What's the best way to deal with this?

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Thegreatroberto

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I was going to turn this into a rant. But decided instead to ask, "What would you have done?"

I live in kent and this week phoned a well known photo retailer in say...........Norwich to purchase a couple of second hand items. In particular, a Nikon 35mm F/2.0 D lens. The lens was ( I think) well priced.

So, yesterday, I took a day off work to Norwich. A round trip of 350 miles.

When I get there, the 35mm F2.0 D can not be found.( the other item I went for was still available) Turns out the lens, was sold to another customer 3 hours after I had called. The sales assistant was a bit lack lustre. Just looked at me , eventually saying it was sold.

Clearly they did not have another second hand 35mm D lens. I did joke about a new one for £135.

So, what would have been the best course of action ?
 
Did you ask for it to be put on hold or place any type of deposit?
Looking at it from their perspective, I can promise they get a lot of "verbal commitments" from customers that are never followed thru on.
 
before i even made the 350 mile around trip....i would phone & ask them to reserve it, even if i had to pay a holding deposit or even in full over telephone the day before or similar.
 
I'd have bought it over the phone, got it sent to me then sent it back if it was not as described. b****r doing such a large round trip
 
Thegreatroberto said:
So, what would have been the best course of action ?
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I'd have left a deposit on it with my credit card to hold it before driving the 350 miles. You could have bought it as POAH said... but being used, I'd have left a deposit, and made sure it was refundable should the lens not be in the advertised condition.
 
Did they try to sell you something else? Did the sales assistant look like a used car salesman?

Classic sales trick, advertise a "too good to be true", wait for a bite, have buyer travel stupid distance, try to sell them the shed in the corner and because they travelled so far, they're easily convinced.
 
I'm sorry but as said above it you wanted it you should have brought it and have it delivered, it's a no brainer that if a shop has someone there with the cash or someone that said they'll be there with the cash they will go with the person that is there....
 
If a new one is typically £260 and a 350 mile round trip costs about 45p per mile (ie about £155 according to HM tax office) and £115 is an average UK daily wage, then they would need to actually pay you to make it worthwhile.
 
Are some people actually this stupid, or is this a pee take?
 
Sucks, but these companies aren't in business to hang around on the off chance that a dude from 200 miles away is going to come and buy the lens. I'd be pee'd off too, but you really have to blame yourself for not absolutely ensuring the lens would be there for you when you arrived.
 
When I phoned, I did offer to ay in full or a deposited. But was told that I did not need to.
And, as it turns out, they still would have sold the lens.

The person who took my "order" did ( and they showed me on their system) did not complete it. Thus, it looked as if it was still for sale. So, the person who actually sold it was not at fault.
The manager got involved and looked embarrassed. And, the look on his face said " this is not the first time they have done this"

As I said, I did offer to pay in full or a deposit. But the person I spoke to said that'd add it to my other item. An item that was £1000.
I recognise that mistakes are made, but what I was wondering, is what you'd have done?
 
It was you who decided to make the journey. The trader had a lens on sale at the time you telephoned. What is your gripe?
 
I was paying cash, hence the personal visit.
And this was a major retailer, not some back street camera shop.

Interestingly, when you phone their used equipment phone number, they are not actually sat in front of the equipment. They are in head office, some miles from the warehouse/showroom ( and its some showroom). So, they are unable to really describe the item. I found this out, only because I went to their showroom/warehouse. They are reading the same description/blurb from the website.
 
Yellowbelly said:
It was you who decided to make the journey. The trader had a lens on sale at the time you telephoned. What is your gripe?
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The gripe is that , I offered to pay( and hence own the item), but they did not want me to pay for either item.And then they sold it to someone else. It was not deliberate. I fairly sure of that.
 
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Thegreatroberto said:
The grip is that , I offered to pay( and hence own the item), but they did not want me to pay for either item.And then they sold it to someone else. It was not deliberate. I fairly sure of that.
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OK, but given they refused your cash, nevertheless you still decided to make the trip. There was no guarantee that the item would be available when you arrived.
 
Yellowbelly said:
OK, but given they refused your cash, nevertheless you still decided to make the trip. There was no guarantee that the item would be available when you arrived.
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I think you and one or two others missed the point.

The op offered to pay in full or a deposit and they said it wasn't necessary and they would hold the lens for him. They then sold it to someone else while he travelled to pick it up.

OP has every right to be ****ed even though nothing can be Done about it now.
 
a1ex2001 said:
I think you and one or two others missed the point.

