Dismayed with sponsor experience

[Nick Csakany]

I've been pondering whether to post this or not, but the situation really bothers me and I wanted to get some feedback from you.

I contacted one of the sponsors listed on this site (and which will remain nameless) on Friday, to ask about a monitor for my Canon XH A1 camera. I was promised a callback, which I received this morning. Upon explaining my needs, much to my surprise, I was asked where I purchased the camera from. I mentioned that I bought it from amazon.com, after which he promptly proceeded to badmouth them, saying they shouldn't sell Canon stuff and it's beyond him why Canon even allows them to do so, and that he cannot stand people who buy from the place offering the best price, and not a full-service camera shop such as his.

At this point, I kindly told him that it never works with me to bash one's competition, and that we should stick to the subject at hand, namely a Marshall monitor. He then instructed me to send him an email asking for a price quote.

Needless to say, I haven't heard back from him, and to be honest, I doubt it that I will even consider buying from them after such crass lack of professionalism.

Now, to recap

1) the amazon experience he was so quick to bash:
- complete and instant product information
- low price for the product
- excellent customer service

2) the "sponsor" experience
- belated communication
- still have no pricing from them
- dismal people skills

Oh, and yes, I did tell him that I got their information from this forum, too.

I couldn't believe this phone call, as I almost had to pinch myself to see if I was awake or dreaming all along. How can they expect to sell if this is their approach? Unreal.

Other than B&H, from which I've been buying with pleasure for years, this was the first other sponsor I tried off of these boards. I really hope dealers such as this are the rare exception and not the norm.

[Mark Bournes]

Nick, Had a similiar experience, so I did not buy from him and bought from another DV Info Sponsor, B&H Photo. That transaction went very well.

[Chris Hurd]

This isn't an apology by any means because I don't believe this situation was handled well at all, but I'll have to ask you to try to look at it from his perspective. This is a small business owner trying to make a living off of very slim margins (in fact there's practically nothing in camcorders). I don't think it was right for him to have asked where you bought it from, but your answer was the worst possible news, so frankly it's no wonder he went cold on you.

I keep him on here along with several other small shops because I'm a firm believer in these little stores. Sure they can get a bit cranky at times, especially when you tell them that they lost a camera sale to a gray-market dealer-- that's a pretty sensitive issue for a lot of these guys. But the good reports filed here on these small businesses far outweigh the bad reports.

[Nick Csakany]

Originally Posted by Chris Hurd

Sure they can get a bit cranky at times, especially when you tell them that they lost a camera sale to a gray-market dealer

Well, I don't know if amazon is what one would normally call a gray-market dealer; I've purchased many a Canon prducts from them, and always got my rebates honored by Canon, just as well as two warranty repairs which were covered with no problems. Even with the Canon XH A1 camera, I had to call the NJ service center because of a loose lens cap; they asked where I purchased the camera from, and promptly and at no charge to me shipped out a replacement lens cap. Of course, amazon is of no help beyond offering customer service on the purchase itself, since they are no experts on the products they sell -- and this is where the little shop comes into play as being of value -- but you can always call the manufacturer for support.

...so frankly it's no wonder he went cold on you

The way I see it is that he had the opportunity to gain a new customer, perhaps for life, if only his approach would have been the personable service we've come to expect from a small shop. They clearly can't compete on pricing, so you'd thing they'd try to make up with added value, not in the least friendly and knowledgeable service. The way he behaved (and by the way, he introduced himself as the president of the company) was in no way conducive to conducting business; this is after all a buyer's market. So out of frustration to losing business to the big guys, he missed out yet another opportunity to make a sale.

...the good reports filed here on these small businesses far outweigh the bad reports.

I was hoping this was the case, and you confirmed it. I appreciate this new-found home for digital video, and it's good to know that what I had was an unfortunate and isolated incident.

In any event, I don't mean to go on complaining; I just wanted to know if it was just me, or something else.

Thanks to all who responded!

[Chris Hurd]

No worries Nick; I certainly appreciate all of your valued feedback. Many thanks,

[David Jasany]

Nick, I would have reacted just as you if the situation had occurred with me. Thanks for posting.

[Mark Bournes]

I think the important message here is on both sides of the coin, is that there are many places to choose from when buying equipment. Both the dealers and the consumers have to remember this. Chris provides a good list of reputable dealers, if your not happy with the service from one of them then try another one of DV Info's sponsers. Dealers should remember that we have choices, granted they may not have much of a markup on cameras, but if they provide good customer service, we "consumers" are more likely to return and buy other products from them, which in turn they make more money.

Sorry you had a bad experience, but I agree with Chris in the sense that I believe in buying from the "little" guy, as long as the service is good.

[Henry Posner]

Originally Posted by Nick Csakany

Other than B&H, from which I've been buying with pleasure for years...

I am sorry for the trouble you encountered and appreciate your kind observations about B&H.

[Nick Hiltgen]

Just wanted to chime in and say that i believe that I've had the same miserable experience with a website sponser. From the sounds of it it was the same one.

Not only did the person I spoke to provide me with some excellent F-U-D (he informed me that it was stupid for me to be using the sony hdv tapes because the panasonic's were just as good had dry lubricant and were a lot cheaper -guess which they sold- all of this is true however when I spoke to a pretty well respected canon dealer he told me that the wetlube sony hdv's were great and that he's seen the results of the dry lube) Anyhow despite this I ordered a hd-sdi to dvi adapter, with the explicit instruction that I had to get it no later then thursday, He said ok. When It didn't arrive on thursday I called him on friday to find out he still hadn't sent it out, and he said I would get it monday, I explained to him that I had a shoot on monday and that was too late, he didn't seem to care, nor did he offer to remedy the problem. He then had the nerve to ask if I wanted to be placed on notice for the hv-10 which was about to come out at the time, I promptly cancelled that order and went with my own local small rental shop.

I applaud this company for supporting this forum, but I don't think there is anyway I would ever order from them again, and honestly I think if the bills are still getting covered that chris should no longer let them be a sponser. As this poor service obviously not uncommon. (by the way the other sponsers, dcs, b&h and zgc, have all been very accomidating)

[Dylan Couper]

Guys...

You can't judge every business by the service you get from one person. If you could, I probably wouldn't be shopping anywhere ever again because no matter where you go, there is always one complete idiot who should never be let near a telephone, much less sunlight and oxygen.

Think about it, somewhere in your lives along the way, you've worked with a drooling moron, and wondered how he kept his job, just sliding under the radar to keep from getting fired for bad service. That didn't mean that the rest of the company wasn't great.

The sponsors overall have a very good track record... but we can't help who they hire to man the phones.

If you end up dealing with someone who is a few bricks short... ask to talk to a manager. If a rep screws something up, call them and ask them to make it right. If they won't, then talk to the manager. Keep going up the ladder until someone makes it right.

And if all else fails... bitch about it on the internet like I do. :)

[Chris Hurd]

Originally Posted by Nick Hiltgen

honestly I think if the bills are still getting covered that chris should no longer let them be a sponser.

I appreciate the feedback and will indeed look into the situation carefully. However the proper way to handle this is to contact me *offline* by private email and *not* on the public boards. The complaints need to come to me directly and so far that has not happened yet. If the sponsor line-up needs to change then of course I'll change it; however please forward the concerns directly to me. Thanks in advance,