Abe's of Maine legit?

I never ordered a product from Abe's of Maine before but decided to give them a try due to B&H Photo and Adorama closing for their holiday.
On 10/12/2011 I ordered the X-Rite MSCCPP ColorChecker Passport for $99 and paid an additional $12.95 for the 3-5 day shipping. Well today is the 19th so I decided to check on the order and it shows the product has been moved to the warehouse.

No real flags are going off as yet but when I tried contacting Abe's of Maine through both their email and phone contact information I get no response whatsoever.

Their customer service number I called said Mon-Thur support hrs are 10am - 6pm then the call ends. I called 3x between 2 and 3 pm btw.

Now I'm beginning to wonder how legit this company is with that type of attitude and service.

I paid through Paypal so if I don't hear anything back from them in the next 24hr I think I'm going to file a dispute and get my money back.

Any thoughts or experiences from anyone else that may have dealt with this company?

Yes, they are legit. I've ordered several lenses from them. Never a problem. The only annoying part is the phone call you receive trying to sell you filters and what not.

nicksan wrote in post #13274933
Yes, they are legit. I've ordered several lenses from them. Never a problem. The only annoying part is the phone call you receive trying to sell you filters and what not.

Agreed. That's the most annoying part of the process. And then they also try to upsell you on the warranty. Ridiculous.

Okay, I'll try contacting the company again in the morning and wait to see if I can get an answer from anyone in the company. Thanks for the quick responses guys.

I never got a call from them, but yeah, I did notice they were slower than B&H or Adorama..

yup they are legit...i've purchased several stuff from them including sigma 30mm and had no problem at all, although they are a bit slower.

Many years ago, I placed an order for a CA-3D AF Adapter for my Sunpak Pro 622. It was a brand new item then. They said it was in stock. My card was charged that day. It did not arrive after 2 weeks; I called and was told it was not available for another month. (Honest Abe's, it is not). After another month (6 weeks total now) and no item, I called again. I was told it was not on the market, and would not be for another 6 months. I requested and promptly got a refund about 7 or 8 weeks after being told it was in stock. So, my remembrance of Abe's, is unfavorable. I kept my business at my local chain, Penn Camera, and continue to go there after 25 years of excellent and honest service.

AOM is really hit or miss. I receive my items from them within 3-7 days after ordering. If I order something on Monday, I usually receive it by Thursday.

EDIT: OH!!! I read your post again and saw that you ordered 10/12. I know it doesn't help, but AOM was actually closed from 10/12 to 10/16. I think at the very least, you should receive a refund for the shipping.

douflag wrote in post #13275233
AOM is really hit or miss. I receive my items from them within 3-7 days after ordering. If I order something on Monday, I usually receive it by Thursday.

EDIT: OH!!! I read your post again and saw that you ordered 10/12. I know it doesn't help, but AOM was actually closed from 10/12 to 10/16. I think at the very least, you should receive a refund for the shipping.

Well I guess that explains why it may only now be in the warehouse waiting to be shipped but it would of been nice to have been informed of that in the purchase and tracking info they provided after the sale.

The way the phone support didn't work today left a few questions left unanswered also.

Thanks for the info on the store closing douflag, I'll make a note of doing a more thorough search of operating hours next time.

Thorrulz wrote in post #13275289
Thanks for the info on the store closing douflag, I'll make a note of doing a more thorough search of operating hours next time.

I didn't know about it either until I called them on Wed last week to do an exchange only to find out about the schedule. It sucks that they don't update their site like B&H/Adorama does. Frankly, I think we should all be aware that if B&H is going on holiday, many of the big name photo stores in and around NYC is going to do the same.

I also placed an order last week (a Benro travel angel A0691T tripod) on 10/14. It hasn't shipped for me yet either. But as for Abe's of Maine itself, I purchased a lens from them a few months ago and it was legitimately cheaper than almost every other reputable seller on the web. Although, after ordering, they call and try to push filters and extended warranties and junk, but after declining all that they shipped on time and my lens arrived pretty quickly.

nicksan wrote in post #13274933
Yes, they are legit. I've ordered several lenses from them. Never a problem. The only annoying part is the phone call you receive trying to sell you filters and what not.

Really? thats odd. I have bought from them 2x before and never once did they call me. I called them once and they were helpful. They didnt try to sell me anything, or ask anything out of the ordinary. They were also pretty quick to get my order to me. Not as fast as amazon prime, but in the same territory as b&h/adorama. I did read that if you return an item, they make you pay for shipping back... which is why I tend to stick with amazon for most my purchases. but i did buy my Sigma 50mm and my Sigma 17-50mm (now sold) from them, as they have great deals on sigma once in a while. Overall I would pick Amazon if prices were the same. possibly b&h,if oos at amazon, as they have had great CS when i needed it. but if price at abes of maine is 3%+ cheaper, i would not hesitate.

I bought my Sigma 17-50mm from them. I got the follow up call and it was annoying as hell. Kept wanting me to buy some cheap UV filter and other accessories, etc. He kept lowering the price of the filter. I stayed polite but it was trying. Towards the end I asked why would I want to put a $19 filter on the front of my glass? His last remark was, "Well that's a nice lens hopefully you don't shoot that much with it unprotected." But hey, I got my Siggy for $589 shipped so I guess it wasn't all that painful.

I always tell them I have a drawer full of unused filters, and I have CPS so don't need warranty, so the phone call ends pretty quickly.

I had a similar to experience to CanonCameraFan with a recent order for a Sigma 50mm 1.4. Item said "ships in 1-2 days", PayPal was charged immediately, but over a week later lens now showing in "ships 4-6 days". I canceled the order and it took another week to get my money back.

Definitely legit, but also definitely a step below B&H / Adorama / Amazon.