Calumet Photo Files Chapter 7 Bankruptcy

[e_honda]

maybe it was too many customers like you who screwed them...sorry if that's harsh...but...to put it on a personal level...

They made more money from me through that transaction than from selling a tripod to someone who decided to keep it. Maybe I screwed them......but maybe if they hadn't charged me for that return, I would've gone back to them for other stuff.

I once made the honest mistake of buying a used 16-35 lens from B&H and didn't realize when I bought it that it was a MKI when in fact I was looking for a MKII. B&H took back that return from me with no fees. In that case, I don't know if I screwed B&H or not. I do know that I've gone back to them and bought from them several more times and will keep doing so.

 

[Rienzphotoz]

maybe it was too many customers like you who screwed them...sorry if that's harsh...but...to put it on a personal level...

They made more money from me through that transaction than from selling a tripod to someone who decided to keep it. Maybe I screwed them......but maybe if they hadn't charged me for that return, I would've gone back to them for other stuff.

I once made the honest mistake of buying a used 16-35 lens from B&H and didn't realize when I bought it that it was a MKI when in fact I was looking for a MKII. B&H took back that return from me with no fees. In that case, I don't know if I screwed B&H or not. I do know that I've gone back to them and bought from them several more times and will keep doing so.

I did not consider that ... but that's a good point.

 

[expatinasia]

I once ordered a 70-200 F4 L IS lens from these guys. Shortly after ordering, I found a practically brand new one locally off Craigslist for way cheaper. So I asked for and was granted a return by Calumet. I shipped my completely unopened packaged right back to them (I didn't even open the Calumet packaging, let alone the Canon packaging). Later on I checked my credit card online statement to see if I got refunded.

They did refund me.......and also charged me a $60 restocking fee for a package that I didn't even open.

If that's how they ran their business, I say Good Riddance!

So wait, you found a used (yeah, unopened and brand new) lens for cheaper. So you sent back your order. Doesn't matter if you opened it or not. You bought it, you committed too it!!!! Restocking fee's are there for a reason --- why --- because people do that!!! Thrifty folks who say, wow, I could rent that lens for $XX per day - or - I could buy it and send it back within a month for less.

Either way ---- we can't both complain that there are no longer brick and mortar stores, then screw those brick and mortar stores when we see something cheaper elsewhere. Talk about reframing the arguement ---maybe it wasn't due to bad management --- maybe it was too many customers like you who screwed them...sorry if that's harsh...but...to put it on a personal level...


Lets say you shoot portraits. You book the client, they commit to a minimum price, you do the shoot, you make the edits, they pick their prints, you order their prints... you deliver them even. And 2 days later they call you and ask for a refund because they found someone down the street that was able to do it for cheaper? How long are you going to stay in business with customers like that????

e-Honda was perfectly within his right to do what he did, and Calumet were in their right to charge. Neither can complain.

I was looking at extra batteries for the 1D X earlier on B&H, one of the customer review reads: "I ordered two LP-E4N Battery Packs From B&H. I chose B&H because they offered 2-day shipping and there competitor did not. The batteries arrived on time despite having the biggest snow storm of the year. We ended up going with a different camera for the shoot and no longer need the batteries so I had to return them. B&H made it so simple to return the items. I just applied for a refund and they got back to me very quickly then I dropped them off at the UPS store and my money was refunded the very same day. I look forward to doing business with them again soon."

Same thing really.

 

[East Wind Photography]

By the time you add free shipping and no sales tax collection, plus the 30 day free returns. It doesnt make much sense to pay more at a local store unless you need something for a shoot tomorrow.

For less expensive items it doesnt matter much. However for bodies and lenses, the buy local fees can be huge.

I personally buy from only companies with really good return policies as ive had my fair share of returns for items that did not meet upmto my expectations or had some manufacturing tolerance issues. I sometimes pay a bit more just to have that safety net to return something. If more local businesses were like that i would do more business.

Also remember that even though you are not charged sales tax for online orders, you are supposed to pay the tax to your state. If you dont you are evading taxes and thats a crime.

 

[Don Haines]

My preference is to deal with a bricks and mortar store, but my local camera store has almost nothing in stock for higher end lenses.... They do not have a 28-70F2.8 or a 70-200F2.8 in stock.... And those are good selling lenses. They do not stock a 5D3 or a 1DX....

If there is anything I want, they have to order it in and it costs considerably more than from online and takes a lot longer to arrive.

It is as if they want me to purchase online....

 

[Vivid Color]

My preference is to deal with a bricks and mortar store, but my local camera store has almost nothing in stock for higher end lenses.... They do not have a 28-70F2.8 or a 70-200F2.8 in stock.... And those are good selling lenses. They do not stock a 5D3 or a 1DX....

If there is anything I want, they have to order it in and it costs considerably more than from online and takes a lot longer to arrive.

It is as if they want me to purchase online....

That was part of the problem with Calumet. If you wanted something, you often had to have them order it. They would ship free to the store, but sometimes not to your house. Depending on what it was, sometimes I would have them order it and sometimes I would then order it from one of the online stores mentioned above. And, it would take longer if you ordered it from them than from Adorama, B&H, or Amazon. A friend of mine recently bought a Nikon lens from them and he said it took over a month for him to get it. The only advantage was that if you wanted to return something, you could return it to the store and not have to deal with mailing something back.

 

[justsomedude]

I'll be brutally honest, I'm not sad to see them go.

I had a terrible experience with them regarding a BP1500 pack I purchased from them a couple of years ago. Long story short, the zippers tore out 4 months after purchase (and a total of 35-40 field uses), and it required an act of Congress to get my backpack back from them.

