EVS Overstatements

J

Jon Oskar

Well-known member
Hi,

I just thought i share in the hope that it might change anything. I have spend around 5000$ every month for the last 12 months on film equipment a good chunk of this at EVS. I was going to post about this 2 months ago and than again last month, but as i think i am a very reasonable person i figured, well maybe i just got unlucky 4 times in a row. But after two more disappointing transactions with them i feel it is time to say something.

I think i would categorize my self as a very patient, very hard to piss of, rarely complaining costumer. I have always done my homework and never spend more than few minutes to make my order, i never call to have a half hour discussion which shock-mount is the better one to get. When my American girlfriend pisses on me because shop personal in Europe is so rude, i try to explain to her, well they are overworked, underpaid and in general don't care so much about whether you buy your coffee here or across the street, yes people are sometimes rude and are not perfect and i accept this. And im not buying coffee!!!

I think when ordering equipment i don't ask for much, i want to know the price, want someone to take my order and then i want them sent it to me in the timeframe agreed. I think this is rather reasonable.

What i don't like is:

-When i leave a message by mail or phone regarding a pending order that none calls me back or replies to my mail.

-When i ask for a quote i have to call like ten times, than in the end talk to the manger that passes me back to the same person i just asked 10 times, which now pissed off makes me a quote.

-I don't like that when i asked for a receipt they say, sure i send it to you right away, a day later it hasn't arrived, so i call ten more times, finally talk to the manager and finally receive my receipt.

-When a store that claims to be also a "professional" online dealer doesn't check his mail at regular intervals making any kind of conversation choppy at best, nonexistent is more the norm.

-When there is a DVXuser discount you want to know what you are getting discount on, how much vs. the advertised price. You don't want to hear, oh well i have to check, calculate it and then i will "not" send the quote anyway, so why bother. Well can i take you credit card number sir?

-O I'm sorry, we are just totally understaffed, we actually don't have time to take your 2000 dollar order because we are sooo busy making $$$ with all the "real" high rollers.

- what i like the least is to constantly be put in a bad mood, than always having have to show my teeth and playing the bad guy, just to get the basic service.

This is just the every day to day struggle and this excludes any sort of, shipping the wrong stuff, trying to return something that is broken, people disappearing on vacation without letting the you know.....

Yes, people are not perfect, yes there is a perfectly reasonable excuse why things aren't working, yes even if this is a professional store they are very busy. Do you keep your cool, hold your tung and step in line and just wait, of course you do.

This is what i have seen most people write

EVS is the best!!!

EVS rocks, excellent service!!!

EVS - Thank you!!!

EVS - best price!!!

EVS - grate personal service!!!

EVS - DVX user discount - Jibbbbie!!!


How do i feel about it? Well EVS is not totally lame, they have good prices but even with the DVXuser (whoknowswhatitis) discount and without paying the sales tax it is usually not cheaper than the competition. Personalized service, well all i can say if you are one of these people that love to chat with the cashier at the supermarket, maybe you will prefer EVS over other online stores. Excellent service! Where else have you shopped??? EVS is the best!!! Far from it, it doesn't make my top 4.

I don't know about EVS but where i come from if business is booming you hire more staff, if someone spends 10000$ in 4 months he should at least get what is standard service. If you are a online store and want to be a serious player you get a proper website, with good quality photos, yes also the little parts need a picture, keep it up to date and ad in a little window to calculate discounts. If you cant afford American salaries, find a call center in India.

Will i take my business to EVS again, not if i can get around it.

I know this my be against the popular view held here, but this is never than less a 100% true story from a unsatisfied costumer.

Hope this has a positive impact, and I will end this on a classic DVXuser note.

EVS you are the shizzelsnizzel, you guys rock!!!!:love4:

best

Jon
 
Jon,

I understand completely. I had a mixed experience with EVS as well.

They were always extraordinarly friendly and helpful, but things often fell between the cracks and one of their mistakes caused me a lot of trouble.

It felt to me, like their sales staff were well-intenioned, but overwhelmed at times.

Still, I would use them again, I would just be more cautious in the future.

Chris
 
I ordered my camera from one guy. Three weeks later the camera never came.
Called them up and he said the credit card didn't go through (I think bank had
concerns about using debit card for high purchase). The salesman never bothered
to call me to let me know there was a problem. I gave him another credit card
and had him send it straight to billing while I was on the phone with him.

I had gotten the mixpre quote from another salesman, when I got back to him
through email to buy the thing, he was too busy to take my calls.

I have at this time sent an email to the same salesman who sold me the camera.
I want a quote on 3 items, totalling between $700-$800. Sent that email last
week, no response. I found one of the items at another site for a good price.
I also found the other two items at another site and was quoted a lower price
when I inquired for discount.

