Kerso?

pxl8

pxl8

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Andy Jones
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Anyone heard from Kerso over the past couple of days?

I ordered my 17-40 but I've not heard anything and time is running out as I need it for a job this weekend. Not a had a reply to email/pm :(
 
I ordered a Canon 24-70 from him last week and it arrived yesterday.
 
Cheers Pete,

I've not heard from him since Sunday when he gave me his account details. I have to say I'm a bit disappointed I've not even had a pm/email confirming receipt of my payment :(
 
I got a reply to my message saying that I'd sent it and a few days later a lens :) I just figure he's busy as he's on every major forum ever.
 
I was in the same boat, did not he from Ian for a few days. I don't think he reply until your money has cleared in to his account.

It only took a couple of days after mine cleared that I got my lenses.
 
Cheers, but that's why I'm concerned - I paid cash in on Monday but not heard a thing.
 
This lack of communication at times is what lets Kerso down IMO. I'm sure it'll be fine, but it is a tad worrying.

You could borrow my 17-40L if you were a bit closer.
 
I have bought a 350D from him. I don't think the communication is a let down. He clearly has a business to run and can not always be here. I think he does his best.
He told me when he will be sending out the goods so I will just wait on that.

Did you mention to him that you were in a rush for the goods?
 
I've bought multiple lenses from Ian but have noticed a change over the last few months. I got Sue's 100-400 within a few days of the paypal payment (3rd April ish) but had to wait well over a month (plus send multiple emails/pms without reply asking where it was) for the UV filter I'd ordered at the same time to arrive.

I'm still waiting for the Mack warranty I purchased with the lens to come through, I reminded Ian about it a few weeks ago and he said he'd get it sent to me but there's been nothing yet.

I'm not sure if he's just mega busy with all of the business he's built up through word of mouth on here and on other forums but he's not doing himself any favours by not putting aside a few minutes a day to reply to people with queries.
 
Johhny, I sent an email so I'm not relying on Ian logging on to the site to respond.

The situation isn't good. Ian's lack of communication and the problems Matt mentioned don't inspire me that this is going to be resolved quickly. If Ian had been upfront about the delays I would have gone elsewhere but now I don't even have that option - he already has my money and I have no choice but wait for him to confirm a delivery date or give me an immediate refund.
 
Maybe there are outside influences we don't need to know about. For the record I had communications with him up until the weekend and am now at the waiting for confirmation of delivery and payment stage, which I expect to hear within a week, i hope so.. I need the lens before June 30th! I have every confidence in him :)
 
I respect what everyone is saying but I do feel you are jumping to conclusions on this. The amount of buyers via kerso now must be a business in its self.

You can't compare a friend of the forums to be as quick as say warehouse express or something.

I do feel if you have a problem with his service its worth keeping it between the customer and supplier. I have heard far too many good reports on Kerso to even let it begin to question my faith in Ian.

I do also hope your product arrives before you need it.
 
I believe mine will, I have every confidence. He has communicated well. :)
 
I don't think having to wait for 6+ weeks for a 77mm filter and 11 weeks (and counting) for a small envelope is jumping to a conclusion. And if all people see is threads saying "thumbs up kerso", "kerso is the best" and there are people who have had problems in the past that aren't speaking up then its not fair on potential customers is it? I'd rather know about any problems people were having because as a buyer it allows me to build up my own opinion on whether someone (be it kerso or warehouse express) is worth my business.

Him being a "friend of the forums" doesn't negate the fact that we're talking about lots of money and people genuinely worried about whether they'll get kit in time for jobs.

If people kept bad service between themselves and the supplier then word of mouth advertising would send a lot of people to the wrong places, if people are told of poor service then pressure is put on the businesses to put things right.

At the end of the day, he's running a business and has to do all he can to make sure his customers are kept up to date with what's going on. Up until the issue with the filter/warranty I would have been the first to recommend him to other people - something has changed though in the last 6 months, its more than likely something thats beyond his control but if this is the case he's become a victim of his own success and people are expecting the service to continue acting as it was last year.
 
I agree with Matt, it's no good only having positive feedback public. The bad stuff needs to be aired as well. The lesson here is that good communication goes a long way to keeping your customers happy.

I sold some stuff through the forums at the weekend. If I'd ignored the buyers for two days after they'd paid me I'd fully expect them to be asking what's going on and give me poor feedback as a seller.
 
Johnny, Thanks for everything you have written below, you are right on the mark. Apologies to anyone waiting on a reply or indeed Matt waiting on your warranty, I will get this to you next week. Apologies you should have got it by now! Pixel I will send details, don't panic, I am VERY disappointed that I can't be ill without a new thread being started, its not as if I have your money and refuse to send your lens!!! I do appreciate everyones business and apologise you haven't received my bank details yet. As for someone saying I should keep everyone posted or updated, very very difficult to do that and belive me it doesn't just take a couple of minutes as suggested. Thanks once again to all buyers. Regards Ian.



