recieved jammed hasselblad from KEH, any advice?

[nik_stewart]

<p>Hi,<br>

I just opened my package from KEH, only to find the camera body jammed (and judging by the screw driver marks inside the body, has been jammed often). It's a 503cx.<br>

I've tried to research this problem, but can't find a solution. The body seems to be stuck and then jammed in the pre-release mode. The curtains are half open, the lens is flipped up, the winder won't move and the shutter release does nothing.<br>

I'd return it, but I live in Canada so duties and taxes have pretty much made this camera mine. I'd also go get it serviced, but I'm not sure where to take it (I live in Toronto).<br>

I'm hoping someone might have some advice. This is pretty upsetting, as the camera package was an expensive birthday gift for myself (I'm a part-time working student).</p>

<p>Thanks<br>

p.s. does KEH not test or even visually check the camera before shipping?</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>Why not talk to KEH?</p>

[leicaglow]

<p>I had a problem with a Leica motor drive and they instantly returned it. I would send it back if you think it's going to give you problems.</p>

[graham_martin2]

<p>What was the advertised grading of the camera? I have bought a ton of gear from the them, the last being a Hasselblad 501 c/m, and it was in excellent condition. Every once in a while, a "bad" piece does get shipped. As far as I know they do some basic checking other than simply eyeballing the exterior. They sell a lot overseas, and they may have a way for you to send it back and have them send a replacement without having to pay customs duties again.</p>

<p>Good luck</p>

[paul_gardener]

<p>Send the camera back after checking with KEH that they have a suitable replacement for you.<br>

Report the camera with customs as a repair job under warranty.<br>

Ask KEH to send the replacement as repair/warranty job.<br>

That may save you from paying duty again.</p>

<p>I would not accept a repaired camera in this case but ask for another one.</p>

 

[john_stockdale2]

<p>I don't know about Canada, but here in Australia we can ship out imported items for repair/guarantee work overseas without paying import tax a second time on their return. We have the same queen so the laws are probably similar. First talk to KEH. Talk to the local customs office.</p>

[russ_britt3]

<p>Be very careful talking about KEH on this site as most here worship them. I have also been screwed by KEH one time , that was all it took for me. I ordered a super wide finder that was in (mint condition) about a month latter when I had to return it , because the camera I ordered it for could not be repaired, they bought it back in BGN condition.....it had never been used by me. Well what could I do, I did not expect a full refund, but was not prepaired for sex with them either.<br>

I have always gotten great bargains and amazing prices on e-bay.....<br>

Sorry about your problems with the camera. I know its got to frustrate you. I hope you and Keh come up with a solution that saves you from retax problems...... good luck.</p>

[john_wiegerink1]

<p>Russ,<br />I surely wouldn't call your experience with KEH as "GETTING SCREWED". In fact it sounds rather stupid on your part and not so stupid on theirs. You are talking about the good deals you get on eBay? Why didn't you sell it on eBay instead of selling it back to KEH. I used to buy and sell cameras on the Midwest camera show circuit and I will tell you right out that I would have offered you the same deal as KEH. If you wanted to take it and run then you could. If you didn't then that's your choice also. While I don't worship KEH or any other dealer for that matter, I will say they are one of the best, if not the best, used equipment dealers out there. JohnW</p>

[richard_oleson]

<p>KEH is not in a position to change your country of residence or your customs laws. Return the camera, they will do their part and stand behind it. If a 100% guarantee on used equipment is not good enough, you probably need to avoid buying expensive gear from other countries.</p>

[john_wiegerink1]

<p>Richard,<br>

I agree with what you say and will also say KEH will bend over backwards to make things right, but you have to contact them first. Having been on the other end (selling) of this I'm always a little leery of what I read on some of these forums. Sometimes one only hears half the story and it makes a good dealer look very bad in the eyes of people who have never dealt with said dealer. If it were me in this case the very first thing I would have done is got on the phone or emailed KEH to find out what could be done to resolve the problem. Then if nothing was done I'd raise hobs on a forum like this. Of course that's just me! JohnW</p>

[Ed_Ingold]

<p>I've returned two items to KEH that were defective in some way, and KEH was very cooperative, and even waived shipping costs.</p>

<p>I believe NAFTA removed duties from cameras and lenses. However, UPS still collects a substantial brokerage fee. Talk to KEH about documentation and possibly use another carrier, such as FedEx International.</p>

<p>If you don't absolutely need TTL flash, consider replacing it with a 501CM, which costs about the same as a 503CX but has the gliding mirror system.</p>

[nik_stewart]

<p>Hi everyone,<br>

Sorry I didn't mean to start a KEH good or bad debate. I'm very happy with their service so far.<br>

First thing I did was send off an email, but still haven't heard back and the purpose of the thread was to see what others have done in my situation (out of country).<br>

Returning it to KEH and getting it sent back again will cost me a fair amount of money, I was wondering if they might help pay for service on it.</p>

[john_wiegerink1]

<p>Nik,<br>

You're on the right track with the email, but I imagine it will take a little time for a response. I'm sure KEH will do its best to make you a satisfied customer. I've only bought a few items from them, but have never been disappointed. In my selling days at shows (I still do on eBay) I always tried to rate my items conservatively and stayed out of trouble that way. KEH operates the same way. I bought a Hasselblad SWC from them many years ago that they rated as BGN and when I received it I was shocked to see what I would rate as an excellent camera. A friend of mine has bought many items from them and received a 3.5F Rollei that was near mint and it was rated as Excellent. Now, can they screw up? Yes, but I can assure you it wouldn't be intentional and they will, like I say, bend over backwards to make it right. I hope you find a way to get it back to them without much "out-of-pocket" expense. JohnW</p>

