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Fake 70-200 2.8 VRII Lens - no, I mean REALLY fake...

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I just bought 70-200mm lens on ebay, damn it I hope mine is no fake!

It should be pretty easy for amazon to track down the offender, just check who purchased the lens and thermo and returned the "real" lens. Case closed.
 
ams168 said:
The white powder sounds like it might be the product of a messy super glue attempt... tends to dry whitish and brittle. A sealed shut thermos would make a slightly more convincing lens, aside from the fact that it's not a lens. Does the thing sound hollow if you give it a tap?
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I was thinking of this. Couldn't someone have stuck something heavy in there to make up the weight and then glued it shut?
 
Just read the comments on that site. Which is why I have taken good advice from some on here and when the time comes, will only ever purchase camera or lenses from B&H or Adorama.

Regards
--
.....Just from an amateur......
 
I have bought a ton of stuff from Amazon and their customer device is top notch. Last christmas, my 35 f1.8 got delivered only it wasn't. When I called, I spoke to a real human being who helped me track down the ups driver. We got him to call me and discovered he accidentally left it at a house down the street with similar number (it was very dark outside) that he misread.

I like Adorama, but no problems with Amazon.
 
Though I couldn't open it, I am pretty sure it was a thermos (based on the pics and the hollow sound when I thumped it). I really did try to buy the lens from B&H, but since their online ordering was down on Saturday when I tried to order, I went to Amazon (not sure why I bypassed Adorama, have bought plenty from them as well). I haven't ever had any issues with Amazon.

I am THINKING (hoping/praying) that Amazon just writes it off as a loss and moves on. They are a pretty big company and don't want too much bad press. The other thing is that the lens was "SUPPOSED" to be from Amazon, not Focus Camera. I ordered a UV filter, and it was showing as coming from Focus, but the lens was showing as "sold by Amazon.com". I know that whenever possible, they ship stuff together to save $$, so I am GUESSING (and only guessing) that they probably have a pretty thorough inventory system connected to the stores they do business with, and probably automatically had them ship the lens as well. This would work much more efficiently than having to ship two items from two separate places, and save them from having to pay for two-day shipping twice.

MY thought is that Amazon will be like, "hmmm...guess we should've shipped the lens from our own warehouse instead of this other place, especially since we showed that it was sold by us." Even if they don't think this, hopefully they'll take the "more trouble than it's worth" route and just refund. Worst-case scenario, I already have the dispute open on my credit card - which is another lesson to me: always use the credit card. I had actually initially tried to use my debit card, but the transaction hiccuped on the back end somewhere. If it had gone through, and Amazon and Focus took the hands-off approach, I'd be lost at sea...

--

'Never argue with an idiot - they will drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience'
 
What has Amazon said so far?

As far as Amazon goes. I would have to think that they are right up there with B&H as far as peace of mind goes. Good place to order from.. right?
duckburp said:
Though I couldn't open it, I am pretty sure it was a thermos (based on the pics and the hollow sound when I thumped it). I really did try to buy the lens from B&H, but since their online ordering was down on Saturday when I tried to order, I went to Amazon (not sure why I bypassed Adorama, have bought plenty from them as well). I haven't ever had any issues with Amazon.

I am THINKING (hoping/praying) that Amazon just writes it off as a loss and moves on. They are a pretty big company and don't want too much bad press. The other thing is that the lens was "SUPPOSED" to be from Amazon, not Focus Camera. I ordered a UV filter, and it was showing as coming from Focus, but the lens was showing as "sold by Amazon.com". I know that whenever possible, they ship stuff together to save $$, so I am GUESSING (and only guessing) that they probably have a pretty thorough inventory system connected to the stores they do business with, and probably automatically had them ship the lens as well. This would work much more efficiently than having to ship two items from two separate places, and save them from having to pay for two-day shipping twice.

MY thought is that Amazon will be like, "hmmm...guess we should've shipped the lens from our own warehouse instead of this other place, especially since we showed that it was sold by us." Even if they don't think this, hopefully they'll take the "more trouble than it's worth" route and just refund. Worst-case scenario, I already have the dispute open on my credit card - which is another lesson to me: always use the credit card. I had actually initially tried to use my debit card, but the transaction hiccuped on the back end somewhere. If it had gone through, and Amazon and Focus took the hands-off approach, I'd be lost at sea...

