The following has been sent to "Negresco," as well as being posted to the
Olympus UseNet group.
I don't read every mailing, so I'm sorry I missed the following...
"I see people on the list mention some Negresco guy. Excuse my lack of
knowledge, but who is that?"
Negresco is the name of a used-camera dealer you have to be _very_ cautious
with in your dealings. The owner's business behavior teeters on the borderline
of honest-and-ethical.
His name is Gerhard Kleinehagenbrock. (My best translation is "little hawthorne
brook," but I doubt that's correct.) He's an arrogant German (and being one
myself, I ought to know!) with some weird ideas about how used equipment should
be described and how customer dissatisfaction is to be handled.
Gerhard often has items up on eBay. Last year he described an Olympus 35 SP in
glowing terms as near-immaculate and a wonderful addition to anyone's
collection. Not surprisingly, his enthusiasm pushed up the bids. I bid $199 and
won.
When it arrived it was, indeed, in beautiful shape -- one of the very best I've
seen. But the shutter speed and aperture rings were jammed, the meter didn't
work, etc. I called and Gerhard told me to return it. It was repaired and
returned promptly, at no charge.
However, the meter worked briefly and then failed. When I called Mr.
Kleinehagenbrock to request a second (and hopefully final) repair, I learned
what sort of person he really was.
Gerhard has a hard-and-fast rule about used cameras -- if it's in great
cosmetic condition, don't expect it to work! His theory (for which there _is_
some justification) is that an obviously used -- even beaten-up -- camera has
not been sitting around, its lubricants hardening, its contacts oxidizing.
Ergo, pristinely beautiful cameras should not be expected to operate!
I was then told that I was a petty human being trying to take advantage of him
by insisting on an indefinite warranty. He warned me to never again bid on any
of his auctions, because he did not want to do business with me. (He offered to
refund the purchase price, but I declined, because the camera was in unusually
good cosmetic condition, and I didn't want to give it up.)
As Jack Benny would have said... "Well...!"
I urge readers to be very cautious in doing business with Gerhard
Kleinehagenbrock. His product descriptions are largely hyperbolic boilerplate
text. It appears he doesn't bother to test anything, on the assumption it's
easier to fix an item should the customer complain. Don't assume his failure to
discuss the working condition of an item implies that it's in good working
order.
>From Gerhard's point of view, his business practices are honest and fair. I
wish he'd realize how _other_ people see them.
< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >
|