Did anyone replace Helen Oster at Adorama?

Customer service at a winery....now that should be a happy job!

Interesting that you mentioned the winery, I'm just getting interested again in making some wine. Who knows, maybe we'll both be working in wine before long!!!

Best wishes on your endeavors, Helen. You will definitely be a treasured asset for whatever company is fortunate enough to convince you to come on board with them!!!

Ed

Missed you today dealing with CS at your old employer. Confident I would have had a different result.

HelenOster wrote in post #18911954
Last Friday I applied for a similar role for a winery - I’m confident that if it’s meant to be, it will happen

Helen, let us know where and when; my cellar is getting low and I only have wine shipped to me when cooler weather sets in!

HelenOster wrote in post #18911954
I’m sorry, too. But aside from missing you all, all round I’m much happier (less stressed....).
The Adorama HR Director was stalking me on LinkedIn a couple of weeks ago - wonder why?

B&H has Henry - and a couple of other excellent guys.....and to the best of my knowledge, embraced the importance of striving for excellence in service to customers right across all aspects of the business long ago.
Last Friday I applied for a similar role for a winery - I’m confident that if it’s meant to be, it will happen

Let us know the name of the winery, and, if they deliver to PA. Good luck.

rebop wrote in post #18912781
Missed you today dealing with CS at your old employer. Confident I would have had a different result.

I’m truly sorry I’m not available to help, and hope this is a one-off.

Thought I would share Helen's linked-in post, it's a shame you went through that.

https://www.linkedin.c​om …657221520726179​8401-lblv/

Well that was a hard read.
I am amazed and saddened to here that such a lack of appreciation of such hard and dedicated work could go on like that. What a waste for all concerned.

From my viewpoint here on POTN, it was always clear that one reseller above all others seemed to garner the most member complaints. Clearly part of the reason for this was due to volume,.

... but at the same time, that vendor was also clearly NOT the number 1 in sales for members here on POTN. (Likely #2)

It was one individual's presence on this forum (and clearly others, but I am speaking of my first hand view) that waded into that flood of complaints and literally turned the tide. It took years, but the effort truly paid off. We saw complaints go down, and we saw those that occurred being handled almost always to the members satisfaction.
Watching these complaints handled in real time on POTN by Helen meant not only did we build confidence in dealing with the retailer she represented, but she put a human face on them as well.

This had a huge impact on the members of this forum and in fact, on me.
I will admit that 15 years ago I was a customer of the "other" reseller,. almost exclusively. By last year, my own business had switched again, almost 100% to the "number 2" company, due completely and utterly to Helen's interactions on this forum.

It boggles the mind that any company could allow someone to have worked so hard to earn the entire company good will, only to;

A- Ignore that individuals results. (it HAS to have shown in their bottom line)
B- fritter that good will away so quickly and completely.



A few months ago someone posted a great deal on a reflector in Market watch for a steal. I jumped on it.

That purchase will be the last one I ever make at that vendor.
What a bunch of schmucks!

Helen, I'm truly sorry you had to deal with all that for so long. And I truly wish you the very best in your next venture, with people who actually appreciate all that you bring to the table and reward you commensurately

CyberDyneSystems wrote in post #18918838
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A- Ignore that individuals results. (it HAS to have shown in their bottom line)
B- fritter that good will away so quickly and completely.

Jake, if they couldn't see it in the bottom-line then, you can be sure they are going to see it now.

Amazing. Truly.

Helen, I would have had no idea you did your work from Israel long-distance,
had I not seen what's been posted. I mourn your loss from Adorama all the more, now.

I will suggest once again, as already mentioned, that you send prospective employers
to this thread for affirmation of your spectacular efforts in keeping what you do so well
as a viable asset to any potential future employer.

One of a kind, Helen.
Yes, you're genuinely one of a kind.

Those schmucks will never see another dollar of mine.

I will temper my buying decisions, but I am not going to have a huge knee-jerk reaction based on one person's experiences, as bad as it was. Doing this makes it worse for all employees there, so if everyone stopped buying from Adorama, then every single employee is affected adversely.

If folks heard about one terrible situation with some employees at our business, and the world stopped using our services, we would all be out on the street trying to handle the facts our families have no income at all. I, as an employee, would rather sacrifice my own stress and wellbeing at work so that my family would have security than to have the world shut us down.

I will stop using Adorama exclusively for many of my flash accessory purchases though, but I will still purchase in limited situations.

Basically I feel the terrible situation with a person shouldn't be considered over the good of the whole employee base. Stopping all business with Adorama won't do anything for the leadership, they always find other places and ways to continue their businesses, it is those at the bottom that are decimated.

