He said: “They are over there, but we’re getting rid of that inventory”

When I went “there” it was a mess!! Could not make heads of tails as to what was what and when I tried to get some help I was totally ignored by all the people working there.

Took my business to the web…

Bad experience:
I called this other store, the clerk’s attitude was slightly arrogant (probably because I was used to lozeau’s courteous service, but it was bearable). Equipment was available so I asked about the price. Took me 5 minutes to make the clerk understand that I want it for the week-end AND the following monday, and then it took the clerk an extra 5 minutes to calculate how much it costs in total. And then I was told that the equipment is to be picked up after 5 PM on friday and is to be returned on Tuesday before 9 AM (pretty early in any standard), and I asked when they open…they told me 8:30 AM… (doesn’t make sense if you ask me). My boyfriend went to pick it up on the same day, and they told him to return the lens on tuesday before NOON.

On tuesday, I went there slightly early at 8:25 AM, people are already inside and prepared, so I knocked and asked to drop off my lens and leave, and was told to come back in 5 minutes. I came back 5 minutes later, the clerk working in rental department was chatting someone else up and totally ignored my presence, and when he finally came around, without checking anything he told me that the lens was due on the previous day (he was being a jerk for the sake of being a jerk, I don’t get it…doesn’t he want to keep his job?), I defended myself, and he shrugged and told me to leave the lens there. The entire time he was talking to me, he was not even looking at my general direction.

I’m not going back there again…

1)The staff are extremely arrogant and act like they have a chip on their shoulder. Like they are frustrated with their station in life selling to consumers and soccer moms who they feel are “below” them. I HATE this, because even if I’ve done my research beforehand on what I need and go to the local store KNOWING I could get it cheaper online, they still act this way towards me and I end up flustered like I’m back in high school.

2)The staff have NO knowledge of photography or photography equipment whatsoever. One local shop has been in business for something like 50 years I believe, so I decide to go support the local guy. The salesman I get is the SON of the OWNER(and a member of the original family that started the business), and 5 minutes into our discussion, I realize he knows less than I do about photography, and this is when I had just started with a hand-me-down film SLR and was looking into going digital. He was simply a salesman, and a horrible one at that.

Luckily I found one local shop that is superb. They can, and I have seen them, deal with anyone from the grandmother coming in to get some 4×6′s of the grandkids printed to a seasoned pro looking for great equipment and services. They treat them both in the same manner, with respect and knowledgable advice. They know their inventory and they can help you find anything you need. It definitely restored my faith in the local guys(and gals).

I use Photographx http://www.photographxunlimited.com/ , Digital Labrador http://www.digitallabrador.com/ and Crick in Kansas City and THEY ROCK. They remember my name, organize events that interest me, help me when things go wrong and work to facilitate me making a living. Sometimes I have to use the internet to save money and sometimes I have to get these guys to save my butt.

Sure we can all find a bad story but if we assist in driving these people out of business it will be way more difficult for us to survive. Slap them on the back when they get it right and let them know when they miss the mark.

I blogged about it here: http://inphotos.org/olearys-camera-world-make-me-angry/
Unfortunately for them, a search for their name brings up my post on the first page of Google.

It’ll be a long time before I darken their doors again.