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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Buyer Beware (dirty laundry)

Thanks for that Jay. Appreciated.

By the way - if Sergey is indeed travelling then I unreservedly apologise for bringing this to a public forum (and upon contact from Sergey will edit my posts to reflect my error and retract all statements) but as we are now approaching a month without contact and specifically since I raised a query regarding the lens (initial contact with Sergey was within a couple of days of receipt - within a fair grace period to assess a lens I would say).

It is not without serious consideration and prior warning to Sergey that I undertook this course of action. It's not a tactic I am happy to be using.

Sergey, please contact me as I would like to sort this out amicably.
 
I think it is only fair to mention that buying lenses (or anything else, for that matter) from the old Soviet Union is not like buying things from Able Cinetech or Birns and Sawyer or whatever. Shipping is problematic. The language is problematic. The transfer of money is problematic. There is no way to examine the merchandise. The business culture is different. Their cash-flow is different. There is no functioning guarantee system. You are not dealing with professional motion picture equipment dealers in the Western sense. And there is no way you are getting your money back if you are unhappy (they have probably already spent it).

If you buy from these guys, even the good ones, there is always a fair chance of getting skunked at one level or another and that has to be part of your equation. It is no different from shooting in difficult parts of the world. Sometimes things don't work out and that's the way things work out and you have to be flexible enough to deal with it.

I'm not saying that feeling that you have been screwed (or actually getting screwed) is easy to shrug off (and I have been screwed in this process) but I think an clear sense of realistic expectations should be observed. If you want access to the kinds of deals that these guys can sometimes present, you have to take the bitter with the sweet. And making a big public rant about in is probably not the best way to deal with it, IMHO.

In the end (as I think has been said) if the price is too good to be true, then it is probably something to avoid, unless you can eat the loss.
Rob Gardner
 
With the greatest respect Rob the post above states the obvious. The price in this case was not "too good to be true" - it was in line with general expectation for such a lens. Somewhat of a deal but certainly not bargain basement. I can afford to eat the loss - but am prepared to make sure that it is widely known that dealers of this sort are not honourable people. If I have misunderstood Sergey's circumstances then I apologise but with each passing day this becomes less likely.

I have purchased many lenses from the eastern block and am familiar with the processes (and shortcomings) involved.

And making a big public rant about in is probably not the best way to deal with it, IMHO.
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If you have any alternative courses of action I would be happy to hear them. As a buyer I would consider one of the most valuable things about the internet is that shady sales practices are exposed.

In short, Sergey didn't "screw" me outright but has, following some basic issues with a lens opted not to recontact me hoping, I imagine, that I will tire of the chase and 'give up'. I will not.

But thanks for your thoughts. I welcome all opinions but if it's all the same I won't 'eat' a five grand loss without a bit of static.
 
Its simple enough imho. When you get screwed, its important to tell others to help them for such sellers. When everybody das that, there fast out of business, wich is good. Selling is one thing, taking care of your costumers is something else. I am a steadicam op/cameraop, have very expensive gear and camera, and sadly discovered that costumer support can be terrible. As expensive your gear might be, its worthless without the proper support. i wont mention names YET, but i believe that compagny kills itself, becose on a other forum, people just wright down the lack of communication/support. Its unbelievable how short term thinking some people are.

Anyway, i hope you get what you payd for and it will be solved. Good luck with that.
 
I take your point, James and didn't mean to trivialize your situation, sorry if it seemed that way. To be honest, I dedicated quite a bit of time myself to getting a Ukraneian dealer off of ebay after he sold me a zoom lens that arrived in pieces for $2,500 (a loss much smaller than your) and refused to return the money. It became kind of a mission, White Whale sort of thing, I finally got him off.

But anyway, I do think that the uninitiated should understand what the realities are when dealing with this part of the world. Forgive me for stating the obvious, in your situation.
Thanks
Rob Gardner
 
No worries Rob - Granted, it is a bit of a minefield buying online and buying anything Eastern Block is a bit of 3-barrell Russian-Roulette. I always factor that some "after the fact" tinkering in a lens hospital is going to be part of the deal. Given that the lens I purchased is supposed to be new I was a bit surprised to find some headaches with it (Ones I'm not certain I can work around). But hey, a little older, a little wiser.

Thanks thecrew - here's hopin.

To paraphrase Moss (Ed Harris) in Glengarry Glenross "you don't sell a man one lens, you sell him five lenses over fifteen years. Sell him a lemon, and you'll only sell him one".


...But then again, he did rob the office.

Always be closing Sergey, always be closing.:wink:
 
I've dealt with Ken on one occasion. It was for the purchase of a Mini Worall geared head. It took some persistance to "keep after" him with getting the whole deal to work but in the end I was satisfied with my gear. I was lucky the the gear was owned and maintained by Clairmont Camera.

My advice would be, when dealing with Ken, is to call him everyday or every other day, email too, to see how your order is coming along.



weirdcrew said:
I'm really sorry about hearing that you guys have problems with Sergey he has nothing but been good to me. I hope it all resolves for you. I just want to warn you all that it's not the Russians alone that are a "problem" I have a massive problem with Ken Rich "The Power Broker". If you think a couple of weeks of no proper response and wait for your lenses to turn up is bad, try 9 MONTHS!!! I will also do my dirty laundry on him very soon after my lawyers has contacted him. If anyone here knows him, contact him and ask him to contact me asap (just so you know we're talking substantial amounts of $ here) so it can be resolved before I go public.
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The word from his brother is that Sergey's computer is currently broken.

Evidently there are no public libraries or Apple Stores in St. Petersburg.

I'll let you know if I get any more information.

IBloom
 
red1225 said:
I've dealt with Ken on one occasion. It was for the purchase of a Mini Worall geared head. It took some persistance to "keep after" him with getting the whole deal to work but in the end I was satisfied with my gear. I was lucky the the gear was owned and maintained by Clairmont Camera.

My advice would be, when dealing with Ken, is to call him everyday or every other day, email too, to see how your order is coming along.
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Thanks and I will but I have for 9 months now. He has literally told me that they're coming for months and then I don't here from him. Then when I contact him he says he doesn't have the lenses anymore. Just to write me one week later asking if I'm interested in buying the same lenses. This has been going on for 9 months and I've realized that he just sells them as he pleases. He's taken money from me and then clearly sold them to someone else.
 
arrinick said:
Yup. That's how he did me.

Nick
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I came soooooooo close to buying a set of anamorphics from Ken last year... I had the bank wire info and everything, but just kept coming back to the bad deals with Sergey and passed at the last minute. Funny... he emails me sporadically asking odd questions (do I want to buy a mobile production trailer, etc.) but when I answer I then don’t hear back again. Then a month later he asks the same question again!?!!?

I’m truly sorry you both had problems but am grateful for public resources such as this.

We
Stick
Together

Billy
 
Billy Mead said:
Funny... he emails me sporadically asking odd questions (do I want to buy a mobile production trailer, etc.) but when I answer I then don’t hear back again. Then a month later he asks the same question again!?!!?
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I know that one but it's not that funny when you've already paid for it :)
 
ditto.. sergey.. i had warned you.. some of us have no the patience of emanuel's.. matias for example.. he doesn't want more talk w/ you.. what do you want man?.. you're burning future deals dude
 
thanks for Heads up on the Power Broker. Good luck.

p
 
in soviet russia, lens shoots you.
 
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