www.dandiaconu.com focus gears revue

[Jon Oskar]

I was one of the first to order and even though they where delivered 4 months later than stated when i place my order, they eventually did arrive.
The gears look good and work very well, although i had to spend another 100$ on sanding equipment to shorten the mounting screws to fit 7 out of 9 of my lenses.
As i say they do work well so i bought another set, which did arrive only 3 weeks later with standard mail although i got charged overnight rates when i ordered.
I get so much stuff from overseas that most of the time im just to exhausted to follow up on things like this, never than less, not cool! Also this kit didn't come with screws to attach the lens. When i asked Dan about it, he was well gears only, how can i know what lenses you have, slightly perplexed i closed the email, but than it struck me, of course, silly me, i only paid close to 500$ for 5 pieces of metal, of course i have to buy the screws my self, thats totally normal. Since i already had my sanding tool i figured, well whatever, i will just buy screws and do it my self. Big surprise, European screws, Canadian screws not same size, another 70$ for threading equipment and screws, they only sell them in packs of 200. Well at least i wont run out. Half a day of work later, im feeling ready to tackle my car brakes next.
I finish gearing the remaining lenses, feeling like a start, i mount them and yes it is wonderful the 5 pieces of metal work perfectly and im just so happy that a working class hero like me can have his own follow focus on his DVX am just about ready to send a love letter to this amaaaaazing company in Canada that has made this happen, telling them how this has practically saved my marriage and so much more. Well time passes and all is good, my gears, still smooth as butter, but the dreaded day had to come, it had bin staring at me for months now, the hated drawer with receipts and my company accounting, jikes. So i did what most of us have to do, calculator in hand pen behind ear staple gun handy i dig my self thorough piles of receipts, converting from dollars to euros to pounds.... really hate doing this. Bottom line, no receipts from www.dandiaconu.com. I was so exited or maybe so occupied when i got the gears that it didn't even register that there where no receipts in the box. But this can happen, so i just wrote a quick email, asking them to email them to me. I luckily did get a swift response.
Hi, what do you mean receipts, we don't do receipts!!!
I was like, right, so when i placed my order and i included my company address for you to put it on the invoice, wouldn't that also be the time to tell me that your company is not a company but a black market operation that doesn't do invoices.
Well what's your problem, you got the gears, all is good, just make up an invoice your self, i don't have the software to do it. OK, Dan, i understand, you are the artist type, very talented with tools no skill with the computer, well do you want me to make you templates and send em to you than you send them back to me as invoices. Well they never where sent back. This has taken place over a period of six months and i am completely over it. So final email, im like Dan, look i have an official legitimate company and i have to pay taxes, i have to show receipts to to the tax man, i wired you close to a 1000$ from my company account and i need to account for this money. What is the big deal about giving a good client what he is entitled to by law, namely a firkin receipt for his purchase.
Well we don't do receipts!!! So fck off and stop bugging me!!!

Just another day on the job, so OK, write it up as experience, i wont be able to write the 1000$ gears of as a company expense, shi* happens.

This was a month ago, but somehow i just couldn't get it out of my head, the arrogance and rudeness of this company. It strikes me as so wrong that someone peddling his merchandise in a public forum would so blankly disrespect his very clientele and than expect there not to be a response. I am not a hater and i think that it is great that there are talented people that are making it possible for someone like me to have the same tools as the professionals, but i think this doesn't give them the right to behave like this.

Or maybe i have just bin spoiled rotten by reputable companies like Redrock, DVXuser, Nebtech....that care about there clientele and bend backwards to make you happy. Well i guess this is why Redrock is making a killing while Dan has a website that doesn't work, i guess there is justice .

To sum it up

Good product, bad costumer service, expect to spend some more time and $ to make the gears fit on your lenses and don't expect to get an invoice. (They don't do Invoices)


I hope this helps future costumers decide where they want to take there money.

best

J

[Tony Tibbetts]

Originally Posted by Jon Oskar

Well we don't do receipts!!! So fck off and stop bugging me!!!

Is that the actual response you got? Yikes! Once you start taking money for products you are essentially a business and you should behave like one.

It's too bad you were treated like that. Dan makes some damn good products, but if that's his attitude he won't continue to sell these products. A reciept is not a lot to ask for. It's quite simple actually:

Goods= $ (insert price here)

No print on a piece of paper. Problem solved.

[Andrew Todd]

i just have to say that ive had a good experience with dan. he sent me and a few others that were under 21 some free gears a few months back.

