Bad experience at Armatos...

S

SeanC.

New member
I'm not too pleased with my experience with Armatos Pro Video here in NY, so I thought I would let y'all know about it.

I've bought a underwater housing and other equipt. from armatos in the past, they were very helpful and their pricing was fair. So when it came time to purchase a DVX for the shoot Im going for my client, I went with Armatos. They allowed me to rent the camera for a day to get some comparison footage with my PD150 for my client to look at. They were impressed and said go for it. Luckily for my client Paul (head guy) and John (head video guy) told me that the $200 rental fee would be taken off of the purchase price if I purchased within a week of the rental. I purchased the camera with my companys credit card 4 days after the rental on the phone, John told me that the $200 would be discounted to the $3395 and there would just be sales tax and shipping extra. We recieved the camera quickly, and although I wasnt surprised, it was the same camera I rented. That was alright, because it didnt have many hours on it and was in mint condition. However, the box was missing the AC battery charger(the actual tray) and the battery has no juice so I couldnt use it. It was also missing the Magic Bullet CD, and the Barry Green DVX book. Plus, the UPC code on the box was removed...
I called up John at Armatos, he was apolgetic, said the he was wrapping up a charger as we spoke and will be in the mail the next day. He said the UPC shouldve been with the invoice, but he will try to find it. This was all a week ago.
Fast forward a week, I still havent recieved anything. (I live on Long Island, UPS ground for the camera took 2 days, the charger shouldve been here on monday) I called John and he said that they just recieved the magic bullet stuff yesterday, and then he asked me what part of the charger I was missing. I proceded to tell him, and reminded him that he said it was ready to go last friday. He said no, they just got it in from panasonic yesterday. So why did he need to know what part it was!! So my charger, cutout UPC code..., and magic bullet/DVX book are being sent out tomorrow.

But thats not it, I checked the invoice that went directly to my clients accountant. Armatos didnt subtract the $200 rental fee. I will be on the phone with John tomorrow about that...

Plus, I just noticed that Panasonic allows you to fill out an online rebate form. Yay, much easier. I filled everything out exactly, and I get an error message coming back, saying my serial numer isnt vaild...... :angry:

Sorry for the length of this but I've seen numerous reports of Amartos to be a good, legit dealer and I just wanted to share my recent experience with people like me looking for a good, safe deal. I recommended them to my Client, and now I look like the A-hole having to bother their accountant with these problems. Be Careful out there...
 
their web site lists them as an authorized dealer and says the camera comes with the rebate and Magic Bullet. watching how some of these stores operate is kind of like watching an episode of "the sopranos" with all the scams they operate.

someone in a recent post mentioned that they wrote a letter to the ny attorney general and he was able to get their money back. i'd do a search for the link as it seemed like great info. sorry that the damage has already been done with the client.
 
Sorry you had such a bad experience, that's pretty sleazy selling you a rental camera at a new price. We really try hard to steer folks in the right direction for gear purchases. EVS is completely reliable (do a search) and Rush will give you the DVXuser discount. Unfortunately, shady dealings are endemic to NY camera stores (with a few notable exceptions). I can't understand why the New York attorney general lets these stores get away with consistent mis-representation and fraud on a daily basis. You shouldn't have to fight to get a legitimate deal.
 
maybe they are having personnel problems. lots of turnover or something screwy like that. sorry to hear it has recently taken your time and good faith.
 
You should definitely be able to get full satisfaction. If they're authorized, Panasonic will be *most displeased* to hear they sold you a gray-market unit. Demand satisfaction, you should get it.
 
Just wanted to update on this fun experience...

talked to Jan at Panasonic, she wasnt pleased as Barry predicted and told me to call up the owner of Armatos right away and tell them that Panasonic says it's gray market.
I talked to the owner, Paul and told him it was gray market. He laughed, said of course not were an authorised dealer, check the website. Then I said I had just gotten off the phone with Panasonic and they told me it was gray market. He started stuttering and put John, the video guy on the phone. He denied it was gray market but agreed to send me a new camera right away without much of a fight. I waited until I recieved the new camera, checked the serial # with panasonic before I sent back the "damaged goods".

So, it worked out in the end. I will never buy or endorse Armatos ever again, and I think they will be in a some trouble since I faxed the original invoice to Jan. Luckily my client laughed about it and was happy I handled the matter. It could've been a whole lot worse....
 
SeanC. said:
Luckily my client laughed about it and was happy I handled the matter. It could've been a whole lot worse....
Click to expand...
Man, this read like a movie script. Anyone dare to make a documentary on shady video dealers? I bet it would be a hit.

BTW, I have to attest that EVS is one awesome outlet. I recently purchased some gear from them. I had it shipped to my home address in Canada, so it required some unusual approach, trying to get all the discounts possible (inlcuding paying by a bank transfer), but everything went without a glitch. Rush was extremely helpful and upfront about everything - no nasty surprises. That's what I like.
 
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