Shady NY Camera Store Offers to Pay User to Take Down Amazon Rating

[Gt1Street]

Amazing !!! credit goes to dethroner.com
here's the story:

Wow. I wrote a bad review of Cameta Camera and they offered to PAY ME to take it down.

Really the depths these guys will sink to knows no bounds. I recently purchased a Nikon D3 from Cameta Camera, via Amazon. I trust Amazon with these purchases and they’ve never really let me down. The one decent local camera store in Marin never has much in stock and I wanted this camera body to arrive in time for a special event (plus I just hate the city.)

I know NY area camera stores are notorious, but this one had the D3 in stock and said it’d arrive on time. How bad could it be?

Well for an extra $75 in shipping they basically tossed the D3’s box from Nikon loose in a larger box and sent it along. It got here on time but the box looked like a cow had sat on it. I was kind of shocked — but the D3 was fine. Nikon’s packaging was pretty good.

I called Cameta, they were just flat out rude to me. Grumpy and bitchy like an Amazon buyer didn’t count and if I had the camera and it worked, why was I called. I decided to leave an Amazon review. The text of which is in the email I am about to block-quote. I was shocked, within 1 day of leaving this review to get back the following response from Cameta. Know ye this — they sent it AGAIN 1 day later as if I may have missed it.

Bullshit. $75 back is nothing compared to the risk they took with a $5000 camera that is likely to become an extension of my arm. This thing is going to be my best friend — I’ll carry it everywhere. If the D3 had shown up broken, I’d have been so sad AND the hassle of sending it back and waiting for a new one would have made me extra sad.

From: Auctions On Behalf Of maryann
Sent: Monday, April 28, 2008 11:18 AM
To: ‘jweisberger@***.com’
Subject: Amazon Order 103-2015980-719****

Dear Jason,

We are writing you in regards to the recent order placed through Amazon, shipped from our company Cameta Camera. We have become aware that you had an unpleasant experience with our company according to the feedback that you left as seen below:

“Rude on the phone. Really, Really, poorly packaged. I think they could have used enough bubble wrap or packing materials when sending a $5k camera. It was shifting around in the box. Would not buy from again.”

After looking into the said situation, we are not sure who you spoke to. However, we are looking into the situation as customer service is our number one priority here at Cameta Camera. In addition, we are also going to be speaking to the shipping manager in regards to how the unit was packaged and shipped. We also have the following option to offer you as a remedy.

We are ready to issue you a credit for $75.00 back to your Amazon account (which is the original freight paid). Our’ only concern is that in the past we have made an accommodation for a customer but they have left us negative feedback anyway. If you would be willing to remove your negative feedback remark to our account (and then email me to let me know that it has been done) I will issue the credit right away. We pride ourselves on good customer service and we are willing to work with you.

If you do decide to remove the feedback left in exchange for the refund please follow the instructions below.

Removing Feedback You’ve Left

If you’ve left feedback on a Marketplace or Merchant seller and would like to remove it, you can do this through Your Account. Please note that feedback cannot be edited, only removed; once you have removed feedback for a seller, you will not be able to post new feedback for that seller.

Go to Amazon.com - Your Account (http://www.amazon.com/your-account).

Find the pull-down menu next to “View by Order.” Select “Orders placed in the past 6 months”, and hit the “go” button.

After you sign in, you’ll find a listing of your recent orders. Select the relevant order and click the “View order” button.

You will find a feedback section 2/3rds of the way down the page. To remove feedback, click on the “Remove” link in the feedback section of the order summary.

You may only remove feedback if it is 60 days or less since you left the feedback.

We thank you for your time and consideration and hope that you can resolve the issue as soon as possible.

Kindest Regards,

Maryann

Customer Service

Cameta Camera

[Rockefella]

[Not trying to start controversy here but..]

I wonder if this specific example was packaged by someone new or a bad employee that was soon-after fired and not a portrait of the company as it stands normally. Because of that they wouldn't want the negative feedback from one freak example. Just food for thought, but yeah.. that is quite shady.

[Gt1Street]

suppose it was a new\bad employe. he still represets the company and they are resposible for him doing it the right way. but you have another employe involved the one who answered the phone rudley. and even after all of this to ask someone to take back a bad feedback seems just wrong...

