Abes of Maine run away as fast as.....

[Peter Cornstalk]

Originally Posted by nomaxim

Those are also the only complaints (19) the BBB has gotten over the last 27-28 years. WhoIs shows a created date of 22FEB1996

No they just joined on November 28 2006 here http://www.trenton.bbb.org/nis/newse...21000027002918

Look at what it says:

Date Joined BBB: 11/28/2006

Also:

The Bureau processed a total of 19 complaints about this company since the firm's BBB file was opened in November of 2006. Of the total 19 complaints since the firm's BBB file was opened in November of 2006, 19 of those were closed in the last 12 months.

See they changed addresses from NY to NJ and joined the BBB in NJ on 11/28/2006.


They have a valid SSL when you go through checkout, but they do not do real-time credit card authorization. They collect the info and CVV2 to run later manually. Just the fact they collect the CVV2 info means they are not PCI compliant and I suspect the Verified By Visa and MasterCard Secure Code buttons are total horse pucky.

I don't think they are scammers... but I question what type of customer service you would get when something goes wrong.

[nomaxim]

Originally Posted by Peter Cornstalk

No they just joined on November 28 2006 here

It also shows

ABE'S ELECTRONICS CENTER, INC.
5 Fernwood Avenue
Edison, NJ 08837
Original Business
Start Date:
1/1/1979
Local Business
Start Date: 10/15/2000

To me this implies that they have been in NJ since 2000. The BBB should have generated a report if they received any complaints prior to NOV2006. We're also getting two different "Original Business Start Date", 1JAN1978 and 1JAN1979. But, since the New York BBB file is "currently being updated" I guess we'll have to wait to settle this disagreement. Note: I'm referring to the website creation date for the 22FEB1996 date. Sorry, should have made that clear.

Originally Posted by Peter Cornstalk

I don't think they are scammers... but I question what type of customer service you would get when something goes wrong.

I'll agree with that statement 100%. Most of the bad reviews are for customer service/billing/delivery issues. Some are also making claims of small bait & switch problems, but that seems to be a rather rampant problem in that area of the country.

[Peter Cornstalk]

They say "We are a family run business, who has been in operation since 1979."

The 1978 is probably a typo.

http://www.abesofmaine.com/aboutUs.do

They use Java, they might not be so bad after all.

[ericchow]

I posted a review of Abe's of Maine about a month ago but had my review taken down because I ended up canceling my order. I was told to repost my review in the forums and this looked like the appropriate thread.
_____________________________________

I tried ordering a Rebel XT and Canon 17-40mm lens. The prices at Abes
weren't better than other places, but there was a $10 coupon so I decided to
place the order with them. The next morning, I get an e-mail asking me to
call in and confirm my order. I call in and all customer representative does
is try to sell me an extra battery. He tells me that the camera comes with a
"Demo" battery that only lasts 20 minutes and that I should think about
purchasing an extended battery for the low price of $60. I've never heard of
Canon cameras coming with demo batteries. When I question him, he gets
defensive and agitated, telling me that this cameras are sold, and that
people have the option of buying the camera with a demo or extended battery. I know this is a lie and get worried that the package will arrive opened without the standard battery, so I canceled the order.

[Savage69]

I think it is human nature to lash out at someone if you think you have been "wronged". That is why you see the majority of reviews about Abe's being negative. The folks that got good service are now happy with their purchase and somehow never find the time to respond with a positive review.

Well, I have taken the time to give Abe's a positive review. I have been in photography for too many years now and usually order from B & H or one of the other high-end stores. In the last few years I have started to order my equipment from different outlets that have cheaper advertised prices.

I ordered a Nikon D80 with a couple of lens and a flash unit. I got the usual phone call the following day (Morris) to verify my order and see if I had forgotten anything important. There was no high pressure to buy additional stuff, just a polite conversation. The package was shipped the next day and arrived via UPS on the day promised. The packing was normal (compared to B&H) and all warranties included.

I'm not sure where all the negative comments are coming from, but I had a very positive and professional experience with Abe's of Maine....

[Caulfield]

ERICCHOW - I had exactly the same problem with Abes, pushing me to purchase an extended life battery for my new Canon Elph. I was told they had a lot of customers call back to complain about battery life and that they had been selling these customers extended life batteries which last "three times longer" than the factory battery. It was only $35, and I was already paying shipping for the camera, so I figured I'd go for it.

Well, now that I have the Canon battery and the "extended" life battery in my hands, I can see that the "extended" battery will only last 2.7% longer, not 300%. Its a 1150 mAh battery, as opposed to the 1120 mAh that shipped with the camera. They lied to me.

