Subpar Experience with MPB

[Braineack]

They sell used equipment. Any warranty coverage still applicable on an item is between you and the manufacturer -- which a lot don't honor unless you have proof of purchase new.

mpb handled my return very well; the d800 I picked up unfortunately had a terrible back focusing issue and I had to return it. they sent a return label and I dropped it off with fedex, no issue.

 

[mpbcom]

The site shows the company is registered in the UK. I wonder about warranty coverage; the site's page on warranty talks about 6 month coverage but I didn't see anything about US manufacturer warranty coverage on purchases. Scroll down to the bottom to FAQs.

Thanks for bringing that to our attention - it should be listed as our US office! We will get this fixed ASAP.

 

[mpbcom]

Hello everyone, we would like to point out here that we do offer Free Shipping across the US - it was overnight shipping that had been selected in this case which there is a fee for. Thanks!

I had a very similar experience when I bought my D750 from them. It came missing the rubber cover for the battery grip port and the battery included was a beat up third party battery.

Neither was a deal breaker and they probably got it that way, but the photos showed the rubber cover in place.

Contacted them to inquire about the missing rubber cover and they told me that would have one shipped to me right away.

It’s been 6+ months and I no longe own the camera, but still haven’t seen the cover show up.

My experience was that they’re a whole lot of talk but not much actual action.

Very interesting. After ordering (of course), I saw a few other reviews indicating similar, negative experiences. It's sad, because they advertise so much on TPF and on other forums. I was hoping they would be another option to the other big used sellers, but I'm probably not going to use them again.

Whenever they get feedback they don't like, they tend to just not respond, which is absolutely unacceptable for any company of any employee size.

What's funny is that the lens cap that I received is a beat-up third party lens cap, which seems to be mirror your third party battery.

I’m left with thinking that this is a case of false advertising and/or bait and switch.

At most companies larger than say; two or three people, the people who take the orders do not know what the warehouse has. And sometimes the customer service people have no idea how the website got written.

On a related note:

I had a bad experience with The Grainger Company. I ordered disposable gloves in what I thought should be my correct size. The gloves I received were too large, (even though they were labeled in my size) and when I called customer service, all I got was "go to the B&M store (40 miles away) and try them on". I guess I was hoping the customer service person would just offer to exchange them for a different size, but that's not what was offered. I told the customer service representative that, frankly, I don't care if I ever order anything from them ever again. No service, no shoes, no shirt.

Sorry to hear your experiences with The Grainger Company. It's funny how sometimes the easiest solutions that would make everyone happy are the ones that companies don't want to do. Something as simple as exchanging your gloves makes so much sense, that's pretty bad customer service right there!

What made me mad about my experience with MPB was that my question was via email (so they had all the time in the world to check with their other departments), and was told positively that the accessories came with the lens. Then, when I asked where the accessories were, the response was, "oh, whoops, I should have checked". Since this is all done by email, I can get you the exact response as opposed to my paraphrased response.

@waday and @Destin

That's disappointing to hear. I had been very tempted by a used Fuji 90mm on their website a few months ago but the timing wasn't right and when I went back to look for it, it was gone. Have been sort of annoyed at myself about it but now wondering if I dodged a bullet.

Given their lack of feedback to me, and given their lack of a response on here so far, my assumption would be to avoid them like the plague.

One other thing that annoyed me during my buying process is that, yes, sometimes the products are cheaper than other used sites, but the shipping from MPB was ridiculously expensive. Most other places offer free shipping with prices over a certain amount. Shipping from MPB is NOT FREE, therefore, any savings you have from the cheaper products are eaten up by the shipping costs.

Given the issues I've had thus far, my recommendation would be to avoid them. I don't think I trust them with used equipment.

All of this could be very easily resolved if @mpbcom responds, which I hope they do.

 

[waday]

Hello everyone, we would like to point out here that we do offer Free Shipping across the US - it was overnight shipping that had been selected in this case which there is a fee for. Thanks!

Huh. I don't recall free shipping being an option given to me. If that option does indeed exist, perhaps you should make it clearer to your customers.

Also, just curious, are you indicating that I opted for overnight shipping? Because, I didn't. If that's what I paid for, I didn't get overnight shipping. I recall standard shipping as approximately $20, second day being $24. I opted for second day, because I was willing to pay a few dollars more. Had I known about a free option, I would have likely gone that route.

 

[Braineack]

selecting "no hurry" was free. I remember that. I splurged the ~$15 shipping option for "priority" which ended up being two-day.

