Tamarkin New York:chain yankers?

[steve_levine]

They are telling me my PO/MO hasnt arrived from 75 miles away ,after

10 days! Does NYC mail suck that bad?Or are they playing games?The

retail archives here show a so, so record for this outfit.Has anyone

had any similar experiences with them?Or could this be a legit "lost

in the mail", issue?

If anyone reports any similar activity, I'll assume this is their

MO?(An idealist Im not, when it comes to NYC retail).

[Jerry_]

Next time -- spring for the 70 cent mail confirmation service that delivery has been made.

 

 

 

Like B&H, the place may be 'closed up' for the church-related holiday.

[albert knapp md]

Probably due to the Jewish Holiday. They are very dependable.

[del_gray]

The Post Office can also tell you if a money order has been cashed. I sent one for a purchase to a member here on PN that did not arrive after a long time, and once they saw that it had not been cashed and it was never delivered they refunded the entire amount to me.

[elijah_free]

I had a similar experience with Tamarkin. I spoke at great detail with a

member of their sales staff about a certian used item that I was looking for.

The salesman, who sounded like he knew what he was talking about, sold me

something that was not what I asked for. The item took two weeks to arrive

from NY to California. I called after ten tays looking for the item. Stan the

owner happened to answer the phone call. He was rude and short tempered

on the phone, along with blaming the slow response in his shipping dept. to

me. Finally the item did arrive. Well, it was the wrong item. I called to send it

back. They told me first that my time to return something was up and I would

not get a refund, even though the time was taken up by a very slow shipping

dept. Finally, they argreed to take it back and give me a refund. They also

agreed to refund the shipping one way, because it was their fault, and I would

pay shipping for one way for the privilege of seeing a piece of their

equipment, even though it was agreed it was the fault of the salesman.

Finally, the refund did arrive after two more calls. However, I received a letter

several weeks later informing me that I had to pay the shipping both ways and

that I did not know what I wanted when I originally spoke to the salesman. I

do not recomend this company at all. They have no integrity unless you are a

big spender. My total only came to under four hundred dollars. The owner is

also very rude IMHO. There are far better places to buy gear where they very

helpful and care about the satisfaction of their customers who are only

spending hundreds fo dollars and not thousands at a time.

[jim_shields1]

I have bought a camera, a couple of lenses, a projector, and some accessories from them over the years. Each transaction was made over the phone and each has gone well, including the following: about a week after my M6 arrived it jammed. I called them and worked it out. I mailed off the malfunctioning camera one day and received its replacement the next.

[olivier_reichenbach]

Stores should know by now that everybody is selling the same stuff, and that SERVICE is

everything these days. It is service that separates sellers from one another. As for me,

Tamarkin will now go down on my black list. And Steve, maybe you could send them an e-

mail pointing them to this thread.

[vic_.]

Tamarkin has been a very good place for me, and I've been dealing with them since they were next to the Leica Gallery. I initially dealt with Stan Tamarkin, and then with Craig Williams. I've never had a problem. In fact they scrutinized new lenses for me until they found the most dust-free lenses. Their service is impeccable. I'm sure it is a glitch due to the Jewish Holidays and random Murphy's Law situations.

 

Why is it that people on this forum are so quick to hang Leica Dealers? Often, based on one anedote, that somehow becomes fact. Also, a lot of the cranky buyers (and I'm not suggesting that this one is cranky) don't realize that they could be part of the problem. The whole Rich Pinto thing was over the top. He's one of the best people to deal with. So is Tamarkin. As was Ken Hansen.

 

I've found that a lot of people on this forum want steak for the price of hamburger when it comes to Leica equipment, and whine when they don't get their way, even trying to chisel $25 off a $1,600 lens.

[__hank_boneroneo1]

<<SERVICE is everything these days. It is service that separates sellers from one another>>

 

And so they close together.

[john_elder1]

I had one very good experience with Tamarkin when buying a 35mm Leica lens. They let me exchange a 35 lux for a 4th version cron without penalty and gave me a credit on the price difference on my credit card.

[kevin m.]

There goes Vic sounding all 'reasonable' again. Knock it off, Vic! This forum isn't for the mentally stable.

[andrew n.bra hrefhttp]

I don't know, it may be a coincidence, but during what I call "The Great Rolleiflex Fiasco of

2004", I discovered there are an awful lot of dishonest and tricky dealers around lately -

even those who formerly were known as "reputable".

 

My pet theory is that a lot of them are becoming unhinged by eBay / online selling / the

digital onslaught (where cameras have become commodities and can be bought from any

Walmart type discounter).