TeamSpeed wrote in post #18919117
I will temper my buying decisions, but I am not going to have a huge knee-jerk reaction based on one person's experiences, as bad as it was. Doing this makes it worse for all employees there, so if everyone stopped buying from Adorama, then every single employee is affected adversely.

If folks heard about one terrible situation with some employees at our business, and the world stopped using our services, we would all be out on the street trying to handle the facts our families have no income at all. I, as an employee, would rather sacrifice my own stress and wellbeing at work so that my family would have security than to have the world shut us down.

I will stop using Adorama exclusively for many of my flash accessory purchases though, but I will still purchase in limited situations.

Basically I feel the terrible situation with a person shouldn't be considered over the good of the whole employee base. Stopping all business with Adorama won't do anything for the leadership, they always find other places and ways to continue their businesses, it is those at the bottom that are decimated.

I really appreciate the supportive messages and thoughts. But I agree; I really wouldn’t want anyone to stop ordering from Adorama because of what happened to me. Gear isn’t cheap, but Adorama manages to keep prices low, and that is important for anyone, whether buying privately or for a business.


The only way to give you all the service I felt you deserved was to make the commitment I did to be here (and everywhere else online!), whenever you needed me - it would have been nice to have felt that appreciation from management, but knowing I was making a difference to your customer experiences was the most important thing.


At the end of the day, I made the decision to quit, because the new management style wasn’t compatible with mine. The pressure I was under from certain parts of the business turned into stress, which has affected my health - it triggered thyroid eye disease, which needs to stabilize before I can have surgery to remove the enlarged muscle mass from behind one eye.

Boycotting Adorama won’t change any of that, and as noted above, it could adversely affect the positions of the lower-paid employees.
It won’t trigger a “thank you and good luck for the future card, either”, the lack of which is what stings the most.

.

Just to be clear, I am not trying to lead a boycott. There is a difference between trying to bring about someones downfall, and simply choosing NOT to support behavior we disagree with directly with our own hard earned buck.

That said, I am and have been for some time an individual that chooses very carefully to whom I will send my business. I don't consider not choosing one vendor over another necessarily a boycott.
Just choosing with whom I wish to do business. There is a profound difference.

I have never "boycotted" Nikon, in fact my first mirrorless was a Nikon 1V (purchased from the Number 1 store in Manhattan in person on clearance)
However, even when Nikon was in the lead DSLR vs. Canon for a very long time, one of the reasons I continued to support Canon was Canon's own philanthropy position in the world. Given the option, I'd rather send my dollars to a company that supports the same causes I do.

When it's a simple decision like that, for me it's very easy to chose one over the other based on such ideals.

I've read a bit about employees being poorly treated in this market, there was quite a stir just recently about B&H warehouse employees for example. There are a number of businesses I will not do business with based on such things, and more, there are businesses I will choose over others based on what I know about their positive relations with employees.

It's hard to keep up, and I can't always do it. Recently my Pharmacy that I've done business with for decades, a local Rhode Island Company originally, and one of my regular home improvement suppliers have been revealed as financial supporters of certain individuals I truly believe are contributing to the end of the world do to their position on Climate change,. among other concerns,

..it's hard to keep up.

All I can do is try.

In this case, it feels close, personal, and easy to chose another vendor. So I will.

HelenOster wrote in post #18919815
The only way to give you all the service I felt you deserved was to make the commitment I did to be here (and everywhere else online!), whenever you needed me - it would have been nice to have felt that appreciation from management, but knowing I was making a difference to your customer experiences was the most important thing.

And that's the defining thing right there, Helen.

You've been an astounding representative here where others have been absent,
patiently and sympathetically working on behalf of not only your former employer,
but also on behalf of us, the customers. You have championed favorable outcomes
for nearly every issue I've ever seen raised here on POTN about Adorama,
and you deserve recognition and accolades for doing so, which is what I'm now doing.

I even cried "Wolf!" myself, some years ago, about a spamming issue; you and others
may remember it. Taken to private messages and emails, you assured me of a rogue start
from a then-current potential email marketer, which I had been bombarded by previously.
The bombardment from that spammer actually dried up completely a while after
our correspondences, which I believe may have somehow been the results of your efforts,
as a learning device for other organizations to not enlist spamming campaigns.
Either that, or the jerks were found and prosecuted.

Whatever happens from this point onwards, please know that you are a well-liked
and VERY respected person here within POTN, and I feel you will always receive
a warm and welcome reaction to anything you wish to contribute around here.

Good health and good fortune to you, Ms Oster.

TeamSpeed wrote in post #18918806
Thought I would share Helen's linked-in post, it's a shame you went through that.

https://www.linkedin.c​om …657221520726179​8401-lblv/

Yeah...this is infuriating.

Helen, you richly deserve better than Adorama. I know you will be blessed with wonderful opportunities. Stay well and safe.

Paul