--

'Never argue with an idiot - they will drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience'
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The people I've talked to at Amazon have just approached it as a typical return, just kinda "doing my job, here's your RMA..." No surprise, horror or interest in my story. Maybe it will all just flow like that, but it will have a chance of getting interesting when they actually look at the product...assuming THEY look at the product and don't repeat the cycle for the next victim :)
 
B&H has their niche and does it well. Expert advice, good prices, fast shipping (usually free), and you know exactly where it came from.

Amazon does cameras, bed linens, tires, cribs, boots, dinnerware, etc,etc. It comes in flimsy boxes, ships quite slowly unless you pay extra, and can be shipped from multiple partners some of which have reputations as above. This has always made me wary of Amazon.

If you need a book, a pillow, or a DVD you call amazon, If you want photo gear you call B&H.

Hope it works out for you. It is a great lens.

Does the thermos even keep your coffee warm?
 
duckburp said:
The people I've talked to at Amazon have just approached it as a typical return, just kinda "doing my job, here's your RMA..." No surprise, horror or interest in my story. Maybe it will all just flow like that, but it will have a chance of getting interesting when they actually look at the product...assuming THEY look at the product and don't repeat the cycle for the next victim :)
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People at Amazon that you have talked to (I assume you did) will NOT be able to see that thermos! These are the customer service reps that live and work in other areas, probably different countries than USA (India, Puerto Rico, etc - where the labor is cheap and English is sustainable)

It is actually a policy for AMZ to have best customer service (not packaging, just customer service) and they would rather have you returned the item and get refund than them deal with possible bad publicity. The Fraud department will handle it from there, but it is no worry for you unless you happen to get another "thermos" in the future - then they will turn their interest to you :)

It costs millions to AMZ to keep their Fraud department busy. The $2,400 is a drop in the sea to them. They handle similar and much worse cases a ton every day.

This is why it is actually easy to deal with AMZ - you can get your refund in a pitch if you act promptly.

Yea, I agree with poster who said - photo business with B&H, everything else with AMZ. But at least it is easy to deal with refunds with AMZ.

I know because I have worked for Cust Serv there.

Nik
 
It may have been a demo for a Nikon display..... I hope you get your money back ...this is why I order all my equipment from reputable dealers.....I'm scared of ebay!
duckburp said:
Petruska said:
He hasn't supplied if there was a serial number on the invoice and box, and weight as requested by other posters.

I hope I'm wrong but the OP could have received the real lens, bought the mug, filled it with sand to match the weight, and now wants to return it......needs CSI here!

Nikon should stop these mugs from being made, is this a copyright issue?

A few years ago on a Ebay when the first D3 came out a buyer bought one for premium, and got a ream of paper and a $2 disposable film camera. Well the whole world heard the story and it was amazing how many Ebayer professional people with ties to the FBI, UPS, etc. hunted this seller down in Chicago, he said UPS did the switch, but they didn't as the weight was wrong for a D3 from the dya it shipped, he gave a refund! It was great reading the posts for days until they found this guy. Ebay did not get involved!

Bob P.
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I like you guys, shooting down a fellow photog, from the start! Thank you to the few people who actually have some sympathy. My wife was asking why I wanted to unpack the thing one more time, and I told her that this could easily be turned around and have the burden of proof put on me. As some my fellow photogs are so graciously doing.

I'm not stupid (or desperate) enough to break the law. People pretty much always get caught, and if not on this side, I ain't gonna take a chance on busting Hell wide open over a stupid $2400 lens that I could pay for with one decent wedding. I have a wife and 3 2/3 kids to take care of, kids at church to teach, and weddings booked that wouldn't be well served from a jail cell.

