HDEW CAMERAS anyone used them?

Hello,

Do you know by any chance if you can pay via Sagepay with a foreign debit card? One person I know did it with an Italian debit card and the payment was refused but the money has disappeared. Hdew told him that they have not taken his money and that it will go back in automatically. They also said that they don't accept payments from cards that are not registered to UK addresses and the only way for him to buy from them is by bank transfer.

Thanks

Vito
 
Took the plunge yesterday and ordered a 6D and 17-40 from these guys yesterday, delivery due next week 3-5 working days. Phoned up and ordered and seemed pleasant and helpful. Will update on arrival.
 
Well my experience of trying to deal with Hdew has not been a happy one.
I ordered a Mk2 version of the Canon 300mm f/2.8 lens after discussing the price and availability over the phone with them. I paid by credit card, and was promised a 3-5 working day delivery.
I phoned after 5 working days to be told that they were expecting stock to arrive the following day (from H-K ?), which they confirmed by email. So far, so good!
I emailed them on the day they had promised to ship my lens to check things were OK - and got no reply - so I phoned, to be told that they could not get stock!
Clearly, no-one at Hdew was going to contact me with the bad news, despite knowing for several previous days that they could not fulfil my order.
So I would suggest to anyone considering using this company for high-price items which they clearly do not hold in stock "be careful, their low prices could have a sting in the tail"
They have promised a full refund, and have apologised claiming that they will improve their communication with customers in future.
Caveat Emptor.

Russ
 
I bet you were gutted Russ... I would be :shake:

Hopefully they will learn from your misfortune, but I guess they fully expected to be able to get one straight away, I do the same with my suppliers, I expect them to have the stock, but that is no excuse for poor communication
 
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Just received a 5D3 24 - 105 f4 kit and 70 - 200 f2.8 is ii L all from HDEW. All seems well, English manuals and power leads, VAT receipt.

Saved over £950!
 
I bought my 7D from these and had no hassles at all, ok took 2 days longer than stated but then again it did have to go to the UK to be delivered over here.
I would definitely use them again without question.
 
Well, I said that I would keep you updated on my attempted purchase so here goes.

Ordered 20/07 and was quoted 3-5 days for delivery, called Friday (26/07) and was told that they were having problems sourcing stock (No email phone call or attempted contact from HDEW). still not heard anything from regarding delivery ot their inability to get me a 6D and a 17-40 Lens. Attempted to call today and yesterday but due to work pressures (mine) they were closed which happens at 1700.

Thoughts so far: Communications - very poor, I've had better service elsewhere and only decided on HDEW for their 3 year warranty on the 6D

Will update with any further developments, maybe I need to ask for my money back and go elsewhere.
 
Hi Phil,
I too suffered poor communications and broken promises from HDEW (see my posts earlier).
They concluded by saying in their email of apology that "We have taken the decision to improve our customer service and will place extra emphasis on customer communication, spurred on by your complaint"
Well they clearly haven't improved anything, and to write about it in their email in this way begs the question as to why they had not already followed sound business practices and communicated well at all times.
By comparison, I have more recently dealt with DigitalRev and their service was first class - the package arrived within their specified hour of delivery!

Russ
 
Well a happy ending I suppose, called them on Wednesday and they promised to deliver by the weekend. Email yesterday evening to confirm dispatch and delivered within the last hour. Plus as they were late in delivery I requested a free SD card, received an 8g Sandisk extreme. All looks OK at first glance.

Conclusion: I wouldn't have minded as much if the communications had been much better but I would class them as poor. I would expect an email at least if there were problems, I understand that things can go wrong and would be happy to wait up to a point as long as fully informed.

Would I use them again: Unsure at the moment, their prices are very competitive which I would always consider. Have used Procamerashop previously and probably will use them again, the only thing that swung me was the 3 year warranty with HDEW.