Jonathan thank you very much for
fstopeleven said:
I respect what everyone is saying but I do feel you are jumping to conclusions on this. The amount of buyers via kerso now must be a business in its self.

You can't compare a friend of the forums to be as quick as say warehouse express or something.

I do feel if you have a problem with his service its worth keeping it between the customer and supplier. I have heard far too many good reports on Kerso to even let it begin to question my faith in Ian.

I do also hope your product arrives before you need it.
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mmmm........im not sure i totally agree with all the negative things being said about kerso. at the end of the day he is a busy boy and has lots of orders to fulfil. I ordered my 70-200 and 100mm macro lenses along with a battery grip for the 30d from him not not 3 weeks ago, he replied to emails straight away, kit was with me inside a week of ordering. From my experience he is always fast to reply to emails, always keeps me upto date with the progress of my order and generally bends over backwards to help out or answer any questions i have.

i have bought various items from him over the last 18 months and the servie has always been the same, its never faltered at all. i think we should cut the guy some slack.
 
Andy, I have just checked my online bank statement and indeed you paid on Monday, just so all forum members know. Apologies for delay. Posting lens in morning. I will try to give you a couple days notice the next time I am ill so you have even more time to panic. Regards Ian.

pxl8 said:
I agree with Matt, it's no good only having positive feedback public. The bad stuff needs to be aired as well. The lesson here is that good communication goes a long way to keeping your customers happy.

I sold some stuff through the forums at the weekend. If I'd ignored the buyers for two days after they'd paid me I'd fully expect them to be asking what's going on and give me poor feedback as a seller.
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Antc, I appreciate your positive comments. Regards Ian.

antc said:
mmmm........im not sure i totally agree with all the negative things being said about kerso. at the end of the day he is a busy boy and has lots of orders to fulfil. I ordered my 70-200 and 100mm macro lenses along with a battery grip for the 30d from him not not 3 weeks ago, he replied to emails straight away, kit was with me inside a week of ordering. From my experience he is always fast to reply to emails, always keeps me upto date with the progress of my order and generally bends over backwards to help out or answer any questions i have.

i have bought various items from him over the last 18 months and the servie has always been the same, its never faltered at all. i think we should cut the guy some slack.
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Andy, You are correct bad stuff needs to be aired, can't be 100% all the time, I do have problems keeping up with e-mails sometimes but it won't help blacking my name here, I do my best to give great prices and give good service. Ian.


pxl8 said:
I agree with Matt, it's no good only having positive feedback public. The bad stuff needs to be aired as well. The lesson here is that good communication goes a long way to keeping your customers happy.

I sold some stuff through the forums at the weekend. If I'd ignored the buyers for two days after they'd paid me I'd fully expect them to be asking what's going on and give me poor feedback as a seller.
Click to expand...
 
I can see both points of view here but have to add my few p's worth to say that Ian will continue to receive my business at every opportunity as he has pulled out all the stops for me every time I have asked for something including just charging me postage recently for an item he could't get through his regular suppliers which he tracked down for me somehow in the US :notworthy:
As has been said if you need something quickly then you might be better to bite the bullet & pay more elsewhere - if you want the best price & time isn't a big issue then Ian's your man IMHO :thumbs:
Paul ;)
 
kerso said:
Andy, You are correct bad stuff needs to be aired, can't be 100% all the time, I do have problems keeping up with e-mails sometimes but it won't help blacking my name here, I do my best to give great prices and give good service. Ian.
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Ian in which post did I blacken your name?

Read back through the thread. I asked if anyone had heard from you because you hadn't replied to my pm/email. I was trying to find out if anyone knew of a reason for the delay so I could try and plan around the situation I was in. I didn't panic or leap to conclusions but as CT and Matt both mentioned problems with communication I did say I wasn't inspired.

At no point did I think or suggest anything untoward was happening. Maybe you were on holiday, maybe there was a mix up with the orders and you thought my payment was for someone elses 17-40. The simple truth is for 2 days I didn't know what was going on. A simple auto-responder on your email would have avoided all this. That and not eating yellow snow are my handy tips for the day :D

I look forward to receiving my lens on Friday as stated. However, if for some reason that's not going to happen please let me know ;)
 
Just to keep this in perspective - Ian has an enviable reputation on this forum and it's well deserved - his integrity is not in question. When people quote genuine concerns they have about specific orders though, it's hardly 'blackening your name' Ian, especially when they've tried to contact you. :)
 
Okay I was maybe being a bit strong but I take it bad that someone can complain about not being notified about a delay when I am ill and not one person got an e-mail from me for 2 days. I wouldn't have minded answering a PM today but not having to respond to a thread for all to see. I only knew about it when someone sent an e-mail. Anyway I have notified buyer with ETA. I DO appreciate the support of this forum but it is difficult at times to have a life too. Regards Ian.



