Disappointed with Badger Graphic Service

On Thu, 06 Jan 2005 04:36:23 +0000, Matt Clara wrote:

 > Hey, they delivered, don't get me wrong, but I had several questions before
 > I purchased, and all answers were brusque and minimal. Ok, no biggy, so I
 > bought the camera (Shen Hao for $625). A few days later I was told it would
 > be shipped the following week via UPS. I waited til the day and then wrote
 > and asked for a tracking number, only to have my email ignored. The camera
 > arrived two days later (two states away).
 >

My wife said she received the Shen Hao, that she ordered me for me as a
Xmas present, the very next day! Granted we live in Wisconsin...but still

She would have had no idea what to get me if we didn't stop by Badger
Graphic, in Kaukana on the way to Green Bay, so I could stop and actually
see it several months ago. What a pleasant surprise! You know how women
drag you into jewelry stores just to "look around"...

I got my first Velvia transparencies back and they are gorgeous!<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Disappointed with Badger Graphic Service 

Where in cheeseland do you live?
I grew up there and return visit (cross the cheddar curtain)
frequently.

Collin
 >> Stay informed about: Disappointed with Badger Graphic Service 

"rafe bustin" <rafe.bustin DeleteThis @verizon.net> wrote in message
news:4mipt0hrtgu7lokcd3l2ulml7eu6tr0v8b@4ax.com...
 > On Thu, 06 Jan 2005 04:36:23 GMT, "Matt Clara" <critics DeleteThis @large.com>
 > wrote:
 >
  >>Hey, they delivered, don't get me wrong, but I had several questions
  >>before
  >>I purchased, and all answers were brusque and minimal. Ok, no biggy, so I
  >>bought the camera (Shen Hao for $625). A few days later I was told it
  >>would
  >>be shipped the following week via UPS. I waited til the day and then
  >>wrote
  >>and asked for a tracking number, only to have my email ignored. The
  >>camera
  >>arrived two days later (two states away).
  >>
  >>Maybe I've been pampered by Adorama and B&H, etc., but I expect more, and
  >>my
  >>money will command more, or I'll take it somewhere else.
 >
 >
 > I've had great service from Badger -- not
 > only when I bought the camera & first lens
 > but later when ordering additional lens boards.
 >
 > It's possible the camera is in short supply.
 > It's been getting a lot of good press, and
 > there aren't too many other US distributors
 > that I know of that carry it.

What does that have to do with brusque answers and ignored emails?

 >
 > You can't compare Badger to BH Photo, that's
 > not a meaningful comparison.
 >

In terms of level of service it is. I'm not saying Badger Graphic gave
_bad_ service, just minimal. B&H has bent over backwards for me on numerous
occasions.

--
Regards,
Matt Clara
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.mattclara.com" target="_blank">www.mattclara.com</a><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Disappointed with Badger Graphic Service 

"Matt Clara" <critics.DeleteThis@large.com> wrote in message
news:bf3Dd.256321$O24.44376@news.easynews.com...
 > [...] The camera arrived two days later (two states away).

You are easily disappointed.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Disappointed with Badger Graphic Service 

 > Maybe I've been pampered by Adorama and B&H, etc., but I expect more, and
my
 > money will command more, or I'll take it somewhere else.

FWIW I've gotten far better service from Badger than B&H, I no longer deal
with B&H at all. Adorama has been great, I now use them for anything mail
order from New York. But with any dealer I think you have to cut them a
little slack for minor mistakes every now and then. Nobody is perfect and
when a business is filling hundreds of orders a day there's going to be an
occasional mistake. If you deal with Adorama or B&H or anyone else long
enough and often enough something worse than you experienced with Badger
here almost certainly will occur.

I think in this case you wanted perfection and instead got only very good
service. Two days late (if it was even late at all, I can't tell from your
message) is really nothing unless you told them you needed it the next day
for a job or something like that. The geographical distance from Badger to
you is irrelevant, the shippers route everything through various hubs or
central locations regardless of how near the final destination is to the
origination point. E mail is often given very low priority by businesses.
Many businesses receive hundreds, in some case probably thousands, of e mail
messages a day, most of it spam. So when you want to contact a dealer it's
best IMHO to do it by phone rather than e mail.

