From: joee@cabezon.uucp (Joe Eckardt)
Newsgroups: rec.photo
Subject: Re: Cambridge.
Date: 17 Aug 92 18:32:08 GMT
Article-I.D.: cabezon.1992Aug17.183208.9259
Distribution: na
Organization: Logic Modelling Corporation of Beaverton Oregon

ACK!! NEVER AGAIN will I deal with them!  Two stories I'd better relats
concerning their "honesty"...

A while back I ordered a specialty camera (3D) from them.  I new the
manufacturer had gone out of business and that the last cameras they
manufactured were 8 years before -- meaning I was buy NOS (new old
stock) that was being liquidated.  Fine.  I called in and placed the
order for the camera, a dedicated flash, and a case.  "Do you want
batteries for the camera?"  Guess so.  "That's another $12.  How about
a camera strap -- it needs a special attachment?"  Well, okay.  "Another
$8."  Anyway, when the stuff arrived (after a LONG wait) everything looked
fine -- except the "special camera strap" they sold me was the plastic one
that was packaged in the camera box.  The batteris were also the original
ones from the camera box -- they were bubble packed with the manufacturer's
label.  Those batteries were AT LEAST 8 years old and probably more like
10!  They charged me $20 extra NOT to strip out the original accessories!
When I called them on it their attitude was "we sent you what you paid
for."  To me that's shear dishonesty.  I didn't return the camera since
I did want it and at that point there was no alternate place to get one.

The second story involved the same camera but to a friend.  While I was
waiting for MY camera to arrive, blistfully unaware of what I was getting,
I told a friend of mine about finding one and she placed an order for
one.  She waited 6 weeks for delivery.  When it arrived, she immediately
ran a roll of film through it and found that the electronic exposure
meter was totaly non-functional.  She called Cambridge to request a
replacement.  Their response was "We aren't responsible for broken
equipment -- you'll have to contact the manufacturer.  And you got
the last one we had so we can't allow an exchange."  After much arguing
(long distance, at her expense) they agreed that they would allow her
to return it but she would have to pay the return postage, they wouldn't
refund their $20 shipping charge, and they charge a 25% restocking charge
to boot!  And she couldn't return the flash or camera case since there
wasn't anything wrong with them!  In the end she ended up keeping it
and I ended up tearing it apart, scavenging a replacement exposure
board (for another $10), and fixing it for her.

Sorry about the long winded stories, but I feel these guys are total
scum and want others to know about their (seemingly) standard business
practices.  Guess I should at least be thankful that I was more or less
able to recover from the transaction without MAJOR loss.
 
		Joe Eckardt
		Logic Modeling Corporation 

            Please use one of these return addresses instead of 
            the one on the return address line:

		joee@lmc.com   		,or
		...!uunet!lmc.com!joee

"The opinions stated in this letter are my own and do not necessarily reflect 
those of my company."
-- 
		Joe Eckardt
		Logic Modeling Corporation 
		(formally Logic Automation Incorporated)