Placed order online on Saturday evening, got an e-mail and a voice mail from Robert(prefer not to use his real name, though the real name does come up from other review writers) the next morning, the e-mail read, "Dear Valued Customer,  
 
Thank you for your recent online order with Abe's Of Maine.com. We appreciate your business and interest in our products. Please call us as soon as possible at toll free 1-800-992-2237. EXT 'abc'  
 
Thank you,  
SAMSUNG TEAM  
Robert ext#'abc'  
 
Okay, so what would one figure...the product is on back order, cannot be shipped right away etc, but no it is Robert from shipping who acts friendly and begins the call (when I returned the call) by saying that he just needs to confirm that I am the guy who placed the order, so he asks me for my address and other information that is simply consistent with what I input the night before...of course he called me on the phone number I provided so of course, I can confirm all the information which of course does nothing to establish any real identity...then comes all the selling...I see you have the white glove option and we can get the product to you sooner and more safely and here are six lies I was told during the discussion:  
 
It is shipping from California (Truth: It was already in New Jersey where it shipped Wednesday)  
 
Will have 8 to 9 touches and turned upside down versus being put on pallets (okay, right, Abes of Maine is going to take on that kind of risk)  
 
We pay an extra $300 to expedite but only charge you $250 (yeah we sell our products at discount prices and then take a hit on delivery)  
 
There are two TVs so we can do this; you are the second one (naturally, just so happens I am the second one, wow, really)  
 
The white glove service you have, you will get an e-mail from UPS three days in advance indicating the 24 hour window in which you will receive the TV (website explicitly indicates that the white glove service is through ICAT logistics and you are given a four hour window of time)  
 
I am Robert, I just work in shipping (okay then why the heck are you trying to sell me an extended warranty on the TV)  
 
And there is more...  
 
Spoke with another individual Monday and inquired to change shipping method; he pulled up the order and then transferred me to the Robert guy who acknowledged speaking to me Sunday and indicated that the product was being shipped today (Monday) from California and that again, it is a different shipping company for the 7 to 10 white glove delivery and that it goes through 8 - 9 transfers enroute. I indicated that the website indicated that it is the same shipper, ICAT, regardless of delivery timeframe. The other lies I was told in the first discussion include that Abes of Maine pays $300 for this expedited method for my tv and will discount it to $250 for me. That the risk of damage is much greater for the 7 - 10 timeframe delivery and that I would simply receive an e-mail three days before delivery informing me of a 24 hour window in which the tv will be delivered. The reality is that Abes of Maine's website indicates that there will a notification and that purchaser will be provided with a four hour window. Again, this is regardless of which shipping timeframe is selected. My request to revert back to how I had originally entered the order was denied. My suggestion to everyone is to avoid doing business with unscrupulous sellers, even if that means paying a real or perceived premium to an upstanding organization that lays out the terms up-front and does not solicit you for additional items and tell lie after lie to induce you. Of important note, Robert told me he worked in shipping and yet he was trying to sell me an extended warranty and he shows up on the order as the Sales guy. I am also contacting the human resources department at Abes of Maine and contemplating going to the Attorney General's office in the state of New Jersey. Oh, and here was what 'Robert' told me about why they can offer me this other delivery 'deal' - -- We can also do this because we have two tvs going to your area and you are the second one. And, last but not least, the white glove service involves two individuals bringing the TV into the house and up or down one flight of stairs maximum. Only one guy showed up with the 63 inch TV, so I played the role of the 2nd guy. Outfits like this create two key inequities in the marketplace - - one, make it more difficult for upstanding retailers to maintain revenues because they will avoid lies, deceit, hard sells, law breaks, etc and two, do disservice to themselves and their employees. I read a post today where a guy talks about how he was assured by Abes of Maine Management that they will not tolerate such activities and that is absolute hogwash. Avoid Abe's of Maine if principal, morality, ethics matter to you and, if they don't, well, rest assured it is unlikely you will have a seamless experience. This outfit makes Enron look lawful.  

