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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 :)

Done biz with FJS International ?

Yes, I have bought. Made a purchase of $20k worth of equipment. Fred is a great guy.

Adnan
 
Well, you all can't be related by blood . . . so I take it he's legit
 
Very reliable.
 
praviin arora said:
Josh.Thats a good way to start business with a company ,wish I had done the same before doing business with Silverado Mr Torrey.Lost a good amount of my hard earned money.
Click to expand...

The Torrey deal seem to be a freak sit where many got burned. I feel for you friend. It all works out in a karma kinda way
 
I just posted this in another thread, but I thought I should chime in here. Fred may have been an honest dealer in the past, but based on recent experiences I would think twice about working with him.

A few words of caution when dealing with FJS International and Fred Salaff.

Many of us use and rely on equipment brokers to buy and sell our equipment and they provide a valuable service to our industry. But the filmmaking community as a whole, and anyone who calls themselves an equipment broker are hurt when people engage in dishonest business practices and deception.

I had never worked with FJS and Fred Salaff until recently, but I have been aware of his operation for some time. I didn't have any initial concerns about him since it's a name that is somewhat known in the field.

I contacted him re: a set of lenses for sale, which he advertised as in "Very Good" condition. We did some email negotiating and he told me his seller would accept a price of $43,000. I agreed and sent him the funds. After which I received an email from the seller that contained all of the emails between themselves and FJS.

Through these emails it was apparent that FJS was lying to both myself and the owner of the lenses about the prices I was offering, and the prices I was willing to pay. And unsurprisingly it benefited FJS.

Fred Salaff and FJS international made an $18,000 profit on this one transaction, taking a massive 42% commission. I asked Fred Salaff on the phone what his normal commission rate is and he said typically around 10%. I then confronted him with this information and he hung up on me.

Since that time Fred Salaff has refused to answer any phone calls or respond to any emails. His complete lack of professionalism and courtesy is extremely disheartening and has led me to post this information so that others can exercise their best judgement before dealing with him. I have never taken to forums before to complain about a business dispute, and I believe most of the time disagreements are best settled in private, but the complete lack of respect and blatant lies shown by FJS in this case I believe warranted making others aware of his actions. I debated a long time before deciding to go public with this information but I truly believe it is the best thing to do.

I did eventually receive the lenses and they were in neglected condition and are now undergoing several thousand dollars of repairs. FJS still refuses to communicate with me.

If anyone here wishes to speak with me in more detail about this incident I'm happy to discuss it with you. In the meantime, please be wary about selling or buying anything through FJS or Fred Salaff.

And Fred, if you're reading this, call me back.
 
Fred, I'm glad to see you are able to chime in on this thread, even though you still won't return a phone call or answer an email from me.

Do you have no explanation for your emails where you mis-represent the prices to me that the buyer will accept and you misrepresent to the seller the prices I am willing to pay?

Or how about when I said I no longer would take delivery of the lenses, and you had your assistant send me a one sentence email saying that you would 're-sell them for me (without my authorization) at whatever price you could get for them', making me risk an even bigger loss.

Or do you wish to offer an explanation for your total lack of communication after I tried to get ahold of you with multiple calls and emails? Is that your standard way of doing business when there is a problem?

Some of the excuses your assistant offered to me on the phone were: "Fred's car broke down, he can't talk to you today" or "Fred's at the pediatrician today he'll have to call you back," or "Fred's having neck surgery today".

I'm a pretty patient and reasonable individual and I gave you weeks to come to the table to work out an amicable solution. I proposed multiple remedies that I would have been happy with. I didn't want to go public with this dispute at all. But after weeks and weeks of silence it became obvious you had no interest in reaching a compromise or even talking to me.

You failed to respond to anything I said or even make the effort to talk to me to work something out.

I don't see how anyone would consider this good business practice.
 
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