 

[waday]

selecting "no hurry" was free. I remember that. I splurged the ~$15 shipping option for "priority" which ended up being two-day.

Thanks, good to know. "No hurry" should just say "free". Why make it harder for customers?

On the topic of shipping... my wife texted me that I received the lens hood this morning. My wife said it's metal, so that's a good sign. I'll have to see the quality and fit when I get home.

MPB's customer service did indeed contact me yesterday afternoon. According to their internal investigation, I was supposed to receive a follow-up email detailing what was happening, but they didn't send it out. They were waiting to see if they received any used lens hoods for my lens. Since they didn't receive one, they ordered a third-party lens hood and sent it for overnight delivery for today. I don't get a case.

All in all, I'm glad they sent the lens hood, I'm sad about not receiving a case, and I really wish this whole process could have avoided public posts on a forum.

 

[goooner]

I appreciate the public post on the forum

 

[mpbcom]

Hello everyone, we would like to point out here that we do offer Free Shipping across the US - it was overnight shipping that had been selected in this case which there is a fee for. Thanks!

Huh. I don't recall free shipping being an option given to me. If that option does indeed exist, perhaps you should make it clearer to your customers.

Also, just curious, are you indicating that I opted for overnight shipping? Because, I didn't. If that's what I paid for, I didn't get overnight shipping. I recall standard shipping as approximately $20, second day being $24. I opted for second day, because I was willing to pay a few dollars more. Had I known about a free option, I would have likely gone that route.

We do offer it - it's the 'No Hurry' option which takes longer, but you're right - it should be made clearer so I have passed this on to our development team.

Apologies - you hadn't selected overnight shipping, but it was one of the options with a fee. Thanks.

 

[waday]

I appreciate the public post on the forum

Very true. If it's helpful for potential customers, especially to see how the company responds publicly, I'm happy to do it.

While I may be soured from this experience (and it'll be some time before I go to their site again), I am glad that MPB did respond. In this day and age, public posts are also, unfortunately, the only way to keep companies accountable for what they do and to get them to respond to customer complaints.

 

[goooner]

Well to sum up.
You did not get everything you paid for. Destin did not receive the original Nikon battery, or rubber seal. Brainiak paid $15 for a busted D800, was able to send it back for free though. The lady mentions them having a branch in the US, but only responds in UK business hours.

Who knows, I've been posting here for a while now, and trust your experiences more than I do on-line likes, or whatever rating system they have.

Would be good if anyone on here has had any positive experiences when buying from them.

Thank you again for posting this. Was really considering getting something over the Christmas period.

 

[SquarePeg]

While I appreciate the public posts, it's unfortunate that they were necessary in order for you to get a response. I'm curious to see if Destin ever gets his battery.

 

[Braineack]

Brainiak paid $15 for a busted D800, was able to send it back for free though.

thing had like 80K clicks on it and was priced accordingly. and I know some d800s were plagued with backfocusing issues, but I was a little surprised one so well used had it -- might have been why the PO sold it.

I'm not sour, sure it was a bummer but they handled the return in stride (some places don't send a return label) and there's always a risk in used equipment; I'm sure it is serviceable. I called on my lunch break at noon here on the East Coast and got someone on the phone.

To be clear: I specifically chose to pay extra for shipping over the free option. I actually thought the shipping prices were very reasonable, and I liked the delivery day estimates; it came the day that was estimated at check out.

I would have bought another one they had listed in place, but it sold the day before.

 

[vintagesnaps]

It seems to keep getting easier to make a website look impressive but that might/may not match the quality of the company behind it. It's probably worthwhile to scroll down and look at About or FAQs; there are often red flags. It may not be worth it to make a purchase to possibly save a few bucks when there are other reputable business that are trustworthy.

 

[Destin]

It seems to keep getting easier to make a website look impressive but that might/may not match the quality of the company behind it. It's probably worthwhile to scroll down and look at About or FAQs; there are often red flags. It may not be worth it to make a purchase to possibly save a few bucks when there are other reputable business that are trustworthy.

Yep. I’ll be sticking to BH, KEH, or Adorama from now on. I’d buy on eBay before I bought from MPB again.

 

[mpbcom]

Hi everyone,

It really disappoints us to hear that some of you have had negative experiences - as a company we're very committed to maintaining the exceptional customer service we've always been known for.

We really appreciate the feedback and will ensure we take this on board and put measures in place to avoid these issues continuing to happen in future.

Thanks,

Clare