 

Amazing thing. Heres an overview of TGRF: A dealer deliberately advertising non-

existent items on their website to lure people so they can try and sell more expensive

stock. Another dealer "selling" me a camera and then reneging (without bothering to tell

me) because he thought the agreed price was too low. Another dealer selling me a "recent

CLA, Ex++ condition camera" which - according to Harry Fleenor - actually turned out to

be "severe faults, requires extensive repairs".

 

Sheesh - all in the same MONTH.

[kelly_flanigan1]

How is Tamarkin responsible for a missplaced letter? They are not the United States post office. If the letter got lost in the mail; or is miss addressed; is the intended receiver always blamed? Alot of questions here. <BR><BR>Here we get "where is the item" emails from Canadians Ebay buyers; from USA mail shipments. The USPS site will state X to YY days; the letter or package is often 2 to 3X late.

[johnmarkpainter]

Another POSITIVE experience with Tamarkin.

 

I have had nothing but great dealings with them. Sorry you are having trouble Steve, but I

don't think they are 'playing games'.

 

jmp

[mike dixon]

My experience with Tamarkin was also positive. They were helpful, courteous, and resolved a couple of minor problems very quickly.

 

As for the the mail taking ten days to go 75 miles, when I lived in Ann Arbor, it sometimes took a week (one time it took over a month) for letters sent from within the same city.

[eliot_rosen1]

My experience with Tamarkin has also been good. You pay top dollar but his grading is conservative and you get what you pay for. No complaints.

[jati_lindsay]

my dealings with tamarkin (craig) were great as well. bought an m4p and the

finder got fogged somehow. they offered to get it cleaned out for free..... i

would recommend them.

[wayne gardner]

I bought new 90/2.8 and 35/2 ASPH, plus two subscriptions to LFI from Tamarkin. All transactions went very well. The 35/2 was out of stock (Leica Day sale), and they did not charge my credit card until they shipped the lens. When I called about an LFI special order that had not arrived by regular mail, they overnighted another that day; it arrived before the regular mail shipment! (so now I have two of that issue.) I spoke with Stan Tamarkin a few years ago, and he was very polite, answered all questions well, and was a pleasure to deal with--even though I did not buy anything at that time. I would recommend Tamarkin and Rich Pinto; they both offer excellent service, are knowledgeable and honest.

 

Wayne Gardner

[stan_tamarkin2]

Normally I refrain from getting involved in a public forum because I prefer my reputation

to stand or fall on its own merits. But, a few words: First, we don't "play games." Why in

the world would we or anyone want to upset a potential source of revenue? Secondly,

there is no reason why you shouldn't try to be an idealist. I find that people who expect

the best usually get the best. Finally, I am never rude to customers, or to anyone, unless

they mistreat someone in my company. We believe in human dignity--as well as service,

expertise, and quality. My toll-free line is public: call me whenever you want if you require

a more specific reply. Thanks, Stan Tamarkin

[charles_mason]

My experience with Tamarkin has also always been courteous and

professional. They have been kind even when I just called to ask a question

that didn't lead to a purchase. I have no problem recommending them.

[roger_michel]

hi -- i have dealt with tamarkin for many years. let me say right

up front that, IMO, stan tamarkin is a real SOB. there were many

people in the photo industry that took great pleasure in the

sequence of events that led to his departure from choice

quarters next to the leica gallery (now occupied by the VERY

congenial eli kurland) to his current remote backwater. i would

never patronize the shop if stan were there very much.

fortunately, he isn't (at least at the times when i visit).

 

as for service, that varies a lot depending on who waits on you.

they have had some really stellar people in the past. sadly, one

of the best, george, has now left for boston. craig is quite good,

always reliable and always fair.

 

tamarkin has lots of things going for it, including good stock,

their interesting auctions, location in NYC, and knowledgable

staff. stan is the biggest negative. my guess is that he was

personally responsible for the absurd follow-up letter you got

demanding you pay two-way shipping. but who knows.

 

with places like newtonville camera, photo village, and even b&h

(which has never given me a runaround on ANY return), why

bother with a place that generates such bad press.

 

bottom line -- stan, who is obviously listening, had the chance to

make things right with the fellow who was charged for shipping

for an item he didn't order. he could have addressed the

situation raised by the original poster. the tone and content of

his post say everything you need to know about the store IMO.

[dhany_cahyadi]

<p>I used to buy from tamarkin also and I have spent more than 10k buying from them. I dont know who is talking on the other side. But I think they are very rude also.</p>

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