The op offered to pay in full or a deposit and they said it wasn't necessary and they would hold the lens for him. They then sold it to someone else while he travelled to pick it up.

OP has every right to be ****ed even though nothing can be Done about it now.
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Where does the OP say that they agreed to hold the item without payment?
 
Ok, I see you point. Like I said, this is not a small time camera shop , but a major retailer.
If I had been them, I'd have taken a deposit, but they didn't.

Anyway, I bought another new lens and negotiated a significant discount. They had to spread it over the new lens and the s/h body I bought.
The manager was quite reasonable albeit pist with one of his staff.

But I was most interested with the idea of a second hand phone line that is some miles from the gear they were describing! And yes, it taught me to insist on leaving a deposit. But, on this occasion, they would still have sold the 35 f2.0 to the other person!

Anyone got a 35 f2.0d they don't want !!
 
You were going up there to pick up the other lens anyway, so it's not as if you were making the trip specifically for the 35mm.

I don't understand why you're ranting. Mistakes happen.

Btw, I'd be very careful about making accusations about WEX or any of their staff!
 
Thegreatroberto said:
When I phoned, I did offer to ay in full or a deposited. But was told that I did not need to.
And, as it turns out, they still would have sold the lens.

The person who took my "order" did ( and they showed me on their system) did not complete it. Thus, it looked as if it was still for sale. So, the person who actually sold it was not at fault.
The manager got involved and looked embarrassed. And, the look on his face said " this is not the first time they have done this"

As I said, I did offer to pay in full or a deposit. But the person I spoke to said that'd add it to my other item. An item that was £1000.
I recognise that mistakes are made, but what I was wondering, is what you'd have done?
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OK, that's different. You made an attempt to secure the item and you embarked on a long journey under the impression that the lens was being kept for you. You certainly have grounds to raise a complaint, but I'm not sure it will actually get you anything. Personally I'd kick up a huge fuss and make demands, but I wouldn't be certain it would get me anything.

If I were you, I wouldn't have bought the other item. I don't know if you have or not, but I certainly wouldn't have given these people any further business.

Definitely leave a negative review on any site that holds reviews for them. If they have a head office, I'd be tempted to write a letter demanding to be reimbursed for the fuel you wasted.
 
Oh wait, haha, is this about WEX?

Wex are a terrible company. I had to make a complaint myself last week after my FOURTH order in a row was incorrect. The previous three times I'd just kept the incorrect item because I couldn't be bothered to complain.

Ordered a Peli 1510 case with foam inserts, and the next day I got a Peli 1510 with dividers. Since this was the fourth time in two years that I'd ordered something and had received the wrong order, I phoned to point out the mistake, and a courier came to collect it. The very next day they delivered another case... to an address 26 miles from me. Cheers Wex! Had to wait in for another day to get the case. Paid for next day delivery, too. Took three days to arrive; never once was I offered a refund.

It's par for the course at Wex. They're a horribly inefficient company who don't seem to have any communication whatsoever between the stock system and the warehouse. Since it's a large company, it's nothing more than just bad management and poor hiring policies.
 
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Thegreatroberto said:
When I phoned, I did offer to ay in full or a deposited. But was told that I did not need to.
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It would have made a lot more sense to have said this in your original post.

Now that you have stated this, then I understand your annoyance and withdraw my previous statement.
 
London Headshots said:
It's par for the course at Wex. They're a horribly inefficient company who don't seem to have any communication whatsoever between the stock system and the warehouse. Since it's a large company, it's nothing more than just bad management and poor hiring policies.
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In your experience, others may have a differing view, I certainly do.
 
fracster said:
In your experience, others may have a differing view, I certainly do.
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Well, of course it's my experience - I detailed it in the first person, who else's experience could I possibly be talking about? What a strange thing to point out.
 
I`m just balancing things out John.

You have a bad experience,I have had good ones with WEX. If somebody popped along and just read your post and decided to avoid WEX like the plague, then that would hardly be fair.

Anyway, i`m not arguing the toss about it.
 
fracster said:
You have a bad experience,I have had good ones with WEX. If somebody popped along and just read your post and decided to avoid WEX like the plague, then that would hardly be fair.
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The unfairness is that people hardly ever post about good experiences but moan to best of their abilities about a problem however small.


Steve.
 
Steve Smith said:
The unfairness is that people hardly ever post about good experiences but moan to best of their abilities about a problem however small.


Steve.
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I once posted a thread here detailing an amazing customer service experience with Apple. Thread was closed after three pages of bitter people trying to spoil the vibe.
 
I have ordered from wex a few times and had one problem which tgey sorted out quickly and professionally. No complaints about the level of service they give.
 
350 miles of fuel and using a days holiday, it must have been an amazing price :shrug:
 
Dunno why it's so surprising to people. None of you have ever wanted something so badly that you couldn't wait for it?
 
It was bought using cash. Hence picking the items up.
As for the days holiday/leave, I get plenty and have some to use from last year. Not worried about that.
Next time I buy second hand or new, ill insist on paying. But as I said with this retailer, the still would have sold it, because there was minimal link between the "sales" people and the warehouse. Whether they learn from this is what matters. If it were my business, I'd make that a priority.
 
London Headshots said:
I once posted a thread here detailing an amazing customer service experience with Apple. Thread was closed after three pages of bitter people trying to spoil the vibe.
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It is a known fact that many businesses (mainly restaurants, hotels, etc.) get more repeat business after a problem was sorted out quickly and efficiently than when everything goes to plan as good service sticks in people's minds - they just don't seem to write about it on forums!


Steve.
 
new2me said:
350 miles of fuel and using a days holiday, it must have been an amazing price :shrug:
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I agree. Unless you were going to save significantly more than the cost of the fuel (and your time) then..... why :thinking::shrug: This just doesn't add up??

I don't even drive five miles into Cheltenham or Gloucester when home delivery is available.
 
Btw, I'd be very careful about making accusations about WEX or any of their staff!
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Does this by any chance relate to a camera problem that someone from Scotland raised on here a while back?
 
It's a pain but this sort of thing happens...

I once found a much sought after filter in stock somewhere and I placed my order for the one that was in stock and paid with my credit card.

I mentioned my lucky find in a thread here and another poster rang up, bought it and received it! Even though I'd placed my order and paid by credit card several hours before they rang up. When I rang up they said they'd place me on back order but as it was such a rare find and they couldn't give me any idea when they'd get another I had to get a refund on my card :thumbsdown: :bang:

Needless to say I will never ever place another order with those monkeys.
 
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Had a very similar experience with a well known photography retailer in say ... Burgess Hill. Phoned to check product in stock. Drove a round journey of around 120 miles; product sold by the time I got there.

The fact is, I didn't formally reserve it, so annoying as it was, it was my fault. Still use them as my bricks and mortar retailer for high value stuff.
 
Thegreatroberto said:
I was going to turn this into a rant. But decided instead to ask, "What would you have done?"

I live in kent and this week phoned a well known photo retailer in say...........Norwich to purchase a couple of second hand items. In particular, a Nikon 35mm F/2.0 D lens. The lens was ( I think) well priced.

So, yesterday, I took a day off work to Norwich. A round trip of 350 miles.

When I get there, the 35mm F2.0 D can not be found.( the other item I went for was still available) Turns out the lens, was sold to another customer 3 hours after I had called. The sales assistant was a bit lack lustre. Just looked at me , eventually saying it was sold.

Clearly they did not have another second hand 35mm D lens. I did joke about a new one for £135.

So, what would have been the best course of action ?
Click to expand...

The majority of the members who replied to your posting are right about many of the actions you could have done, pay a deposit on it, reserve it, pay by card and have it send to your home (package and postage would be far cheaper than the fuel you wasted), and so on, and on.

Another options are: As soon as you've made the call, send an email confirming your wish to buy the item, or better, send a fax, something that is written down with a date and time on it, and keep a copy for yourself.

If you were in a shop and picked up a item, you liked it but want to look around the rest of the shop first, so you put the item back with the aim of coming back to pick it up later, it do not mean you called dibs on it, unless you do put it in the shopping basket or just pick up the item and carry it around until you get to the tills, hence you needed to do something similar when planning on buying a item over the phone, like as most of the members suggested, deposit, reserve, pay it over the phone, or fax/email informing them you wish to buy.

Informing them by written means such as fax/email do not really mean a proper 'call dibs on the item' but it could be useful to sue them for the cost of petrol if they are aware by written notice that you were going up there to buy it, and they sold it to someone else while you were on your way.

Well, I'm not an expert in law but it may help.
 
i would be annoyed if it happened to me, but fortunately it never has!

My local shop must be too trusting because when i ring them to see if something is in stock they put it aside for me for the rest of the day with no payment being made :) Its very useful as i tend to be the kind of person that de-liberates for months about purchases but when i finally decide i'm going to buy it i want it NOW! :lol:
 
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