This review was modified by its author, Slaterz, on 11/20/09 11:43 AM.

A NIGHTMARE from start to finish!I couldn't believe a company like this could still be in business!! Abes of Maine SOUNDS so honest. In reality, they are THUGS FROM NEW JERSEY. After you make an online purchase, (mine was an LCD tv), they will call you to verify the order. They will pressure you to buy things, telling you that if you don't buy the warranty today, you will not be able to buy one later. Total LIE. (You have at least a year). Also, they will sell you cables for $100 (that you can buy on Amazon for $8) They will tell you that you can return it if you don't need it. Good luck with that!!! I ordered FREE shipping. They sent it expedited for $83. When I tried to have that charge removed, they refused, calling me "unfair" because I did get the tv quickly. Do NOT give these people money from a debit account. The only thing that saved me in the end ,was that I chose "bill me later" and had not actually paid for it yet. You will have your order taken by a friendly guy. Then, when there is a problem, you will deal with abusive, dishonest thugs,that yell at you and call you names. THE MONEY I SAVED DID NOT MAKE UP FOR THE HOURS I SPENT TRYING TO GET FALSE CHARGES REMOVED. And those glowing reviews you see online? I'm pretty sure they write them themselves.

I don't write reviews of stores. Ever. But this store pissed me off so much that whenever I see an ad of theirs, my blood boils. The only reason I shopped there were all the good reviews. Now, I suspect that they were all fabricated.  
 
I purchased a TV-stand/media center in July, 2009. Other than the automated reply on the day of order, there was no communication from them. The order status on their online page hadn't changed in two weeks. I called only to get a VERY rude salesperson who basically told me that they'd tell me when it shipped and if they hadn't emailed me that it shipped then it hadn't shipped and there was no need for me to call them.  
 
When the package finally arrived, it was nearly falling out of the very poorly packed box. I can't imagine that this was the original shipping box. It looked as if it was pieced together from bits and pieces of cardboard they had lying around. My impression was that this was a demo unit that they finally shipped when they couldn't ship me a new unit.  
 
Because of the size and weight of the unit, I decided not to return it as the return shipping fee would probably be more than the thing was worth and it would mean having to deal with the amazingly annoying employees at Abe's of Maine again.  
 
I left a message about my disappointment with them and, surprise surprise, heard nothing back. "We got your money, sucker, now get lost!"  
 
Do yourself a favor, DO NOT SHOP THERE. Shop ANYWHERE else. You have been warned.

This review was modified by its author, yogimae, on 11/14/09 5:46 AM.

After a lot of research and window shopping I bought a brand new TV(Samsung LN46B650) from Abes of Maine a couple of weeks ago. It came on time and undamaged (physically). I (fondly), hooked it up to power and turned it on. It felt fine with just stars on the screen(as expected) and I turned it off. This would have taken a minute or two. I called the Cable guys and got it installed urgently but only to see that after a couple of minutes the TV shows really annoying flickers. I checked everything and the cable guy also tried everything he knew but to no avail. We called Samsung and the call center lady spilled the beans by saying that there is a fault with the video card on this TV model (may be on few sets and not all) which is known to samsung. When I asked her as to why they are still selling the TV without the fix, she had no proper reply. Not only the TV showed flickers, after a few more minutes the entire screen was white with colors floating around. I called Abes Of Maine and they asked me to contact Samsung as they cannot do anything about it. They have a no return / exchange policy on TVs (I have also sent an email and I am awaiting their reply). It has been almost a month and Samsung has done nothing about it. I have called them more than 10 times and in the subsequent calls they have denied that there was any preexisting issue with the TV. Well, regardless of if was preexisting or not, samsung service is not professional or courteous. They were not even apologetic about my frustration due to their product.  
 
The return policy of AbesOfMaine for TVs is not customer friendly at all. I cannot comment about the product quality yet but I can certainly request potential TV buyers to buy TV from stores who have a good return policy (Costco etc.) and avoid buying TV online.  
 
