From morgana.mat.uc.pt!news.rccn.net!Portugal.EU.net!mcvax!EU.net!news.maxwell.syr.edu!mindspring!usenet Thu Jun  5 14:14:36 1997
Path: morgana.mat.uc.pt!news.rccn.net!Portugal.EU.net!mcvax!EU.net!news.maxwell.syr.edu!mindspring!usenet
From: baldycotton@mindspring.com
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.misc
Subject: How to buy cameras by mail0order
Date: Wed, 28 May 1997 19:55:09 GMT
Organization: MindSpring Enterprises, Inc.
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Every single day there are posts in these newsgroups from people who
have been cheated by certain mail-order stores. Before you purchase by
mail-order, do the following…

1.  Know what you want to buy. If they don’t have it, say "thanks" and
hang up. Don’t let someone on the phone talk you into a "bargain" that
you are not knowledgeable about. You WILL regret it. NEVER let them
talk you into a product you are not familiar and comfortable with. It
WILL be inferior.
2.  Read this newsgroup and ask for advice about equipment, prices,
shipping charges, and any alternatives. You will get good advice! It
drives all of us more experienced photographers and equipment buyers
crazy to keep reading posts saying "I think I was just ripped-off."
It is avoidable! Learn first, buy later. We like helping!
3.  Always purchase by charge card! Use Visa, Mastercard, American
Express, whatever, but be certain you can call the card company and
get help if you think the store is trying to dupe you. Don’t give them
your charge card number until you are absolutely certain you are ready
to buy. Never purchase by check, until you have established the
honesty and integrity of the dealers from whom you are buying.
4.  When you start the conversation, ask for the salesman’s name. 
5.  Ask if it is all definitely in stock. Ask if it will be shipped
immediately. If it is on back-order, cancel the order and call back
after you expect the product to be available. Otherwise, they may bill
you today and ship it to you in six months, if at all.
6.  Ask if it is new, and if it has a USA warranty. (Assuming you live
in the US)
7.  Ask what the return policy is. If you have read their
advertisement in a magazine, look for printed information on the
return policy.
8.  Ask them what the shipping charges will be. They may not be able
to give you an "exact" price, but they will give you an estimated
price. If it sounds too high, cancel the order.
9.  Ask them how soon you will receive your order. 10 to 12 days is
reasonable. 
10.  For safety, you can use a fax to get your pricing, availability,
and warranty information. That way, you will have a hard copy for the
record. If they will not communicate by fax, take your business
elsewhere. You can use the fax to dispute charges with the card
company if you need to.
11.  Be polite, and expect them to be polite. Expect them to answer
your questions patiently, but understand that they don’t have all day
to explain features, etc. Be reasonable. You should know all this
before you call. If they are abusive, tell them so, and hang up.
12.  If you don’t receive your entire order, call and ask why. If you
don’t receive the balance within a few days, cancel the balance. Call
your card company and tell them you have done so. 
13.  If your products are defective, incomplete, no warranty cards,
etc., call and tell them you are returning it. Then, return it
immediately by registered mail or UPS.
14.  Watch out for those add-ons. Be grateful if the salesman
recommends you buy a battery for your new camera, but if he suggests
things that you are wary about, filters, flash, etc., say "No thank
you. I can’t afford that yet", then do your homework before buying it.
Some of the stores that are most highly recommended by users of this
group are:
B&H Photo, New York City
Camera World, Oregon
Del’s Camera, California
Keh Camera Brokers, Georgia
Adorama, New York City
Charlotte Camera, North Carolina

Many writers have complained about the following stores. It is
recommended that you do not do business with them:
Cambridge Camera Exchange, New York City
Smile Photo, New York City
Focus Camera, New York City
Beach Photo, Maine, New Jersey, Florida
Wall Street Camera, New York City (some good reviews also)
Su’s, New Jersey
Abe’s of Maine
Honest Abe, New York City
CCI, New York City

My personal experience is only with B&H, who was wonderful, and
Cambridge, who lied to me. The rest I’ve gleaned from reading the NG.
I’ll try to post this often for the benefit of new readers. Comments
are welcome.
Dave