Here's the long story... After the zipper tore out I was disappointed, but patient, and called Calumet regarding their "lifetime warranty." To my surprise I was quickly helped and immediately given an RMA number. Cool deal! I sent the bag in for repair and was told I'd have it back in 2-3 weeks. Three weeks went by. Then five, and six. After 8 weeks I called inquiring about my bag, and it became clear that they had lost my RMA info. On numerous phone calls I was told "we'll call you back tomorrow," and I never heard from anyone. I was never contacted once. I finally had to get angry, and after not accepting the "call back" offer, I was put on hold while some one searched for my file. The employee I spoke with told me, "we think your bag is at our OEM supplier for repair - we'll send it back to you when we get it from them."

No estimate for time. Just, "we'll get it to you when we get it" kind of a deal. I realized I had no other option, so I just waited. During this time I submitted a review for the BP1500 backpack to the Calumet website. It was negative, but honest and objective. A few days after I posted my review, it was deleted from the Calumet website. Wow - classy. My backpack finally arrived about 90-days after I sent it in for repair, and about 10 weeks after Calumet promised I would have it.

After this incident I personally blacklisted Calumet, refusing to ever give them any of my money again. I'm all about supporting brick and mortar and specialty camera shops (for example I much prefer buying from B&H over Amazon), however, I can't justify spending money on incompetence. Especially when that incompetence impacts how I do MY job.

Just my $0.02.

 

[bbasiaga]

I think you may see an interesting shift in what retail stores are out there. For instance, the most successful local camera shop I can think of has 3 locations in two cities. They are small, their prices are list (so if the 5d3 is MSRP at $3499, that is what you pay vs. online where you might find a deal). They have a very healthy print business, and offer tons of classes. Their retail shop is mostly accessories, though they do have a good selection of cameras and lenses. But when you walk in, they sell you on the little things they have to go with that stuff. The bags, the straps, the light modifiers. Their staff, which is mostly local photographers who work there part time, know how to use that stuff and can really do a good job of explaining it. You might be able to find some of it online cheaper but it is right there and some guy showed you how to use it. Worked on me more than once. I learned about the Phottix Strato II triggers there. I bought them there at the same price they were online (limited distribution online). They did a pretty brisk business in used gear as well.

I miss that store. I haven't found a local one in my new location that matches it yet.

They didn't have to keep up on a national scale - only locally. And they knew their crowd pretty well because of it. Stores like them on one hand, and the super giants who can afford to have everything for everyone online may be the only camera shops left after a while.

-Brian

 

[jeffa4444]

The internet may bring cheaper prices but the problem comes when you have an issue with a piece of equipment, many online retailers in the UK have grey imports and the warrenty is not backed-up by the local camera unit of say Canon or Nikon then what?
Secondly their is no substitute for experiance I watched a young girl new to photography given advice by a staff member at LCE in Guildford he was explaining carefully what she needed to do the photography she was contemplating who on the internet gives that service? No one.
Canon, Nikon et al. give virtually no margin on cameras so selling on-line is cheaper but in the end it may come back to haunt them.
Canon are supposedly going to open their own store in India to build brand awareness if shops keep disappearing they may need to do the same in major Western cities.

 

[Loswr]

The internet may bring cheaper prices but the problem comes when you have an issue with a piece of equipment, many online retailers in the UK have grey imports and the warrenty is not backed-up by the local camera unit of say Canon or Nikon then what?

Does Canon UK not honor gray market import warranty coverage? Canon USA apparently does, as long as you have proof of purchase to confirm the date.

Secondly their is no substitute for experiance I watched a young girl new to photography given advice by a staff member at LCE in Guildford he was explaining carefully what she needed to do the photography she was contemplating who on the internet gives that service? No one.

Who? Google and YouTube.

I do agree that personal service is quite nice, but there's a reason it's losing out. I suspect a great many entry level camera buyers purchase at 'big box' stores and other large retail outlets (Target, Walmart, ASDA, etc.) where the sales staff isn't exactly knowledgable, or they buy online.

 

[GuyF]

Does Canon UK not honor gray market import warranty coverage? Canon USA apparently does, as long as you have proof of purchase to confirm the date.

Prior to buying my 500mm v2 in the UK I considered a grey import. I spoke with Canon Europe about warranties and was told they would not repair grey imports under warranty. What they did suggest was they could repair the item but you would have to pay for it, you would then send the bill to the original territory i.e. Canon US and claim a refund from them. That was the official UK/EU response.

 

[LookingThroughMyLens81]

Liquidation of US stores has begun! Check your e-mails for the info.

Rockville, MD
Vienna, VA
NYC
Cambridge, MA
Chicago
Ft. Lauderdale
Santa Ana/Los Angeles/Escondido, CA

 

[jeffa4444]

Actually people DO prefer stores for high value items. Park Cameras have recently opened a two level store just off Oxford Street in London. Jessops brand was bought and some of their stores re-openned plus LCE are openning new sites.

 

[jma5terj]

Liquidation of US stores has begun! Check your e-mails for the info.

Rockville, MD
Vienna, VA
NYC
Cambridge, MA
Chicago
Ft. Lauderdale
Santa Ana/Los Angeles/Escondido, CA

What kind of info was given? What hours are the stores open? I would swing by the Rockville one but I'm not on their email list.

 

[Loswr]

Liquidation of US stores has begun! Check your e-mails for the info.

Rockville, MD
Vienna, VA
NYC
Cambridge, MA
Chicago
Ft. Lauderdale
Santa Ana/Los Angeles/Escondido, CA

What kind of info was given? What hours are the stores open? I would swing by the Rockville one but I'm not on their email list.

Try calling them. They took down the phones when the stores closed, but they were answering them at the Cambridge store today.