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Bad service from Really Right Stuff... Normal?

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I received a call from "Charles" of RRS, who identifies himself as the marketing manager. He apologized for the delay and said his sales team had been given bad information about product delivery, and they passed it along to customers. He insists that the collar will ship by Wednesday, and he'll call me when it ships.

He -sounds- sincere, and I'll report what actually happens. He seems like he has gone through the wringer on this one. We'll see....

--
Ken Elliott
Equipment in profile.
 
Charles made it happen. He called and said the collar shipped. I just an email with a tracking number.

It would appear that the problems I had were not normal, and Charles did a good job of providing feedback.

Thanks for all in the forum for the feedback. It seems most of you had good experience with RRS and they were worth being patient for.

--
Ken Elliott
Equipment in profile.
 
I got an e-mail early this afternoon stating that the LCF-10 foot was still not there but late this evening I received a UPS notification of shipment to me so I guess their shipment(s) came in.
--
John M. Polston
Atlanta, GA
 
kruger said:
The Kirk collar looks alot smarter to me. I never dealt with RRS
but Kirks service, email response has been fantastic. Someone
called me on a Sunday to respond to an email question, quite
suprising
Click to expand...
Bought a BH-3 recently and was not impressed by the quality of workmanship. Solidly built, but the panning base wobbled unless I really cranked down on the lock screw. Anodization was also inconsistent with a reddish tint and hints of variable thickness across the body of the unit. Overall the ballhead seemed to function as advertised, but the appearance suffered in comparison to the ArcaSwiss B-1 and the Markins M10. I did not keep the BH-3 around long enough to figure out if it was just a difference in cosmetics.

--
My display of mediocrity
http://groovygeek.deviantart.com/gallery/
 
MasterOfGoingFaster said:
Charles made it happen. He called and said the collar shipped. I
just an email with a tracking number.

It would appear that the problems I had were not normal, and
Charles did a good job of providing feedback.

Thanks for all in the forum for the feedback. It seems most of you
had good experience with RRS and they were worth being patient for.

--
Ken Elliott
Equipment in profile.
Click to expand...
Ken,

After reading your post I was hesitant about ordering from RRS. I wanted the BH 40 LRII an L-bracket and the 70-200vr foot. I called and talked to Casey. He checked on the foot and said he had a few. I ordered. While still on the phone I received an email for the order and one hour later I received the tracking number. Items will be here Tuesday.

I have to say that I was impressed.
--
dagored
http://dagored.smugmug.com Save $5 by going to my site.

'The camera doesn't make a bit of difference. All of them can record what you are seeing. But, you have to SEE.' Ernst Haas, 1985

 
MasterOfGoingFaster said:
I've been getting really bad service from Really Right Stuff. They
keep lying to me about product availability, shipping dates, etc.
I'm quite bothered by this, and I am at the point of canceling my
order and switching to Kirk.

Is this normal for RRS, or are they just in a temporary bind?

Is Kirk any better?

How is the product qualtily/support/functionality between the two?
I'm getting a camera L bracket for my D200, replacement foot for
my 70-200 VR and replacement collar for my 80-400 VR. Actually,
the Kirk L bracket looks better, but I don't like their 80-400
collar as much.

Anyone have thoughts concerning this?

--
Ken Elliott
Equipment in profile.
Click to expand...
I have to say that I have had nothing but good service from both RRS and Kirk. My latest order was with RRS when I told them that I would be in New York for only a few days and requested that they ship it to New York within a few day window. Yes, I did leave the order to the last minute, practically just before I stepped onto a plane. Furthermore, this was the first time that I had bought anything from RRS.

As for the D200 L-Bracket, I do prefer the RRS one. I find the Kirk one has a gap between the body and the vertical part which the RRS does not and therefore looks neater. However, you do need something to poke to open up the flaps at the side to access the ports.

I do not have the 70-200 or 80-400, so I cannot comment. However, I can say that I prefer the Kirk 80-200 collar because it is the entire collar and not just the foot.