Thanks for you support Dark Knight & Rustydon
 
I purchased a D7000 from them back in January, I was more than happy with the service and price. Unfortunately i found some dust behind my LCD screen the other day, which is odd as the screen seem to be seal from the outside. It's only visible when outside in direction sunlight.

I have sent them an email explaining the problem, i would hope that this would be covered under my warranty. Hopefully i will back here to report a good response, i.e a replacement camera.
 
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On Friday I ordered a Canon 6D which turned up on Tuesday AM as promised. I received several emails updating my of order progress and expected delivery time. I wouldn't hesitate to use again and highly recommend.
 
if you bought canon camera or lens from hdew and recieve a vat receipt can you claim the cash back that is on offer at the moment ?
 
Is there a similar discount to panamoz and procamera if you pay by bt ?
 
A.J. said:
Is there a similar discount to panamoz and procamera if you pay by bt ?
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You do realise you throw away any small amount of protection you have dealing with someone in Hong Kong by using BT?

At least pay with Paypal or a credit card if you are going to take the chance.
 
Bought a 5D3 from them a couple of weeks ago. Can't fault them other than being a bit slow delivering it.
 
Dave1 said:
You do realise you throw away any small amount of protection you have dealing with someone in Hong Kong by using BT?

At least pay with Paypal or a credit card if you are going to take the chance.
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Its a little known fact that came up on a consumer program a couple of years ago BUT the major banks also indemnify Visa Debit card transactions

If you go into your local branch they will know nothing about this in most instances - but the cover is there.


Article http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/working_lunch/7593369.stm

better than nothing !
 
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Mystery57 said:
Its a little known fact that came up on a consumer program a couple of years ago BUT the major banks also indemnify Visa Debit card transactions

If you go into your local branch they will know nothing about this in most instances - but the cover is there.

Article http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/working_lunch/7593369.stm

better than nothing !
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I know Visa debit also offers some protection, it's the people with blind faith sending bank transfers I was referring to.

If the person in Hong Kong decides to just keep the money the only avenue open would be to go to Hong Kong and attempt to sue for its return in the HK courts.

IMO, with further thought, Paypal is the only payment with a guaranteed method of protection for non-delivery with international transactions.
 
Mystery57 said:
Do you really feel secure with Paypal -- I don't, especially after having a problem myself with them a few years ago and being pointed in the direction of www.paypalsucks.com
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As a buyer Paypal is pretty watertight (most people complaining on the sites like that are mostly people who don't know how to follow the rules).

If you pay using Paypal, and the item is shipped by a approved delivery method to the Paypal registered address its actually secure for both buyer and seller.

The buyer has 45 days to report non delivery, and if the seller can't prove delivery to Paypal's satisfaction that it has been delivered the buyer will get his money back.
 
Mystery57 said:
So what do you do when someone approaches their credit card company after about 12 months, and says "been double checking my statements and theres no way I authorised this payment".

The card company will issue a chargeback, and the seller probably would not be able to prove the delivery after that period of time.
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That can happen to a retailer who takes card payments no matter where or what. If you are referring to Paypal sellers, as long as they have followed the rules of how to post to the item they would be covered. Remember the buyer funds his Paypal account with the CC, he then pays for the item using the credit in the Paypal account. The seller has no link to the original CC transaction.

Though I don't see the relevance to how a buyer pays for an item in the safest possible manner through :shrug:.
 
But you are missing a couple of points Dave - firstly a retailer is a business so could wipe any loss of against bad debts, Joe Public cannot do that.

Secondly to satisfy Paypal you have to prove to them - how many ordinary people keep all their receipts and information on stuff indefinitely ?

Personally Im still happy with online bank transfers as I can monitor my account quickly, and I also know my bankers are efficient at spotting potential frauds on the account.
 
Mystery57 said:
But you are missing a couple of points Dave - firstly a retailer is a business so could wipe any loss of against bad debts, Joe Public cannot do that.
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I have no idea what you are trying to say. Why would Joe Public care about the bad debts of a retailer?

