TL;DR, Avoid Abe's of Maine at all costs. They display predatory business practices, and will bait and switch, upsell, and lie their way into making money. Save yourself the headache, and buy from a well known business!I've been in the market for a new camera, and just missed B&H's sale on the Sony a7 III. I was doing a little googling, and found what appeared to be the same camera listed on Abe's of Maine's website for the same sale price as B&H. Seeing as they were labeling it a 4th of July sale, and the website didn't look sketchy, I placed the order for the camera, and a Sony lens. Not ten minutes later I received a call from "Michael", claiming that he needed to verify my identity for the purchase. In all actuality, he was calling to bait and switch. He started by trying to sell me a $150 battery and charger, since he claimed that the battery that comes with the camera "only lasts 30 minutes." I shot him down on this, citing the well known fact that the A7III battery is exceptional. He then let me know that the camera I had bought was an import (grey market) camera, and that "only the US retail version contains the good Sony battery." He then told me that they sell the US retail version, but at a higher cost, and that it isn't listed on their website anymore, but that he'd gladly change my order to reflect the US model. I don't want a grey market camera, so I requested to cancel my order. I was told that I could cancel, but that it would result in a 10% cancellation fee. He then reassured me that the other camera was the US retail version, and I agreed to receive that camera.This whole situation left me uneasy, so I did some more research, which supported my fear that I was being screwed, and would be buying a camera without any manufacturer warranty. I called Michael back to verify that the US retail version included a manufacturer warranty, but was told very matter of factly that NONE of their Sony products provide a manufacturers warranty, because AOM isn't an authorized Sony retailer! I again mentioned cancellation, and was told that my order had already shipped, but that Michael would do me a favor, and put a note on my account waiving the 10% restock fee if I returned the gear within 14 days. I hung up, with every intention of refusing the shipment upon delivery, and simply returning the product.I became rather uneasy with this plan, and decided to call back, speak with a manager, and cancel the order outright. After much back and forth with the CSR manager (Lisa), I was told that Michael had no authorization to wave the restock fee, but that Lisa would listen to my calls with him, and wave the fee if the calls showed him promising me that. It also came to light that they have no cancellation fee, in spite of telling me that during my first phone call when I initially asked to cancel. I stressed to Lisa that I wanted a full refund, and would under no circumstance pay a restocking fee, and was reassured that she would resolve the issue. I can only assume that she listened to the calls, and saw how poorly I had been handled, because my order was cancelled and fully refunded within 15 minutes of our call.This is not an isolated incident. As it turns out, AOM has an F rating with the BBB, and records of 90 similar incidents registered through the BBB alone! Avoid this company at all costs. They will lie, bully, and manipulate their way into selling you grey market gear. Pay the extra money for the peace of mind that comes from buying from a reputable business. via /r/photography https://ift.tt/3dVREDm
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