J&R Music and Computer World - Great Prices & Fantastic Service!
Written: Jun 04 '08 (Updated Jun 04 '08)
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I recently purchased my final lens (No seriously, this time it's the LAST ONE!), my Canon EF-S 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM at J&R Music and Computer World. There is currently a $70 rebate available from Canon, which really sold me on the lens. At this point, I have finally used most of the reputable New York retailers which include B&H Photo Video, Adorama, and Beach Camera. I chose J&R Music and Computer World because I haven't tried it yet, and also they are a part of Citi's Thank You network where I redeemed most of my points for over $500 worth of J&R gift cards.
I received my lens just yesterday after ordering it last week. The lens has arrived nicely packed in excellent condition, and here is what I have experienced so far with J&R Music and Computer World.
-Thank You Network-
If you are a Citi card member and have a card enrolled in the Thank You network, you are able to redeem your hard-earned points for J&R Music and Computer World gift cards. If you do the math, the best redemption rates are for gift cards, and not actually merchandise in most cases. The only other retailer (for high-end electronics) that is worthy of redemption is Amazon.com, but it was 6,000 points for a $50 gift card, versus the 10,000 points for $100 with J&R Music and Computer World. Due to the better redemption rate with J&R Music and Computer World, I opted for these instead of Amazon.com. You can of course get Best Buy gift cards, but with their astronomical prices, why would you do that? There is a catch, perhaps??? Read on.
-J&R's Gift Card Policy-
I called J&R's customer service before redeeming and asked the employee (Who was a pleasure to talk to I must add) if it was possible to redeem over five gift cards. She said to call in and it would not be a problem. I also looked at the "help" section of the website, and didn't see anything pertaining to not using gift cards over a certain amount. I however didn't check the gift cards section on the site since I assumed this was to solely order them.
When I received my gift cards in the mail, I looked on the back and to my amazement, the policy read:
"Redemption of gift cards limited to one card per online order and two cards per telephone order."
I almost had a heart attack! I just ordered hundreds of dollars worth of cards that I would not be able to use?! I was, however, planning on a trip to New York late in summer, but this would require me to:
1) Pay sales tax - This is exactly why I shop online!
2) Carry around a $1,000 lens in a city I'm not too familiar with.
I called customer service and explained that Thankyou.com nor the help page said anything about the number of gift cards you can use. With no hesitation the customer service agent told me, "It's okay if you use more than two cards." I was then transferred to a salesperson who was also friendly and gave me absolutely no issues whatsoever with using more than two cards.
Maybe I got lucky. But I had no problems using multiple cards. They were very courteous and understanding. I hope that anyone else that uses cards, especially if you redeemed them in mass quantities from Thankyou.com have had the same experience. I just think that you should be aware of this policy and that it exists. So if you're planning on redeeming over 100,000 points or so, it might be worth your while to redeem from Amazon.com if you aren't going to New York or are uncertain.
Kudos for the great service though!
-PRICES-
Just like the other retailers I mentioned above, J&R Music and Computer World offers some of the best prices. Of course, sometimes they might be slightly higher, or sometimes they can be slightly lower. Generally speaking, they are in-line with the other retailers. J&R Music and Computer World does have a price-matching policy, and the salesperson who took my order matched the lens hood for $47 which matched up with Amazon.com, which was $7 cheaper than J&R Music and Computer World.
Their more expensive items also have free-shipping. The lens I purchased was no exception. There was no sales tax or shipping, which was quite nice.
The Canon EF-S 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM was $960 here, as well as at other retailers. Before the $70 rebate, the lens was actually priced noticeably higher than other retailers. The Canon EF 24-70mm F2.8L USM was also priced at $1,299 (When I was looking around) compared to $1,190 at retailers like Amazon. However, if you call the customer service department, I am sure they would have no problems price matching. There was also some erratic pricing that I noticed. I was also looking into the Canon EF 17-40mm F4L USM as a possibility. Before the rebate, the lens was $679, which was cheaper than the $700 listed at other retailers. Then briefly the lens went all the way to $819 while the rebate went into effect, whereas the other retailers priced it at $650. Finally J&R Music and Computer World listed it for $650.
