Unfortunately that has happened so much that UPS will sometimes refuse to pay out on collectibles, if it can not easily be repaired or replaced you are SOL. Or anyway, the is what a collector friend of mine says.
-- graywolf http://www.graywolfphoto.com http://webpages.charter.net/graywolf "Idiot Proof" <==> "Expert Proof" ----------------------------------- mike wilson wrote: > A very interesting story, as it highlights an idea I had about some sellers. > As a seller, you have a lens that is defective in some mechanical way. You > advertise it for sale as a perfect item, insisting on insurance for transit. > It arrives "broken", the insurance company pays for it to be fixed and you > are the recipient of funds for a perfect lens rather than a broken one. All > it costs you is the insurance premium. Not moral or legal but some people > won't worry about that. > > I wonder how many times you could pull it before the insurance company > cottoned on? > > >> From: Brendan MacRae <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >> I thought I'd relay this story to you all. >> >> Back in July I was looking for a long lens for the 67 >> since the longest lens in my bag was the 165mm f4 LS. >> I was thinking about buying a new 300mm and a >> teleconverter (from the results posted on Luminous >> Landscape this seemed like a good option) but I saw a >> used 400mm ED on Ebay at a good price and jumped at it >> with the Buy It Now option. The description said the >> lens was well used but "optically perfect." >> >> So, the lens arrived about a week later and boy was I >> not happy. The lens was shipped in its dedicated trunk >> case but in a box with packing peanuts and >> miscellaneous scraps of styrofoam. The trunk was not >> packed snuggly and it shifted around inside the box. >> When I took the lens out of the truck case to inspect >> it I had it tilted slightly on end and my heart sank >> when I heard a loud "thud" from inside the lens. Yep, >> the IF helicoid was stripped and was just sliding back >> and forth. And that wasn't the worst of it. Upon >> looking into the lens from the front element I could >> see that one of the internal elements was scratched at >> the edge, a fairly large scratch, maybe 4-6mm long. I >> was wondering if there was a screw loose inside that >> caused it but I never saw or heard one. >> >> So, I contacted the seller and explained my dismay and >> told him that he needed to claim it (yes, I insisted >> on insurance) and that even though the box had no >> obvious damage it should've been more carefully packed >> (the box wasn't even marked 'fragile'). I told him >> that even if the focus was operable I would insist on >> a refund since there was no way I was buying a lens >> with a scratched element, especially one described as >> "optically perfect." After a few terse emails the >> seller told me that the claim was going through and >> that UPS would be by to pick up the lens for >> inspection. >> >> In the end, UPS decided to pay to have the lens >> repaired at Pentax in Colorado. I told the seller to >> have them fix everything, including replacing the bad >> element, and I'd be happy to have it. Suprisingly, I >> got the lens today, over two months later from the >> close of the auction, packaged nearly the same way as >> before, but this time in good shape, no focusing >> issues, no scratched element and freshly aligned and >> CLA'd from our friends in Golden, Colorado. Even so, >> when I went to fit the lens on the camera, well to be >> honest, with this lens you fit the camera to the lens, >> it wouldn't present flush. I tried it again and still >> no luck. When I examined the lens mount In noticed >> that one of the six screws holding the mount to the >> lens hadn't been fully tightened and was proud of the >> surface. I tightened it down and then mounted the >> camera with no trouble. Finally, being a cautious guy, >> I checked the focus scale against a tape and it >> matched almost exactly. >> >> In eight years as a seller and buyer on eBay this was >> first time I had a major issue with a seller. I >> suppose I should count myself very lucky in that I was >> dealing with a seller who was committed to making the >> transaction work one way or the other. But, then, >> before I bid I did what I always do which is check his >> feedback rating, read a few comments (especially the >> negative ones, if there are any) and look at the >> seller's eBay store if they have one. In this case, >> the guy was camera retailer from Florida with a good >> rating so the purchase seemed very safe. In the end, >> I'm happy with result but wondering if I'll be buying >> gear like this off eBay in the future. > > > > ----------------------------------------- > Email sent from www.ntlworld.com > Virus-checked using McAfee(R) Software > Visit www.ntlworld.com/security for more information > > -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