EVS is good if you BUY immediately when receiving a quote. I just buy through
B&H for the rest, use paypal, no fuss.

Charli
 
I have ordered a bunch of stuff through EVS, but I always dealt with Rush. I only had one bad experience with them, but because of who I bank with and because of EVS' staff and attention to detail, albeit late, it was resolved quickly. I have been impressed with the service I received there, but now that Rush is gone I don't know who I will bring my business to.

Rush knew who you were when you called and he always took the time to answer questions in a positive and customer orriented fashion.

Since he left I have not purchased through EVS.

-Jeremy
 
Agreed. I've only delt with Rush and the experience was above and beyond expectation. Since Rush isn't there anymore there's kind of a black hole. I've seen another EVS guy posting on the boards occasionally, but I can't even remember his name. With the recent article and such it seems like Cine Able is the new defacto DVXUser reseller.

Of course I often don't know what I'm talking about.... :)
 
I meant as in what reseller, not as to who I will work with at EVS. I think the fact that Rush was so personable, helpful, and most importantly, talked me out of a higher dollar sale because it wasn't what I needed at the time made him almost a friend who worked at a store rather than someone looking to make a quick buck.

-Jeremy
 
I've never had a problem there as of yet. I've usually dealt with Rush, the only thing I can say (that was hardly even a problem) was them saying they'd call me back w/ a quote and never doing it. It took a few calls, but I got it and they dealt with me smoothly and unproblematically.

Overall-for me anyways---->EVS is the shizznizzle. So far, that is.
 
I have spent 'thousands' myself and have dealt with Rush on all but two occassions and have never had a problem in 3 years.

That's too bad Jon.

There's alwyas B and H.
 
TheYankee said:
I meant as in what reseller, not as to who I will work with at EVS. I think the fact that Rush was so personable, helpful, and most importantly, talked me out of a higher dollar sale because it wasn't what I needed at the time made him almost a friend who worked at a store rather than someone looking to make a quick buck.

-Jeremy
Click to expand...
That was actually the way I was treated by Tommy when I purchased my equipment from EVS. I have been purchasing from them since February of 2005 but never had the opportunity to deal with Rush. Tommy and Ramzi have been my contact point swith EVS and they have always been very helpful. I continue to deal with them as I've never had a problem.
 
I think most if not all of the praise that we lavished on EVS was due to the service that Rush Hamden gave us. He was our direct connection, and he took care of DVXUser members.

Since Rush left EVS, DVXUser has begun recommending Abel Cine Tech as the #1 source to go to for equipment, as well as the DVXUser discount. In the Los Angeles office, AbelJerrod (his handle on DVXUser) is the guy to talk to.
 
That's true. I had only ever dealt with Rush, and I had nothing but terrific experiences.
 
I remember when AC was the first on the web to have DVXA's ready for sale (before official release!)...I was about to BUST to order one but I waited on Rush to get them and I was glad that I did. I'll always respect underground connections though so I would be willing to give AC a shot next time I'm ready to lay down the fat $.
 
I have also spent thousands of dollars at EVS and in the last month have spent 12 thousand at Able. As for service, When Rush was at EVS it was hands down the best. Now that Rush is gone. Service is lacking. I really do not enjoy calling EVS. I get the run around and when I get a quote together and go to buy less then 24 hours latter the prices have all change and I have to adjust. I will still continue to shop with EVS when I have to. The same as B and H but as more of use keep buying from able the bigger they will get and the more items they will have in stock. Jerrod at Able is the guy you want to talk to
 
Old thread, but I thought this needed addition: Tommy Mack at EVS has been a real pleasure to work with, very friendly and will give you a price below what's listed on the EVS website. He's hooked me up even more on some items. Often B&H will have the lowest ADVERTISED price on the web, but call Tommy, say you're a DVXuser member, and get a quote -- it will quite possibly be the lowest you'll find anywhere.
 
Glad to hear TommyMack is delivering great service for the membership!

Hey, TwinCitiesShooter, have you bought stuff from CineEQuipt? Seems like a great place, and it's right there in Minneapolis... just wondering.
 
I use EVS for most my large purchases and recently deal with Tommy and Ramzi, Bought both my cameras and most my accessories from there.

Last time i was there i was getting a litepanel and i was told it was in stock, so i went there and they did not have it. After about 10 min they started to piece the kit together and even sent someone over to litepanels to pick up the missing parts while i waited. In the end it took longer but cost me less money.

In the long run i am happy working with EVS and though me and co-workers we have spent tens of thousands of dollars there.
 
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