"Matt Clara" <critics RemoveThis @large.com> wrote in message
news:bf3Dd.256321$O24.44376@news.easynews.com...
 > Hey, they delivered, don't get me wrong, but I had several questions
before
 > I purchased, and all answers were brusque and minimal. Ok, no biggy, so I
 > bought the camera (Shen Hao for $625). A few days later I was told it
would
 > be shipped the following week via UPS. I waited til the day and then
wrote
 > and asked for a tracking number, only to have my email ignored. The
camera
 > arrived two days later (two states away).
 >
 > Maybe I've been pampered by Adorama and B&H, etc., but I expect more, and
my
 > money will command more, or I'll take it somewhere else.
 >
 > --
 > Regards,
 > Matt Clara
<font color=purple> > <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.mattclara.com</font" target="_blank">www.mattclara.com</font</a>>
 >
 ><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Disappointed with Badger Graphic Service 

Matt Clara wrote:
 > Hey, they delivered, don't get me wrong, but I had several questions before
 > I purchased, and all answers were brusque and minimal. Ok, no biggy, so I
 > bought the camera (Shen Hao for $625). A few days later I was told it would
 > be shipped the following week via UPS. I waited til the day and then wrote
 > and asked for a tracking number, only to have my email ignored. The camera
 > arrived two days later (two states away).
 >
 > Maybe I've been pampered by Adorama and B&H, etc., but I expect more, and my
 > money will command more, or I'll take it somewhere else.
 >

Let me add my voice to the chorus. I've had nothing but good service
from Badger Graphics. My orders are processed quickly. Jeff is very
helpful and willing to answer questions at length. Once, they charged
me two delivery charges on items shipped together but corrected it
immediately when I drew their attention to it.

So, Matt, I think you just had an anomalous experience.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Disappointed with Badger Graphic Service 

"Shelley" <nospam.TakeThisOut@nospam.net> wrote in message
news:UqaDd.30857$L7.10940@trnddc05...
  >> Maybe I've been pampered by Adorama and B&H, etc., but I expect more, and
 > my
  >> money will command more, or I'll take it somewhere else.
 >
 > FWIW I've gotten far better service from Badger than B&H, I no longer deal
 > with B&H at all. Adorama has been great, I now use them for anything mail
 > order from New York. But with any dealer I think you have to cut them a
 > little slack for minor mistakes every now and then. Nobody is perfect and
 > when a business is filling hundreds of orders a day there's going to be an
 > occasional mistake. If you deal with Adorama or B&H or anyone else long
 > enough and often enough something worse than you experienced with Badger
 > here almost certainly will occur.
 >
 > I think in this case you wanted perfection and instead got only very good
 > service.

_Very_ good service doesn't ignore emails. Ever. Bottom line is, they
didn't make me want to spend my money with them, and as a result, I've
bought most of the accessories for the camera somewhere else, including B&H,
Ebay, and my local camera store.

 >Two days late (if it was even late at all, I can't tell from your
 > message) is really nothing unless you told them you needed it the next day
 > for a job or something like that.

I thought I pretty clearly indicated it took a total of three days including
the day the item was shipped. Certainly, UPS wasn't my complaint.

 >The geographical distance from Badger to
 > you is irrelevant, the shippers route everything through various hubs or
 > central locations regardless of how near the final destination is to the
 > origination point. E mail is often given very low priority by businesses.
 > Many businesses receive hundreds, in some case probably thousands, of e
 > mail
 > messages a day, most of it spam. So when you want to contact a dealer it's
 > best IMHO to do it by phone rather than e mail.
 >

Internet businesses do _not_ make email a low priority.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Disappointed with Badger Graphic Service 

