Zuiks;
Wanted to add my 2 cents to this eBay warning talk.
First, I'm not at all surprised that this kind of stuff goes on, human
nature being what it is. Let's be careful out there!
Second, It ain't limited to eBay. I (and a list member partner) ran into it
on Yahoo auctions. It looks like we were taken for a ride, IMHO, and have a
mail fraud report in the works. We did a little research, after the fact,
unfortunately, and the positive ratings this joker had turned out to have
been submitted ****by his wife****. The only major transaction he had
completed was sold to *** his wife and they posted glowing feedback to each
others' accounts ***. Here's some of the names they go by: frcphotovideo,
Cagiscollectibles, cagis.com, Kurtis Greiner, Cheryl Greiner and who knows
what else. Interestingly, I just checked cagiscollectibles on ebay just
now, and they have a 0 feedback rating. Last time I checked they'd had
hundreds of transactions completed (she deals in hot wheels and other little
stuff). I wonder - did they get booted off for a time and now are back with
a clean slate? Or did they leave and come back on their own? Just
wondering.
Third, there's a Zuiko on eBay right now that I want to warn folks about.
I'm not accusing the seller of anything, except perhaps a low knowledge
quotient. He's selling a 50-250 F/5 which is a lens I'm desiring. He
describes it as "good condition, works good, glass has no scratches". I
wanted a little more info on condition and asked several ?s via email, one
of which was "If you look thru the lens at a lamp, does it look clear? Or
is there any cloudiness or other stuff inside?" His answer:
"Glass is kind of cloudy when you
look through it. Not thick clouds but kind of like spider webs"
Whoa! Glad I asked that question! Sounds like a fungus attack to me. On a
zoom lens, probably not an easy clean-up job, assuming it can be cleaned.
So if you bid on it, understand you'll most likely have to deal with fungus.
Lastly, I want to put in a plug for a camera store which treated me above
and beyond the call:
Ken Hansen Photo in New York City.
I don't know what, if any, web presence they have. I think they're rather a
small store. Anyway, I purchased an expensive Zuiko (is there any other
kind?) from them, based on a description from another list member. It had
been converted to Leica mount and they said they'd convert it back to OM.
So we agreed on a price. When I got the lens, it was an OM mount all right,
but the auto diaphragm and DOF hardware had not been restored. At this
point, I would not have been in the mood to recommend them very highly! But
wait... I called them and they said, sorry, their technician had been unable
to complete the changeover. But that they would pay to get it fixed right.
I contacted a more proficient OM/Zuiko repair shop and was quoted $200
including all parts and labor (the mechanisms had been cut and hacked and
screwed down - not an easy fix) and a CLA as well. As soon as they got the
estimate in their hands, they cut a check for the full amount to the repair
shop. So, I'd recommend Ken Hansen highly at this point.
BTW, speaking of NY camera stores, anyone who gets Pop Photo probably saw
Kepplers article about their check rating program being given more 'teeth'.
They sent a strongly worded letter to all their advertisers warning them to
treat customers right or else. Oooooh, bet they're shakin in their boots
now. Two other things were interesting: Our buddies at Cambridge Camera
(the biggest rip-off joint in NY, IMHO) did not have an ad in PopPhoto this
month. Coincidence? And, paraphrasing Keppler, 'When I was at Modern
Photo, many devious sales tactics were made known to us that our advertisers
were perpetrating. About 10 years later, I began thinking about this and
how it was affecting our readers..." Wow, only took 10 years to become
concerned. Then another 10 or 20 for the 'strongly worded letter." Now
there's a guy and an organization that has the interests of it's customers
in mind! Oh, and BTW Mr. Keppler, the OM-4Ti ***does have a self-timer
with mirror prefire**.
george
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