Latest update: Abes Of Maine representative called and asked me to ship it back (AT MY COST) and then get a replacement (AT MY COST for shipping). I denied that immediately and continued with my efforts of replacement with Samsung. I am thinking of going to the consumer court , BBB and to the TV channels as well.

Their prices are great compared to other retailers. However, I will no longer attempt to order anything from Abe's. They will not ship your item unless you succumb to their attempts to upsell. My work hours are such that I could never answer their calls and they were closed by the time I could listen to the daily voicemails. I left both voice messages and emails stating that I was not interested in any other items and to ship my items as ordered* and they were completely ignored. I canceled my order after many days of this runaround.  
 
* Heaven forbid I actually know what I'm ordering and want only what I ordered. I don't buy milk at the store only to have my time wasted at the register asking if I wanted to buy steak or chocolate mix. If you don't want my business and money, just warn me ahead of time about aforementioned tactics and I'll give my money to someone else...  
 
Edit: Received an email regarding my review asking me to call them to talk about my experience and that they couldn't contact me directly because they had no record of my order. Subsequently I received an email from ResellerRatings stating my my review would be removed because the seller contested my order, unless I could provide proof, which I did. When I got home and checked my voicemail there was a call waiting there from Abe's left around the same time their first email was sent. I wonder how exactly they received my phone number that was listed nowhere else if not from the order information they actually had. Very deceitful tactics.

This review was modified by its author, thesonofdarwin, on 11/1/09 6:31 AM.

Do not place an order on Friday  
 
I placed an order for 40 inch LCD TV (over $1000) on Friday, paid through Google checkout. I went to AbesOfMaine website right after I placed the order to check the status, but I could not find the order, I thought it may take a few hours to get the order processed and I will check the order over the weekend, mind you my credit card was charged promptly few seconds after I placed the order. No such luck on their website on Saturday or Sunday, and also their customer service is patchy over the weekend so I though I would call them on Monday. When I called this morning, the person the other end, “Paul” I believe, seems to be annoyed taking my call, and multiple times told me “We don’t work Saturdays and Sundays”, and “your order is in billing it may clear today or tomorrow”. When I told him, I was hoping to receive my TV sooner, he got even more annoyed and suggested I should have known that “AbesOfMaine” does not process orders over the weekend. When I suggested please provide this information upfront to your customers –  
“Do not Order from AbesOfMain on Fridays” he transferred me to someone else who appear a bit more reasonable but with same attitude as if “we don’t need your business, we are not making any money on this TV anyway……so you are welcome to take your business somewhere else”. And that is what I intend to do, I have canceled my order with AbesOfMain, and I will place my order with anothe online seller. I hope I get a refund from AbesOfMain soon, if they start doing the same trickery with my refund I am reporting them to BBB.  
--- Update 10/29/2009 5:10PM  
I got my money back from AbesOfMaine after two phone calls, one on Monday and one on Tuesday. I placed my order with another seller on Tuesday afternoon and I will receieve my TV tomorrow, the delivery guys already called today and will call again tomorrow morning before arriving at my door. Now this is what I call customer service. By the way, total cost to me was $11 more then what I would have paid at AbesOfMaine, and it was well woth it.  

This review was modified by its author, akhan77, on 11/2/09 9:33 AM.

RUN AWAY!!! Do not even consider buying from this high- pressure, lying, deceitful, malicious sales outfit. 1. When you order online, they call you multiple times to attempt to coerce you to buy warranties and other accessories.  
 
2. When you order by phone, they forcefully coerce you to buy warranties, etc. 3. When you ignore their calls and do not call back, they leave you phone messages that they will not send item, telling you that they need to confirm address before they will ship. 4. They tag on warranties to order forms without your approval. When you try to cancel, they will insult you and lie to you about not being able to cancel the policy "because it has been shipped" -What does this even mean?  
 
 
Salesman, "GEORGE from Abes of Maine" is the most malicious person I have ever encountered in my 45 years of executing consumer transactions on the phone and online.  
 
