Adoroma Shopping? Is it worth it?

I am in need of some new ND filters for a new lens I just purchased & due to

B&H being closed for the Jewish Holidays earlier this month, I decided to try

Adoroma for them. What an experience?

 

It took 2 days (48 hours) for them to verify my order- paid with an Amex.

 

Then took 2 more days to put 2 ND filters in a box and alert me they were ready

to ship.

 

Now a full 4 days later they e-mail saying that the items shipped and provided

the wrong tracking number on the box. I call customer service with my order

number and receive no assistance since it is close to closing time 4:30pm.

 

Now at the beginning of day 5, I receive a new confirmation number for my order

and indicate that this box is ready to ship. Not sure what this is all about- 1

filter in each box or what? I'll call tomorrow when then open.

 

My experience with B&H Photo of NYC has been outstanding and may be that is why

I am so fustrated with Adoroma. B&H knows how to do it and they do it better

and faster than others with outstanding prices.

 

Just curious if others have experienced the same? Not shopping at Adoroma again.

 

I placed an order for the same items at B&H Photo this past Monday since the ND

filters will arrive late for my photo trip. Buying the same goods and having

Next Day Air shipping still proved less than Adoroma!

 

Comments?

If you ordered from Adorama online the same day B&H was closed then Adorama was also closed for the same reason. Of course that doesn't explain the shipping problems. I've ordered from Adorama with no problems.

Everytime I order from Adorama it takes days to ship. At least they are honest unlike some NYC dealers.

 

B&H and Calumet ship same day. As I am near Chicago, Calumet items arive the next day. Same for Helix Photo, but their shipping is sky high. I needed the special Nikon cable release fast and Calumet had no stock.

 

Calumet was never out of anything years ago. Something has changed.

Adorama is not B&H. In fairness my few mail order experiences with them all went down fine.

 

 

But in their downtown Manhattan store they have managed to annoy me a few times. Little things like trying to sell me extremely "short dated" unrefrigerated pro films as fresh. Or their famous "shrink wrapped" used cameras. The salesman told me after I bought it "I could unwrap it". I'm the fussy type I like to see if a camera works before I'll pay for it.

 

 

There is unfortunately a lot of drama associated with buying from these people. Instant charges to one's card, and many weeks later shipping. They seem to want to bring NYC camera shopping back to the bad old days when this crap was the norm.

 

 

B&H was a breath of needed fresh air when they opened years ago. And if you'll notice many of the real rip off places closed their doors because they couldn't compete with low prices, and actually having to ship something to the customer in a timely fashion.

 

 

NYC c 1970's was the hey day of retail camera theivery. Most dealers routinely looted the boxes that new cameras came in of the "included" accesories. That way they could charge extra for the case ,strap & battery that the box said was "included". Ahh nostalga.

I believe I've placed six orders with Adorama in the last year. All shipped the same business day or the next (when I ordered late in the day). Everything was delivered on time, in good shape, and as expected. Guess I'm either lucky, or ordering the easy-to-ship stuff. Or, perhaps some people's experiences are unusual or unlucky. Just calling it like I see it, and so far no trouble at all. For what it's worth, all of these orders were placed via the Amazon gateway presence that they maintain. It's possible that they are being extra-super-duper careful about those transactions because they can't afford to get negative feedback within that framework.

I've never a had a problem with them after multiple purchases.

 

sorry

I have a pro account with Adorama, along with some other retailers, for years now and love

those guys. Yes, you need to know what you want and there is less stuff to browse, but at

least they treat me like a normal customer. I wanted to browse at B&H today, had a backpack

with me containing a laptop and some lenses (about $10.000 value) and the security guard

would not let me enter with my backpack, pointed a a sign saying "bag check" and was

otherwise very quite. Whatever, there are more places in the city who like my business (five

figure amount a year) and don't look at me like a potential thief. So yes, i like Adorama,

maybe sometimes a little slower but much more personable. Best, Mark

I got the wrong color lens once from Adorama. I ordered a black CV lens and got a silver one. I didn't really care and kept the silver one. If you chose to not order from B&H because of the Jewish holidays then you sort of messed up. Adorama would have been closed for the same holidays.

 

I use B&H more but Adorama is still on my list when I need something.

I buy from both B&H and Adorama, and will continue to do so.

 

That said, It's an imperfect world out there, and mistakes happen. Those two mail order houses will protect their reputation by correcting mistakes. It may just take a bit of work and time to do. Welcome to the 21st Century.

A follow up to my orginal posting...

 

Adoroma's web site did not show them as closed for the holidays whereas B&H had a banner announcing this. I would have never ordered knowing Adoroma was closed too.

 

As of 10/10 8am...Adoroma now sent another e-mail saying my order did not ship complete. Why would they ship on 10/8 complete and now ship partial order?

 

I guess I need to be a bg time Pro to receive service.

I live in NYC and have dealt with Adorama a fair amount. Mostly out of convenience because its a couple of blocks closer than B&H or when B&H was out of something. Their prices are the same for the most part and the sales were unremarkable and fine. The biggest problem is this: misleading website when closed. Adorama follows the exact same Jewish Holiday schedule as B&H, but B&H has a clear website flag saying no orders are being taken when they are closed--Adorama does not. So people frustrated by not being able to order from B&H when they are closed often go to the Adorama website and place an order not realizing it won't be filled until Adorama re-opens on the same day B&H would reopen. In the end, there really isn't much difference in timing I find. Adorama should just be clearer to avoid customer annoyance, but then again, I suppose they do get some extra sales by catching the unwary B&H overflow when B&H is closed.

Sometimes Adorama orders work out fine. That's well and good for those who have had that expereince. Too often Adormama orders are a frustrating and unaccpetable experience.

 

Adormama = Reports of both good experiences and frequent bad experiences.

 

B&H = Consistent reports of good experiences.

 

Isn't the choice clear?

I take comfort in the fact that Adorama will always make the sale, whether or not the item is in stock - the status of which can is only revealed at a later date and several phone calls. Thus, the order is in place even though the time it takes to arrive at your door is ... variable.

 

B&H, on the other hand, stubbornly refuses to take an order unless that item is on the shelf. They are reasonably reliable about notifying you when the piece comes in (via email). Once an order is placed, you can track it on-line.

I have finally had it with Adorama. It has been my regular camera store for years. Will go there much less often from now on. Why? Too crowded. They move all the darkroom supplies around every few years so that you never can find anything. They are almost impossible to get on the phone. The salesmen are the rudest I have ever met (except Larry and Julio). Anyhing with their store brand is second rate. I know this post is about mail order, but a company that screws up so much in the store ............etc. But, they have never tried to cheat me. Hope you see this Adorama. You have a long way to go.

I'm prettu sure Adorama had the holiday notification on the Contact Us page, when I tried to call them last week.

They aren't one of those bandit stores, but they do try the upsell tactics. When I order from B&H, they confirm by e-mail, no pressure-tactics follow-up, ship promptly, and clearly state any back-ordered items. B&H is a class act.