Faulty Distagon 18mm

Orio · Expire: 2012-12-04

I had a bad adventure today.

I recently bought a Distagon 18mm. It came for a good price of 400 Euros.
The seller described it as "perfect glasses" and "free from any scratches".

It arrived this morning with a big scratch on the exact centre of the front lens. These are the photos it produced:

Wide open:

Stopped down:

I approached the seller very aggressively. I opened the Paypal dispute even before calling him. This proved to be good strategy. He immediately accepted to offer the full refund.

Later he tried to say that he was not aware of the problem, and that he exhibited in Paris photos made with this lens... I just showed him the images and proved him that with a lens of 100� field angle, it's impossible not to notice the problem.

Anyway I got my money back. But it was a bad adventure.
Sadly, I have to say, it's the third in a row Ebay deal I make with a guy in Sicily, and the third problem that I have.
I am sad to have to talk like this of people from my same nation, but I don't trust them anymore.
First time, one guy from Palermo sold me a defective photosnaiper, and refused to give me full refund.
Second time, I bought two lenses from a guy in Agrigento, and never received them.
This time, I had the problem described from a guy from Messina.
I am sincere, if I knew he was from Sicily, I would have not bought the lens. There is a saying that you fool me once, shame on you, you fool me twice, shame on me...
But he masked his geographical location, so I fell into the trap.

Anyway I have learned two things from this misadventure:

1- always react promptly when a thing like this happens to you. 10 minutes after I received the lens, I had already opened the Paypal dispute. Act first, talk later. If you have a chance to get your money back, it's by showing you very determinate.

2- The Distagon 18mm. is an incredible lens. Look at the corners wide open! Have you ever seen a 18mm lens wide open, so clear and sharp in the corners, just as much as in the centre?
The MTFs that I linked to in the Links forum, are true. This lens is really sharp in the corners just as much as it is in the centre.

It gets back to my wish list. I definitely want to buy another one when the opportunity arises.