Toronto Photography Meetup Group

Hi everyone. I just bought a brand new Canon 7D from Vistek. Actually my wife got it for me as bday gift. She paid all down, no lease. After first 5 minutes of trying it out I noticed an audible sound of the shutter, everytime I changed the shutter in live view mode during video recording.

I took it back and the guy could not replicate using his lenses. I came back home and tried different lenses, and the sound is back with all canon lenses I own (Canon 50mm 1.4, Canon 28mm 1.8, etc.)

However, my problem is this. Vistek is telling me that since I have "used" the camera, they will not refund it, nor exchange it. It is now under Canon warranty and I can take it up with Canon. My problem is this. Since I just paid $2000 for a brand new camera, I don't want to have to send it for repair right away. I think Vistek should exchange it with another Canon 7D, get it fixed on their own and either resell it refurbished, or use it for rental, or whatever they want to do with it. But I don't want to keep something that is faulty from Day 1. Vistek is not playing ball and is giving me their policy mumbo jumbo.

I still have the receipt. The camera was purchased March 17, 2010. I have not even reached the 14 day exchange period.

What do you guys think I should do? I'm going in again this afternoon to talk to Vistek. Oh and I am in Ottawa.

Help us understand your issue.. what do you mean by shutter sound? If it's a shutter issue, then changing lenses won't affect it.

Do you mean the mirror slap?

+1. Sounds like mirror slap to me when changing to liveview.

If it is the mirror slap, then it is normal when switching to live view and off.

False alarm everyone.

It wasn't the mirror slap.

It wasn't shutter either.

I didn't realize the shutter and aperture controls were switched on the dials of my 40D.

It was just the aperture closing and opening up. In the store it was barely audible (and the expected behaviour in live mode).

However, at home, in the room, it was unusually audible.

Or maybe I just have large over-sensitive ears

Thanks everyone.

But interesting to see how Vistek just tossed the problem over the wall to Canon.

Glad to see it was a false alarm. I am disappointed at Vistek's poor customer service. Their reputation is getting worse and worse. You wouldn't have this problem at other local retailers - Henry's, Downtown Camera or even Aden.

You know....Blacks does the same thing.
I took the D90 back because it killed 2 SD cards and they weren't gonna exchange or refund cause it would be considered defective. This was 2 days after purchase.
I put up a big fuss and came back again later when the guy I bought it from was there and he took it back no problem.

Usually with refunds, getting to the top tier people in company helps, as they have the power to call the shots, you can always mention talking to the papers and local TV about this poor service experience, additionally, I think there is an authority that deals with customer protection. At least I know of one in US

Go between 9-5 when the manager is usually there.

+1 working at blacks as a regular employee we have no pull it's best to talk to the manager there more leaniant

I have had poor experiences with Vistek sales until recently at the Mississauga location. I guess when they see you walking in on regular basis they figure you're not one time shopper. However, the store downtown ... I felt somehow like I was driving a Hyundai Pony walking into a BMW dealership.

I've become familiar with a couple of employees at the Mississauga location, so that is not a problem and they have been very helpful. But ... there are still those employees who refuse to make eye contact. I don't get how they can be so snooty in a specified industry where customers are more readily able to buy online.

I've almost always had a good experience at Henry's, and have always had a very pleasant experience at Aden's. I've even had good service with BH Photo and Paul C. Buff's company.

You're doing well at the Mississauga location then. I've been in there twice now and didn't so much as have an employee look at me when I was looking in their direction. By comparison I felt like I was mobbed at the Henry's Brampton location today.

Another Vistek rant:

I ordered an item a couple days ago online .. it said it was in stock and available .. I wanted it right away so I chose the Puralator Express (Next day) option with the $22 fee. It said it would be delivered by today.

I check the status yesterday and see that nothing has changed .. it is only at the "accepted" stage. So I send a polite email stating that I ordered using Puralator Express expecting that I would receive the item quickly. No response yesterday. I get an email today stating that this is a "special order" item and is not normally stocked in the stores and it's on back order as well so the delay will be 2-4 weeks.

Arg. I send an email back saying their website said it was not a special order item and that it was in stock and available - please cancel my order and I will be buying elsewhere.

