"Ordered a camera and thought everything was great. I then got a call a couple of days later informing me shipping would be much more expensive. I asked them to honor the price on the website and they said they would not. They also tried to sell me a more expensive camera. Not recommended.

*Update
I received a call today from Frank. He tried to make things right which I appreciate. He said to ask for a manager next time which I will do. I may have spoken with somebody having a bad day. I was pleasantly surprised to receive the call."

"I have been researching affordable DSLRs for months because my parents were going to buy me one for my birthday. Yesterday I finally found a deal on a Canon T3i. The price they advertised was must lower than anything else I had found. I put in an order for the camera on my dad's card.

Today, I received a somewhat "sketchy" phone call. The person who called asked to verify the shipping address. He kept asking if he was talking to me or my father. Then, he went on to tell me that I had put in an order for an "imported model". With this camera being my first DSLR, I had no idea what that meant, nor did I remember ever seeing anything about this on the page (upon later inspection, it is written in small lettering on the page). An average consumer, like myself, probably wouldn't know what the implications of an "imported model" are. He told me that Canon would not honor the manufacturers warranty and I would also need to buy a converter in order for the battery to charge. The US model was an additional $100, but he kept lowering the price to get me to take the bait. I placed my original order on hold and hung up the phone.

I discussed the matter with my dad and he felt that I was being scammed, so I googled "Abe's of Maine+Scam" and came across many pages with ratings telling a similar story to mine.

While the person with customer service was very pleasant, and was willing to work with me on adjusting the price of the US t3i, I had to cancel my order because I felt that the entire situation was too sketchy and other reviews turned me off from ordering from them.

If I didn't feel this way and if I didn't read that many customers have felt this way, I probably would have done it. However, I have read far too negative reviews to feel comfortable doing business with Abe's of Maine. "

"After placing my order I received a phone call saying that my order got flagged for fraud and that I needed to confirm it (this made no sense since I had paid via PayPal which is verified and protected). The guy then proceeds to try to get me to upgrade to the US model instead of the "import model" for $40 more. I actually agreed to upgrade as I was told that I would have no warranty otherwise.

Instead of charging my card for just the additional $40 I was charged the full $130 to both of my cards (the initial purchase was $90). So I had to get that charge reversed. Fast forward to 18 DAYS LATER my item still has not shipped. I call the customer service line and get a very rude, short and pushy representative. He put me on hold and comes back and says "It's shipping today" I said "OK why did it take 18 days to ship?" "For verififcation." "Well I already called and had to confirm that my order wasn't fraud supposedly so why wasn't it verified then?" "Look your order is shipping today you don't have to call anymore"

This has to be one of the most shady stores that I have dealt with in over 10 years of online shopping. Any potential buyers please be wary and don't be fooled by the lower sticker price. "

"My initial experience with Abe's of Maine was less than amazing. You've heard the term "bait and switch" before and that's pretty much what I fell for which I admit is my own fault. I purchased a new Canon 5D MkIII and decided to go with the USA model after calling about the import. It arrived in very good time and was brand new except for coming in the kit box, unsealed minus the 24-105 lens and warranty cards. This, of course, concerned me as I paid the full price for the body, so therefore expected a sealed Canon 5D MkIII box with everything included.

Long story short, my first review here was less than stellar as I felt duped and lied to by the sales representative. I was contacted by Frank at Abe;s about the review and he was very apologetic that I wasn't happy. He offered me an extended 2 yr warranty and a CF card to help makes things right which I accepted. He also assured me they were working with their sales staff to be a bit more honest when trying to up sell a product. I need to feel fully confident when spending so much money on an item.

If this warranty and CF card never arrives this review will change yet again, but for right now I appreciate the time taken by Frank to make things right and he genuinely seems to care about the customers and making them happy."