"PGG" <pa_paSPAAMgordygrapes RemoveThis @NO_SP_A_Myahoo.com> wrote in message
news:pan.2005.01.06.05.40.52.892000@NO_SP_A_Myahoo.com...
 > On Thu, 06 Jan 2005 04:36:23 +0000, Matt Clara wrote:
 >
  >> Hey, they delivered, don't get me wrong, but I had several questions
  >> before
  >> I purchased, and all answers were brusque and minimal. Ok, no biggy, so
  >> I
  >> bought the camera (Shen Hao for $625). A few days later I was told it
  >> would
  >> be shipped the following week via UPS. I waited til the day and then
  >> wrote
  >> and asked for a tracking number, only to have my email ignored. The
  >> camera
  >> arrived two days later (two states away).
  >>
 >
 > My wife said she received the Shen Hao, that she ordered me for me as a
 > Xmas present, the very next day! Granted we live in Wisconsin...but still
 >
 > She would have had no idea what to get me if we didn't stop by Badger
 > Graphic, in Kaukana on the way to Green Bay, so I could stop and actually
 > see it several months ago. What a pleasant surprise! You know how women
 > drag you into jewelry stores just to "look around"...
 >
 > I got my first Velvia transparencies back and they are gorgeous!

I'm looking forward to that experience myself. I've got a 6x9 rollfilm back
I think I'll start with, though. Then I can scan on my 8000ED, too. What
are you doing with your 4x5 slides? Besides enjoying them, of course! Have
you gotten any prints made, or are you planning to? If so, what route are
you taking?

--
Regards,
Matt Clara
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.mattclara.com" target="_blank">www.mattclara.com</a><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Disappointed with Badger Graphic Service 

Matt Clara wrote:

 > In terms of level of service it is. I'm not saying Badger Graphic gave
 > _bad_ service, just minimal. B&H has bent over backwards for me on numerous
 > occasions.

Personal experiences can differ a whole lot.
For example, I had nothing but bad experiences with B&H, all the times.
Even now, I ordered (and paid in advance) 3 items, and they delivered
only 2 of them. No trace of the 3rd, no replies to my emails, and so.

Fernando<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Disappointed with Badger Graphic Service 

"jjs" <jjs.RemoveThis@nospam.net> wrote in message
news:10tqfnsit1olu77@news.supernews.com...
 > "Matt Clara" <critics.RemoveThis@large.com> wrote in message
 > news:bf3Dd.256321$O24.44376@news.easynews.com...
  >> [...] The camera arrived two days later (two states away).
 >
 > You are easily disappointed.
 >
 >

I guess I didn't explain myself very well, as that wasn't the source of my
disappointment. Drop that issue, please. My issue was the ignored email
and brusque service--they made me fish for answers instead of just trying to
sell me what I need or directing me to a place that could.

--
Regards,
Matt Clara
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.mattclara.com" target="_blank">www.mattclara.com</a><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Disappointed with Badger Graphic Service 

"Matt Clara" <critics.TakeThisOut@large.com> wrote in message
news:bf3Dd.256321$O24.44376@news.easynews.com...
 > Hey, they delivered, don't get me wrong, but I had several questions
 > before I purchased, and all answers were brusque and minimal. Ok, no
 > biggy, so I bought the camera (Shen Hao for $625). A few days later I was
 > told it would be shipped the following week via UPS. I waited til the day
 > and then wrote and asked for a tracking number, only to have my email
 > ignored. The camera arrived two days later (two states away).
 >
 > Maybe I've been pampered by Adorama and B&H, etc., but I expect more, and
 > my money will command more, or I'll take it somewhere else.
 >
 > --
 > Regards,
 > Matt Clara
<font color=purple> > <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.mattclara.com</font" target="_blank">www.mattclara.com</font</a>>
 >

Please keep in mind people, all I've done is relay my experience, which was
one of disappointment. Probably much of that disappointment stems from the
way I've heard Badger Graphic talked up in the past, on this and other
forums. They simply failed to meet my expectations. For instance, many
people have said Jeff is a friendly guy, yet in a series of emails over
several weeks, he failed to convey that to me. I'd go so far as to say
ignoring my final email was decidedly unfriendly. But I suppose it could
have gotten lost in the ether...

Please stop trying to explain how my experience wasn't a valid one, or my
interpretation of that experience. I do business on the internet almost
daily. You don't have to like what I say, but that doesn't make it any less
valid.

