Adorama used lens ratings, anyone have experience with them?

response from Adorama Camera

Shangheye said:

Anyone can nitpick on service, but personally my experiences have all been excellent with Adorama. If I were to have a gripe it is that despite being a repeat seller, I have to go through the same verification process on my cards etc, every time, because I am living in Belgium. Not a problem, but time and money consuming with international calls etcThe rating system has been fair with me to date. Rgds, Kal

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Can you contact me directly: helen.oster@adoramacamera.com?

I can't promise, but it's worth us looking to see if our records are up-to-date and if there is anything that we could do to make your life easier.

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

.... I've just reconsidered my long-held evaluation of Adorama... for the better.

They (you, Helen) are LISTENING!!

Now to bookmark Adorama's web site...

Thank you

Ed Sukach said:

.... I've just reconsidered my long-held evaluation of Adorama... for the better.

They (you, Helen) are LISTENING!!

Now to bookmark Adorama's web site...

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Thank you, Ed - and if you need any help with an order from Adorama, please don't hesitate to contact me directly: helen.oster@adoramacamera.com

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

Ed Sukach said:

.... I've just reconsidered my long-held evaluation of Adorama... for the better.

They (you, Helen) are LISTENING!!

Now to bookmark Adorama's web site...

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Ditto!

I can't begin say how much it matters to me that someone is listening and responding. It is totally refeshing and gives much confidence. Bravo.

C

I was thrilled with Adorama. I bought and paid for an item on Tuesday last week. It arrived Thursday. I live in Vancouver B.C. so that is ALOT of miles to cover. UPS only charged $4 ! Have my Christmas order ready to go.When I did my business it was with Izzy. He seemd like a good person to deal with.

Excellent and I agree

Fotoguy20d said:

In general, I think Adorama's ratings are very fair in terms of glass but only fair to slightly optimistic in terms of cosmetics (but I still buy used from them) and KEH's tend to be very fair to pesimistic (as in, it'll be better than they say)

Dan

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My Minolta 807si from KEH was rated EX+, but I'd call it mint. It's that good. OTOH my last used camera from Adorama was a Pentax ME Super that they rated E+... generously.

I bought a used lens from the Adorama eBay department recently. The price I paid was good, I thought, but the description was way off the mark from what I got. The listing said "barrel shows some use, but not abuse" but neglected to mention the large dents from it having been dropped. It also did not mention the amazing amount of epoxy smeared all over the flash selection switch and surrounding areas. The last part of the description "mechanically sound!" I guess sums it up, but the photo on the listing and what I got were not one and the same as far as I could tell. I was less than thrilled and had to spend quite a lot of time cleaning it up, both inside and out.

Yeah, it kinda-sorta worked out in the end, but if I had it to do over again I would have paid a few extra bucks for a lens from KEH where I know that everything is seriously under-, not over-rated.

Response from Helen Oster at Adorama Camera

Bosaiya said:

I bought a used lens from the Adorama eBay department recently. The price I paid was good, I thought, but the description was way off ........
Yeah, it kinda-sorta worked out in the end,

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I was concerned to read your posting; as you know, Adorama offers a 90-day return guarantee on all Used items, so I hope that this was honored in your case.

In response to suggestions from our customers, we have recently changed our rating system, as below:

Adorama rating system

N) New (Brand new)
All original packaging and manuals included.

D) Demo (Like New) 98-100% of original condition
Like New with little or no signs of use

E+) Excellent Plus 96-97% of original condition
May have slight wear, but only visible under close up inspection.

E) Excellent 90-95% of original condition
Lens Glass very clean - cosmetically may show slight wear and/or signs of use

E-) Excellent Minus 85-89% of original condition
Shows signs of moderate use - Lens Glass is perfect but may have some dust which will not affect picture quality

V) Very Good 75-84% of original condition
Appears well used and may include dings, brassing, scrapes and bruises but is in fully functional condition. Glass may have marks or haze that should not affect picture quality

G) Good 50-74% of original condition
Appears to have been used very heavily, with multiple dings, scrapes, scratches and heavy brassing. Glass may have fungus, excessive dust and/or scratches that can affect picture quality

F) Fair Item works with certain malfunctions. Read comments for exact malfunction details

X) For parts only

Accessories:
New – As Packaged by manufacturer
For all other grades – Instruction books, caps, batteries, cases, and straps are sold separately, except when specified

All digital cameras are packed with Battery and charger, except when stated otherwise.



If you feel that you still have unresolved issues in respect of this purchase, could you contact me directly with the date of your order and the order number: helen.oster@adoramacamera.com

Sincerely

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Sevice Ambassador

I think the 90 days is as fair as it can be. Majority eBay sellers give you 1 Wk. but it takes 14 deays before you receive it. Shipping to Canada is never very fast but Adorama did it in 2. Have been short changed by a few sellers on eBay. So far I bought 4 power winders for my Canons and 1 is excellent and one S L O W. The other 2 did not even make it through 2 rls of 24 shot film. eBay will not do anything after 1 week of the end of sale date. Thank-you for your realistic operations.

HelenOster said:

I was concerned to read your posting; as you know, Adorama offers a 90-day return guarantee on all Used items, so I hope that this was honored in your case.

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I didn't return it. There was a lengthy delay between the time I paid and the time it shipped (emails were ignored and I had to place a call several days later). Since I purchased the lens for a specific shoot I needed it quickly and ended up paying extra for expedited shipping. The amount of money I would lose just in shipping costs would nix the idea. That and it was "mechanically sound" as stated in the listing, so I don't feel like I was lied to. I've been spoiled by KEH and I guess I was expecting KEH quality.

Like I said, it was a learning experience and what I learned was to stick with KEH. No disrespect to Adorama, I've bought plenty of new stuff from them, I just don't trust the used department between the lack of communication and misrepresentation of the item. Or maybe a better way to say it is that with KEH being so astoundingly good, having set the bar so incredibly high, I can't imagine why I would want to risk going someplace else.

And yes, the Adorama return policy is great! It's just not always practical to take advantage of it. If the item were completely unuseable it would be one thing, but in this instance it's just not worth it.

Adorama response

Bosaiya said:

I didn't return it. There was a lengthy delay between the time I paid and the time it shipped (emails were ignored and I had to place a call several days later). Since I purchased the lens for a specific shoot I needed it quickly and ended up paying extra for expedited shipping. The amount of money I would lose just in shipping costs would nix the idea. That and it was "mechanically sound" as stated in the listing, so I don't feel like I was lied to. I've been spoiled by KEH and I guess I was expecting KEH quality.

Like I said, it was a learning experience and what I learned was to stick with KEH. No disrespect to Adorama, I've bought plenty of new stuff from them, I just don't trust the used department between the lack of communication and misrepresentation of the item. Or maybe a better way to say it is that with KEH being so astoundingly good, having set the bar so incredibly high, I can't imagine why I would want to risk going someplace else.

And yes, the Adorama return policy is great! It's just not always practical to take advantage of it. If the item were completely unuseable it would be one thing, but in this instance it's just not worth it.

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Just to clarify, the 90 day return policy referred to, is the guarantee in the event that the item is faulty.

We are aware that in spite of items being thoroughly checked upon receipt and prior to despatch, there are odd occasions when an item is mis-rated. In these cases we are always ready to exchange an item or consider a partial refund if an error has been made.
We are hoping that the new rating system (as above) will eliminate these errors.

The other point to bear in mind, is that the Adorama Used Department has a vast number of items available that are not sold on Ebay.

However - unless you are seeking a particular item that is unavailable from your current supplier, then you are absolutely right to continue to shop where you feel comfortable.

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador