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Very Dissappointed in service
Jeffrey Boudreau, Photographer
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Westminster | MA | USA | Posted: 3:27 PM on 12.07.08 |
->> I don't know how many of you saw the ad for CF or SD Cards from Ritz Camera over the Thanksgiving weekend. Thanksgiving night I ordered the 3 4gig CF cards and was told online they were in stock and would be shipping in a couple of days. I was able to get them for a total of $60 and would get a rebate from Sandisk for $60 prepaid visa card, what a deal.
Well I am still waiting for the cards, I have sent an email to them that went unanswered and tried their live chat today and got nowhere. The guy kept telling me they were backordered and waiting for word from Sandisk on when they would be shipped. He could not answer my question regarding why the website still listed them as in stock and reserved. They just kept apologizing for the inconvience and they would ship them when they got them. I got no real answers either way. Very dissappointed in their service and should have thought of the old cliche, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is". Just beware, I ususally deal with B and H camera out of NY and have no problems, oh well, buyer beware, hopefully I get them some time next year! |
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Kevin Clifford, Photographer
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Reno | NV | United States | Posted: 3:37 PM on 12.07.08 |
->> Hi Jeff,
I went through the same thing yesterday and it only confirmed why I don't buy stuff from them anymore (long story from a few years ago). Anyways, they kept telling me they are waiting to get a shipment in from the manufacturer and they will send them out soon. When asked why it said it was in stock, they just said it became back ordered and will send them out soon. I have a feeling that soon is sometime in January at the earliest.
I also waited on the phone for 15 minutes before I tried the live chat, which I think is automated to find key words and spit out a generic answer to people. |
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Robert Hanashiro, Photographer
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Los Angeles | CA | | Posted: 3:41 PM on 12.07.08 |
->> Not to toot the horn of a site sponsor but ...
I order 2 - 8 gig compact flash cards from Adorama for a great price, no rebate to mess with and free shipping... twice!
(After ordering 2, a day later I thought it was such a heck of a deal, so ordered 2 more!)
This was the day after Thanksgiving ... I've been using these cards for a week now.
If I had any problems ... which I did not ... I knew there was a representative from Adorama I knew I could call directly. |
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Mike Carlson, Photographer
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Bayonet Point | FL | USA | Posted: 3:41 PM on 12.07.08 |
->> Jeff,
Wrote about my similar experience in this thread (as did others):
http://www.sportsshooter.com/message_display.html?tid=31436
A copy from that thread is below:
OK, not claiming that Ritz is a bit dodgy, but I'll outline my experience yesterday and you can make the call...
I planned to order the three CF 4GB deal from Ritz. Went to their site on 11/27, saw that it says "In Stock", placed my order and received confirmation. A few days pass, and on 12/02 I received this message from Ritz: "We just wanted to let you know that we have your order and have not forgotten you. We will ship the order as soon as the products are received from the manufacturer."
After reading the message in this thread above about it being sold out, I called the Ritz web order help number and spoke to someone at a call center who did a great job of "reading the script", informing me that they were, in fact, sold out and that my order would likely be canceled.
When I (slightly) snapped back that I ordered with their site saying "In Stock", pointed out the status email and also mentioned that, when I looked at my order status on their website it still stated "In Stock and Reserved". I asked to speak with a supervisor who shockingly read me the same "script" word-for-word (literally), and reiterated that I would not be getting the cards (note the sarcasm in my use of "shockingly").
I then called the company's corporate number (949-442-0202), spoke with a supervisor in customer relations, outlining everything I explained above. And then I received shipment notification this morning.
Again, not saying anything seems a bit dodgy about that experience, but... |
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Mike Carlson, Photographer
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Bayonet Point | FL | USA | Posted: 3:47 PM on 12.07.08 |
->> Oh, and by the way, Mr. Hanashiro, you're doing a GREAT job of imitating my late father...verrry diplomatically reminding us with an "I told you so" without actually coming out with an "I told you so".
You'd think I would have learned to listen to the smart people by now...(especially since I've ordered from Samy's and Adorama in the past month, with great customer service and immediate attention vs. my experience with this Ritz fiasco...). |
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Chuck Liddy, Photographer
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Durham | NC | USA | Posted: 4:22 PM on 12.07.08 |
| ->> yup...they aren't so hot as a camera store but they do make GREAT crackers. |
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Landon Finch, Photographer
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Colorado Springs | CO | USA | Posted: 4:24 PM on 12.07.08 |
->> I did the same as you Jeff, ordered 3 CF cards from Ritz, but I had them in less than a week (including the Thanksgiving holiday) and have already sent off the rebate.
Ritz can be great and can be bad...ironically (and unfortunately) I've had the same experience with one of the SS.com sponsors. |
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Bob Ford, Photographer
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Lehighton | Pa | USA | Posted: 4:58 PM on 12.07.08 |
->> I don't know if the people that ordered them and are waitng for them to ship have seen the rebate form yet, (I haven't), but you might want to see when the rebate expires. If the cards ship after the rebate expires you might end up losing your rebate.
You might want to look into it and possibly cancel your orders if you think you might miss the rebate. |
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George Bridges, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Washington | DC | USA | Posted: 5:12 PM on 12.07.08 |
->> Chuck,
C'mon now, don't start a Ritz vs. Saltines debate here on this forum. |
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Jeffrey Boudreau, Photographer
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Westminster | MA | USA | Posted: 5:14 PM on 12.07.08 |
->> Bob,
Thanks for the heads up on the date, just checked the form and it says Jan 17, I WILL have them by then, I promise.
Mike,
Thanks for pointing out your thread, I actually saw it and after my experience online I went looking for it but obviously didn't search the right terms. I will take your lead and call tomorrow (off to a shoot in a little bit) and I can be persuasive when I need to be, but will definitely call tomorrow and hopefully have my cards soon. I hope that all that have shared our experience will do the same and call them out for their lousy customer practices.
Thanks to all for your input!!! |
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Nick Adams, Photographer
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Houston | TX | | Posted: 5:15 PM on 12.07.08 |
| ->> I cancelled my order. The customer service guy said it would take three more weeks before I got the cards. |
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Steven E. Frischling, Photographer
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Live HVN : Work SFO-NYC | | | Posted: 5:20 PM on 12.07.08 |
->> Geo,
Everyone knows that Chuck likes Saltines. Personally I find the square premium Saltines to be superior as well.
-Fish |
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Chuck Liddy, Photographer
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Durham | NC | USA | Posted: 5:27 PM on 12.07.08 |
| ->> extra salt please |
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David Harpe, Photographer
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Louisville | KY | USA | Posted: 5:52 PM on 12.07.08 |
| ->> I also ordered the Adorama cards and had them delivered in a very timely manner....and a great deal! |
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Robert Beck, Photographer
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Carlsbad | CA | USA | Posted: 9:25 PM on 12.07.08 |
| ->> Ritz is not a camera store for professionals. |
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Chuck Steenburgh, Photographer
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Lexington | VA | USA | Posted: 10:20 PM on 12.07.08 |
->> I was afraid Adorama was up to something "dodgy" as well when I noticed that links for the cards would take you to Amazon and not the regular Adorama web site. This includes my links (I'm an affiliate) that I'd had up for months prior to this most recent sale.
When I asked Adorama, however, they very quickly explained that the demand crashed their servers and they had to have Amazon handle the load.
Likely the same thing happened to Ritz. Doesn't sound like they've handled it as well. |
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Greg Francis, Photographer
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Rochester | NY | USA | Posted: 10:30 PM on 12.07.08 |
| ->> Chuck, Thanks for pointing that out, I've been waiting for some cards to arrive from Adorama/Amazon and it seems to be taking a little longer than several other purchases from Ritz & BeachCamera. Thanks for the heads up. |
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Jeff Kowalsky, Photographer
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West Bloomfield | MI | United States | Posted: 10:56 PM on 12.07.08 |
->> I ordered 3 - 8 gig Sandisk Extreme III from Adorama through Amazon on Black Friday.
I received the cards less then a week later. The receipt that came in the box was from Adorama.
They will be less then $7 a card after the Sandisk rebate. What a deal! |
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Jim Colburn, Photo Editor, Photographer
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McAllen | TX | USA | Posted: 10:56 PM on 12.07.08 |
->> There's a reason why companies like B&H and Adorama continue to get my custom (for decades) and companies like Ritz do not. The stuff is there, at a price, and it gets shipped out without any BS. If there are any rebates they work out and if there are any problems they get resolved to my satisfaction. Yeh sure, there's no "touchy-feely" hand-holding when it comes to ordering but I don't need that.
I have to say that when I was "deciding" on a video rig to take to France in 2006-2007 I had things bouncing back and forth between me (in Omaha at the time) and B&H (in NYC) and there was never a question on their part about my returning things.
I'll run out and take advantage of a national chain's discounts (four 2Gb CF cards from Office Depot last year) but if I'm going to order something serious it's going to be from a select few companies (I'll include Samy's and Robert's 'cause I've had no-BS dealing with both of them) that have proven themselves. |
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David Godinez, Photographer
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Union City | CA | USA | Posted: 11:04 PM on 12.07.08 |
| ->> I myself ordered the cards and called my sister in law who also ordered. She ordered after me and got hers about 3 days later and I never received mine. The tracking says it was delivered on the 3rd at 10pm and left on porch. Ok so not Ritzs fault but FedEx, but I went online to ritz and explained that the tracking stated that it was delivered on the 3rd and I never received. The guy had me on online hold for 20 minutes and then hit the auto resonse and said great news your shipment was sent out on the 28th and was going to log off. I said i know but also said it was delivered on the 3rd. His auto response was please wait until the 3rd and contact us if there are problems!!!! This was the 5th. I called the help line and got another genious. Said he would email me the claim form. I never received it and was really pissed and called again, the gentleman that answered was in the states and said my online contact was in India and so was my first call, he also said they usually are not helpfu., nhe gave me instructions on how to type my claim letter. I will never again buy from them! |
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Jeffrey Boudreau, Photographer
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Westminster | MA | USA | Posted: 7:42 PM on 12.08.08 |
->> Well spent about 40 minutes on the phone with a Supervisor in Customer Relations and he couldn't understand why the website said what it did and that they were sold out and there wasn't much he could do. Trying to get to the Supervisor was fun as I had to argue with a Customer Relations person to have him transfer me to a Supervisor without giving him my Order Number, but I got there. The Supervisor ended up giving me the name of the Corporate person in charge of Customer Relations (Debbie Whitecotton, 949-442-0202) and I called her and left a message with the problem and lo and behold, I got a shipment order this evening, so supposedly my cards are on their way. Now, lets hope what happened to David does not happen to me. All I do know, is I will never order or buy anything from Ritz again.
Although, I may eat the Crackers again!!! |
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Russ Isabella, Photographer
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Salt Lake City | UT | USA | Posted: 1:09 AM on 12.10.08 |
| ->> Another happy Adorama customer. A Thanksgiving purchase (8gb cf) thanks to the heads-up I found here. Fairly prompt delivery. |
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Adam Cairns, Photographer
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Columbus | OH | USA | Posted: 11:34 AM on 12.10.08 |
| ->> After getting my second "we haven't forgotten about you" email two days ago, I got an email from Ritz canceling my order this morning. Reason "SOLDOUT." |
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Todd Spoth, Photographer, Student/Intern
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Baltimore | MD | USA | Posted: 8:37 PM on 12.10.08 |
->> placed my order on the 27th and got a shipping confirmation email on the 8th of december. i guess i lucked out!
-T |
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James Schammerhorn, Photographer
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Stillwater | OK | USA | Posted: 9:27 PM on 12.10.08 |
->> I also placed an order on the 27th for three 4 gig card and received all of them today from Ritz.
James |
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Matthew Sauk, Photographer
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Sandy | UT | United States | Posted: 10:07 PM on 12.10.08 |
->> I placed my order on amazon/adorama on the 28th and opted for the free shipping (7 to 10 days).
I will be receiving all 5 of my 4gb cards tomorrow which I payed just 99 dollars for!
That is a great deal and completely updates my cards finally. |
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Matthew Sauk, Photographer
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Sandy | UT | United States | Posted: 10:10 PM on 12.10.08 |
->> Hey Russ when did you get yours?
Looking at the tracking my cards have been here in SLC since the 9th lol Wonder why they did not complete the shipping yet. Oh well |
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Adam Cairns, Photographer
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Columbus | OH | USA | Posted: 11:50 PM on 12.10.08 |
| ->> FWIW, I placed my order with Ritz on Nov. 27 at 6pm. |
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Andrew Worrall, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Columbia | M0 | | Posted: 11:59 PM on 12.10.08 |
| ->> I used to work at Ritz Camera. I quit for a reason. Sorry to hear that. If I had a number to CEO I'd give it to you. Maybe the security code to my old store would be good enough? ;-) |
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Keith Lucas, Photographer
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Verona | VA | USA | Posted: 12:20 AM on 12.11.08 |
| ->> ORdered from Amazon/Adorama....great price (Extreme III 4gb 19.99, 8gb 29.99) and got notification they shipped next day....were on door step in 4 days. |
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Matthew Cavanah, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Columbia | MO | US | Posted: 12:53 AM on 12.11.08 |
| ->> I checked my order status tonight before even seeing this thread and it said my order had been canceled. I didn't check until their customer service hours were done for the day but tomorrow I hope to get a chance to speak with someone about it because its crap. I'm afraid I'll probably have to take the same route as Mr. Carlson, which is ridiculous that we have to go to head hancho's just to get something that was promised to us by two order confirmations. |
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Marc F. Henning, Photographer
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Bentonville | AR | USA | Posted: 12:59 AM on 12.11.08 |
->> I too received my three SanDisk Extreme III 4GB cards today from Ritz Camera. Was beginning to worry, but received the shipping notice on Monday. They arrived today. Will send out the rebate for $60 tomorrow. All in all a great deal. Sorry the deal didn't work out for some of you.
marc |
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Jeffrey Boudreau, Photographer
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Westminster | MA | USA | Posted: 8:58 AM on 12.11.08 |
->> Matt,
Call Debbie Whitecotton at 949-442-0202, I left her a message and asked her to call, haven't spoken to her because I never got a call back, but got the shipping notice that day and my cards are scheduled to be delivered today, whether they will be or not is another story, but the phone message definitely started the train rolling.
Jeff |
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JC Ridley, Photographer
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Coral Springs | FL | US | Posted: 10:44 AM on 12.11.08 |
| ->> I'll repeat what Robert Beck said, Ritz is not a camera store for professionals. |
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Matthew Cavanah, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Columbia | MO | US | Posted: 1:17 PM on 12.11.08 |
->> Just got off the phone with Debbie Whitecotton and got nowhere. She simply refused to fill my order even though she said that they did have more in stock now. Last time I ever order from Ritz.
If anyone hears of any good deals on CF cards still being offered, please let me know. Those cards would have been handy. |
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Mike Carlson, Photographer
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Bayonet Point | FL | USA | Posted: 2:02 PM on 12.11.08 |
->> I agree it is not a store for professionals, but, c'mon...ordered some basic CF cards that were listed as "IN STOCK", with a rebate that made them, essentially, free. Wasn't purchasing a Mark III or D3 or a new 800mm lens...didn't think ordering something as simple as a few memory cards - professional photographer or not - would be this much of a screw-up.
Guess I did learn my lesson, but... On a brighter note, I did spend some quality time with a couple of new friends in India... |
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Phillip Davies, Photographer
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Garden City | NY | US | Posted: 9:26 PM on 12.11.08 |
->> I got my 3 cards today. with no information on how to get the rebate. I called Ritz customer support in India and they sent me to their "rebate form page" here:
http://www.ritzcamera.com/help/ritzrebates/ritzcoupons.htm
Scroll down to the SanDisk section and you can see that the offer still appears to be good until January 17, 2009 if you can get the three cards it appears you can still get the rebate.
I filled out the form and sent it in. |
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Jonathan Nimerfroh, Photographer
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Philadelphia | PA | USA | Posted: 12:26 PM on 12.12.08 |
->> i never got an email saying my order was cancel. just went to check the order status on ritz.com and sure enough its been canceled?
just left a message for Debbie Whitecotton.
any other deals out there on CF cards?
that will be my first and last purchase from Ritz.
heres another good site if your buying online for the holidays.
ebates.com
b&h and others like are not on it.. |
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