[henryp]

Henry--
Sorry to use this venue for this problem, but I tried to PM you without success.

I disable private messages in every forum where the option is available. Apparently you overlooked my e-mail address, which is in my signature.

Can you please help re: the confusion about from what starting price the $100 discount is to be applied? (I think my price after the discount should be $1299.00)

As you were assured when you contacted customer service, this is being addressed. Since you emailed customer service and spoke by phone with customer service and had access to my email address the reason for posting here eludes me.

[wwwmorrell]

Amazing how fault has slowly been turned back on to the customer.

[eddie1960]

Amazing how fault has slowly been turned back on to the customer.

I is a little, though I agree this is not the forum for dealing with the issue. if it's not resolved properly through the channels then i can see bringing attention to a customer service issue. For my 2 cents the old adage of the customer is always right is the one rule to live buy

Retail rule #1 - the customer is always right
Retail rule #2 - when the customer is wrong refer to rule #1

In 25 years of retail that pretty much summed up my means of dealing with any issue. Arguing or belittling a customer will never pay off. even questioning one publicly like Henry just did is bad for your retail rep. sorry Henry supported you first time, but this i would have dealt with by private email and just noted issue is dealt with here

[henryp]

Amazing how fault has slowly been turned back on to the customer.

I disagree and am sorry if you found any way to interpret anything I said as assigning "fault" at all.

Retail rule #1 - the customer is always right
Retail rule #2 - when the customer is wrong refer to rule #1

I could not disagree more. My personal opinion is the customer is always to be respected and appreciated, valued and even cherished, perhaps, but no one is "always right," ever. In fact, my personal experience is the customer who falls back on this is often wrong, and knows he's wrong but wants what he wants anyway despite knowing he's not entitled to it.

An example -- a customer recently gave us a vitriolic one-star review online because we wouldn't accept a return for a special order item purchased months earlier. Well, our return policy has a time limit and our special order items are clearly marked on our site, "This is a special order item and is non-cancelable and non-returnable." Nevertheless, in that customer's mind, he was right, always right, and we richly deserved to be publicly castigated.

YMMV of course and as adults we may have to agree to disagree which seems to me to be responsible and mature.

As I said, My personal opinion...

[eddie1960]

I don't disagree that there are unreasonable customers who are outright wrong in some cases but given the power of bad reviews and bad word of mouth frequently satisfying the difficult client despite policy is less expensive than the potential loss of business. In the internet age this is more true than it was in the past. where pre internet a really unsatisfied client could perhaps affect 10 peoples buying decisions that same person can easily do 10 - 20 times that damage without even trying. that is why I've lived by that rule. Not to say I don't try and come to mutually agreeable solutions. on special order clients where i also had a no return rule on special orders I would offer a restocking fee that was reasonable for the product ordered and the difficulty of reselling it. it protects you're margin and gives them an alternative that exceed what would have been spelled out in the special order contract.YMMV but it almost always worked for me. there are lots of studies on his and customer service paradigms out there (seems like a new book comes out monthly) I always like to use nordstroms as an example, i've heard some astounding service stories about them. I know they are a higher margin retailer, but that is pretty much moot in my opinion. Good service is Good service. most of the time you guys seem to get it right but apparently not always IMHO

[Class A]

I appreciate your disappointment and frustration so, for the time being I will overlook your caustic denigrating comments about our character and integrity.

Seems to me you haven't "overlooked" it when you mention it. If want to come across as friendlier person, you could refrain from such comments.

Regarding the singular error of shipping an "open box" item as new I have a genuine question: Surely each day people must return lenses and Pentax cameras to you (I regularly read about it in forum posts that people found a lens to be too big or a camera to small, etc.). Yet whenever I look at the "open box specials", I don't spot any items like that. Where do I have to look if I'm interested in getting a discount on a product that has been tested by a customer before but otherwise is free of defects?

[henryp]

Surely each day people must return lenses and Pentax cameras to you (I regularly read about it in forum posts that people found a lens to be too big or a camera to small, etc.). Yet whenever I look at the "open box specials", I don't spot any items like that. Where do I have to look if I'm interested in getting a discount on a product that has been tested by a customer before but otherwise is free of defects?

Since we cannot consider an item returned by a customer to have been "tested," we'd be understandably reluctant to sell an item with that description or implication. Some returned items go back to the manufacturer or US importer and then show up as refurbished products.

[sameagle]

dadipentak and eddie1960 have hit the proverbial nail on the head. This was an individual error on the part of an individual human being who, it appears, mis-routed a return. We regret and apologize for his mistake and (since I can identify who here is most likely responsible) I will be happy to have him flogged before he's dismembered.

Seriously, we have quite a large physical plant in the Brooklyn Navy yard and many employees there in various capacities for several departments. One erred. We apologize. I see we issued return authorization for this with a pre-paid UPS return label. When this gets back here we will exchange it for a new camera or issue a refund, per your preference.

This is not your first order with us, nor your sixth. I'd like to think our past performance is an indication that this incident is as I said it is. YMMV.

A "snap" indeed. It was previously sold once. That customer returned it which is when it was inadvertently mis-routed.

I appreciate your disappointment and frustration so, for the time being I will overlook your caustic denigrating comments about our character and integrity.

I just upped your rep for handling this situation with the honor we expect from a good company.

Thanks,
Sam

[henryp]

I don't disagree that there are unreasonable customers who are outright wrong in some cases but given the power of bad reviews and bad word of mouth frequently satisfying the difficult client despite policy is less expensive than the potential loss of business.

I don't necessarily disagree but there is another perspective. Periodically I get email from a customer who will say something like, "The camera I bought three weeks ago is now selling for less. Give me the price difference or I will make it my mission and purpose in life to bad-mouth you in every blog, forum, and rate-the-retailer site I can find."

That's a threat. If a retailer agrees to the price adjustment, even if the retailer would have done so anyway, without the threat, the customer will forever believe it's possible to bully the retailer with threats. What's next? "Sell me two D300 bodies for the price of one or I will insult your honor and sully your reputation?"

Likewise, when a customer posts a review of a retailer's performance based on false assumptions or misrepresents the situation, the retailer who bows to this has forever opened the door to being the recipient of this undeserved abuse.

As I said, we respect and honor and appreciate our customers but IMO nowadays no retailer can be seen as the customer's doormat or the skinny kid for whom everyone else can kick sand in his face.

If all we really have is our reputation, defending it sometimes means owning up to and apologizing for errors and making things right. It also means setting the record straight and demonstrating we care enough about that reputation to avoid letting it be tarnished undeservedly.

[Parallax]

I just upped your rep for handling this situation with the honor we expect from a good company.

Thanks,
Sam

And I have just added to your rep for pointing that out.