Ritz Camera?

[tiwiwei]

Just a small note; I called Customer Service and I was informed that RitzCamera.com and Ritz Camera Stores are two separate entities, so that might be the reason for the polarization of customer satisfaction between the store and site.

However, I still bought a camera and printer bundle from the site. I didn't get a confirmation email, except a receipt from google checkout. When I called Customer Service to ask about my order I was told when the products were shipped out so they were helpful. They're reliable in my experience though shipping took the full length of the 8 business days as they advertised.

[TNB]

Ritz also will not give you a price break on a opened item like best buy or elsewhere will do they still want full retail for those said items.

Did you read the post by one of the other members mentioning that he purchased a "new" camera at Best Buy, yet it turned out to be an open box item or at least had been opened. Then when he tried to return it, that particular store didn't have the camera in stock so he ended up at another store. My point, $hit can happen at any store. Myself, when I checked Best Buy--they didn't have the selection and I had already went through the hassle of purchasing items at stores that only sell the "base" items yet don't sell or sell very little accessories other than "perhaps" a starter kit.

[Texan_Eagle_Scout]

They just put the D-50 on sale for $50 less than I paid. The sales person said I could price match the difference. Well they said that on the phone anyway... I'll update when I have the final result. Either way we were gonna use the difference for a new bag.

Here in Phoenix, the brick and mortar stores are almost all gone. There are a few Ritz stores around though. I guess it pays to be a national chain. We were able to handle any camera my wife wanted to see (provided they had a charged battery for it). My sig lists what we eventually purchased. All in all a nice transaction. Nothing replaces actual in hand evaluations on this stuff. For memory cards I would recommend NEWEGG. I have purchased various things from them and I read a lot of reviews of items I am considering and their customer service is top notch.

[pagnamenta]

TBN,
I have worked for the local Wolf Camera store for roughly two months. I quit because of bad ethics. My manager wasn't a people person and she didn't understand many of their complaints.

It could just be the Wolf stores in my area, Chicago, Illinois, but I am not satisfied with the service I was provided with as a customer. People that don't know much about cameras need a lot of help when buying a camera, and as I looked at my co-workers, they weren't too friendly or knowledgeable.

Their reward program is only useful if you make a ton of prints. For the average customer, the card is useless.

I purchase all of my camera equipment online because I can usually find it cheaper. I haven't had a problem with any online e-stores.

[TNB]

Two months? Is the age correct in your profile? Do you believe that had something to do with it?

[tcadwall]

Since this seems to be a "bash or defend Ritz" thread... I might put some neutrality to it.

We have Wolf camera here in Charlotte. Wolf, Ritz, CameraWorld, and quite a few companies actually, might be "separate" but not entirely. I can say that here the experience with the store is basically not my preference. I won't say that the sales people are not knowledgeable, but they seem more sales driven, than customer oriented.... hopefully that makes sense.

We also have a few mom-n-pop photography shops. One in particular is my favorite. Not to be confused with the aforementioned CameraWorld, this one is also called Camera World. It's online site is http://cameraworldnc.com I will plug them since I think it is to your benefit if you happen to be from this area. The focus there, from the minute you walk in to the less-than-impressive surroundings, is on the customer's needs. Yes, they can get busy, but if they happen to be busy, just be patient, and listen to what they are discussing with customers in front of you - you will likely learn something. They will get to know your needs and ensure that you get what you need, whether it is answers, or products, or accessories.

My first visit there, after quite a few stops at competitors, I knew I would buy from them. I figured that it would be worth a bit of premium in price to get this kind of service. So I was shocked when their pricing was actually LOWER than the lowest reputable online competitor. And my pricing from online retailers was not by filling up a shopping basket, but by emailing sales departments to put together a full quote for about 12+ items (better price in most cases than the shopping basket route). I have been nothing less than extremely pleased with them since.

Now, back to Wolf... I can say that their pricing was among the highest for what I was purchasing at the time. I have seen some sales ads from them that have good pricing though. I won't say I was "put - off" by them, but I was not blown away by them either. If I hadn't found my new favorite shop, or if we didn't have one in Charlotte, I might have purchased from Wolf.

One thing I didn't like at Wolf, was that warranty was brought up by them early in the discussion. While better than being sandbagged as you are checking out, the scare tactic was in place early on, that DSLR sensors are very sensitive and vulnerable to dust (true), and that a cleaning would cost $$(I think around $100) and x number of cleanings would be included with the warranty. Of course their procedure (at 3 different local stores) was to send it off for the cleaning, meaning you were without a body for a few weeks. When I mentioned cleaning to Camera World, the answer was "If Brown is here, and we aren't real busy he will do it while you wait and it costs xx" - I think it was less than $20!!!

Camera World also has used bodies, lenses, etc. as well. So if you needed something and couldn't afford top $ they might have something used in stock that would work.

[TNB]

Here, there are several mom & pop type stores. Overall, the bad thing for me is that they usually close at 6PM during the week, which means I can't get down there unless I get off of work early or unless it is a Saturday. Ritz stays open until 9PM and is also open on Sundays.

Although I haven't been to all of the small local stores, one of them seemed pleasant, knowledgeable, and have decent stock and I have made a few purchases at that store though some of the prices were more than at Ritz. That particular store also supposedly provides a small print discount to local camera club members though it doesn't appear to advertise the club or discount in the store.

Another small shop--well, if they thought you were going to spend $2K, then they would give you some attention. If they didn't, oh well. After my visit to that store, I did spend $2K elsewhere. And according to someone else I knew, that particular store preferred cash and didn't want to accept AmEx (even as advertised). That person also told me that the only reason he visits that particular store is because it is a block from where he works. There is also another store in the area, but again, it has to be a Saturday visit.

My simple point, there are probably some good stores that are well run as well as some bad stores that could be run better no matter if they are corporate, franchise, mom & pop, or online stores. Sometimes, it may also take some shopping at all of them.

[shoeytennis]

just my 2 cents
bought a 50mm f1.8 lens off ritzcamera.com 105 shipped it came in 4 days in operfect condition. no complaints from me.

[pdxmatts]

I bought a camera online for my daughter for xmas, came in three days and packaged well. No problem with the online at all. Although, I did have to call customer service about a tracking # because google check out did not provide that info to me. C/S was able to provide it with no problem.

Also, my husband returned a camera for me to the local store prior, and was not given a problem at all. Full refund, but that may be because it was never opened.

[pagnamenta]

TBN, does my age have anything to do with my experience?