Permit me, please, to recommend for your consideration, Sam Shoshan of "Classic Connection" (www.classicconnection.com). I have done business with Sam on several occasions. He is always knowledgeable, unhurried, kind, and helpful. His prices are quite competitive and his service to me has been flawless. I like his style. You may, also.

-- Max Wall (mtwall@earthlink.net), November 30, 2001

Answers

I recently sent Sam a message, per his Web site, asking about availability of particular equipment. Never did get the courtesy of a reply. I gave up and found the equipment elsewhere. Maybe this was a fluke, but I won't bother again.

-- Ken Shipman (kennyshipman@aol.com), November 30, 2001.

Sam is GREAT to deal with. If he doesn't respond to emails, he lists an 800 # to call. Why not take the initiative?

-- Alistair Stewart (astewart@gigaweb.com), November 30, 2001.

After dealing with several other retailers, I found Sam about three years ago. He is honest, informed, patient, friendly and I would highly recommend him to anyone. No complaints. Great guy.

-- Bill Henick (dhen1922@aol.com), November 30, 2001.

Another testimonial for Sam. He is a pleasure to deal with--honest, fast, and his used equipment ratings are conservative. You will be pleasantly surprised rather than disappointed by the condition of items he sends. I also had little success in communicating with him by email, but the telephone is just as easy.

-- Tim Nelson (timothy.nelson@yale.edu), November 30, 2001.

I guess if you're in Sam's time zone, and on Sam's schedule, the phone is just as easy. If not, you're trading voice messages or just sol. If he's not going to respond to mail, then he shouldn't promote it.

-- Ken Shipman (kennyshipman@aol.com), November 30, 2001.

Sam seems to run a very straight forward, professional business-no surprise restocking fees, inflated shipping cost, or overly hyped up "excellent+++++" condition ratings. I too had better luck calling him--it took several days to get an e-mail response.

-- Andrew Schank (aschank@flash.net), November 30, 2001.

FYI, Sam just sent me a message expressing regret at the mix-up, and encouraging us to get back on track. I appreciate his follow-up response and consideration, and I told him we'll try again in the future. Shalom.

-- Ken Shipman (kennyshipman@aol.com), November 30, 2001.

By the way, Sam is sponsoring a Leica Days event on Monday, December 3. I placed an order for a pair of Leica BN Binoculars and was pleased with the price.

-- Max Wall (mtwall@earthlink.net), December 01, 2001.