[Forrest Schultz]

If this was your experience. Then you must have a heart of gold. I love the optomistic point of view throughout the whole ordeal, where sarcasm mixes in beautifully. again, i sympathise if all you wrote is true. Ive spoken with Dan, and he did not come off as arrogant or rude in anyway.

[Andrew Todd]

People do have to understand. Theres a difference between dealing with a large company and a DIYer off of these forums.

[Jon Oskar]

Originally Posted by Andrew Todd

People do have to understand. Theres a difference between dealing with a large company and a DIYer off of these forums.

Does this look like low volume DIY site???

http://www.dandiaconu.com/newweb/index.htm

cause it surly got me fooled.

I think if you are running a small operation out of your back yard, its fine with me. But i would like to be informed about it before ordering that i will not be getting an invoice, like this i have a choice. And for anyone that does have a company, not having an invoice is a problem. 1000$ is not peanuts. Besides its not me who makes the rules, so if you don't want to make invoices take it up with the government.

[Cy Hogg]

I've been working with Dan, and his array of amazing products for a few months now and NEVER, have I found him to be unaccommodating or rude. I also own and operate a business, and have wired him money for his products. Wire transfers are valid receipts for business in my country, just like paypal. We are buying hand made top quality products from a guy that enables us to do things we can only dream of, and at a level of quality that any of the larger companies can't compete with, or only promises to deliver. It's unfortunate that you feel so compelled to publicly burden somebody's reputation when his creations and precision are the tools that help set us free.

[Jon Oskar]

Originally Posted by Cy Hogg

I've been working with Dan, and his array of amazing products for a few months now and NEVER, have I found him to be unaccommodating or rude. I also own and operate a business, and have wired him money for his products. Wire transfers are valid receipts for business in my country, just like paypal. We are buying hand made top quality products from a guy that enables us to do things we can only dream of, and at a level of quality that any of the larger companies can't compete with, or only promises to deliver. It's unfortunate that you feel so compelled to publicly burden somebody's reputation when his creations and precision are the tools that help set us free.

I think i mad an hones review of my transaction with this company and the product they sell. Now you may have a different experience and that is great, but dont tell me im the bad guy for asking for a receipt. I think the very fact that it took me six months to find out that i was not going to get a receipt rude, it would even be rude if after all this time i would have gotten it...maybe our standards of conduct in business differ.

[Frank Hool]

I belive You all have serious point in what You talking. But interesting thing is that Dan Diaconus account seems to be closed here. But why? Try find Dan from member list - nothing! Try find posts with username Dan Diaconu - Yeah some results. Latest post in 12 January. But nothing too offensive(just wellknown Dans style - much selfadmiration, little knowledge sharing ..etc).
But no real cause of putting him away. Is there something wiped from these boards?

But, Jon, i believe dvinfo won't solve Your invoice problems with Dan. Here find help: http://www.irs.gov/compliance/enforc...106778,00.html

[Andrew Todd]

why did you buy so many screws? im in canada and i went to canadian tire and bought replacement screws for my gear. they cost a few cents and fit perfectly

[Tony Tibbetts]

Originally Posted by Andrew Todd

People do have to understand. Theres a difference between dealing with a large company and a DIYer off of these forums.

All he was asking for was a reciept. Admittedly I don't know the whole story, just Jon's side of it, but if that is the case, then a reciept is not much to ask for, from a major manufacturer or a DIY type operation. Which from the looks of it, Dan's operation falls somewhere in the middle. Obviously he is selling a multitude of products from his website. That constitutes a business in my eyes. If you are going to run a business (be it DIY or otherwise) you should conduct your business professionally.

"Well we don't do receipts!!! So fck off and stop bugging me!!!" is unprofessional and downright childish. Now I have no proof that Dan said that or not. This whole thread could be an attempt to smear Dan for all I know. What I do know however is that if someone said that to my face they would be in trouble. Sending it over an e-mail would infuriate me more. So I have no sympathy for those who behave in that manner.

You can get receipts at most yard sales. You can buy a carbon copy book of basic receipt forms at your local Target, Office Depot, Staples, Wal-Mart, etc... Not producing a receipt is unreasonable. I don't see why Dan wouldn't want to give him one. Do they not have taxes where Dan lives?

The time to do it would take less than 5 minutes and the cost would be one postage stamp.

[Forrest Schultz]

andrew, he doesnt live in canada.