I get an email saying that the order has been cancelled. Vistek, apparently doesn't care much about customer service and is evidence by many other stories similar to mine. Funny thing is that I remember having to go through something very similar with Vistek a few years ago .. I should have learned my lesson then .. duh. Sorry, rant over.

Seren Dipity, there's a trick I learnt in manufacturing, when we weren't sure if a supplier is capable of meeting your needs and I used it on Vistek, when I was first considering buying from them. I ordered something that was "special order"; a small item that I wanted, but that wasn't critical (a remote optical flash trigger). How a company deals with a small order tends to show their general sales attitude, in my experience.

I don't have access to my emails from them here but my recollection is that they "2-4 week'd" me for 12 weeks, or so, before I cancelled the order and decided that they didn't need to see any of my money.

I experienced the same sort of thing with Headshots. But in all honesty, the reps and even the manager doesn't have access to the entire line of skus for all the products. However, the difference is that everyone @ Headshots (a.k.a Henrys Rental/Pro Dept.) is very friendly, and I keep going back for rentals and parts when needed vs Vistek. The only bad thing is that they don't have the inventory that Vistek has

I guess Canada is disadvantaged with the few channels for bringing in photography related products (Amplis, etc.). A local B&H or Adorama equivalent would be a nice change of pace.

Hi

I wanted to post the below link to the Vistek Return policy. If you have all the packaging you have 14 days to return the item. I believe both Henrys and Vistek offer the same policy.

I have to say that these places like to jerk your chain. So I always read the return policy before I buy. I even make sure I verify it is the same policy printed on the receipt.


http://www.vistek.ca/about/onlinepolicies.aspx

Where is that Vistek rep again? I am surprised that the Vistek sales person couldn't have just solved the problem there, by talking to you, and figuring out what it was you were talking about. But then again --- they don't usually have time for people that are not there to "buy" things.... and especially if all you want is a $15 accessory ...

don't get me started on Vistek -- I do not like their customer service one bit.

Don't get me started on Vistek either.

But what I don't understand is, if a $15 accessory is not "profitable" enough to be bothered with, why stock such an item?

Yc

Aren't accessories the most profitable?

http://www.bbb.org/canada/

I've filed 2 complaints against Canon. Long story short, I got a brand new camera and a lens upgrade from doing so.

Here I am!

I have utmost respect for your forum and all of your group members, as a photographer myself I understand your passion for photography and it is not my intention to intrude, however...

I am always listening, aware and willing to help. If any of you would like to share an issue, experience or need assistance I'm available and I will continue to ensure your comments are passed on to management.

My name is Holly Thomas and you can email me either at hthomas@vistek.ca or customerservice@vistek.ca I invite the user who started the thread and those with similar experiences to drop me a line so we can discuss the details and begin to rebuild our relationships.

^^^^

Step in the right direction. Thanks for listening Vistek. At least we know there are still employees there that care.

After the extremely informative thread here about buying in the US, and Adorama in particular, it is nice to see an effort being made here. We're going to need some good reasons to shop this side of the border when the buck is at par and the customer service from Adorama is as good as it is.

My experience with the Vistek Store in Mississauga was horrible. Was in the store about a year ago to purchase an item. No one else was in the store except one other customer. Could not find what I wanted and asked the salesclerk for some assistance and she just raised her finger and pointed to where the item was. I went over to the area and still could not find it. Again, I asked for help and again, she just pointed her finger and looked at me like I was stupid. I just walked out of the store, never went back and have advised anybody I know who needs anything related to photography, NOT to go to Vistek.

I bought a Crumpler bag from the Mississauga location in December, they had a decent price on them. I was going through the selection while a couple girls behind the counter gossiped between each other. Eventually someone appeared from the back room and asked if I needed any help - he was mildly helpful. Maybe felt he needed to be because I had every divider ripped out of an 8MDH and spread messily all over a table. The girls behind the counter paid no attention to the madman tossing dividers around willynilly.

Alright Holly,

I'd first like to say ... you are a brave soul. Secondly, I understand that you are merely the messenger and have probably joined this forum more out of a curiosity from a customer relations perspective than to actually deal with issues or create action plans to improve customer relations at the store levels. As someone who has been extremely involved over the last 5 yrs regarding logistics and customer sensitive markets, I can assure you that I am well versed in the profits and market share that can be generated or lost based on a single point of contact experience. And with forums abundant on the web, people can be swayed by others' experiences, both good and bad. Working for Honda, then Labatt and now LG ... we depend heavily on continued sales where customer experience is key, especially at Honda and LG. Places where the frequency of that customer has a much longer cycle.

