"Knowing that I would be traveling again in the near future to South Africa, and only having a Tamron 15-50 mm F/2.8 lens for my Nikon D7100, I was in the market for a telephoto lens to "complete" my camera. Doing as much research as I could and not wanting to break the bank so to speak - I just wanted to speak to someone knowledgeable, who would spend time with me and not sell me a bill of goods. I tried doing that locally but everyone wanted to sell me a $1500 or better lens. Although I had never dealt with Abe's of Maine before, as I searched the internet their name came up quite a bit. I gave them a call. Although I had to wait about 10 minutes on the phone (toll free) the individual who answered passed me on to Jeff (Ext. 272) because he had the most proficient knowledge regarding the D7100. All I can say is: "He was excellent. Outstanding. He spend a sufficient amount of time with me to understand the lens I already had, what type of photographer I was (I love shooting wildlife and nature in Montana), and that I also traveled (Israel, S. Africa, Italy, etc.). He was courteous in our conversation and in the suggestions he made regarding choices for a telephoto lens. I inevitably chose the Nikon 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G Nikkor DX VR Lens which I also believe he gave to me at an excellent price. This was truly an excellent experience! I highly recommend Abe's of Maine and in particular Jeff who was profoundly helpful. - David Maier"

"I bought a Nikon lens. Good product and nice price too. I am a first time user of Abe's of Maine, had a great experience. Customer service is great too, my sell representative Roy is very helpful! "

"I am very satisfied with this online store. "

"Awful. Ordered 2 in stock appliances with white glove delivery and removal of old appliances. Delivered 17 days later (supposed to be 5-6 business days) and delivery company said their work order didn't include taking old appliances out. Called Abe's immediately, but trying to get through to customer service is (all three times I called!) at least an hour wait. Was told they'd refund my $30 appliance removal fee, but nothing they can do. Now I have two large broken appliances sitting in my living room. Not at all worth the few dollars I saved over a local merchant.

Update: Yesterday afternoon Lisa at Abe's offered to refund my entire shipping fee if I revised my review. I accepted. I haven't had a chance to sit down at a computer to do so until today (less tan 24 hours later). Since then I've gotten 5 calls and two emails from them to hound me to get it done. I promised them I would get it done today. Just got another voicemail from them (Ted this time) and this is a direct quote: "You're taking food off my kids' table!"

I'm not kidding.

Whether or not the problem was with their shipper (who is a small company with HORRIBLE reviews) they still waited over a week to process my order, and should have been easier to get on the phone to help.

They offer refunds to unhappy customers to revise or remove reviews, which is why they do well on here (as opposed to the other popular online merchant review site where their reviews are terrible). Too bad it took a bad review to get them to contact me, where I couldn't reach customer service without being on hold for over an hour when I had a problem.

I've now blocked their number on my phone. First time I've ever done that."

"I have used Ade's of main multiple times now and I am very please with their service, customer support and rates. I will be using them more often for purchases."

"Abe's of Maine was a convenient and easy website to shop on. It contained all the information I needed to make a decision about my purchase. The price for my purchase was half the price of other retail sites and the customer service representative, Jeff was very helpful. He contacted me to confirm that I was purchasing the correct equipment for my camera and expedited my order. I would certainly make future purchases from Abe's in the future."

"Hands down Best Customer Service and Price. David was amazing. Thank you! Shipped accurately and fast. "

"I would like to thank Jeff Stevens for contacting me today and getting my lens shipped out so quickly .. Thank you.
Paul Pitetti"

"Excellent customer service! Jeff is a gentleman, and knows his tech."

"I liked how Kevin Scott got my order processed really quickly. And also the price was very good as compared to the other websites."

"ORDER#B1829795. Jeff thank you for calling and making about product awareness. I appreciate your your help."

"It was a really quick process. I didn't have any trouble with my order. The representative that talked to me was very nice and helpful. I am looking forward to getting my lens from Abe and Maine. "

"Both Sally and Roy were outstanding people to deal with. Somehow when I initially placed my order, it was to be through PayPal Credit but somehow (not their fault) it was charged to my regular PayPal account and $1648 was taken from my checking account! I called and they did everything they could to help me and found a way not only to do just that but I ended up purchasing more product from them in the long run! I am so looking forward to receiving my new camera and lens tomorrow!!! I have to say - they did not stop until they had a satisfied and happy customer!! I will tell all my photographer friends about Abe's and I will be back to order more from them in the future!!"

"Very competitive prices and service."

"I found just what I needed for my camera at Abe's. And Jeff Stevens provided excellent customer service."