"Wednesday the 20th I placed an order for a Bogen/Manfrotto monopod and a Giottos rocket blower. Now, I only live about 40 mins or so from their main location, but with all the holiday traffic around there as well as a full list of to-do's, I figured I'd just have the items delivered and save myself the trip, and as the website said they were in stock and would ship the same day, I figured I wouldn't have a problem getting the items before Christmas.

Well, Wednesday passed on, and Thursday came and went and no shipment. So I called their customer service department this [Friday] morning and spoke to the manager, Doug. Doug said there had been a snafu in the ordering system, and while he could have put the items out for a Saturday UPS delivery to get it to me before Christmas, he wanted to be sure I'd get it. So he instead dispatched their emergency courier service to deliver the items to my house today. Mind you, this was on an order that totalled a little over 70 dollars.

Now, some folks might say that's nice, but it was their fault that the order didn't go out as promised originally, and that they should have made the extra effort to get my order out as promised, and they'd be correct (to a point).

However we all know that no company is perfect, and 'stuff happens' sometimes, especially around this time of year when stress levels for retailers are through the roof. If I'd been dealing with some of the other photo retailers out there, especially some of the cut-rate ones on the East Coast I've had dealings with in the past, I would have gotten the good old, 'I'm sorry for the inconvenience sir, but there's nothing we can do.' I know that's the answer I would have gotten, because I've gotten it before from a couple of them in the past that I'm not going to name.

Calumet could have done nothing and shipped it late, or simply cancelled my order, but instead they went the extra mile to make sure I had my present in time for Christmas. If I'd bought a spiffy expensive L lens for my camera, I could see the justification in dispatching a delivery person. As it is, I am quite sure that with the cost of the courier they lost money on the deal.

So why the long winded post? Too often the only posts I see are complaining about the mistakes companies make, rather than applauding them when they do a good job. This is the difference in service you get between some of the questionable sellers that are out on Pricewatch or Froogle, and a truly professional dealer.

So yeah, they lost money on me today, but guess where I'll go first when I'm ready to get my 70-200 2.8L? "

"BUYER BEWARE.....BAIT & SWITCH Company!

I Ordered & was Charged for the Canon XH-G1 with an issued Purchase Receipt. They sent an entirely different lower grade model open-box item & Calumet refuses to fulfill the order. Calumet is a Deceptive Company engaging in FRAUDULENT Business Practices. They will deny any wrongdoing as human error and offer no corrective actions. I have contacted the
Better Business Bureau about them and am
pursuing a Lawyer for Legal Action!!!

AVOID this company for ALL purchases!"

"I had been shopping for about a month for my first Digital SLR. I had done *A TON* of research and homework, reading every possible magazine and website about the top 3 cameras I was considering. I finally narrowed it down to the Canon XTi (over the Sony Alpha A100 and the Nikon D80). I had made subsequent inquiry, "pick your brain" sort of calls to the Calumet San Francisco store, and spoke to a "Jonathan" at least 3 of the 5 calls I made. On those inquiry calls, he was very helpful, patient, even though it was logical that he had other customers to tend to also. I finally came in to make my purchase, knowing what I wanted to buy - Canon XTi body with the 18-55 + 70-300 kit lenses. "Jonathan" ended up being my salesperson. I told him what I wanted, which was also on their website, but he didn't know that that camera came packaged with the dual lens kit. It took several minutes for him to figure it out, and to find the merchandise. Then he looked puzzled about the price. What should have taken about 5 minutes took about 30. Then I asked for assistance with filters, and then I started to feel hurried. Several filters (UV, Skylight, Polarizers, etc.) were laid on the counter for me to inspect, not asking what I needed or was looking for, and Jonathan disappeared. No other customers in sight. He just left w/o explanation. I just picked out a coupla UVs and polarizers, and paid for my purchases. Started out good and personalizd, but I left feeling like a customer #.
"

"I ordered (2) Canon 5D's, 24-70mm f/2.8L USM, 70-200mm f2.8L IS USM, (2) 580EX Speedlites, and other accessories from the Bensenville, IL store. The salesman Bill made the sale very pleasurable, he went out of his way to locate everything I wanted from one store and expedited the shipping on his dime to meeting my timing requirements. The price was fair, he matched prices from other reputable dealers. It was a real pleasure doing business with him and Calumet. Besides 12 months the same as cash! He also called when the package arrived to make sure I was satisfied. "

"My first order from Calumet, very pleased by the support I received from their Customer Support and Financial Service that helped me sort a CC issue. Thank you, Calumet."

"Calumet Photo has a good enough reputation and I'm sure that there are many satisfied customers. My experience was made tolerable only via the efforts of the Amazon.com liason person. They really need to get ahold of their shipping operations as goods were received in damaged condition [an $1800 lens]. If I can get orders shipped properly packed and via FedEx instead of the jungle at UPS, I would do business with them again. Michelle, the internet marketing liason, really saved my increasingly low opinion of the company. She explained the situation and I can see that ordering through Amazon.com takes some of the control out of their hands. Still, they need a kick-a_ _ staff meeting to sort out quality control in the mail room."

"What a wonderful experience. A great company who is polite to a fault. Great prices. You get straight but polite/upbeat dialogue. Absolutely no pressure. Very patient with questions. They give you an education about the state of photography. Real dedicated pros. I haven't received my D200 yet but this has got to be one of the most pleasing purchases I have ever made."

"This is my first purchase from Calumet. I purchased a Canon 30D DSLR, BG-E2 battery grip, extra BP-511A battery, and SanDisk Ultra II 2G CompactFlash card. I had the lot shipped Next Day Air. I placed my order at noon and it arrived at 10am the next day. It was a seamless transaction and it's hard to imagine it going better. I received a confirmation email with the UPS tracking number. In addition, if I logged into the Calumet website, there was a link to track my package. I have no clue what the last reviewer is referring to. It couldn't be easier to track my shipment. I might add that I purchased all of this equipment using Calumet's 0% financing until January of 2007. Thank you Calumet."

"Got order quickly.
Tracking packages with their website is difficult."

"Bought a hard to find Nikon D-200 from them. They did not try to price gouge or sell me products I did not want. Shipping could not have been faster."

"Excellent service, knowledgeable, honest, helpful sales person. No huckster hype. Transaction completed quickly and properly. Delivered prior to the UPS expected date. Will definitely use them as my primary retailer for future purchases."

"I have made 22 professional equiptment purchases from Calumet Photo during the last year. Their prices are very competitive (they matched B+H's prices) but the real plus is their EXCELLENT customer service. No hassles whatsoever! The staff is super-knowlegeable and very friendly. I give them the highest rating! And I send all of my friends there! Try them... you will not regret it!"

"Excellent service, fair prices and sales people with know how. I ordered lights, lenses, flashes and accessories from Calumet. Pricing was fair, shipping costs were very reasonable and items shipped and delivered on the exact day they promised. I had the feeling that the salesperson was doing his best to understand my business needs and and meet them. No BS, just straightforwad and informative. The best on-line experience. Period. "

"Top-notch retailer. Up-to-date in-stock information. Lightning quick customer service, far and away the best. Many retailers give decent service, but Calumet Photo goes beyond the norm, and genuinely seems to care about their customers and their needs. Check out their in-house brands for terrific value for your money."

"Best store I've dealt with online yet. Maybe the only way I'll buy photo gear in the future."