len10@ihuxw.UUCP (07/21/83)
I have ordered camera gear by mail order several times
through Focus Electronics (NYC), New York Camera (NYC),
Spiratone (NYC), and Lone Star Camera (Texas). For me, the
lower prices justified the additional aggravation. Delivery
is fast - one week or less for in-stock items from the East
coast to Chicago.
Tips on mail ordering:
1. Get local (non mail order) prices first before calling
in the mail order. Be prepared to pay extra for U.S.
warranties, camera straps, batteries, and lens mounts
through mail order - but the price with these items
plus shipping is still usually far less than the local
prices plus local sales tax.
2. Don't be frantic with delivery delays. If you abso-
lutely need the item in 7 days, don't mail order.
With the volume of sales each of these stores handles
per day (> 1000 orders per day near Christmas), they
can't keep track of their inventory. I've always got-
ten out-of-stock items within 6 weeks.
3. Buy the "extras" (batteries, lens cases, filters)
locally. Usually the mail-order stores make back
their profits on these items and they will give you
the hard sell on them. Be ready to say "no" by know-
ing the local prices.
4. Pay for your order via a charge card and don't pay the
photo portion of the charge bill until you have
received and are satisfied with your camera goods.
Send a letter with your charge payment explaining why
you aren't paying the entire bill (known as a letter
of protest). If you fail to get satisfaction, your
charge company (Visa, Master Card, etc.) will work on
your behalf to get the problem resolved.
5. If you have trouble, find the nearest States Attorney
Office (SAO), Department of Consumer Fraud. In Illi-
nois, this is a free service to add muscle to your
dispute with a mail-order store. Mail order stores
don't like to be hassled by them and will usually give
you good service if you threaten them with the SAO.
6. Expect widely varying prices from the various mail-
order stores. In general, the lower the advertised
price, the higher the shipping costs and the more
pressure you will encounter to buy extra items. Some
stores will not, in fact, sell the item at the low
advertised price without some of the expensive extras.
- 2 -
If you are aware of their games, mail ordering can actually
be fun!
Len Dombrowski
BTL - Naperville, Ill.