I can't complain about my order but still have some reservations
Written: Nov 08 '05 (Updated Nov 08 '05)
| Ease of Ordering: |
 |
|
| Customer Service: |
|
|
| Selection: |
|
|
| On-Time Delivery: |
 |
|
|
| Full Review |
The reviews of Abes of Maine vary widely so I was going to stay away from ordering from them. However, in my quest to buy my husband a Canon EOS 20D digital camera body (very expensive), I ended up having a bait and switch experience with www.usaphotonation.com and a few other bad online experiences. Abes of Maine had a full-page ad in a prominent photography magazine and my husband and I decided to go with them. Their prices were by no means cheap, but were $200 less than the stores in our area and many of those stores were out of the camera.
I did investigate the website first, then made my order by phone.
What the Site Sells
The site sells all sorts of electronics – cameras, computers, televisions, DVDs, and much more. It has a huge selection of name brand items “in stock” on their site.
Navigation
The site is so big you could get lost but they have it set up with links that go to the category of your choice. Links along the left side and links along the bottom can get confusing but it isn’t too hard to find the category of item you are looking for. Easier still, is to just search for the item you want in the search box on the site.
Once you get to the category you want, you can browse the offerings or hone in on specifically what you are looking for. You can sort by brand or by price (low to high or high to low). Also you can sort alphabetically.
Once you see something you like, when you click on it, a larger photo of the item comes up with a description and price. On the same page are many accessories or related items and the whole site is cluttered and confusing because of the attempt to upsell. Still, if you stay focused and pay attention to what you want, the rest won’t bother you too much. You do have to scroll past all the related accessories to get to the product specifications, however, so be sure to do that because the pertinent info on the product is at the bottom of the page.
Once you find what you’re looking for you can add it to your shopping cart.
This is one of the busiest and distracting sites I have been to. They pack too much info and too many hard sell incentives onto every page and it’s very hard to stay focused. Still, if you go there with a purpose and know what you want, you can avoid all the clutter on all four sides.
There are several types of shipping options you can choose from and, once you do that, you will need to enter your user name and password if you are a returning customer or input all your personal info, if you are a first time buyer. They accept all major credit cards.
I did not order this way. At that point, I called my order in. However, I did test the ordering process and there are some upselling features before you get to the end but the checkout seems straightforward and fairly simple.
I can’t comment about verification of your order by email since I got no email from them when I placed my phone order.
You can choose to call in your order or ask questions at their toll free number. Despite the name “Abes of Maine” they are really in Brooklyn, NY and open for questions and orders during their Brooklyn store business hours.
My Experience
Because of the mixed reviews and my terrible experience at www.usaphotonation.com, I was very leery going into this transaction. I called customer service at their toll free number and immediately told them I was leery of them and that I had been reading negative reviews. The rep told me they were not a small fly by night company and assured me that I would get my item as described and advertised. Then he quoted me shipping costs that were $30.00 higher than the website had. I immediately smelled a rat and said so. This is always a good time to inform the reps that you write reviews for epinions.com. He knew this site well and told me they had 4 ½ stars overall. I told him that I planned to write a review one way or the other about the experience and he agreed to upgrade my shipping to two day overnight air for the same cost as ground (Hmm, epinionators have stroke!).
I thoroughly questioned whether a battery, charger, cables, and US warrantee were included because the cheaper sites told me none of that was while Canon insisted all those things are included with the purchase. I was assured that all the Canon provided items would be sent to me and the camera would be new and unopened. I again mentioned that I was leery and hoped things would go smoothly (We’re talking over $1300.00 here) and I was assured that I would be “taken care of”. I said I hoped so because a well-written negative review on epinions would hurt their credibility. (Hey what else could I do but to use what little stroke I have?).
I ordered the camera on a Thursday but was not charged until the following Tuesday (today), the day the camera was due to arrive airmail. This didn’t bode well for the whole “Your camera will be on your doorstep on Tuesday” promise.
However, UPS just dropped the camera off at my doorstep (no signature needed. Imagine if I wasn’t home and someone picked the box up from the step!) and the camera body and all the promised peripherals are, indeed, intact. The price charged was the price quoted. My husband is like a kid in a toy store (an expensive toy store) as he checks out his new “toy.”
As of now, all looks fine. There is no evidence that this is a refurbished unit or that it was tampered with and all promised parts are in the box. It has a US warrantee which is a must for my husband with any electronic and, at this writing, I cannot complain about the service or quality. Should something come up later and I need to return the camera or have a problem, I will update but, right now, I’m a satisfied customer.
Shipping and Returns
Shipping costs vary widely depending on the items you purchase. You have a few choices of types of shipping ground, air etc) depending on how fast you want your item. Televisions have special shipping costs and handling.
They have a 30-day return policy that seems fair at first but when you read all the restrictions, exclusions, and items that can’t be returned, it seems there is very little that can actually be returned at all. Do yourself a favor and carefully read their return policy before ordering. Things like TVs can’t be returned for ANY REASON. So if you get a TV that won’t work, you’re stuck. The only things that really are returnable within 30 days are photo equipment and most digital imaging products. Other items only have a seven-day grace period and still many items are simply not returnable. You must get an RMA from the company to return items and that may be a problem as I am sure they don’t want you to return anything and you can’t without their permission. Shaky, shaky return policy that I truly hope I won’t need.
Contact Info
You can call them at their toll free number at 1-800-992-2237.
Operators available during store hours
Sunday: 10:00am-7:00pm
Mon-Thur: 9:30am-10:30pm
Friday: 9:30am-3:00pm
Saturday: Closed
24 hour Fax: 1-718-228-8727
E-mail: Info@abesofmaine.com
Conclusion
I am not sure if it was the personal phone call as opposed to ordering from the website or the fact that I made it very clear that I was going to be writing a review here and was expecting the best service possible. Maybe Abes of Maine is always this reliable. I was very leery about shopping with this company because of many recent reviews that complained of poor customer service.
I didn’t have poor service. In fact, I was treated quite well on every level. Going by just my experience alone, I must go with 4 stars for this website. Still, I urge everyone considering ordering from the site to look carefully at the return policy and to decide whether it is worth purchasing from them knowing you may not be able to return certain items (especially big ticket items).
Also, I find it somewhat shocking that UPS would drop the box off at my door without even knocking. No signature required means I could have said I never got the box and all sorts of problems could ensue. It would not have been pretty if I wasn’t here and the camera sat outside for several hours begging someone walking by to pick it up and walk off with it. Good bye $1329.00!!
None of this happened however, but these are things to be aware of.
A better return policy, sending expensive items with signature acceptance, and coordinated shipping between the website and phone orders would really help this site to be a more stable one. Still, like I said, based solely on my experience, it’s a lot better than I expected and delivered on all its promises.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Canon EOS 20D Camera Body
|
|
|
|
|
Abe's Of Maine Online Store
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.