There are primarily two camera companies who have been embedded in the greater NYC area since practically I was born. They are B&H and Adorama. The latter company being the topic of this discussion.
I have used Adorama from time to time over the years, and really haven't had any issues to speak. This experience or review is not really about how bad Adorama is, it is about its business model and customer service. That is why I choose not to use them anymore. It is a personal decision based solely on my demanding needs as a professional.
Recently, I acquired a Sony A7 III to act as a test camera, which will help me decide if I want to give Sony a second look or just stick with Canon. Realizing I would need a Sigma MC-11 adapter, I ordered one from Adorama.. They seemed to be the only one who had one in stock at the time. Upon placing the order, I immediately realized that it was shipping USPS. That was strike one. Shipping sensitive electronics through USPS to a professional is risky at best.
On July 5, I received a notification from USPS that they could not find my address. I called the local USPS office and they said they already sent it back to Adorama. So, I immediately contacted Adorama to see if they could send me another one out. They could clearly see what happened when viewing the tracking number. They could see it was a "no-fault" kind of situation. No, they simply could not bend the policy. I would have to wait for them to receive it back and then wait two more days for the refund to be issued.
Again, I am looking at this from a professional's perspective and not from someone who has a ton of time to burn. I had scheduled a shoot for the weekend, which would now have to be cancelled. Of course, I turned around and ordered one through Amazon with hopes of getting it quicker.
So, now it is a waiting game, my shoot cancelled and a weekend ruined because of the USPS and Adorama.
Understand, I am not saying that Adorama is terrible, but for a professionals needs, you better plan way ahead just in case something goes amiss. For me, I just can't use a company that can't bend the rules to make a customer happy. If they had just sent that other one out immediately, they would have made a friend for life and the risk to them would have been minimal.
That really only leaves B&H, Amazon and KEH with which to do business. By the way, I really love the customer service at KEH. It is by far the best customer service for a working pro I have ever used. KEH doesn't always have the equipment in stock, but when they do, I will always go with them.
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