CT said:
Just to keep this in perspective - Ian has an enviable reputation on this forum and it's well deserved - his integrity is not in question. When people quote genuine concerns they have about specific orders though, it's hardly 'blackening your name' Ian, especially when they've tried to contact you. :)
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I'm glad all this appears to have been sorted out. Everything gets a bit of a wobble from time to time, although I've not got round to using Ian's services yet the number of (+) comments about the way he conducts his business far outstrip the (-) comments. And who knows.....Ian might benefit from some constructive feed back and put measures into place to prevent a repeat. After all, every business needs to reassess from time to time in order to move forward.


:thumbs:
 
I've used him and was thoroughly pleased with the service :) OK He may take a little time to respond sometimes (and that sometimes can be hit and miss), but I've nevr doubted his integrity or honesty, and I accept the fact this isn't a full time business for him (regardless of how many orders people say he gets), and I'm happy to put up with that if it means getting it cheaper than UK high street prices.
 
In my first post I stated that Ian did not reply until my money has cleared in to his bank.

The money left my account on a Monday and only got to Ian on a Thursday, then Ian informed me he would post the lens on Friday which he did and it arrived on the following Tuesday.

This was my first purchase from Ian , but now I know the process and how long it will take to transfer money I would have no hesitation to buy from him again.
 
Matt, Apologies for keeping you waiting on your extended warranty, as I said when I called last night you will have for next week. I have no excuse for this to be honest with you. Sorry you probably won't be recommending me any more. I will put in a free Hoya UV filter , hope that makes up for the wait. This is by no way a sweetener for you, I think you need to go alsewhere in the future, I don't want unhappy buyers. Best regards Ian.

Matt Charlton said:
I don't think having to wait for 6+ weeks for a 77mm filter and 11 weeks (and counting) for a small envelope is jumping to a conclusion. And if all people see is threads saying "thumbs up kerso", "kerso is the best" and there are people who have had problems in the past that aren't speaking up then its not fair on potential customers is it? I'd rather know about any problems people were having because as a buyer it allows me to build up my own opinion on whether someone (be it kerso or warehouse express) is worth my business.

Him being a "friend of the forums" doesn't negate the fact that we're talking about lots of money and people genuinely worried about whether they'll get kit in time for jobs.

If people kept bad service between themselves and the supplier then word of mouth advertising would send a lot of people to the wrong places, if people are told of poor service then pressure is put on the businesses to put things right.

At the end of the day, he's running a business and has to do all he can to make sure his customers are kept up to date with what's going on. Up until the issue with the filter/warranty I would have been the first to recommend him to other people - something has changed though in the last 6 months, its more than likely something thats beyond his control but if this is the case he's become a victim of his own success and people are expecting the service to continue acting as it was last year.
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Thanks guys for this and previous 2 postitive comments, I have taken on board the negative comments too and will work on them although if you are ill there not much can be done. Working on an auto-reply once I buy the iMac, thanks Sharkey. Regards Ian.


whiteflyer said:
In my first post I stated that Ian did not reply until my money has cleared in to his bank.

The money left my account on a Monday and only got to Ian on a Thursday, then Ian informed me he would post the lens on Friday which he did and it arrived on the following Tuesday.

This was my first purchase from Ian , but now I know the process and how long it will take to transfer money I would have no hesitation to buy from him again.
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I must say I'm amazed people are so quick to moan about things before speaking / communication with Ian. After all he is in the USA with a time difference and has a life away from photography (I assume). You are saving a lot of money by buying from Ian, I would think a bit of curtosey towards him, and not ranting in public is needed, So he didn't answer a few emails straight away. I know it can be frustrating at times when this happens. But i think his reputation speaks for its self.

As far as I see it you have 2 choices
Buy your gear from Ian and save money and be prepared to wait possibly a few extra days, or pay top whack and buy it in the UK. I know which I'd sooner have.

I have purchased quite a bit of gear from Ian and recommended him to a colleague who spent 2K on that recommendation and was well pleased with the service he got, and his goods were ordered special.

I will continue to buy my gear from Ian as his service and prices are fantastic.:thumbs:
 
mho said:
I must say I'm amazed people are so quick to moan about things before speaking / communication with Ian. After all he is in the USA with a time difference and has a life away from photography (I assume). You are saving a lot of money by buying from Ian, I would think a bit of curtosey towards him, and not ranting in public is needed, So he didn't answer a few emails straight away. I know it can be frustrating at times when this happens. But i think his reputation speaks for its self.

As far as I see it you have 2 choices
Buy your gear from Ian and save money and be prepared to wait possibly a few extra days, or pay top whack and buy it in the UK. I know which I'd sooner have.