[john_liberty]

<p>At the risk of being called a hero worshiper (which is certainly better than the other things I've been called), I would say send it back to KEH as they're a great bunch of folks. They will either repair it or refund you the full price. Everything I've ever bought from them has had a warranty, but I do think they don't ck everything throughly before selling it, and this is a perfect example. Calling them has always gotten the best results from them when I've had problems. Beats buying on eBay, and if you had bought the camera there in the US you would still have the same shipping price issues. I'm state side, and just figure that their great prices and excellent customer service offset the fact that occasionally I'll have to eat shipping costs if something needs to go back.</p>

[jack_welsh]

<p>Agree that Keh are very fair to work with. Bought a Bag bellows for a Cambo 4x5. When I received it, found that the front was for a 2x3. Returned it and received a refund.</p>

[fwstutterheim]

<p>Nik,<br>

Cases like yours have been discussed before. First read KEH's "small print". Last time I looked they did not perform repairs for international customers. Probably custom issues. They will honour your right to return the merchandise for a refund of the purchase price. In the past that was all. If we can believe the unhappy customer that is. From KEH's point of view that is fair. <br>

It might be wise to talk to your customs office. They may have a solution to get a replacement camera to you untaxed and get this one back without taxation by Uncle Sam. </p>

[nik_stewart]

<p>The sales associate at KEH, whom I was dealing with when ordering the camera, responded to me. We are looking into getting it repaired at my end. First things first, I need to get an estimate.</p>

<p>So far KEH is doing a great job with customer service.</p>

[john_wiegerink1]

<p>Nik,<br>

I hope it all works out in the end for you and maybe KEH will have another satisfied customer. Good Luck! JohnW</p>

[russ_britt3]

 

<p>Be very careful talking about KEH on this site as most here worship them. ..... good luck.</p>

 

 

<p ><a href="/photodb/user?user_id=3928066">John Wiegerink</a> <a href="/member-status-icons"></a>, Sep 03, 2009; 08:38 a.m.</p>

 

<p>Russ,<br />I surely wouldn't call your experience with KEH as "GETTING SCREWED". In fact it sounds rather stupid on your part and not so stupid on theirs.</p>

<p>I guess he proved me wrong....... enough said.</p>

 

 

[john_wiegerink1]

<p>Yup, Russ........enough said!</p>

[paul_ong1]

<p>I hope that you can get the camera repaired with KEH helping cover the cost.</p>

<p>I find KEH to be a good source and the staff helpful, most of the time. Make sure you document things well, particularly in written form. I say this because things can fall between the crack based on my experience.</p>

<p>One time, the sent me the wrong item, and when contacted, they said they would give me a credit for my next order. On the next order, which I did online, I immediately followed up with a telephone call to ask them to make sure that my credit was applied to the charge. There was indeed an internal note in my account saying that the credit should be applied. The person said the message would be passed on to the right person and the credit would be applied. Followed up with an email, my usual pattern to record oral transaction and received a positive response. Checked my account a couple of days later, no credit appear. Called again and talked to another staff person. Again, same statement, so I said thanks, followed by an email. Checked my account again a few days later, and no change, no credit. A little frustrated at this time, but tried to be understanding. A third call, explained the situation. The staff person apologized and promised to take care of it. Followed up with an email. Sadly, a week so later, no change.</p>

<p>By then, I decided to contact the credit card company to check what was charged. Surprise, KEH put the full amount rather than the amount reflecting the credit. Good thing I had the emails. I contested the charge, saying the I would pay the amount minus the credit. The credit card company agreed and adjusted the charge. KEH did not challenged my complaint, but they never acknowledged the problem.</p>

<p>I would certainly use KEH again because overall they have good merchandise and prices. But, I guess they are human also and make mistakes.</p>

[philip_wilson]

<p>I live in Canada and have used KEH a lot over a long time period. You should phone KEH and they will tell you if the can replace or refund the body. If they have another they will want you to replace it. If they do not have another in the same condition they will refund or you can buy a different condition (and they / you can settle the difference). Essentailly you will lose the postage back to the US. You will not pay tax again and you will not pay for them to ship the replacement. In essence they grade their bodies but they do not completely chack them out. Over the years I have sent two bodies back. One was a Contax G2 for my wife where there was dirt in the viewfinder - the dirt probably shifted in transit. In this case I got a full refund after three weeks and lost about $25 in shipping costs. The other was a Canon T90 where the side display in the viewfinder was burnt out (the bottom display and LCD were fine). Here they did an exchange and I lost the postage.</p>

<p>In my experience KEH is very good to deal with and is honest. As Paul suggests they only have six sales staff and they process a lot of transactions. For this reason it is a good idea to find out who you are talking to and keep conatact with the same person.</p>

[jeff_livacich]

<p>Now that you've emailed them, <em>call them</em> . They're not that great at answering emails, but they do answer their phone. The email gives you a record of contact, though, which isn't a bad thing. They have been very responsive regarding returns for the problems I've had with stuff, which were obvious things like a misgraded item and an item that functioned, but not correctly.</p>

[andre_noble5]

<p>I would not buy used gear from KEH. </p>

<p>Think about it. </p>

<p>If you had a soft lens, or a problematic camera, would your conscious better let you sell it to an individual you know (or even an enthusiastic EBay purchaser) or to some seemingly impersonal party such as a camera broker?</p>

<p> </p>

[norton_willingham]

<p>KEH is good. Probably the biggest selection. Also, check nine-volt.com. Lots of backs.</p>