"Terrible service, rude, deceptive. I ordered a Nikon DSLR from the website. No email confirmation. Day later a guy calls and says I should expect all these problems because I ordered an import. Aren't all Nikon's imports? He gives me the hard sale saying what I ordered won't have a battery, software, manuals, warranty, etc. For another $300 my new Nikon will come with all the normal accessories. Guy gets rude and pushy when I refuse to engage in his bait & switch. He suggests my order will take two to three weeks to arrive. Someone ought to sue Abe's of Maine for false advertising! They're liars, operating from New Jersey, not Maine. Don't waste your time."

"After placing on online order, I received a phone call from a sales associate to clarify some of the options that were available with the order. We quickly went through 'what I wanted' and it was clear that I had been confused about the lens import options. I really appreciated the prompt recognition and response on AoM's part to see that a potential mistake might exist and to quickly get in touch with me to ensure I ordered exactly what I needed. "

"The salesman went out of the normal in order to get me the best price."

"Update#1 (Will update again, once tv is delivered as to the delivery, etc)
Got a second call from Ted. The initial negative review I posted here did not go unnoticed. Long story short: Ted (Abe's of Maine original caller) and I came to an amicable solution. I did upgrade to white glove delivery, this time for a reasonable $100 that I will get back as a coupon to restaurant.com.
I'm getting a very good deal on a great plasma TV, happy customer now.



Original review below for point of reference:
----------------
Ordered TV - samsung model. Never got any confirmation email.
Couple days later got an up-sell call from Ted.
Tried upgrading from free delivery for a mere $200 .
Additionally Ted made up story about TV I ordered being a "non- USA" model and for only $300 extra I can get an US model. Hilarious.
Not the worst experience since did not charge my card, but ..."

""Oy. Where do I even start?

I found Abe's of Maine via a web search when shopping for a Canon T3i camera. I'd never heard of them before, but the website looked legit and they had the best prices. I placed the order right away using my PayPal account. I should have researched the company before ordering but I didn't, which was a big mistake.

Right after placing my order, I Googled Abe's of Maine out of curiosity and came across a couple of reviews that mentioned their notorious follow-up call and aggressive up-sell tactics. I didn't read further, but I prepared myself to have some hiccups with my order going through.

The next day, I got a call from David telling me I had ordered the import model. My first thought was "aren't all Canons imported?" He said if I wanted my camera to be compatible with US chargers, I needed to upgrade to the more expensive camera. He mentioned something about needing an adapter for the import model, but the crazy thing was he also said the "European" cameras have "pounds" displayed in video mode. As in the currency? That one still baffles me. Oh, and the lens I also ordered was an import model and incompatible. Okay...

I actually told him I'd been expecting his call since I'd read about these calls in some reviews. That seemed to set David off and he got argumentative, asking if I'd read those reviews why order the "import model" anyway? I said I never saw anything saying these were European-only cameras. He said it's clearly listed in the description (the only thing listed is "brand new factory fresh import model"). There's nothing in any description saying chargers won't work in the US, or British currency is displayed in video mode... Lies, lies, lies. I kept asking him to cancel my order, mainly because he was being a jerk (and I've since read in reviews that David is supposedly the company's VP -- so that should tell you a lot), but he kept offering me deals. He acted like he was losing money on these deals but he was doing it because he didn't want to lose me as a customer. They'd earn more loyal customers if they'd quit bullying them and write honest product descriptions.

So I finally told him okay, I'd take the deal. He tried to throw in even more extras. I asked him how much the total would be, and he quoted a price that wasn't too much over what I'd paid online. I agreed and we hung up.

When I got home and checked my PayPal account, I found that he had authorized a charge that was over our agreed upon price. It was only then I researched Abe's of Maine reviews and read everything I could about this company, and I was appalled! Not only had they charged me more than we had agreed upon, but other customers had encountered issues like never having received their items, receiving the wrong items, or even suspecting that Abe's is touting knock-offs. After reading all this, and battling with this jerk over the phone, I didn't want them to have my business at all. Abe's was already closed for the day, but I contacted them via their website demanding they cancel my order first thing the next day and give me a refund.