He will never be in a position to be subject to a credit card chargeback, how many times does Joe Public accept credit card payments for things he sells privately?

Mystery57 said:
Secondly to satisfy Paypal you have to prove to them - how many ordinary people keep all their receipts and information on stuff indefinitely ?
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You don't need to keep anything as THE BUYER, which is what this thread was about. What I'm saying is that IMO paying a HK retailer via Paypal is the safest method, as you have 45 days to report goods not received and Paypal will automatically refund if the seller cannot prove delivery.

Completely off topic, but as you seem more interested in the seller:

Paypal will only chase you during the time a dispute can be opened, 45 days.

Even then, all you need is to be able to prove delivery, so it's relatively simple to email yourself the tracking number or a phone camera snap of the tracking slip. Most people retain old email, I know I have my important emails going back to around 2004.

Mystery57 said:
Personally Im still happy with online bank transfers as I can monitor my account quickly, and I also know my bankers are efficient at spotting potential frauds on the account.
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That has nothing to do with sending money to an unknown individual in Hong Kong, once you press send, the money is gone, never to be returned, even if you have been scammed. Your bank won't care that your camera never arrived.

You could always go to Hong Kong and try and sue in their version of small claims court if they have one.
 
DanielF50 said:
Just bought a 5D MKIII, 17-40mm f/4L USM, 24-70mm f/4L IS USM & a 16gb Sandisk CF Extreme - will update when it all arrives, can't wait :D
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Forgot to update; delivered within about 5 days, CF card was out of stock so they sent one a few days later. Can't fault them, was updated via email every step of the way, and got a reply within a few hours of contacting them :D

Haven't managed to get out and shoot with it just yet, but hoping to soon!

Photo of the goods (Instagram photo, but hey :p)

a572760e09c511e39c8b22000a9f18f4_7.jpg
 
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Maybe it's a typo. The pricing on the 5D3 looks like the normal figure for HDEW.
 
jerry12953 said:
Bit worrying that.

Maybe the tax man has been sniffing about.
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More likely just short of stock (or even out of stock) so while they wait for their next consignment just ramp the price up.

Makes them look like its a huge discount when it is back in stock again.
 
Can't fault them. Ordered Canon 7D and 70-300mm lens.
Have been caught before so asked if I could collect in person and pay on collection on a Saturday morning as I don't live too far away.
No problem at all.
Have now got them and have proper VAT invoice. Canon confirmed the guarantee was valid as well
Was able to have a chat with staff there and received good knowledgeable help and advice.
Would be my first choice when I upgrade.
 
I have just had a long email discussion with Canon UK after buying a 5D MK III and a 70-200 L 2.8 MK II from Hdew in August 2013, 5 months ago.
Canon stated unequivocally that they will NOT honour any warranty on this gear and have now stopped replying when I tasked them on that decision over several emails.
I have every faith in HDEW, but do not expect your warranty to be honoured as mine wasn't.
Saying that the MK III proved to be faulty and HDEW had no hesitation in checking it, then swapping it out for a brand new camera, so their own warranty is good.
 
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boristhemoggy said:
I have just had a long email discussion with Canon UK after buying a 5D MK III and a 70-200 L 2.8 MK II from Hdew in August 2013, 5 months ago.
Canon stated unequivocally that they will NOT honour any warranty on this gear and have now stopped replying when I tasked them on that decision over several emails.
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I'm surprised it took a long discussion, Canon have refused warranty for non EU sourced products for a number of years now.

A quick look at the terms of the EWS (Europe Wide Service) warranty on the Canon website would have shown that:

2. To obtain warranty service.

Warranty service is available in the authorized Canon service centres.

Any costs of secure transportation of the product to and from the Canon service centre will be borne by the customer.

If the product is brought into a country which is not covered by EWS and which does not accept the warranty card, the product must be returned to the country where it was purchased in order to benefit from the warranty.
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