Author: keerok

Shopee Refund 2

Seeing that I’ve gained weight a bit, I decided to go back to weight training. One new accessory I recently acquired was a tib bar which I planned to fit with a new plate. I ordered from Shopee a 17 lb. (7 kg.) Marcy plate made from steel with a tri-grip design. It looked gorgeous!

What arrived were two pieces of 5 kg. plates made of concrete coated with PVC and looked horribly awful. I immediately filed for refund mentioning I received the wrong item providing pictures of course. No video. Shopee made it easier already. You don’t need to argue with the seller anymore.

After filing, I was instructed to ship the wrong items back to the seller as soon as possible, which I did. Even before the items reached the seller, I was already refunded (temporarily). It was made final after a few days which I assumed was after the seller acknowledged receiving the items in good order.

One other point I would like to mention is the requirement of unboxing videos being required by some sellers when asking for refund. They say that they will not entertain refund requests without that video. The law doesn’t require it. In all my refund requests, I never sent a video, even if the seller asked for it. What matters is that you send pictures of the unopened package with the label intact and the contents after you opened it. So that is what I usually do and more importantly, be courteous and calm when asking for a refund especially to the Shopee representative processing it on the other end of the line.

Now you know.

-Keerok (3/19/2024)

Vignette LCD

I’ve been camera hunting lately. With an almost impossible budget, I’ve been forced to look at bargain entry-level dSLR bodies. Around US$20, I noticed that almost all had this “Vignette LCD” problem. Most sellers blame it to the manufacturer stating that a camera that cheap to begin with, given it’s age and shutter clicks, vignetting of the LCD is normal.

NO!

Vignetting of the LCD is a user issue. If they didn’t squash that button with the triangle on it every second to view and admire their pictures then the LCD would have time to rest and cool down.

Now you know.

-Keerok 3/19/2024

Not leaving Pentax…

Someone, awhile back wrote about leaving Pentax and these are his reasons.

“The time between product releases has increased.” This doesn’t affect me. I don’t buy often. I see no need and I already have a lot of cameras and lenses.

“The technology is outdated (DSLR vs mirrorless).” I came from shooting film on a fully manual SLR with only a lightmeter as my guide. I myself am outdated, so again, no effect to me. Besides, I really like seeing the actual light through an optical viewfinder. Whenever I use a mirrorless, I instinctively raise it to eye-level to shoot.

“AF performance continues to lag vs. mirrorless.” If you’re in a hurry, Pentax is not for you. I shoot using only one AF point at dead center. All those other points are useless to me.

“The cameras and lenses are too expensive.” If you find Pentax expensive, you’re in the wrong hobby. Pentax, especially the screwmount ones, can be very cheap. You just have to know where to look.

“No articulating screen on flagship APS-C.” I’ve done lots of self-portraits with film SLRs. No LCD. As a student with limited film frames and developing costs, I couldn’t afford to take a ton of shots hoping to get lucky with one. I always make sure to hit it right on the first shot. And that includes working with animals and in water! Articulating screen? Bah!

“The lenses are updates of old screw-drive models.” My latest purchase is a screwmount 105mm Takumar. Again, what’s all the fuss with updated technology? If it works, why change?

“There are holes in the lens line-up.” My main work lenses are a 70mm, 50mm, 35mm and 21mm. I see no gaps there but a 40mm is always on my favorite green Pentax K-50.

“The lens road-map has been scrapped.” There’s a map? Who needs a map? You need a map? Call Dora!

“Marketing is almost non-existent.” Agree. Happy. Lower prices.

“They’re wasting time on a film camera instead of a K-1II replacement.” Best news ever! A brand new film camera after a long time. Maybe even Lomo enthusiasts will convert.

“Pentax’ position in industry sales rankings.” Pentax was at it’s peak during the 70’s. They outsold all other brands combined. I entered late. Still not bad though. I’m after functionality not popularity.

“Year-on-year profits are slightly down (or only slightly up) for a given year.” That’s our fault. If we Pentax loyalists were to buy and buy and buy, Pentax would be profiting a lot. The problem is that they built cameras and lenses to last so there.