Having said that, I have one question and one question only. Why oh why is there this air of superiority at Vistek?

I will say, the rental department downtown (going back a few years) was always polite, helpful and a pleasure to deal with. But the counter sales ... the counter SALES STAFF, god ... it almost makes me want to campaign to put the store out of business. Thankfully, there are 2 nice gentleman at the Mississauga location that actually have taken the time to turn the tide, ... a bit. Now I admit, in my initial stages I had not spent much money on gear and wasn't in any position to be a customer that would spend more than $300 to $500 in a year. But unfortunately, during that time it was like I was made to be reminded of that. In the last 3 yrs, between used and new goods I have spent $30+ K and the only time I ever go to Vistek is when that is the only place to get it within the time period that I have.

You multiply my experience by several others who have the same tale, and then you multiply that by all the people that ask us about photography and gear. I can tell you one thing, I have yet to recommend one person to go to Vistek. Your chain is losing thousands of dollars. If your advertised price is $50 less than Henry's, guess where I'm going ... to Henry's. You had the Epson 3880 printer for $50 less than Henry's, I went to go get it at Henry's. You had Olympus E-3 the same price as Henry's, I went to Henry's. You had a Canon 35L just marginally more than Aden at one point. Now Vistek is literally 3.5 km from my house in Mississauga and I work only 4 km further on Matheson at LG, but I chose to drive early one Saturday morning down to Yonge St. to buy it from Aden's.

Now I hope to go pro one day, not any time soon so chances are I'll be continuing to buy. And I think you'll realize that someone coming into buy a memory card or a bag, and having had a bad experience ... well, expect future profits and market share to be lost. Outside of recent events at Toyota, they had the long term game well planned. Build superior entry level cars and service the hell out of that customer base, because they will one day be in a position to buy Camry's, SUVs and Lexus product. If the experience is this good buying a bag, then I'll enjoy buying a pro DSLR., lenses, printers, etc.

Alan

I've been to Vistek's downtown Toronto location about half a dozen times. Each with the intent of equipment purchase but each time I leave empty handed. I don't know if it's me but whenver I speak to them, I get this certain attitude "Buy it or move on". I get this indirectly by verbal presentation, or the way they sit behind the computer in a pose that tells me "My time is precious, you don't know what you're talking about, and I'm a real photographer".

To be fair I'm sure there are reps that respect and support customers in the downtown location. It's unfortunate I have not yet met any in the Toronto location.

I'd love to know some well merited reps so I may have a chance to start a good customer relationship with Vistek.

For now, Adorama, Aden, Headshots and Henrys get my business (in order of preference)

I did a little experiment at Vistek and I think I have the issue figured out. I always get OK service when I catch a rep off guard walking the floor. it's a different story when they have their ass half connected/ half hanging off the stools. I think the sitting reps are to preoccupied with making sure they don't fall off the stools.
store management should either train the reps to provide better customers service or get them proper chairs.

I have had several positive experiences in the Mississauga location. Buying everything from gear to a simple role of seamless. If your in Mississauga look for an Asian Gentleman named Lam he has always done a great job when I have been in. Even when I am in on a pre purchase fishing expedition he has taken the time to answer questions demo the gear and talk to me at length.

As for the issues with some staff. I think I know the problem. How many tire kickers do you think they get in a day? We see this in the paintball industry at the retail level. Kid comes into the store, asks to see gun 1, you hand it to them, they fondle it, hand it back ask for gun 2. Does the same thing with it and gun 3 gun 4 and gun 5. 45 minutes later they buy a $2.00 sheet of stickers and leave. Cameras are much the same. We are all interested in the next level. If we have a D300 we would like a D700. If we have a D700 we would like a D3s and so on. How Many people come in and look at the Latest 1D MK IX and then purchase a Rebel.

I worked it out the other day I have spent about 15k in Henry's in Barrie which I would think would put me in the smaller % of their customer base. But I still walk in and can stand there for 20 or 30 min waiting for someone to give me a role of B/W film from behind the coutner