I also prefer the Kirk Long Rail because you can switch the quick release from camera to lens mount directions without buying or carrying any other accessories, except the allen key.

I have the Kirk BH-1 Ballhead which I prefer over the RRS only because it is more tradition, but the RRS Panning Clamp is first class, so is the CRD Vertical Rail.

Overall, I am extremely pleased with both RRS and Kirk's service and products.

It is ashame that you did encounter an unfortunate incident. Hopefully your next experiences with RRS will be better.

--------------------

Amateur Photographer, constructive criticism most welcome: http://www.pbase.com/kennethw
 
MasterOfGoingFaster said:
I received a call from "Charles" of RRS, who identifies himself as
the marketing manager. He apologized for the delay and said his
sales team had been given bad information about product delivery,
and they passed it along to customers. He insists that the collar
will ship by Wednesday, and he'll call me when it ships.
Click to expand...
ok...
MasterOfGoingFaster said:
He -sounds- sincere, and I'll report what actually happens. He
seems like he has gone through the wringer on this one. We'll
see....
Click to expand...
I don't get people that try to stir up things like this, or feel that they are important in some way shape or form because they have had a problem.

If you want to start a blog, then start a blog, if you want to discuss the company and your problem then do that.

Right now you're treating this as if we are on the edge of our seats waiting for what happens next! That's not the case at all! You had a problem, it sucks, you were told wrong info. You saw that most people here had good things to say about the company and some even nailed the problem they were having.

I'm sorry you had bad service, but I'm also sorry you fealt like you had to come on here and "keep us updated" on this.

now THIS got me on the edge of my seat! It's also a great read if anyone is bored today.
http://www.zug.com/pranks/powerbook/

have a good weekend!
MasterOfGoingFaster said:
--
Ken Elliott
Equipment in profile.
Click to expand...
--
http://www.andrewthomasdesigns.com

(please note my site has no nude, lingerie, erotic, or 'sexy' shots as to not offend the religious right - thank you)

I have a camera, a few lenses, flashes, and imagination.
 
kennethw said:
As for the D200 L-Bracket, I do prefer the RRS one. I find the
Kirk one has a gap between the body and the vertical part which the
RRS does not and therefore looks neater. However, you do need
something to poke to open up the flaps at the side to access the
ports.
Click to expand...
Kenneth,

I don't remember the OP of this, and it was based on the D2X L bracket, but i suspect the design is probably close enough to work.

Take a plastic wire tie approximately 3/16ths - 1/4 in wide cut to a point (^) around 1 inch long. (adjust length based on the storage location below) It should be thin enough to slip between the camera and the L bracket to poke the rubber door flaps open. For storage, it should flex fit into the square hollows in the bottom of the L bracket near the mounting screw. It will stay there by tension and be ready when you need it. Works great!
--
-Steve
===================

Dodging and burning are steps to take care of mistakes God made in establishing tonal relationships. Ansel Adams
 
sfisher said:
kennethw said:
As for the D200 L-Bracket, I do prefer the RRS one. I find the
Kirk one has a gap between the body and the vertical part which the
RRS does not and therefore looks neater. However, you do need
something to poke to open up the flaps at the side to access the
ports.
Click to expand...
Kenneth,

I don't remember the OP of this, and it was based on the D2X L
bracket, but i suspect the design is probably close enough to work.

Take a plastic wire tie approximately 3/16ths - 1/4 in wide cut to
a point (^) around 1 inch long. (adjust length based on the storage
location below) It should be thin enough to slip between the camera
and the L bracket to poke the rubber door flaps open. For storage,
it should flex fit into the square hollows in the bottom of the L
bracket near the mounting screw. It will stay there by tension and
be ready when you need it. Works great!
--
-Steve
===================
Dodging and burning are steps to take care of mistakes God made in
establishing tonal relationships. Ansel Adams
Click to expand...
Great suggestion, let me try this out. Thanks Steve.
--------------------

Amateur Photographer, constructive criticism most welcome: http://www.pbase.com/kennethw
 
I ordered a bh55 and L clamp for my 20D and the shipping number they have provided does not come up online or by call in to USPS. Its been over a week. I contacted someone at RRS a few days ago and he said he'd check and call me back in 1/2 hour. Its been two days, no call and now when i call RRS all i get is an answering machine with the mailbox FULL. Does anyone have a line on this i.e. are they going out of business or something?
 