Warning: STAY AWAY!!!!=

I purchased the pentax k20D with the Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL II lens with hood.I had the package shipped overnight express. The package did arive on time, but with the wrong lens. the lens i was supposed to receive was out of stock and they shipped the cheaper 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 DA L lens. I contacted vincent at customer service and he said that if i shipped the lens back overnight express i would be reimbursed for the return overnight express shipping cost and abe's would ship the proper lens to me overnight express. Then i was contacted by abe's vice president Mr. Mosseri (because of my review on this site) and he offered to send me the pentax smc da 18-55mm al wr lens if i would "fix" my review. Mr. Mosseri then transferd me to another customer service rep  
jason. I told jason that the previous customer service rep vincent told me i would receive a full reimbursement and that i had also not received my extended 2 year pentax warranty with the camera. Jason then told me that vincient was wrong about any reimbusement, but to be "fair" he would give me 1/2 of my $49.46 return shipping cost and ship the proper lens back overnight express. I then got the shipping information from UPS that said the lens was comming by ground and would arrive in 7 days and to the wrong address!  
I then had to call jason back and he stopped the ground shipment and reshipped by next day air.  
I did finally receive the lens one week after i should have, but without the cameras extended warranty card and so i had to call again. I just received the extended warranty card today, oct,2nd.And i will not know if i received any refund on my return shipping untill i receive my next credit card statement.  
To sum up this experience, i lost $25.00 to return shipping cost. 1 1/2 hours of cell phone charges.  
A lot of frustration and and endless runaround with customer service that give conflicting stories.  
 
Dear Xxxxxx Xxxxxx , Great news! Your order from Abes Of Maine has been shipped on 10/13/2009 . The tracking number of your package is xxxxxxxxxxx . You may check the status of your shipment by clicking on the following: http://www.ups.com/tracking/tracking.html The address we shipped to is:xxxx xxxx Order Number: xxxxxx At Abes Of Maine we keep one thing in mind - enabling you and all our customers to buy products better - that means offering you top brands, low prices, and outstanding service. Once again, thank you for your order. We look forward to earning your business as we set out to be your top source for shopping on the Internet. Sincerely, Abes Of Maine Please do not Reply to this Email.  
This is the actual shipping info for this invoice-  
Delivered On: 09/24/2009 10:56 A.M. Signed By: XXXXXX Location: RESIDENTIAL Delivered To: xxxxx xxxxxx, xx, US Shipped/Billed On: 09/23/2009 Type: Package Service: NEXT DAY AIR Weight: 1.30  
Lbs  
"This is exactly how messed up this company is"  
They send me another email saying i have another package comming. As you can see from the UPS tracking info above, i received the package 9/23/09  
This is the "OUTSTANDING SERVICE" that they claim to have !!!!  
Do yourself a favor and buy somewhere else!

This review was modified by its author, RSTHELENS, on 10/13/09 1:13 PM.

I placed an online order on 9/12/09 at this store for a yamaha subwoofer. They charged $29.20 for shipping and handling and the website said that it would get to me in 6 to 9 days. Today, on the 18th I called them and they are saying that they sold out and are expecting a 2 week delay. I was reading reviews and read that this same thing had happened to a few people. One person even waited a month and then finally canceled his order. Will never order anything from them again.

I had ordered a Pioneer DVD player online with Abes because it was listed as "Available". The price was comparable to other online shops. The day afer I ordered it, I got an email stating that it's out of stock and I could either wait 7-10 days for it or cancel. I called cust service and asked why their site said "available" when it wasn't? Their response was that they had thousands of products and couldn't possibly update status of all of them! What a CROCK of SH*T!  
 
Anyway I decided to wait out the delay. I waited. And waited, and waited. After a month I cancelled the order.  
 
After several phone calls, all I got was that it was backordered and Pioneer wasn't shipping them. Each call they said, 5-10 days. I checked with Pioneer and they said they had full stock of these and no problems shipping them out to distributers.  
 
I called J&R same day I cancelled with Abes and got it in 2 days for the same price. I will never do business with Abes again.