“Warranty repair is difficult.” True. They hardly break though. When you break one, you can find a cheap replacement in the secondhand market.

“Out-of-warranty repair is uneconomical.” Again, easier to find replacements in the secondhand market.

“There are no Pentax cameras or lenses in brick ‘n’ mortar stores.” Exactly. It’s because they’re no longer that popular. There are authorized Pentax sellers though and it’s not hard to find and reach them. Again, it’s easier to find what you need in the secondhand market.

“The future of Pentax is uncertain.” Aren’t we all?

—-Now you know!

Shopee Refund

I’m a Shopee addict!

Lately, Shopee went on a SUPER SALE. I saw 210 cm. lightstands offered at PhP105 a piece so naturally, even if I didn’t need them yet, I grabbed a couple.

The stands arrived in no time. Upon unboxing (with video of course), I went straight to setting the stands up and measuring them. 160 cm. I immediately messaged the seller, showing pictures indicating the total length – measuring tape at 160 cm. right beside the tip of the stand to be clear. Seller replied, no, that’s 210.

You saying I’m BLIND?

Normally, buyers would just give the seller a low rating, rant in the comments section and warn people not to buy from him. Well, I’m not normal!

I filed for RETURN/REFUND. Shipping back to the seller was free if you use JnT. I provided pictures of the items with measuring tape and beside my van that was 180 cm. tall for reference. I also posted a screen capture of the chat messages between me and the seller (not much but you’ll get the idea what kind of a seller we’re dealing with).

After filing for the Return/Refund, I was offered by the seller a 1-peso refund (and I get to keep the stands). He also asked the reason why I was asking for a refund. Everything was posted there at the DISPUTE page so why feign ignorance? Since I was asked (and this is very important), I had to answer. Even if the answer is the same statement, I had to say it – “I received the wrong items. I ordered 210 cm. lightstands. I received 160 cm.” The seller did not reply after that. After 24 hours of silence at the dispute page (with 72 hours before the deadline for me to return the items), Shopee declared that once the stands have been sent back to the seller, I will be refunded immediately.

So the next day, I duped my son into going to the next town to drop the lightstands (wrapped in their original packaging) at JnT. The following day, it was delivered back to the seller. Yes, I was promptly refunded.

Thank you Shopee.ph!

Phishing Email Scam

I keep receiving emails like the one above from different banks. Normally, it’s a huge cause for alarm except for the fact that I have no bank accounts to my name.

So apart from that “tiny” detail, how would you know it’s a scam? The numbers indicated in the email message above are explained below.

  1. The FROM address is cryptic. It should at least come from the domain of the bank itself which in this case must have bdo.com, bdo.ph or bdo.com.ph. If something goes in between the @ sign and the domain name, then that would be a cause for alarm too. Then again, beware of addresses that mimic the original. That “o” may as well be replaced by “0” without you giving much thought to it.
  2. If you truly are their client, they would address you by name. It’s standard practice to all legitimate businesses. This is simply unforgivable.
  3. This last one is self explanatory. The email simply contradicts itself. Furthermore, if you hover over the link, you will discover that the address is completely different from what is written. That’s the phishing part right there! If you click that, you’re in deep trouble already!

Banks, as I know it, won’t discuss account details over the phone or email just like what the message above mentions. They may alert you by phone or email but will always require you to appear in their office to straighten things out.

Now you know!

Kdrama… Addicting!

With the lockdown in place and quarantine procedures still remaining restrictive, I have successfully completed watching 52 episodes of My Golden Life, 16 episodes of Strong Girl Bong Soon, 20 episodes of Secret Garden, 16 episodes of Wonderful Life, 16 episodes of Chocolate, and countless minutes of Duelist, Miracle on 1st Street, and Sex is Zero 1 & 2.

 

Cried plentifully.

 

Not ashamed.

1 Down, 1 To Go

Hooray!

My eldest persevered. Autism didn’t stop him from going to college for 6 years. He is now graduating with a degree in BS Elementary Education. Congratulations Non!

My youngest, with ADHD, is already doing OJT so hopefully, I’ll celebrate again next year.