Credit where credit is due

[lightwisps]

As many know I live in the Ottawa area. It, probably like many places , is becoming very difficult to find a place where you can just walk in and get any darkroom supplies you might need. They will take orders and then they can't give you a specific date when your stuff will arrive. Worse yet, they will call you and tell you it is in but the guys working behind the counter are much more in tune to the dark world than they are with analog. Hence it turns out to be the wrong thing after a half hour ride to the shop. I finally got frustrated to the point where I decided to try ordering off the web. Chose an advertiser on APUG for my initial test. Emailed Big Camera. They got back to me immediately. Said that what I asked was temporarily out of stock. Then actually made the next step voluntarily. They recommended alternatives that were in stock. Perfect!! Old fashioned customer service by someone with product knowledge. I placed my order and added a small quantity of film to the order. Wanted to give it an honest try. Well Sir, not only did they ship the day I approved the order as placed with shipping charges and taxes included in the bottom line, they shipped it that day!! Unheard of. To sweeten the point they tossed in a few rolls of film for me gratis.

As you might guess, they now have a very loyal customer. This is in now way a paid endorcement just a sincere thank you from a photographer who feels like someone just through him a new lease on his passion for something he loves. Don

 

[wildbill]

Wait, I thought analog was the dark world. I can't see shit in my darkroom
Rob's a nice guy.

 

[lightwisps]

Get a Thomas Duplex, you can damned near see through your skin, so bright. Yeah, Rob is a great guy. Now he has another customer. Am already deciding what to get next.

 

[JohnRichard]

My local store is exactly the same way, they are all but against film of any type. They have a huge refrigerator that USE to work, but since no one buys film anymore, they just neglected to fix it - took the doors off and now use it as shelf space for the few rolls of dusty film they have left.

 

[lightwisps]

Sounds about right. Contact Big Camera, they ship all over the place. Don

 

[brucemuir]

- took the doors off and now use it as shelf space for the few rolls of dusty film they have left.

lol o lawd dusty film,
it's sad I can actually picture this quite easily these days.

 

[Ricus.stormfire]

dusty rolls are better than none at all I suppose.

 

[Worker 11811]

... They will take orders and then they can't give you a specific date when your stuff will arrive. Worse yet, they will call you and tell you it is in but the guys working behind the counter are much more in tune to the dark world than they are with analog. Hence it turns out to be the wrong thing after a half hour ride to the shop. I finally got frustrated to the point where I decided to try ordering off the web. ...

Why should a paying customer reward a business by giving them his hard-earned money when they don't give that customer what he wants?

I have been known to go into a convenience store to buy a few things like bread and milk but leave empty handed when they don't have the brand of cigarettes I asked for. I can cross the street and go to another convenience store, buy the bread and milk, plus the cigarettes I want. Why should I give ANY money to the first store when the second store has everything I want?

The thing that really gets my goat is when a store employee says, "We can order that for you."
My answer to that is, "Why should I do that when I could have stayed home and ordered it from the internet?"

You've just done that. You've decided not to reward a business that doesn't give you what you want so you stayed home and ordered via the internet from a business who does.

 

[JohnRichard]

Can we get a link or address for Big Camera? Googling "Big Camera" came up with some interesting but likely incorrect results.

 

[lightwisps]

Sure, Skeochrob@gmail.com He is a nice, nice guy

 

[lxdude]

The thing that really gets my goat is when a store employee says, "We can order that for you."

Worse is when they say they don't have it and no, they can't order it.

 

[al.b]

big camera

It's bigcameraworkshops.com

He is in Burlington ont Canada

I get my 5x7 film from Rob .

Al.b

 

[MattKing]

Can we get a link or address for Big Camera? Googling "Big Camera" came up with some interesting but likely incorrect results.

Rob Skeoch is Big Camera Workshops. Here is the page on APUG with links to the forum for all the advertisers (near the top), including Big Camera Workshops: (there was a url link here which no longer exists)

I think Sean should put that advertisers forum link on its own tab on the top toolbar.