kidsdoc

I am a first time poster, but have been reading the posts from time to time. When my Canon G9 seized with a lens error and stopped working last October, I did some web research and sent it to Cameras and Parts in Texas for repair. They advertised as Canon specialists. They called me and I authorized some further cleaning and tuneup at added expense. Charges were paid in November. They stated that my initial camera was lost in shipment upon return, and promised that a replacement would be forthcoming. After many emails back and forth, it is apparent that they never intended to return my camera. Further web research revealed that this company engages in this kind of unethical behavior all the time, and with their temporizing, the credit card companies are powerless to recoup the payments. I post this to warn other prospective Canon owners to seek repairs elsewhere.

pounder35 Loc: "Southeast of Disorder"

I hate to hear of your troubles. Even if you can't recoup the loss with a credit card refund I would contact the state attorney general's office and make them aware of the problem. Any reputable business should have insured the camera and have tracking records. I owned a one man camera repair business for over 20 years and have shipped camera equipment all over the US as well as Greece, Costa Rica, Italy, and Saudi Arabia and never lost a single item. Pursue it if you have the time. If they really are a sorry bunch they need to be called on it. Good luck. :thumbup:

Bill Houghton Loc: New York area

Post your complaint here will little or no effect. As Pounder mentioned above, and also the better business bureau for that state. I would keep all communications as back up.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

If you file a dispute with your Credit Card company, and they find that the vendor is acting unethically or is cheating you, I believe your exposure is only $50, but you have to act fast.

In my experience, the Better Business Bureau is toothless.

kidsdoc

Thanks for all the replies. Visa said 90 day limit on disputes, so it is too late. Will write to the BBB and Attny General.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

People really need to do a quick online search before deciding on a vendor for products or service.

(Download)

pounder35 Loc: "Southeast of Disorder"

You're right about BBB. They are a sell out. Their endorsement is meaningless. You pay and you get the endorsement. Doesn't matter how sorry you are. :shock: :thumbup:

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

Per BBB:

http://www.bbb.org/elpaso/business-reviews/electronic-service-and-repair/cameras-and-partscom-in-el-paso-tx-99131342

Cameras and Parts.com

F On a scale of A+ to F
1605 George Dieter, P.O. Box 574
El Paso, TX 79936

If you read the details of the complaints about this business, you see a deliberate and deceitful pattern. I suggest you go to:

http://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/consumer/

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

The BBB may be toothless in doing anything about complaints, but they do keep a record of them, so it is useful to check with them before doing business with a company you aren't familiar with to see if they have complaints. And for the same reason, it's good to send complaints to them when you've been ripped off.

abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois

The BBB is a scam in itself. As a business owner, I once joined it and found they offered nothing of value. Unwitting consumers think the BBB is some kind of endorsement. It is not.

Kidsdoc, why did you not get proof of shipping so you could make a claim with the shipper? If they cannot prove they shipped it, you can presume they did not. As for the repairs, how do you know they were necessary and even made. If you want to pursue this, your only recourse is with the attorney general. Who knows what other complaints they have. Does not really matter because the company will probably disappear and resurface with another scam.

Moral of the story: deal locally or with someone with a reputation.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

The Better Business Bureau is a membership organization. If you are a member, they aren't going to act against you, and if you aren't a member, they are powerless anyway. People generally no longer check BBB ratings anyway. ONE place they check online is Emily's List. You might share your experience with a post there. Good luck with your credit card company. I guess their attitude is that if the camera was really lost in the mail your weren't ripped off, just the victim of circumstances, but clearly these people are dirtbags and lousy business owners. Have you checked with your homeowner's insurer?

alfeng Loc: Out where the West commences ...

FWIW. I agree that the BBB provides a "meaningless endorsement."

FYI. I had occasion to contact the local BBB two times about two separate, local vendors about 20 years ago ...

The nice lady who answered the phone was surprised that there was a problem with the vendors & she tried to dissuade me from filing complaints.

I nonetheless asked about their process for filing a written complaint & received their forms. I subsequently sent in my complaints in writing even though I suspected that they were destined to be put into File 13.

I suppose that it is possible that if enough people complain about a vendor, then it may be possible that the BBB simply won't sell them their endorsement; but, the BBB will not go to bat for you, the consumer, in any visible way.

In other words, as suggested, the BBB "seal of approval" is a bought-and-paid-for endorsement ...

That is, the BBB is a club which vendors can join.

BTW. If you catch one of your local TV consumer reporters at the 'right time' (that is, when they have nothing else which may be more glamorous to investigate) then they may take up your cause.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

What a shame. People are so clever at coming up with "legal" ways to steal. If I had a serious camera problem, I would send it to the manufacturer.

For less serious problems, contact Rick Riggins, a member here. He does good work for good prices.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

This brings up another issue: the Post Office when they say they "track" your shipment. I sent a little gift from here in Maine to my daughter in Florida. It wasn't worth much, just sentimental, so I foolishly did not insure it. The post office said that all such shipments were "tracked" and I was given a tracking number.

It never showed up, and when I checked the tracking information, all it said was that it had arrived at the processing center in New Jersey. It still says that four months later, and the post office does nothing to try to determine what happened to the package. I asked if the package would have been scanned if it was put in another truck to head south, and they said that it would not have been, so that it could literally be anywhere - so they have no way of knowing where it went. Basically, they don't know, and they seemingly don't give a rat's a**. I don't know if they do a more thorough job of tracking if you insure the package or not, but if the post office wonders why they continually lose business to UPS, they can ask me.... UPS has thorough tracking (even if your package gets off course, which sometimes happens, at least you know where it is!). And if you sign up, you get e-mail updates and you get an e-mail that tells you when it will be delivered, and again telling you it was delivered. THAT is customer service!

So - the moral of this story is that if you ship via the post office, insure your package for WAY more than it is worth - and let them worry about it - maybe it will be your lucky day after all.

abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois

Sorry Doc. The moral of the story is to ship via UPS. I own a business and have always used UPS and if the customer requires it, FedEx. I hate to get political but they know how to run a business while Congress has made a complete mess of USPS. The head of USPS came up with a promising business model to save USPS but Congress overrode it. If you want a cheaper service but with an uncertain outcome, stick to USPS. Imagine how great USPS would be if UPS or FedEx ran it!