I have purchased quite a bit of gear from Ian and recommended him to a colleague who spent 2K on that recommendation and was well pleased with the service he got, and his goods were ordered special.

I will continue to buy my gear from Ian as his service and prices are fantastic.:thumbs:
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[S4]
couldn't agree more
[/S4]

Ian has been great when i have bought lenses from him. I've also recommended him to friends and their service has also been prompt and complete. When i have had a question / query / concern I've raised it with Ian and had a timely response. Just because we've become accustomed to electronic mail doesn't give us the right to expect immediate replies.
 
kersos not in the usa is he? i was looking for a 2xconverter and thought i could pick it up from in fife before i went on holiday. or am i confusing him with soemone else?
always had good service and i give him what busnessi can.
pbh
 
You can pick up from his sister in Fife, I did that with my last lens :thumbs:
 
Jonnyreb said:
Just because we've become accustomed to electronic mail doesn't give us the right to expect immediate replies.
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Erm, where did I moan about not getting an immediate reply? Ok it was only on the third day after paying money in that I ASKED (without a whisper of complaint) if anyone had heard from him.

Then, as the thread unfolded, I was told poor communication was a problem, the problems Matt Charlton had had, etc.

BTW, I think Matt has good cause to moan given the delays he experienced.

The thread goes off on a tangent as seemingly it's bad practice to give negative feedback about retailers on the forum, but singing their praises is acceptable :shrug:

Later in the day Ian posted to say he was ill and took offence at the thread. Well I am sorry about that, but had someone known and replied then perhaps it would have been a very different thread. But that's the point isn't it - no one did know.

I take exception to the idea that I was moaning about Ian, I simply wanted to find out if anyone knew of a reason for a delay - I need the lens for a job this weekend. I can hardly turn up at the shoot and say sorry my lens didn't arrive but I didn't contact the seller as I just hoped it would be ok. :cuckoo:

mho said:
As far as I see it you have 2 choices
Buy your gear from Ian and save money and be prepared to wait possibly a few extra days, or pay top whack and buy it in the UK. I know which I'd sooner have.
Click to expand...

On this occasion the delay was caused by his illness and so was unforseen. Had Ian not been ill it wouldn't have been problem (and hopefully still won't be for my job this weekend).

But, at the risk of being critical, any business that is so dependent on a single person really needs to plan how to cope with times when that person isn't available for whatever reason.

But please keep this in perspective. I did make attempts to contact Ian and when I had no luck and considering the time frame involved I asked if anyone had heard from him. That's a very different thing from a complaint thread even though people seem to be treating it as one. :nono:
 
Sorry pxl8 - my post wasn't a criticism of you. I'd have been direct if it was. You've clearly had a bad experience of Ians and for that you have my sympathy.

However, as with all threads the focus often shifts from the original point and my post was intended to balance the argument based on my own experience.
 
Surely feed back good or bad needs to be aired from professional suppliers then we can make our own informed choices as to "where to buy"
I personally have had one good experiance and one not so good I guess that makes me neutral and sitting on the fence as usual:D
 
I take people as I find them choose what others say.;)

I have spent thousands with Ian Kerr and never had a negative thing to say at all.

Items have always been very competitive (better than everyone in my case) and always had my items delivered in the week.

Also I have had personal telephone calls from him lasting up to an hour at his expense keeping me updated with shipping etc.

For those who don't know Ian he runs a landscape gardening business over in the US and sells camera equipment in his spare time. I imagine there isnt enough hours in the day when he is busy, But I as a customer am prepared to wait as the savings are just too good to miss.;)

To add to this thread I will be using kerso as long as he is in the business of selling camera gear.

And remember folks, Everyone gets ill at sometime and needs some timeout.

It can be frustrating not hearing anything from him and for that you have my sympathy, but I will vouch he is a 100% reliable and would never leave anyone in the lurch.:)
 
Personally I have found this thread to be quite refreshing and would make me more likely to consider using Kerso in future. There is something almost cult-ish about the way some people praise him which is reinforced by the bizarre claims that he should be above being given negative feedback. A benefit that I have never seen afforded to any other store, eBay, or personal seller.

It is perfectly normal for people to have computer problems, go on holiday, or fall ill etc. and it is reassuring to know that Ian is normal and has all the same issues that the rest of us do. All the good stuff said about him still far outweighs a few people's experiences on this thread, which are perfectly valid and do not deserve to be written off just by people who never had any problems. But they also provide balance and allows you to be able to make an informed decision that is not possible when everything you read is so one sided.

Michael.
 
I have also dealt with Ian and managed to receive a call from the States when I had a small problem.

I think that Ian's main problem is that he is a victim of his own success. Never enough hours in the day.

:canon:
 
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