- Report: #411581
Complaint Review: Ritz Camera/Wolf Camera - Beltsville Maryland
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Ritz Camera/Wolf Camera
6711 Ritz Way Beltsville, 20705 Maryland, U.S.A.
Phone:
843-9715246
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Ritz Camera/Wolf Camera Extended Service Policy is a Joke Beltsville Maryland
I am actually an employee of Ritz Camera. I have worked here off and on through school for several years. I have owned a couple of cameras from Ritz and a couple that I purchased elsewhere.
Earlier this year, I purchased a small Canon PowerShot camera. In addition to the camera, I purchased a 1 year Extended Service Policy on the camera. Ritz's policy states that should the camera be damaged in any way, they will fix it or replace it at no charge to the individual holding the policy. Should the camera no longer be in production, a similar model will replace it. If the holder is unhappy with this replacement, they will issue a gift card in the amount of the original purchase so that the individual can apply that amount to a different camera.
My camera was broken and sometime around the beginning of December, I sent it in for repair. On December 22, i checked the status of the repair and it said that the camera required outside work and would be gone for 4 weeks. So, they had my camera for 20 days, then needed an additional 4 weeks to complete the repair. I called today and was told that the camera was coming back to corporate because the repair center deemed it uneconomical to repair the camera a suggested a replacement but that the replacement had been sent out.
Within 5 minutes of hanging up, they called back to tell me that they had made a mistake and had to get the camera that I had (it was a discontinued model) and that it would be at least an additional 7-10 business days before it shipped out and then another few business days for shipment. Total time without my camera will be about 6-8 weeks.
Now, what I know and the average Ritz Camera consumer doesn't is that this is the normal turnaround time for this policy. Yep, that's right. Ritz Camera will promise you all of this great service for purchasing their policy and tell you that their policy is far better than Best Buy or Circuit City's extended warranties (and it is) but the catch is that you will be without your gear for at least 6-8 weeks. And Ritz offers NO loaner cameras. The best you can do is buy a camera. Otherwise, you'll be pulling the old 35mm out of the closet for any special occasions that might arise during your camera's 6-8 week absence.
And there is NO rushing the process. You can't pay an expedition fee to have your order placed in the front of the line.
How easy would it be for them to just replace it in store? So easy. In fact, if they did that, I would almost say that the price of their policy is actually worth it. But as it stands right now, the $33 I spent for a policy on a camera that cost $149, was a Ripoff. And I won't be buying another one anytime soon.
Best of luck in your future endeavors. Especially when it comes to Ritz Camera's Extended Service Plan.
Matthew
Some City, South Carolina
U.S.A.
Earlier this year, I purchased a small Canon PowerShot camera. In addition to the camera, I purchased a 1 year Extended Service Policy on the camera. Ritz's policy states that should the camera be damaged in any way, they will fix it or replace it at no charge to the individual holding the policy. Should the camera no longer be in production, a similar model will replace it. If the holder is unhappy with this replacement, they will issue a gift card in the amount of the original purchase so that the individual can apply that amount to a different camera.
My camera was broken and sometime around the beginning of December, I sent it in for repair. On December 22, i checked the status of the repair and it said that the camera required outside work and would be gone for 4 weeks. So, they had my camera for 20 days, then needed an additional 4 weeks to complete the repair. I called today and was told that the camera was coming back to corporate because the repair center deemed it uneconomical to repair the camera a suggested a replacement but that the replacement had been sent out.
Within 5 minutes of hanging up, they called back to tell me that they had made a mistake and had to get the camera that I had (it was a discontinued model) and that it would be at least an additional 7-10 business days before it shipped out and then another few business days for shipment. Total time without my camera will be about 6-8 weeks.
Now, what I know and the average Ritz Camera consumer doesn't is that this is the normal turnaround time for this policy. Yep, that's right. Ritz Camera will promise you all of this great service for purchasing their policy and tell you that their policy is far better than Best Buy or Circuit City's extended warranties (and it is) but the catch is that you will be without your gear for at least 6-8 weeks. And Ritz offers NO loaner cameras. The best you can do is buy a camera. Otherwise, you'll be pulling the old 35mm out of the closet for any special occasions that might arise during your camera's 6-8 week absence.
And there is NO rushing the process. You can't pay an expedition fee to have your order placed in the front of the line.