[Rockefella]

suppose it was a new\bad employe. he still represets the company and they are resposible for him doing it the right way. but you have another employe involved the one who answered the phone rudley. and even after all of this to ask someone to take back a bad feedback seems just wrong...

True. Oh well, they tried to get away with it and failed. Shame on 'em now.

[Wouter Melissen]

I always pick up my precision equipment to prevent a shipping nightmare like this. He nevertheless was right to leave a bad rep.

[faksta]

I always pick up my precision equipment to prevent a shipping nightmare like this. He nevertheless was right to leave a bad rep.

They more often don't provide a possibility to come and pick up your order ('no-no, we don't have a showroom' and so on).

[Wouter Melissen]

They more often don't provide a possibility to come and pick up your order ('no-no, we don't have a showroom' and so on).

Then pick another store.

[bmwpower]

The same thing happens on ebay all the time. After buying a poorly made laptop sleeve from an online store and leaving a negative feedback after it broke 1 week later the retailer offered to refund the purchase if i removed their negative feedback, when i looked at the seller, they had nearly 100+ of their transactions which had been re-evaluated (in the feedback details on ebay look for the title "ratings mutually withdrawn"). So essentially they were in the business of shipping poor quality items but because of all the feedback they had bought back they looked like a good seller. Needless to say I wouldn't let them buy back my feedback, I've got more principals then that...on ebay we rely on other people's experiences to help us, and if those are bought then the system fails the users, so now i make it a point to check out the # mutually withdrawn to ensure the seller is not buying neg. feedback and making it positive...

[Coventrysucks]

He nevertheless was right to leave a bad rep.

For what, though - not putting bubblewrap in?

Which would have lead to exactly the same result - a camera arriving on time in working order.

The only thing I can see that stands between this company and "excellent service" is a dented box and a mentalist - which surely you are if you make such an effort to complain about a dented box, an apology and an offer of compensation, providing the company with loads of free, international advertising in the process.

I'm fairly sure this person is the kind who would find fault if they had hired a chauffer with calf-skin gloves to bring it to him at his convenience, and paid him $1000 for the "privilege" of his custom.

[70cuda88]

i sorta agree... whether it happened or not, it was a mistake of the company's to check the box and packaging. But obviously they regret it, and if there wasnt any other bad feedback (which if there was you should have known better to order from there in the first place) then i dont see the problem forgiving them for giving you a working camera on time.

and its not like they bribed you, it was more of a 75 dollar refund for a bad box. They also asked it nicely

[drakkie]

I always pick up my precision equipment to prevent a shipping nightmare like this. He nevertheless was right to leave a bad rep.

Absolutely the same here. I always want to get a "feel" for most products I buy. You can never really judge how a camera "feels" by looking at a picture online. I picked up my dSLR not too long ago and also let me get informed well about it before I closed the deal. It took a little driving, but I even got it cheap at an excellent store. Thanks Pieter for sending me a link, a long time ago ;)

[Gt1Street]

For what, though - not putting bubblewrap in?

Which would have lead to exactly the same result - a camera arriving on time in working order.

The only thing I can see that stands between this company and "excellent service" is a dented box and a mentalist - which surely you are if you make such an effort to complain about a dented box, an apology and an offer of compensation, providing the company with loads of free, international advertising in the process.

I'm fairly sure this person is the kind who would find fault if they had hired a chauffer with calf-skin gloves to bring it to him at his convenience, and paid him $1000 for the "privilege" of his custom.

You got it all wrong man, It clearly states in the feedback he left only that he had a problem with the rudeness and poor packing which both cannot be disputed, I know I would like to see my $K camera wrapped really well especially since he probably paied good money for S&H, and not have some rude ass punk answering the phone when I paid good money and did not provoke that kind demeanor.

[Coventrysucks]

he had a problem with the rudeness and poor packing which both cannot be disputed

Yes they can, easily.

1) There is no evidence of what was said to him on the phone - no proof that they were actually rude. They may have merely failed someone's unrealistically high expectations of what can reasonably be considered "polite".

2) The package arrived on time and there was no damage to the goods - Q.E.D the packaging was good enough for what was required of it, it needs to do nothing more, no additional packaging was required to ensure safe delivery.