--
Regards,
Matt Clara
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.mattclara.com" target="_blank">www.mattclara.com</a><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Disappointed with Badger Graphic Service 

In article <bf3Dd.256321$O24.44376@news.easynews.com>,
"Matt Clara" <critics.TakeThisOut@large.com> wrote:

 > Hey, they delivered, don't get me wrong, but I had several questions before
 > I purchased, and all answers were brusque and minimal. Ok, no biggy, so I
 > bought the camera (Shen Hao for $625). A few days later I was told it would
 > be shipped the following week via UPS. I waited til the day and then wrote
 > and asked for a tracking number, only to have my email ignored. The camera
 > arrived two days later (two states away).
 >
 > Maybe I've been pampered by Adorama and B&H, etc., but I expect more, and my
 > money will command more, or I'll take it somewhere else.

I have never received bad service from Badger, I have bought several
items from them. I did wait many weeks/months for my Ries
tripod....backordered. I called and called and was politely dealt with
despite my anxiousness. Jeff at Badger is quiet and some what aloof when
you first speak to him, but will speak to you at length regarding
photography and is a good guy IMOP. I think this by experience, is the
way of a lot of people.

I agree with Shelly deal with any company long enough and somethings
will sometimes go wrong, it all depends how we the customer handle it-to
a degree.

You want a bad service story,... I have a story also,...I bought a 120
film scanner prior to Christmas, from one of the big three dealers.
First I had a grating metal sound, so the scanner went back to the
manufacturer. They shipped a new one,...which was DOA. Then the
dealer,...one I dealt with for 18 years and had spent 1,000's of dollars
with told me to play along with the manufacturer to isolate their
problem. I was told they the dealer would not take back the scanner even
though I had informed them of the existing problem(s) well in advance of
the 15 day return policy. Ultimately I got my credit card company
involved and got some "most" of my money back less the 70.00 in shipping
to and from the dealer.

The thing that really galls me was the manufacturer after the DOA unit
was received by me stated they wouldn't expedite the 3rd replacement
scanner unless I was willing to pay an additional 500.00 as a guarantee
they get the DOA unit back. Then after 60 days they would process the
credit and I would be responsible for interest accrued on the credit
card. Basically I mentally told them and the dealer to FOAD.

I shipped the unit back to the dealer despite their no return policy and
had documentation of the history to fax to my CC company. I can't
imagine ever willingly dealing with either company again,...and it hurts
to a degree because that dealer has a great catalog, and a wide variety
of important stuff. I guess I'll either have to spend more locally
or look elsewhere and hope this kind of thing does not happen somewhere
else *End of Rant*

--
LF Website @ <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://members.verizon.net/~gregoryblank" target="_blank">http://members.verizon.net/~gregoryblank</a>

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President,
or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong,
is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable
to the American public."--Theodore Roosevelt, May 7, 1918<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Disappointed with Badger Graphic Service 

On Thu, 06 Jan 2005 11:49:07 GMT, "Matt Clara" <critics.TakeThisOut@large.com>
wrote:

 >"rafe bustin" <rafe.bustin.TakeThisOut@verizon.net> wrote in message
 >news:4mipt0hrtgu7lokcd3l2ulml7eu6tr0v8b@4ax.com...

  >> I've had great service from Badger -- not
  >> only when I bought the camera & first lens
  >> but later when ordering additional lens boards.
  >>
  >> It's possible the camera is in short supply.
  >> It's been getting a lot of good press, and
  >> there aren't too many other US distributors
  >> that I know of that carry it.
 >
 >What does that have to do with brusque answers and ignored emails?

Easy. They're a small outfit in East Bumfuck.
They might have been busy when you called,
probably packing up Shen Haos to send to other
folks who were in line in front of you.

I'm not excusing rudeness at all but I know
I get when I'm busy and I get interrupted.

At BH and Adorama there are people whose job
it is to answer thousands of phone calls a day.

BTW, it used to be the rule in the busier and
better New York City photo stores that clerks
were rude and brusque. You were expected to
know what you wanted by the time you got to
the counter. Clearly things are different
now, particularly at BH.


  >> You can't compare Badger to BH Photo, that's
  >> not a meaningful comparison.
  >>
 >
 >In terms of level of service it is. I'm not saying Badger Graphic gave
 >_bad_ service, just minimal. B&H has bent over backwards for me on numerous
 >occasions.


Yeah, I like BH as well. But no problems
so far with Badger either, and from what
I've read, your personal experience, though
apparently unpleasant, appears to be the
exception, not the rule.



rafe b
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.terrapinphoto.com" target="_blank">http://www.terrapinphoto.com</a><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
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