How easy would it be for them to just replace it in store? So easy. In fact, if they did that, I would almost say that the price of their policy is actually worth it. But as it stands right now, the $33 I spent for a policy on a camera that cost $149, was a Ripoff. And I won't be buying another one anytime soon.
Best of luck in your future endeavors. Especially when it comes to Ritz Camera's Extended Service Plan.
Matthew
Some City, South Carolina
U.S.A.
4 Updates & Rebuttals
John
Schaumburg,Illinois,
U.S.A.
Wolf Camera best be avoided for camera purchases
#2UPDATE EX-employee responds
Thu, May 07, 2009
It depends upon how much noise you make as far as whether your extended service warranty will be honored. You are always risking getting burned if you run into a dishonest and arrogant employee, of which there are many. Of course, you might run into an honest one too. How much money you spend at Wolf on a regular basis is also directly related to their "customer service". The Wolf that I worked at farmed out the repair and "clean and check" work. One time a customer's camera was lost. The manager replaced it with an identical model, but he deliberately witheld that information from the customer. (Keep track of your serial numbers.) Keep in mind that these guys get paid by how much profit is in the camera, not by how much the camera costs. That is why Minolta is one of Wolf's favorite brands. Minolta is not a bad brand, but it is not as great as Wolf's salespeople state. It is common for Wolf's sales people to bad mouth merchandise that they sell, but is not as profitable. For example, a saleman used to tell customers that Canon cameras were the most likely to malfucntion. Another guy would tell people that Nikon SLRs failed "the drop test". (Personally, I would not recommend dropping any camera.) Sales people were also encouraged to tell customers that Quantaray lenses are Sigma's low end brand.
John
Schaumburg,Illinois,
U.S.A.
Wolf Camera best be avoided for camera purchases
#3UPDATE EX-employee responds
Thu, May 07, 2009
It depends upon how much noise you make as far as whether your extended service warranty will be honored. You are always risking getting burned if you run into a dishonest and arrogant employee, of which there are many. Of course, you might run into an honest one too. How much money you spend at Wolf on a regular basis is also directly related to their "customer service". The Wolf that I worked at farmed out the repair and "clean and check" work. One time a customer's camera was lost. The manager replaced it with an identical model, but he deliberately witheld that information from the customer. (Keep track of your serial numbers.) Keep in mind that these guys get paid by how much profit is in the camera, not by how much the camera costs. That is why Minolta is one of Wolf's favorite brands. Minolta is not a bad brand, but it is not as great as Wolf's salespeople state. It is common for Wolf's sales people to bad mouth merchandise that they sell, but is not as profitable. For example, a saleman used to tell customers that Canon cameras were the most likely to malfucntion. Another guy would tell people that Nikon SLRs failed "the drop test". (Personally, I would not recommend dropping any camera.) Sales people were also encouraged to tell customers that Quantaray lenses are Sigma's low end brand.
John
Schaumburg,Illinois,
U.S.A.
Wolf Camera best be avoided for camera purchases
#4UPDATE EX-employee responds
Thu, May 07, 2009
It depends upon how much noise you make as far as whether your extended service warranty will be honored. You are always risking getting burned if you run into a dishonest and arrogant employee, of which there are many. Of course, you might run into an honest one too. How much money you spend at Wolf on a regular basis is also directly related to their "customer service". The Wolf that I worked at farmed out the repair and "clean and check" work. One time a customer's camera was lost. The manager replaced it with an identical model, but he deliberately witheld that information from the customer. (Keep track of your serial numbers.) Keep in mind that these guys get paid by how much profit is in the camera, not by how much the camera costs. That is why Minolta is one of Wolf's favorite brands. Minolta is not a bad brand, but it is not as great as Wolf's salespeople state. It is common for Wolf's sales people to bad mouth merchandise that they sell, but is not as profitable. For example, a saleman used to tell customers that Canon cameras were the most likely to malfucntion. Another guy would tell people that Nikon SLRs failed "the drop test". (Personally, I would not recommend dropping any camera.) Sales people were also encouraged to tell customers that Quantaray lenses are Sigma's low end brand.
Ai3clb
Ft. Myers,Florida,
U.S.A.
I dont get it...
#5UPDATE Employee
Sat, February 21, 2009
So.. Knowing the guidelines and typical turnaround time on repairs, you still purchased the ESP... Then, when it takes 6-8 weeks you want to cry "Rip-off"? AND... you still get a replacement... So yes you are without the camera for 6-8 weeks, BUT you get another $150 camera for $33... Wheres the rip-off again?