I didn't post to get sympathy, or to try to get detectives on the case, though I do appreciate the advice I have gotten concerning ways to resolve this. It was actually what I considered to be a service to the community and a warning for others as to what is going on out there. The weight was the best help - the real lens weighs 7 lbs., the UPS tracking shows 5.4 lbs., so I think I am in luck that the real criminals didn't match the weight. I will supply the needed info to whoever the real investigators are - hopefully not members here :), but for the conspiracy theorists, nothing I say will satisfy you. If you were good investigators you would draw this out as long as you could to get more information, but you guys are trying to make a jump to fame too early. The drug thing was a cool thought, maybe I should have tried to pry the cap off. My only thought was anthrax.

I didn't even know the fake mug existed until Bruce's post last night, and now that I do I can probably never buy one since that will immediately have me tracked down by the authorities. How sad!
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--
Peter Damroth Photography
 
Amazon gave you an RMA number, but make sure they don't think you're the one pulling the fast one. You don't want to be the one blamed for replacing a real lens with a fake one.

I don't use Amazon for big ticket items. I prefer to deal directly with the shop who is shipping the item. There are many reputable online vendors offering good prices so why use Amazon when you can deal with these folks directly?

Good luck...JL
--
40+ Years of Nikon Ownership
http://www.jliu.net

 
FWIW, the B&H site lists the weight of the lens as 3.39 pounds, not 7 pounds. Even with packing materials, I can't see how it could weigh anywhere close to that amount.

Ray
 
Ray,

I just weighed mine with the box, hood and case and lens; that alone weighs 5lbs 13oz. By the time you pack that into a shipping carton, the shipping weight will easily be 7.5 lbs.
Dave Jolley
 
dom33 said:
Another possibility is that duckburp is a scam artist. I'm not accusing but it would need to be considered during the investigation.
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Only DNA will make it clear in time. Meanwhile- our boy should be safe.
 
I'm wearing gloves next time, will x-ray and open the box right in front of the UPS guy (if I can catch him), and you can bet it won't be coming from Amazon.com.

Have gotten plenty from them over the years (including a camera earlier this year), but (all previous reasons aside to order straight from B&H/Adorama) that would just be tempting fate.

Heck, I'd even start double-guessing myself if I ended up with another thermos...
 
So what's the latest? It's been 3 days and you haven't uttered a word of what Amazon has said. It should be resolved by now or at the very least a 'case' should be in the running.
duckburp said:
I'm wearing gloves next time, will x-ray and open the box right in front of the UPS guy (if I can catch him), and you can bet it won't be coming from Amazon.com.

Have gotten plenty from them over the years (including a camera earlier this year), but (all previous reasons aside to order straight from B&H/Adorama) that would just be tempting fate.

Heck, I'd even start double-guessing myself if I ended up with another thermos...
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You seriously expect a resolution in 3 days? Maybe I have a little more patience than you. I was given 1-5 days for a driver to show up to pick up the package (he made it out the next evening, fortunately), and both calls I made on the day it arrived suggested like 1 to 2 weeks for a refund. I am thinking there is a little bit of a process involved, and they are probably just getting the returned item. I am guessing there could be at least SOME level of investigation (at least calling the store that sent it), so I personally wouldn't expect a resolution at this point. The only communication I am getting daily from them is continued cyber-monday offers.

Don't get me wrong: I am definitely anxious - I wanted to be using the lens for a shoot tonight and tomorrow, but don't want to order another one until I know this has a happy ending (be it through Amazon or my credit card company).
RodluvanII said:
So what's the latest? It's been 3 days and you haven't uttered a word of what Amazon has said. It should be resolved by now or at the very least a 'case' should be in the running.
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duckburp said:
Don't get me wrong: I am definitely anxious - I wanted to be using the lens for a shoot tonight and tomorrow, but don't want to order another one until I know this has a happy ending (be it through Amazon or my credit card company).
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I'm sure you will experince a great feeling of relief once the refund has been entered into your credit card account! We are all awaiting the word from you, at least I am interested in how Amazon handles this matter, so please let us know what happens.

--Bruce
 
Not sure if it has been said yet, but I have heard alot of this kind of stuff has been happening on Ebay too. Havent heard of camera lenses, but it has become a popular way to rip people off with Nikon scopes as well. The only difference is, is that they are taking some extremely cheap, off brand scope and applying some sort of Nikon labeling on it. Also was happening with Ipads, supposedly, they are just sending out cardboard and some paper in its place or something
 
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