Update: Abes of Maine contacted me after reading this review online. The person inquired if there was anything he could do to increase my satisfaction with the previous order experience, noting that my original customer service rep, Mike, was counseled about the pushy sales calls. I'm doubtful that this is not a standard practice as I've seen several other (and more recent) posts with this same complaint. I did want to amend my post though, as I was a little surprised to actually have been contacted by Abes of Maine regarding my negative review, but am still wary of ordering with them again.  
 
Original: My husband and I were looking to buy a Samsung 46" HDTV for our family room. Abes of Maine came up as having the lowest online price for the TV and we decided to purchase with them. This was our first Abes of Maine purchase, as well as our last. Not 24 hours after I'd placed the order did I receive a voicemail from a sales rep, Mike, who needed to talk to me about my order. He also sent me an email to the same effect. I called back, concerned that something was wrong with the order, only to realize it was a post-purchase sales call to get me to buy a warranty and upgrade my shipping. The sales guy was super loud and irritating and I was immediately annoyed that I was being pestered to spend more. If I'd wanted better shipping or a warranty, I would have included it with my TV order. I was so put off with this tactic (and read online that this had occurred with other customers) that I almost canceled my order to purchase with another popular shopping site, even if I had to pay slightly more for the TV there. The order had already shipped though and I didn't bother to pursue another retailer. The TV arrived without issue and is exactly what we ordered and expected, but we will not be buying from Abes of Maine again.

This review was modified by its author, Team Mikkalson, on 9/6/09.

Their website showed that they had the EOS 5DmkII in stock so I placed an order for one last Monday night. Tuesday morning, I called Abe's to verify that they actually did have the 5DmkII in stock and they said that they did. That same afternoon someone called and left a voicemail and also emailed me saying that they needed to verify my information before they can process the order. So I called back right away to see what the problem was. All was fine with the order so the guy just wanted an opportunity to sell me some other accessories and insurance for the camera, I suppose, which I turned down.  
 
An hour or so later, the order status showed that it has been sent to the warehouse. This was mid-afternoon Tuesday. I was a little suspicious when I was asked to call them back to verify info but I was relieved when the order finally got sent to the warehouse. I was one or two days away from getting the camera in my hands. Or so I thought.  
 
I checked the order status on Wednesday and it still showed "sent to warehouse". Okay, maybe they had a lot of things to ship out and didn't get to mine yet.  
 
Checked the status on Thursday and it still had not shipped. Checked Friday morning and still hadn't shipped so I called their customer service to inquiry about the order. I was told they were waiting for a shipment to come in maybe sometime next week. Egads! I have to wait until next week to MAYBE get the camera? And this is after after I had called earlier specifically to confirm that they had one in stock? Needless to say, this was a real letdown so I canceled the order. If I had wanted to wait for the camera, I would have ordered it through the store I buy from most of the time!  
 
I'm really disappointed with Abe's and I'll never do business with them again.

This review was modified by its author, AvianFotog, on 9/1/09 6:29 PM.

On August 5th I ordered the Sandisk 4GB Cruzer Micro which you advertised as being the "new design!" for $8.95 with free shipping. Well I received it after a week and the post office said I had to pay an extra 44 cents for the shipping because apparently you did not pay enough for it and then I open it to find out that it was NOT the new model, but the older Sandisk 4GB Cruzer Micro.  
 
I don't care about paying the extra postage, but advertising the new model and then sending out the older one? C'mon...this is ridiculous.  
 
I would highly recommend you to stay away from this place. It's not worth the hassle. You'll end up getting screwed over in the end like me.

Oct. 17th 2009 -- And it continues... The delivery company finally came by to get the TV. They came with 2 guys and they took everything away. I signed the paperwork, and added to the bottom of the signed paperwork, that they HAD taken the remote, stand, manuals, cables and all the items included with the TV. I get a nasty call from Abes of Maine to my Nanny, that the TV was no good to them without all the parts. Sounds like Abes of Maine needs to either get a better delivery company or just read the documentation before leaving nasty messages.  
 