... oh and i forgot to mention ... their email address is failing for me.
 
Hans Giersberg said:
You're joking, right? All that's happening is that they don't
update their website every day. Who the heck does? Why dream up
some weird paranoid conspiracy theory when a simple explanation
suffices?
Click to expand...
A smart company would have a system where they don't have to manually update the website everyday.

I've spent a fortune with RRS and really love their products, but I have to say I find the way they run their business pretty annoying. Their online ordering system leaves a lot to be desired, and I find it frustrating that they refuse to use any form of online communication. I guess some people love doing business over the phone with them; personally I find that to be be inefficient and inconvenient.

--
Jeff Kohn
Houston, TX
http://www.pbase.com/jkohn
 
... i already posted this but in the wrong part of the forum.

I'm having terrible trouble with RRS right now. I ordered some equipment from them, got a tracking number and was told that the tracking number wouldn't be active for 24 hours. Its been about a week and a half and its not active. I called USPS and the system says the number doesn't exist.

I called RRS 2 days ago and the guy said that he would track things down and call me back in 1/2 hour. He didn't. I called their number today and got a full mailbox. I called 5 minutes ago and now the message says their entire system is down and to call back in 2 hours.

I'm wondering whether to contact visa - thats getting real.
 
I ordered a BH-40 LR II, an L-plate for a D200 & a foot for a 70-200vr last Thursday. It shipped that day and I receivecd it this past Tuesday. Not bad for UPS ground CA to OH.
--
dagored
http://dagored.smugmug.com Save $5 by going to my site.

'The camera doesn't make a bit of difference. All of them can record what you are seeing. But, you have to SEE.' Ernst Haas, 1985

 
I am sorry you are having a problem. I have never had an issue with RRS. They have always told me the truth about availablilty of their products. My most recent purchase was for the 300 F4 collar. It transformed the lens. It is now solid as a rock. The collar is much wider than stock and much more rigid. I have heard Kirk collars are also OK. I don't like the secondary shelf or whatever you call it. I don't like the extra bulk.
--
Respond to rudeness with civility, it really annoys them.

Regards,

JR
 
... well i'm hoping that i do indeed end up laughing ... the message on the answering machine now says that due to a system crash they cannot take orders and to call back in a few hours ... that was more than a few hours ago.

We'll see i guess.
 
Cultured Vulture said:
I am sorry you are having a problem. I have never had an issue with
RRS. They have always told me the truth about availablilty of their
products. My most recent purchase was for the 300 F4 collar. It
transformed the lens. It is now solid as a rock. The collar is much
wider than stock and much more rigid. I have heard Kirk collars are
also OK. I don't like the secondary shelf or whatever you call it.
I don't like the extra bulk.
Click to expand...
I bought the Kirk 300mm f/4 collar long before RRS had one, even while I'd been a long-term customer of RRS with the original, excentric but very helpful and informative owner. The Kirk, too, transformed this lens for tripod work. Without it, the 300mm might as well have been hand-held between 1/4 and 1/60 of a second. Generally, if there's a choice between Kirk and RRS, I always go RRS. Brand loyalty, I guess, but if RRS doesn't have something I want and Kirk does, I won't hesitate to get the Kirk, since they have quality stuff, too.

--
http://www.pbase.com/fjp
FJP, Software Developer
 
Not sure who said that Kirk isn't available on Ebay, but they have stuff on there quite often. Their ID is Kirkphoto333 and they have about 20 lens plates on there as I type this. They often have seconds and clamps available as well.
 
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