David
You obviously have never done this after the first contact while the seller is agreeing to fix and improve everything. No CC company will do anything YET on this. Encouraging the idiot to continue to prove he is an idiot is not good for anyone.
Obviously you are the one that's never tried, because you are wrong. The CC company will ask the OP if he tried to correct w/ the merchant - he has. After that they will take his statement, then they will reverse the charges and they'll do it right now. The OP is under no requirement to contact Camerland again or see what else they are willing to do for him at this point.
I'm well aware that Cameraland is seen in a very favorable light on this forum and also aware that the OP isn't likely to win any popularity contests. This isn't a schoolyard and we're not choosing sides for the big dodge ball game, so none of that matters.
Cameraland sold a discontinued scope that was damaged when it arrived - note, not blaming Cameraland, stuff happens, but those are the facts.
Cameraland then said the scope would be repaired/replaced by Vortex free of charge, it was best to deal direct with them. Now, this is probably the best option for the OP, it will get him a better quality scope for the same money in the least amount of time. I think that was what Cameraland was trying to do for him (I see Vortex has offered to expedite things and try and make him happy also). I agree with all that are promoting this as an idea of the best way to handle the situation.
The problem is that the OP isn't happy with that solution. The OP didn't buy a scope from Vortex - he bought it from Cameraland and that scope arrived broken. The OP does not have to accept this third party (Vortex repair/replace) solution.
He is well within his rights to demand an immediate replacement from Cameraland. If Cameraland cannot provide an immediate replacement then they must provide a full refund. If Cameraland had started by making it clear that was an option, he may not have ever posted, he may have just gone the route of involving the manufacturer.
Whether you like the OP or Cameraland doesn't enter into the discussion. They are bound by the same rules as all customer/merchant exchanges as dictated by both parties agreement to use a CC as the form of payment. The OP has a right to an immediate replacement or a refund, if Cameraland only gives him the option of going to a thirdy party(Vortex) then the CC company will credit the funds back (usually immediately).
The matter will go through their disputed claims process and take months to get settled. During that time, Camerland will be out both the scope and the funds. At the end of the dispute Cameraland will not get their funds back, they can issue a pu for the damaged scope. The OP won't have the upgraded scope that Vortex is offering for what seems to be a very good deal, but it IS HIS CHOICE.
I agree that posting these sorts of things rarely does you any favors and would not have done so myself, but Cameraland is not blameless here either - they should have offered to pick the scope up and refund his money if he wasn't happy with the return to Vortex.
David