I am so tired of this entire ordeal. So much time was consumed dealing with the mistakes of Abes and their not willing to deal with their direct people or hired contractors. Telling me that they fired the girl in customer service because of what happened does not make what happen disappear. Three months later and I am still dealing with this is amazing.  
 
I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND BUYING ANYTHING FROM THEM EVER. NOT WORTH THE EFFORT OR WHAT IT TAKES TO GET WHAT YOU PAID FOR.  
 
++++++++++++  
 
Oct. 7th 2009 -- My saga with Abes of Maine just does not end. They sent me a replacement TV after them telling me they fired the customer service agent that was helping me, or not helping me as it worked out. I received a phone call from one of the VPs promising me he would take care of everything. I did receive the replacement TV, after several weeks. I had paid for White Glove service, I ended up carrying in the TV myself, over 200 lbs, with the driver of the truck. He parked his van down by the street, my driveway is several hundred feet long, lined by a stone wall on each side. He would not drive up the drive way. After helping him carry the TV into the house, he un-packed it and removed the boxes even after I told him that they would need the boxes to return the damaged TV, which then he told me he was not taking with him that day. That someone else would be coming to pick it up.  
 
They have been here twice to get the damaged TV, both time with just one person, no packing or padding and a small van. Now I am getting phone calls from Abe's of Maine telling me they are going to charge me for the 2nd TV if they can't pick it up. Not sure what world these guys exist in, but this is getting to be ridiculous.  
 
I just told them I was going to donate this thing to a local charity if it is not out of my house in the next week. Having a 60" TV just sitting in my family room collecting dust is not something I had expected when purchasing this TV.  
 
On a side note, the TV they replaced the broken one with is AMAZING, works great and I would recommend to anyone looking for a 60" Plasma.  
 
http://www.buzzillions.com/reviews/pioneer-elite-kuro-60-plasma-tv-pro151fd-reviews  
 
 
++++++++++++++++  
 
I had a very bad experience with Abe's of Maine. I ordered a Pioneer Elite 60" Plasma from Ables of Maine. I was pressured into getting the "White Glove "delivery service, which they ensured that unit would be delivered and the boxes hauled away. They also as an incentive to unsure my order, they said they would include $500 in dinner vouchers that could be used at local restaurant in area, these also never arrived.  
 
Unfortunalety, the TV arrived damaged, the shipping company removed the boxes before I could see the shipping material. On inspection of the unit, there was a very large dent in the unit, had to be the result of damage either in the distribution center or during shipping. The shipping boxes would of have to have been crushed based on the size and type of dent on the unit. I called Abe's and reported the matter, they asked for pictures and told me they would be getting back to me. I tried calling several times since and I keep getting the same story, they will get back to me shortly.  
 
At this point, I have a non-working system, I am out $5,400 and no one will return my calls or emails.  
 
I would not do business with this company. Unfortuntely, I now find myself having to file suit the the Massachusetts Attorney General office to just to try to get Abe's to even call me back.

This review was modified by its author, mklusza, on 10/17/09 12:38 PM.

I had a bad experience with Abe's of Maine and cannot recommend this company. The organization publishes a nice web site and offers competitive prices. However, their sales tactics are, in my opinion, unethical. I orderd a HDTV from Abe's of Maine via their toll free sales line. I completed the order via telephone and inquired of the free shipping advertised on their web site. That's when the "bait and switch" started. I was urged to upgrade my shipping to their "kit glove" option which assured my TV would be shipped door to door by an insured, reputable company. Unfortunately, the TV arrived damaged. I called Abe's and reported the matter. I was assured a representativve would call to arrange for a replacement TV. Noone ever called. I called repeatedly to inquire of the status. Each time I was told a replacement would be sent. After several days of hearing the same story, I called to cancel my order. I was then told I could not do so as a replacement had just been shipped. I never received the replacement TV but was charged $400 shipping on my credit card for the replacement TV.  
I would not do business with this company. Unfortuntely, I now find myself having to file suit to address this unethical business practice.