By the next afternoon, my message had gone ignored and they'd updated my Abe's account to say that my items had been sent from the warehouse. I called the customer service number and David's extension several times and could never get through, so I immediately called PayPal and filed a dispute. They handled it from there. I sent another email to Abe's informing them of my dispute, and said if they stopped the shipment (because they collect restocking fees if you refuse a shipment) AND refunded my money right away, I wouldn't leave negative reviews all over the web.

It wasn't long after sending my email that a much more pleasant man from Abe's named Frank left me a voicemail message saying he had personally pulled my items off the UPS truck (literally?) and that he was sending my account to their "refund department." The order cancellation was soon updated in my Abe's of Maine account, but I didn't receive my refund for a week. I gave them plenty of chances to cancel the order that day and refund my money before I filed the dispute with PayPal.

These people are sharks. Abe's of Maine is an aggressive bait-and-switch operation, so stay away! You won't save any money by the time they call you with the up-sell, and you can avoid a hell of a lot of hassle by making your purchase elsewhere.

**EDIT** The day after posting this review, Frank from Abe's of Maine called and left me a voicemail message. He didn't mention anything about my bad experience with the overly aggressive David -- he only wanted me to call him back so he could educate me on the PayPal dispute process. I want nothing more to do with this company, but they've continued to call all day from four different phone numbers. Even after an order is cancelled, it seems you still get harassed by Abe's of Maine. "

***RESPONSE TO ABE'S REPLY***
Frank states that import models are "not for the US market." If he's defining the camera industry standard of import model, which I assume is another way of saying "gray market" model, these are not inferior or non-US compatible cameras. They simply may not qualify for the USA warranty. Dig into reviews on Yelp, Yahoo!, and any other review site you can. Another reviewer contacted Canon directly and the Canon representative said Abe's was lying about import models not being US-compatible. Yet another reviewer agreed to the non-import model upsell and was sent an item with the "import model" sku, so this little scheme is only to get extra money without delivering the supposed higher-quality product (because there is no higher-quality product). A little research into the sheer amount of reviews regarding this issue implies that Abe's is running a scam. As to me quoting the thought "aren't all Canons imported," I did not say that out loud to David the salesperson. He was not frustrated by anything I said -- he was aggressive from the beginning and grew belligerent when I mentioned that I was expecting a call from Abe's because of a couple of reviews I had seen. Frank also did not call me to say the product had been pulled from the truck until AFTER PayPal contacted Abe's to begin the dispute process. Previous attempts to cancel my order went ignored. There is nothing to rectify as my order was canceled and I did receive my refund. This is a review website, and I have the right to leave a review about my experience and warn others about Abe's practices. "

"I ordered the Samsung F8500 64" today. I am not sure what to expect from Abes. I am hoping for a good turnout with my order. I did use paypal, which gives me a small layer of protection. I will update everyone on what I go through. I guess I should expect a phone call in the next day or two. They have already charged my credit card, so I guess it should had ship already. We shall see. I will give them 4 stars for now and change it either higher or lower depending on the outcome.

Update on May 6th.
Sure enough I received a phone call on May 1st. I had to listen to everything about shipping, warranty and cables. The person was very nice on the phone. He promised me everything will work out perfectly for me. I cave and got the white glove service. I figure it should help me get my TV. Well it is May 6th and I have not received any updates on the TV. I email customer service. I am still waiting for their response back to me. My account states it was ship to the warehouse. I am going to give them the benefit on the doubt for now. It has been 7 days and I am not sure if my TV ship or not. Of course if I call them they will tell me it ship. As the saying goes- The check is in the mail. Lowering my rating for the lack of communication. Let's see what happens.

Update May 10th
Finally got in touch with customer service. They stated that the TV is not in stock. How can you charge me for something you do not have in stock. They promised me I would have my TV in 7 days. I did not receive it in 7 days, and they are not sure when it will be available for delivery. Please do not charge someone's card unless it is ready for delivery. This is the only store to charge me like this.

Additionally the FTC state that should a merchant fail to ship by the promised date they must advise you of the new date and offer you a chance to cancel the order with a prompt full refund should you have paid in advance. The details are here, under ‘Delays’: -
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/cons...dit/cre28.shtm

According to Visa USA a merchant is not permitted to bill ahead of time" except in case of a deposit or down payment that the customer agrees to.

