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M10 waitlist shortcut potential @ Richard Caplan Photographic


hollisd

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Dear all, 

 

I ordered an M10, lens, and battery from Richard Caplan Photographic in London back in February I believe. I paid in full and was told end of April as an estimated timeframe for arrival. 

 

Since that time I learned I have a large tumor growing in my knee and on April 26 I broke my leg. The prognosis is good (tumor is benign) but long. I'm typing from bed with a full leg cast. Long story short I won't be able to shoot a camera for almost 2 years so it's terrible timing to purchase an M10. 

 

I contacted RCP about canceling my order which is fine but they want to charge me 2.5% which they said they were charged as a transaction fee by my bank. I contacted both Visa as well as my bank (USAA) and both said that neither charged the merchant 2.5%. I've written RCP but haven't heard back from Richard. 

 

Probably a long shot but I thought this could potentially be an opportunity for someone to cut line if they're interested. The only way I would do this is if RCP agrees to handle payment which makes everything safe and secure for all parties. With medical expenses, 6-9 months of tumor treatment, followed by surgery and recovery, the estimate is close to 2 years before I will return to normal and I think it would kill me to have a new Leica sitting by my bedside. So this is the prudent move as a result of bad luck.

 

If anyone is interested email me at hollisduncan AT gmail DOT com and we can talk through RCP about someone potentially taking my spot in line. The camera I ordered was a black M10. 

 

Cheers, 

 

Hollis Duncan

Edited by hollisd
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I don't need the camera but wanted to wish you a speedy recovery and sorry to hear your story. Good luck with the surgery and let's hope that you're back shooting sooner than you think.

Thanks start tumor treatment today via ambulance to hospital. Normally 6-9 mos but they may have to operate sooner although that is not the plan. Full recovery post-surgery is estimated to be 1 year though that may be a bit conservative but atrophy going into surgery will be sky high as I'll go under the knife with a chicken leg for sure which will be work to build back up. The silver lining is how this will make our family stronger, watching our young kids (5 and 7) step up, etc. But my wife is a champ she has had a lot dumped on her plate anyway the M10 just doesn't factor in the equation right now at all unfortunately although I was really looking forward to it. Appreciate the well wishes when I was in the hospital the piecemeal support I received online was incredibly powerful. 

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I wish you well for the next couple of years both for the treatment and recovery.

But why not keep the M10 by your bed and chair, so you can document the whole period, including your wife, children, treatment........? I can see a great book coming out of this.

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I wish you well for the next couple of years both for the treatment and recovery.

But why not keep the M10 by your bed and chair, so you can document the whole period, including your wife, children, treatment........? I can see a great book coming out of this.

Appreciate the thought and agree to some extent but I'm trusting my gut here. Also there's the complication that I was shipping the camera to the US and would then have to have someone bring over so that adds to the timeline. I love the documentary idea but to do that properly I need to be mobile and I won't be for awhile with this. I've shared some musings online but photography wise I don't feel motivated to document this (yet) - I want to put my full effort in staying safe right now followed by a successful surgery and then work tirelessly at recovery which is a mountain. That first step out of bed with a chicken leg is a wobbly effort. I was just bedridden for a week and my good leg lost a lot of strength plus the weight of a full leg cast and walking felt like a miracle. But this experience has opened my eyes wide and I'm going to stay positive and always try to find the silver lining. Delivering thank you notes + Andes mints to the hospital in about an hour. Again I do appreciate the thought and acknowledge that you may be right but trusting my instinct on this one. 

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for me, an M10 sitting on the bedside would be a great incentive to get down to the physio dept every morning, especially after surgery! doctors estimates tend to be on the cautious side anyway...lots of luck & be well soon. keep us updated from time to time.

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In this period, a bit difficult for me, sometimes I lose the stimuli and the desire to do things (eg photographing) but then I think that it is precisely in these times that we must even more stick to the beautiful things of life, our family, our friends and passions, all that means "life" in the best possible way. Photographing, even in a difficult mobility situation, can help in this regard.

Anyway, whatever you choose, I'll send you all my best wishes.

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...

 

Hopefully you feel better soon, sorry to hear of your illness.
 
The conditions for the purchase of your M10 look quite annoying.
Never would I pay the full sum in advance, where here many photographic shops are abandoned and go bankrupt.
Where long waiting times exist for the M10, another customer would be delighted about a faster delivery.
Therefore a demand of 2.5% for a simple remittance seems quite impertinent.
If it allows your health, you should consider reporting this strange behavior in business to Leica management at Wetzlar.
Perhaps they can inspire this photo-dealer to a customer-friendly behavior or to cancel him as a Leica dealer in future.
 