I dont understand why Dan was supsended from here at dvinfo.net, but he is a poster at dvxuser.com so you can always see him there. I have spoken with him about why he was removed, i still didnt fully understand, but from what i got, a lot of rivalry on Chris hurds part between because of James hurd's M2 adapter vs Dan's MPIC. It seems there was alot of corruption on Chris's side of it. im not sure.

[Jason Francois]

Jon and all.

I'm coming to the game a bit late from what I can tell, but I wanted to communicate my position and see what I can do to intervene on the situation that Jon has brought up.

My parnters and I have recently teamed up with Dan to help bring his great products to market. I haven't yet had a chance to really hear Dan's side of the story in regards to Jons order, other than Dan had offered to send you more gears to make up for the tax issue. I'm not sure whether or not this would be a helpful solution for you, but it's the information I'm getting at this time.

I have known Dan for years and I know that at times he can be stubborn (brilliant minds can be this way), but he is also a good willed person as well. He takes what he does very seriously and I think honestly that much is lost in translation during email and forum posts.

I also know that Dan is a one-man operation making many of his products by hand with great care, which is why they function the way that they do (very well). It may also be why he has many people that stand against him at times. Sometimes if you're really good people want to see you fall on your face. It's hard to say for sure.

Now, none of this is any excuse for somebody getting bad customer service and one of my jobs will be to mediate these type of issue. I'm going to try and step in over the next couple of months and let Dan get back to the business of building great products while being able to offer a better website and more attentvie customer service. i don't expect that it will always be easy, but Dan has many more products in his head that will be worth the few bumps that might appear as we re-tool the company. There are some fun and exciting products on the way.

Jon, I won't be readily available this weekend but if you give me until the first of this coming week I will get in touch with you and see if there is any way that I can make you happy and want to come back and say something positive. I'm going to put forth the best bit of good will I can come up with and will always be looking for good will in return. It's the simple Golden Rule thing and what it seems like to me is that the rule has been broken in your opinion. Let's see if we can change that.

Than you all and I look forward to coming back to the forum soon with better and better information about some amazing products and a more sorted out company direction.

Best regards,

Jason Francois
No title yet. :)

[Jon Oskar]

Originally Posted by Jason Francois

Jon and all.

I'm coming to the game a bit late from what I can tell, but I wanted to communicate my position and see what I can do to intervene on the situation that Jon has brought up.

My parnters and I have recently teamed up with Dan to help bring his great products to market. I haven't yet had a chance to really hear Dan's side of the story in regards to Jons order, other than Dan had offered to send you more gears to make up for the tax issue. I'm not sure whether or not this would be a helpful solution for you, but it's the information I'm getting at this time.

I have known Dan for years and I know that at times he can be stubborn (brilliant minds can be this way), but he is also a good willed person as well. He takes what he does very seriously and I think honestly that much is lost in translation during email and forum posts.

I also know that Dan is a one-man operation making many of his products by hand with great care, which is why they function the way that they do (very well). It may also be why he has many people that stand against him at times. Sometimes if you're really good people want to see you fall on your face. It's hard to say for sure.

Now, none of this is any excuse for somebody getting bad customer service and one of my jobs will be to mediate these type of issue. I'm going to try and step in over the next couple of months and let Dan get back to the business of building great products while being able to offer a better website and more attentvie customer service. i don't expect that it will always be easy, but Dan has many more products in his head that will be worth the few bumps that might appear as we re-tool the company. There are some fun and exciting products on the way.

Jon, I won't be readily available this weekend but if you give me until the first of this coming week I will get in touch with you and see if there is any way that I can make you happy and want to come back and say something positive. I'm going to put forth the best bit of good will I can come up with and will always be looking for good will in return. It's the simple Golden Rule thing and what it seems like to me is that the rule has been broken in your opinion. Let's see if we can change that.

Than you all and I look forward to coming back to the forum soon with better and better information about some amazing products and a more sorted out company direction.

Best regards,

Jason Francois
No title yet. :)

How easy would life be if everyone could be as reasonable as you. As far as making me happy it was not much that i asked for.
No free stuff, just what im entitled to, a receipt and a minimum amount of respect.

[Frank Hool]

Originally Posted by Forrest Schultz

.... a lot of rivalry on Chris hurds part between because of James hurd's M2 adapter vs Dan's MPIC. It seems there was alot of corruption on Chris's side of it. im not sure.

It seems to me that Chris keeps very good overall balance between whole stuff around. About Diaconu vs M2 vs others, i don't know, i find that M2 is here pretty moderate here. Even too little information comparing to others, for instance Letus.