Furthermore, the company went out of their way and contacted him, rather than him having to make a complaint, and apologised to for the allegedly poor customer service, with no proof that anyone was rude to him, and offered reasonable compensation.

How many companies actively track people down to apologise after finding an alleged criticism of their service online?


especially since he probably paied good money for S&H

Would it not, therfore, be the fault of the unnamed S&H company for treating the package so poorly?


and not have some rude ass punk answering the phone when I paid good money and did not provoke that kind demeanor.

You have no idea who answered the phone, or what was said.

It is sad that you are so quick to judge with no evidence. The whole thing could be a lie:

Here's "proof" of MadeupCompany's poor customer service:


From: evil@ma deupcompanyisevilandwicked.com
Sent: Monday, April 82, 80002 81:11 AM
To: ‘coventrysucks@coventrysucksiscoolandawesome. com’
Subject: Amazing Order 103-2015980-719****

Dear Crabstick Smith,

We are writing you in regards to the fact that you smell bad and your face scares children.

Best Regards,

Faceless Corporate Serf

OMFG! Email everyone and put it on every blog, forum and youtube comment. NOW!!!!

[NSXType-R]

I dunno, the story could go both ways.

But if you want to buy from another NY camera store, B and H is pretty good.

Very trustworthy company.

Plus their products are pretty cheap too.

[kingofthering]

For what, though - not putting bubblewrap in?

Which would have lead to exactly the same result - a camera arriving on time in working order.

The only thing I can see that stands between this company and "excellent service" is a dented box and a mentalist - which surely you are if you make such an effort to complain about a dented box, an apology and an offer of compensation, providing the company with loads of free, international advertising in the process.

I'm fairly sure this person is the kind who would find fault if they had hired a chauffer with calf-skin gloves to bring it to him at his convenience, and paid him $1000 for the "privilege" of his custom.

So... if you bought a brand-new Jaguar and I delivered it to you with the tires all worn out, several hundred mi. on the odo, spills on the leather, and over-heated brakes, but with working mechanicals (ignore the brakes), would you gladly accept it if I refund all the delivery money? ;)

[2ndclasscitizen]

If you look on eBay, Cameta Camera actually has a really good rep, and I've seen plenty of recommendations for it on the DPreview forums.

[Jack_Bauer]

So... if you bought a brand-new Jaguar and I delivered it to you with the tires all worn out, several hundred mi. on the odo, spills on the leather, and over-heated brakes, but with working mechanicals (ignore the brakes), would you gladly accept it if I refund all the delivery money? ;)

That analogy doesn't make any sense. The guy admits that the camera was delivered in full and perfect working order.

Seems like the retailer has been fully apologetic (despite the fact that there was absolutely no evidence of any wrong doing) and has been pretty generous in offering any kind of refund at all on a product that was delivered in full working order. Internet retailers rely massively on their perceived reputation, whether it may be in the form of points on ebay or in terms of word of mouth. Having one guy being a bit pissy and giving a negative feedback is bad enough. For that guy then to go badmouthing it to the world at large via the interwebz could be enormously damaging.

If the story has got as far as UCP you can be sure it'll be on a hundred other forums. It's totally understandable that the retailer will want to do whatever it takes to get the guy to back off. The company's name is being publicly dragged through the mud, seemingly for very little reason.

[Niko_Fx]

For what, though - not putting bubblewrap in?

Which would have lead to exactly the same result - a camera arriving on time in working order.


They jeopardized the camera though, and you'll never know if it'll break down in some time due to hits taken during the delivery. I used to work at a pack & ship place, a $5000 item would have been handled accordingly, with Styrofoam peanuts and bubble wrap.... and let me tell you, both of those packaging materials are quite cheap, so why not prevent the hassle and add them to the box?

My only worry, considering that this post is hitting internet forums, is that buyers will try leaving bad rep in an attempt to get something back to remove it. A trend might just have started.

[Rockefella]

Yes they can, easily.

1) There is no evidence of what was said to him on the phone - no proof that they were actually rude. They may have merely failed someone's unrealistically high expectations of what can reasonably be considered "polite".

2) The package arrived on time and there was no damage to the goods - Q.E.D the packaging was good enough for what was required of it, it needs to do nothing more, no additional packaging was required to ensure safe delivery.

