After a 3-week visit home that passed by at ludicrous speed, Neil and I scrambled to re-gear for what we’re calling the “Second Quarter” of our 2-year backpacking, blogging trip. In the first six months, we learned about travel gear that worked and travel gear that dragged. We learned that you cannot survive in the Galápagos Islands without a 200+ mm lens or polarizing lens filter. We learned that the Sony TX10 creates video and still images with crisp precision. But when it came to a handheld video camera, it was time to update our Handycam SR67 for a high definition workhorse that could handle desert sands and Antarctic winds. We chose the Sony XR160 but the problem: we only had 36 hours until our flight and no time to trek into New York City.
Adorama Photography Delivers
If I’ve learned anything about getting what I want, it’s that talking to a live person is always best. Whether it be for questions on travel insurance or a stopover adjustment on our flight back to the US, it’s always best to get an operator. This is no less true with buying electronics. Adorama (and its competitor B&H Photo) are staples in video and photography equipment in New York. They even have dedicated customer service lines for professionals.
At 10am on Wednesday, with just a handful of hours before our flight, I called Adorama with my query: Can they deliver the Sony XR160 by Thursday afternoon?
Without hesitation, the knowledgeable sales representative replied that he could not only ship today and place a rush on the order, but that he could include the overnight shipping in the cost of our purchase. I asked three more times: Were they sure about overnight shipping? Each time without fail, he assured me “yes.”
By 10:30am, my credit card had been charged and I received a confirmation email regarding my order. When I saw that my name was missing a letter, I called the rep back on his line. He didn’t answer. He had already hustled away from his desk to expedite my order.
At 10:30am the next morning, I was tracking the order which was at the Nanuet hub by 6am and scanned for delivery at 9. The clock was ticking and our bags weren’t yet packed but I was excited that our last piece of equipment was en route! By 11, the UPS delivery truck pulled into the parking lot and our new Sony XR160 was at our doorstep.
Note: If you are in New York City and need photography equipment, both Adorama and B&H are good options. If you are physically near the B&H store, you must visit this madhouse wonderland with three floors of merchandise and an overhead trolley system that transports boxes from the warehouse to the front desk in minutes. For a smaller and quieter experience, head to Adorama. It’s just as professional and stocked but not as overwhelming since it lacks that “Santa’s workshop” feel of train tracks above your head and free cookies at the exit.
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Once again your article had me picturing every aspect… titalating detail and totally informative… So thankful there are people out there to help us through challenging situations in such a clear, concise dialog. Looking forward to more… more… and more. Good luck on your next adventures.
Thanks so much Judy! We’re having a great time in South America, learning lots about camera gear as we use it! Currently we are in Santiago, Chile. Originally it wasn’t in the plan to come here but we were in the Atacama Desert and there were’t any buses to Mendoza, Argentina until Tuesday. So we took the 23 hour bus down the coast to the capital. It was definitely experience, especially sitting next to the bathroom,blah!