All the best.
Edited by mnutzer
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Just an FYI- if you use a vendor like Quickbooks to handle your CC transactions (2.5%), then if you issue a refund after 30 days they hit you with a 2nd fee of 2.5% on the refund. It seems like an illegal practice, but I've been charged this double fee twice by Intuit on late refunds to cc charges. Basically I have paid 5% to refund my customer after 30 days.

 

Ive never passed this fee onto my customers, but as a small business owner it totally sucks.

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Just an FYI- if you use a vendor like Quickbooks to handle your CC transactions (2.5%), then if you issue a refund after 30 days they hit you with a 2nd fee of 2.5% on the refund. It seems like an illegal practice, but I've been charged this double fee twice by Intuit on late refunds to cc charges. Basically I have paid 5% to refund my customer after 30 days.

 

Ive never passed this fee onto my customers, but as a small business owner it totally sucks.

 

 

Hopefully you feel better soon, sorry to hear of your illness.
 
The conditions for the purchase of your M10 look quite annoying.
Never would I pay the full sum in advance, where here many photographic shops are abandoned and go bankrupt.
Where long waiting times exist for the M10, another customer would be delighted about a faster delivery.
Therefore a demand of 2.5% for a simple remittance seems quite impertinent.
If it allows your health, you should consider reporting this strange behavior in business to Leica management at Wetzlar.
Perhaps they can inspire this photo-dealer to a customer-friendly behavior or to cancel him as a Leica dealer in future.
 
All the best.

 

Re: the 2.5% fee Richard Caplan Photographic told me this was the fee that my bank charged them which they required to recuperate. I contacted my bank and they said it was a Visa charge. Called Visa and they confirmed that they didn't charge the merchant 2.5% so I contacted my bank a second time and they confirmed that they did not charge RCP 2.5% either. I wrote RCP about this but Richard is on holiday as well as the other manager. Someone replied today and said I will hear back next week. I chose RCP simply based on recommendations here in this forum. Right now I'm neutral but do not wish to lose 2.5% on such a large purchase that I paid up front in good faith. I'm optimistic this will work out as someone contacted me privately earlier this morning who is interested in taking my spot. Hopefully this will work out as he's purchased from RCP before and this should facilitate trust & security for all parties. 

 

Thanks for the well wishes everyone. Just returned from the hospital where I received first tumor treatment shot. So far so good! 

Edited by hollisd
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Businesses have expenses..esp where bank fees are concerned..or paperwork to redo on returns..

If it was done thru a bank or a card..there are fees..no matter what the bank or card company says to you on the phone..

The fees are under $200-..suggestion...just pay it and cut your losses...its not that much..

Edited by tsleica
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Called Visa and they confirmed that they didn't charge the merchant 2.5% so I contacted my bank a second time and they confirmed that they did not charge RCP 2.5% either.

 

 

If you used a credit card to pay for the camera, then the merchant paid a fee. Bottom line. Whoever said otherwise doesn't know what they are talking about.

But, how could you even talk to the right person at Visa to get this info? To begin with Visa will not disclose any information to you regarding a vendor and his fees, its against the law.

 

Regardless, Visa charges a fee on every single transaction...this is how credit cards work.

They will reverse the fee if the refund is made within 24 hours...but after that the fee is not refundable.

 

All that being said, most businesses will wave this if you have a relationship with them, so its worth the effort to ask.

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Visa doesn't charge the fee technically, their bank doesn't charge the fee technically either. It's their payment solutions provider who would, and as mentioned above, I've had also to pay out of pocket in the past to reimburse clients.

 

All the best on your health mate.

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Further to my advice above, could I check your in the uk, Richard caplan are a London dealer? If so section 75 of the CCA will apply.

 

If you are not from the UK then ignore the above, but it might be worth checking if your country has similar regulation.

 

All the best on a speedy recovery

Edited by TheDrift-
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If you paid by credit card, you can complain to them. If you have not had the goods I think you would have a good chance of getting all you cash with no fees. The cost would likely be your relationship with your camera dealer.

I think there is a deadline for reversing a CC payment, which surely has been passed here.

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I think there is a deadline for reversing a CC payment, which surely has been passed here.

Broadly speaking In the U.K. A consumer would have distance selling rights if they bought over the telephone or online, which the credit card company would be liable for.

 

Even if this was face to face the buyer would have strong rights under the consumer rights act, again this would only apply in the U.K.

 

I am guessing the op may be using an American card to a British retailer...if that's the case then non of this will apply in any event. If it is a UK card then contacting his card company certainly can't do any harm

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