn't there anymore, we will never know.. will we?

 

[TMC]

Did Adorama's listing state those items were in the boxes? If not, then it wasn't their fault if you assumed they were.

But yea.. I would return it.. or ask for more money off.....

And a lot of us have never had any issues with Adorama!

The listing was for a 500/500 BXRi TO GO kit with stands. So did I assume I would get an actual 500/500 BXRi TO GO kit with stands from a major photography equipment sales company and not something different?? Yes i did. If this was some jerk on craigslist I would expect such a thing but from a company with 10 million in sales, not so much. And like you I have had good experiences with Adorama too but their used department just seems shady to me now. So bottom line I will lose around $50 in shipping charges, possibly more. Live and learn. I know I don't need to even say it but... Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Well that was once!

 

[TMC]

Yeah that is the kit. Here is the link straight from my confirmation email shortly after i made the purchase.

Used Elinchrom 2x 500 Bxri Togo Kit W/stnds
sure looks the same as the one you posted, right??

edit: I just noticed on the used page it even says "complete". I surely will be contacting Adorama in the A.M.

OTOH, check your packing slips.... maybe it's been shipped in more than one box and the other box(es) haven't made it yet.[/QUOTE]

I hoped that too but definitely not the case. Too many emails and phone calls for them to not have picked up on that. And the rep told me those items dont come in the kit. Since when?


I will try to contact Helen tomorrow morning before i head to the post office. Honestly I cant wait till I can get back to building my studio and taking pictures.

Thanks everyone for your time and comments.. It feels good to know that I am not totally crazy.