My sales rep (Jack x230) has been ignoring my repeated voicemails to ask for a returns number and for Abe's to cover shipping. I'm not sure how this will be resolved, but I'm not giving up. Lying to your customers is no way to run a business.

I will take the time to put negative reviews for Abes on the sites listed in this thread. Thanks for posting them. I regret not going with J&R and B&H, both of whom I've dealt with in the past and had no problems. Foolishly, I was driven by price, and I've learned my lesson.

[Caulfield]

The customer service was really helpful, apologized for the sales rep (Jack) and said she's pay shipping back to her office. She also gave me a $10 coupon code to ensure I remain a customer of theirs (this is my second Abe's camera). In all, I think they did OK, and I am satisfied. But customer beware of pushy sales staff at Abes...

[Midwest-Trader]

I am puzzled by the preceding contradictory posts, and I am wondering whether I can risk buying from them.

Here's an update to nomaxim's post of 3/23: The NY BBB gives the primary listing to ABE'S CAMERA AND ELECTRONICS, but reports Additional Business Names: Abe's Electronic Center, Inc., Abe's of Maine, Abes of Maine, and Family Photo & Video. The summary judgment is that "Based on BBB files, this business has an unsatisfactory record with the Bureau, because there is a pattern of complaints, and the business has not corrected the underlying reason for the complaints." Yet it reports only 2 complaints in the past 12 months, vs 70 in the preceding 2 years. Does anyone have any explanation for this peculiarity? The NJ BBB summary is the same, with 40 complaints over the past 36 months. Yet all 40 were responded to by the company and resolved or addressed. Assuming that the company does a huge volume, this could be a tiny percentage of transactions. On the other hand, the number could be a large fraction of all complaints. So again, the BBB statistics seem somewhat puzzling.

Although their opening hours are similar, they do not in fact look identical to those Brooklyn stores inasmuch they do not seem to slap on usurious insurance charges on top of shipping & handling. The NJ BBB claims there is a pattern of bait & switch, but their ratings on other sites seem to be improving with time. For example,
Pricegabber gives the following:
All-time rating of 4.28/4 stars
6-month rating 4.70/4.5 stars
3-month rating 4.75/5 stars
5485 reviews since 24FEB2000.

Bizrate gives the following Overall Rating Summary
~~~~~~Past Wk Past Mo Past 3 Mos
Positive 93% 92% 89%
Neutral 2% 2% 3%
Negative 5% 6% 8%
Over 25,000 reviews since 2000.
That is an increase of 15,000 since last March. Either business is increasing extraordinarily rapidly or else somebody is flooding bizrate with phony reviews.

Ratings here at RR are
Lifetime: 5.48 / 10
6-month: 6.57 / 10
359 reviews.
7.81 Pricing of Products and Services
5.78 Likelihood of Future Purchases
5.93 Shipping and Packaging
5.24 Customer Service
5.76 Return or Replacement

[uethello]

Abe's is in every Camera magazine on the planet and has consistently been a part of the camera scene for over a decade that I know of. The reason they have so many phone #'s is because they cater to a WORLD of photographers.

....seriously, Abe's is known worldwide and highly recognized.

*side note
When you are out today, grab any magazine that has to do with cameras and electronics and you'll most likely see Abe's ads, usually followed by B&H Photo competition ads.

Honestly, how can you accuse somebody else of sounding like an ex-employee when you write like the owner? Buy.com is able to afford advertisements in nice magazines too. The Reseller Rating and BBB complaints say it all. You may have had a couple lucky transactions with them but anybody with that many reviews and that low a rating should be AVOIDED LIKE THE PLAGUE. It indicates a lack of concern for the customer.

Buying from them will reinforce the notion that resellers can do as they will as long as they have enough money to buy a good review and some adverts

Also, odd that their ratings are going up elsewhere, but not here. At Resellerratings, fake reviews are much harder to submit.

[frostbitetwice]

Originally Posted by uethello

Honestly, how can you accuse somebody else of sounding like an ex-employee when you write like the owner? Buy.com is able to afford advertisements in nice magazines too. The Reseller Rating and BBB complaints say it all. You may have had a couple lucky transactions with them but anybody with that many reviews and that low a rating should be AVOIDED LIKE THE PLAGUE. It indicates a lack of concern for the customer.

Buying from them will reinforce the notion that resellers can do as they will as long as they have enough money to buy a good review and some adverts

Also, odd that their ratings are going up elsewhere, but not here. At Resellerratings, fake reviews are much harder to submit.

Well put, Uethello...I personally do not trust those other ratings..