So just make sure you are getting the lowest price possible and that J&R Music and Computer World is matched up when you are purchasing. If it is more expensive than any of the other reputable retailers, don't hesitate to call for a price match! I had a very good experience with this, and believe I received the lowest price possible!
-PRODUCTS-
J&R Music and Computer World has a large selection of many different products. They have all sorts of electronics. I was concerned with the photography selection. They had a nice range of Canon products. One thing I would like to note is that the search engine on the website did not work too well. When I tried to search for the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM lens or the Canon EF 24-105mm F4L IS USM lens in the search engine, it would not give me any results. Therefore, when I searched for these two lenses, I actually had to follow a direct link from The-Digital-Picture.com. This was annoying, but eventually I got to where I wanted.
Another lens I considered was the Tokina AT-X165 16-50mm f2.8 lens. Unfortunately, J&R Music and Computer World does not carry the Tokina brand. So I was stuck with the Canon lenses. No biggie. But you may have an easier time finding some third-party gear at retailers like B&H Photo Video or Adorama.
J&R Music and Computer World also has open box items available online. However, they did not have any high-end gear that I was interested in available there. If you want amazing prices on used or refurbished equipment, Adorama has an excellent section devoted entirely to these things.
Nonetheless, they have a very good selection. However, the search engine may give you problems here or there. They should look into that...
-SHIPPING-
J&R Music and Computer World provides free-shipping on their more expensive items. This is standard ground shipping, and it took about a week for me to receive the item since ordering it. Unfortunately, there were no pleasant surprises here like I had with Beach Camera where I received it after a couple of days.
Nonetheless, the item was packed extremely well and there was absolutely no damage when I had it delivered. I was also supplied with a direct link to the tracking page with UPS. This was very nice.
There is a shipping charge associated with cheaper items. But when you think about it, it's a tiny price to pay when you don't pay sales tax or rip-off prices like you would in a brick & mortar store.
-CUSTOMER SERVICE-
This was the first time I directly dealt with an individual(s) from any of the New York retailers. First I talked to a customer service agent before ordering my gift cards from the Thank You Network. She was very friendly, but should have actually warned me of the gift card policy. Nonetheless, I get the feeling they may not actually follow it anyhow. The two individuals I talked to when ordering the lens were extremely friendly and helpful. They listened to me, and I believe they went out of their way to satisfy a customer. When I received my e-mail confirmation, the salesperson I talked to was Chris. He was extremely helpful and it was a true pleasure doing business with him.
I really feel like they went out of their way to help me, and perhaps my shock from the gift card policy was unfounded. I really feel that they should alter this policy to make unlimited gift cards available for use whenever, regardless of whether J&R Music and Computer World actually follows it or not. If I knew about it earlier, I probably would have saved up more points for Amazon gift cards, which would have ultimately caused them to lose my business.
-THE VERDICT-
J&R Music and Computer World has provided me with an excellent experience. I was very shocked when I received my gift cards, but the employees I talked to worked diligently with me to sort everything out. In the end, what did I get? I received the lens I wanted at the absolute best price. It was shipped in a timely manner. Unfortunately it didn't ship as quickly as my Tokina lens with Beach Camera, but it did ship within the guidelines of standard ground shipping. Everything came to me in perfect condition and as promised. I will shop here again definitely. Just make sure you are getting the best price when looking online, since you never know whether they will be more expensive. However, they do match prices, and the salesperson did not hesitate to beat Amazon.com by $0.44 ($47 flat at J&R versus $47.44 at Amazon.com). If you are using multiple gift cards, don't hesitate to call. I had a good experience with this... So if you don't have a good experience the first time, trying calling back later and speaking to different people. Also, if you are looking for other third party brands like Tokina or are looking for a greater selection of used/refurbished items, check out Adorama. Otherwise, J&R Music and Computer World is a great retailer that has provided me with a great experience. They have a good reputation here on Epinions, and I can see why.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Canon EF-S 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM
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Epinions.com ID:
soupcraze
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Member: Soup Enthusiast
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Reviews written: 488
Trusted by: 185 members
About Me:
I enjoy many of life's passions... Music, medicine, people, and life itself.
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