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cliff_lesergent

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Posts posted by cliff_lesergent

  1. KEH has always had a good reputation for being very conservative in their equipment grading, but they seem to be having some serious problems lately.

     

    The last two items I bought from them were a Canon L-series telephoto lens in "like new" condition, which arrived with a badly scratched and chipped front element, and a Canon booster rated "like new minus" which was totally dead.

     

    They paid for the replacement of the front element of the lens (because it turned out to be less expensive than shipping it back to them), but refused to repair or accept return of the booster, which cost me about $100 to fix.

     

    Seems like buying from them is a bit more of a gamble nowadays.

  2. Buy from the USA (I would recommend B&H). Not only are the prices a lot lower, they may acutally have the stuff in stock. Lately, Canon Canada has cut back on stocking a lot of stuff, especially "L" series lenses. If the local dealer doesn't have it in stock, it will probably have to be ordered from Japan, which can take up to two months.
  3. It seems to me that the weak winding mechanism is a known problem with Mamiya 6 cameras, so it probably did not fail due to "excessive use".

     

    In any event, I would be surprised if any store would offer restitution on a used camera several months after purchase, especially since it sounds like it failed after the warranty period was up. Put yourself in their shoes - how would they know how the camera was used (or abused) after it left the store?

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    <p>There is no duty on any photographic equipment imported to Canada (except

    disposable cameras), regardless of the country of origin.  It's all right

    here:</p>

    <p><a href="http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/general/publications/tariff2003/table-e.html">http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/general/publications/tariff2003/table-e.html</a></p>

    <p>UPS Express or Expedited service does not charge any handling or brokerage

    fees; all other services do.  Since UPS Expedited is usually less expensive

    than the post office, and significantly faster too, I use them for all photo

    equipment orders.</p>

     

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  5. In my dealings with them, and from what others have had to say about them on this and other forums, I've gottent the distinct impression that the service you get from KEH depends on where you live.

     

    It seems that the service is fairly good for customers in the USA, and since people can easily return things that aren't in advertised condition, KEH has to look after them.

     

    It also is beginning to seem like KEH doesn't give a rat's ass about service if the customer is outside the USA, because they know these customers won't want to return items because of the cost and trouble involved (and KEH won't refund any of these costs, even when they are responsible for the problem).

     

    I keep hearing people defending KEH, by pointing out how easy it is for mistakes to happen with such a large company, and I don't take issue with that. What I think is more important is how a company responds to fix their mistakes, and it's on this count that KEH has failed miserably, in my experience.

  6. KEH may have been good in the past, but lately their service has been quite poor. The last two items I ordered from them, which were rated "like new" and "excellent plus" respectively, both needed major repairs to be made functional.

     

    In the first instance, they tried to "make it right", but the second time, they wouldn't even respond to my emails and I ended up having to eat about $100 in repair costs.

     

    Based on their overly-optimistic (bordering on fraudulent) used equipment ratings, and their apathetic attitude towards customer service, I certainly won't be doing business with them again.

  7. Well, here it is, just over a year later, and Pentax Canada never did do anything to recitfy the problems I reported. Fortunately, the local store who took care of shipping the camera to Pentax for me refunded my money for the non-work that the Pentax service centre charged for. Unfortunately, Pentax steadfastly refused to repair the damage they did to the camera.

     

    It's interesting, I suppose, that Pentax Canada closed their Vancouver service centre recently. Perhaps I wasn't the only one having problems with them after all.

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    <p>Check out this place, George:</p>

    <p><a href="http://www.gov.mb.ca/conservation/wildlife/managing/snakes_narcisse.html">http://www.gov.mb.ca/conservation/wildlife/managing/snakes_narcisse.html</a></p>

     

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    <p>This one will let you power both your flash and your digital camera from the

    same battery pack:</p>

    <p><a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=268860&is=REG">http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=268860&is=REG</a></p>

     

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