Furthermore, the company went out of their way and contacted him, rather than him having to make a complaint, and apologised to for the allegedly poor customer service, with no proof that anyone was rude to him, and offered reasonable compensation.

How many companies actively track people down to apologise after finding an alleged criticism of their service online?



Would it not, therfore, be the fault of the unnamed S&H company for treating the package so poorly?



You have no idea who answered the phone, or what was said.

It is sad that you are so quick to judge with no evidence. The whole thing could be a lie:

Here's "proof" of MadeupCompany's poor customer service:

OMFG! Email everyone and put it on every blog, forum and youtube comment. NOW!!!!

So this customer went out of his/her way to file a complaint to the company, leave negative feedback, post the interaction with company reps online as well as refusing to accept the $75 refund all as a joke or lie? Right, that makes tons of sense.

[Coventrysucks]

So... if you bought a brand-new Jaguar and I delivered it to you with the tires all worn out, several hundred mi. on the odo, spills on the leather, and over-heated brakes, but with working mechanicals (ignore the brakes), would you gladly accept it if I refund all the delivery money? ;)

For that analogy to be analogous it would mean that he received a damaged camera. The camera was fine.

If you received a new Jaguar that was fine, but the delivery truck was a bit dirty and dented, would you be unhappy?

[Coventrysucks]

So this customer went out of his/her way to file a complaint to the company, leave negative feedback, post the interaction with company reps online as well as refusing to accept the $75 refund all as a joke or lie? Right, that makes tons of sense.

No, I'm saying that you only have a one-sided, unsubstantiated rant to go on. There is no actual proof that confirms any of his allegations are true, other than his word, which could include embellished details, leaving other things out, etc.

Considering that a customer got what they wanted, it seems that going out of their way to file a complaint, leave negative feedback, post the interaction with company reps online as well as refusing to accept a $75 refund over a dented cardboard box does seem like a joke. A sick, twisted joke with no punchline.

Amazon.com: Nikon D3 FX 12.1MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) - includes Mack 3-Year Diamond Warranty: Camera & Photo (http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-D3-12-1MP-Digital-Camera/dp/B0010KK6M6/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1210159858&sr=1-7)

Idk whether this is the right link - it is a Nikon D3 for sale on Amazon for $5,000 via Cameta Cameras, but I can't see any complaints...

[IBrake4Rainbows]

working in customer service I know that there will be some people who just won't be happy. no matter what you offer them.

This person may have gotten Cameta Cameras on a bad day or a bad sales person, and they've done their best to rectify the situation. so acting so incredulous (z0mg they are paying me not to neg rep them lolololol) was a mistake.

But on the other hand it is up to the company to make sure the package they send the customer is going to survive rough transport - and not packing it properly could have caused even ore drama for them.

In my mind what started out as a bad customer service experience has only been made worse by Cameta's handling of the situation - they've now gained a reputation as rep-hungry faceless internet shifty types. which, I suppose, was the entire point of the exercise in the disgruntled customers mind.

You get what you pay for, I guess.

[Gt1Street]

No, I'm saying that you only have a one-sided, unsubstantiated rant to go on. There is no actual proof that confirms any of his allegations are true, other than his word, which could include embellished details, leaving other things out, etc.

Considering that a customer got what they wanted, it seems that going out of their way to file a complaint, leave negative feedback, post the interaction with company reps online as well as refusing to accept a $75 refund over a dented cardboard box does seem like a joke. A sick, twisted joke with no punchline.

Amazon.com: Nikon D3 FX 12.1MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) - includes Mack 3-Year Diamond Warranty: Camera & Photo (http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-D3-12-1MP-Digital-Camera/dp/B0010KK6M6/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1210159858&sr=1-7)

Idk whether this is the right link - it is a Nikon D3 for sale on Amazon for $5,000 via Cameta Cameras, but I can't see any complaints...

Amazon.com Feedback: Cameta Camera (http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/seller/feedback.html?ie=UTF8&marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER&isCBA=&asin=&pageNumber=45&marketplaceSeller=&seller=A36DL6WLK2RE7O&isPopup=)

I went through 45 pages of feedbacks to find it but here it is, and there were quite a few other bad feedback mostly concerning packing and shipping