I was never advise of my new date and of course I cannot cancel. I wonder why they are allow to break the law.

Update May 14th

Still nothing from Abes of Maine. Unreal. You just take my $2,500 and do nothing. I have to wait for the paypal days, because Abes of Maine has not responded to Paypal. I ordered another TV from a real Company. This has been my worse online experience. Thank god I used Paypal. Do not use this Company. They were able to borrow $2,500 interest free for over 20 days. This is a crime.

Update May 22th

Paypal reimburse my account, so I am happy. On the 21st I received a email that the TV ship out to my house. I have already received a credit on my account, so I am going to refuse the shipment if it comes. This company is unreal. For now on I will never use them again. "

"Although initially we encountered some difficulties with my online order, due to some miscommunications, Frank from Abe's of Main contacted me and did a good job ensuring that the transaction ended in a satisfactory manner. Thank you."

"At first, my order was out of stock and I was disappointed, but they personally called me back and fulfilled my order, and now it's on the way. I have to say that I am impressed with their follow-up and commitment to customer satisfaction!"

"Review updated 4-29-2014 to reflect overall outcome; many phone calls and emails later, I am satisfied with my purchase.
Summary: if you put up with the delays, phone calls, upsells, and complain loudly, you will likely be satisfied.
The following is my overall experience:
“Abes of Maine reviews seem not to jive with the rest of the review world! I have purchased several times (a long time ago) from Abes and was quite happy, so I did

nothing more than a quick look at here and ordered a Nikon lens. The price was about $90 less than other places and was noted as the "import" model (ie: gray market, no

US warranty), so I was getting the price and product I expected.
Two days later I get a call from Abes, which sounded an awful lot like "bait and switch".
"That lens is made in Mexico, the US ones are made in Japan" (I have my doubts about this (later confirmed this lens is made only in China))
-no thanks, still want the import
"Mexico QC is not so good, Japan lenses are better"
"This lens is made for PAL, not NTSC video"
no thanks- are the optics the same (got no answer)?
"Are you as previous customer? Maybe I can offer you a discount on the US lens" .... on hold for a bit "yes, $xx off for this and $xx off for that"
no thanks that is still more than $100 more.
"That lens won't be able to ship for 2 or 3 weeks- we have to get them from Mexico" (lenses are listed as available on their website!) "Let me see if I can get a special

managers discount...".... on hold again..."yes, I can get you another $xx off"
Does the import lens have a metal or plastic mount?
(I can see the salesguys grinning!) "oh, the import has a plastic mount"(I have my doubts this is true) (4-23-14 add on: I asked in various forums, and they confirm

Nikon has no manufacturing in Mexico, and this lens is available only in a metal mount)
I say (now having weakened) ok, I don't want the plastic version, so with the discounts I will upgrade.
The end price is pretty much the middle price I would have got on Amazon anyway, so I am not getting gouged, but do not appreciate the B&S.
By the way, Abes of Maine is now part of another electronics firm , and is now located in Linden, NJ, since around 2007.
The timeline was;
Placed order
3 days later got a phone call for the upsell (with much erroneous information from salesman) (3 days shipping lost)
started getting phone calls because I noted I was unhappy in this review- offered extended warranty and rebate
7 days later received lens. (US import with Nikon Warranty as advertised)
tested lens- seems to function OK
All in all, they really made up for the bad job the salesman was allowed (forced?) to do on the upsell.
"

"After some initial confusion ordering online, Frank handled my account and cleared everything up.
Thanks Frank."

"Shopping at Abes of Maine was not a good online shopping experience. Shipping took almost 2 weeks and I could not check tracking as I was not sent the correct shipping tracking info. They have managed to send 5 emails with promo deals to buy from them again. Called and customer service did help with that problem and gave me the correct tracking info. Customer service did their best to make things right. They upped my protection plan, I'm not sure how good that is as I have not received that info as of yet. If I got a really great price I would buy again but I would shop real hard first.

"