Wisner....nothing has changed.

[Jorge Gasteazoro]

A while back I reported that Wisner had promptly answered my e mails regarding a part I needed for my 12x20. Well, that was a flash in the pan! 3 months later I have not gotten an answer as to wether he has the part or that he would make it for me. All I got has been excuses, "I am traveling", "I will go look and let you know next week", "I think I have the part, let me go look and I will e mail you next week".

My next to last e mail to him was asking him to tell me honestly if he wanted to sell me/make the part for me or otherwise to please tell me if he was not willing to do it so I could look for an alternative solution (mainly having to spend an extra $200 so I could ship the camera to Ritter). Once again I got a promise to "go look" and would e mail me 2 weeks ago.

I cannot beleive Wisner does not have someone at his bussiness he can call and ask "Hey, go look in the back and check if we have this part or not"...? His lack of professionalism is going to cost me at least $300 to $400 extra on shipping and repair fees than what I would estimate would have cost me if Wisner had sold me the part. Needless to say I am not happy about this, and will certainly not only will not be able to recommend his cameras, but will say I have written Wisner off as a viable LF camera builder, no customer should have to put up with this BS.

[George Losse]

Jorge,
I hear your pain in this posts but what is the part. Is it something you can replace locally?

Also I must ask, when did you buy your camera? Recently? Long after there have been tons of threads about service. You didn't have to buy that camera you had been warned? Why complain in public? Why start another Wisner bashing thread, will it get you your part any faster?

I am a 13 year customer of Wisner, no they are not always as fast as we might think they should be. Nor do they stock every part we think they should. But I gotten every product I ever order, every part I 've ever asked for, and help from emails even during the height of the bashing.

All this can do kind of an email can do is push them closer to going out of business. Try to get parts for your camera after that happens. Try to sell you camera after that happens. Sending venting emails to the boards might make you feel better in the short term for venting your fustrations, but it could hurt you and the LF community in the long run.

[clay harmon]

And that would be a bad thing?

Jorge,

All this can do kind of an email can do is push them closer to going out of business.

[Jorge Gasteazoro]

It cannot be replaced locally, it is the back swing for the 12x20 P, a model that was introduced within the last 2 years. I bought the camera from a Wisner good customer through E bay.

So, I guess that in your opinon instead of giving Wisner the benefit of the doubt, buy the camera and hope that I would see a change for the better in Wisner's bussiness practices I should have thought "Well, this is a Wisner camera, a camera I know will have no further support so I should stay away from it".....Maybe your advice is the correct one and I hope people reading this thread will heed it. You should knwo better than me as a "long time" customer. Good advice and good way to support Wisner on your part!

I am not starting another bashing thread, I am simply reporting my results as I promised in the last thread. My e mails as you call it or my post here will not be the reason Wisner goes out of bussiness, it is his lack of seriousness and professionalism that will cause this. Why is it we dont hear the same complaints from Canham or Philips? Does it really take 3 months to check an inventory and/or decide to make the part? Hell, he could have made the part and ship it to me in the time it has taken him to answer! Let me remind you, I am not asking for warranty service, all I am asking is how much is the part and how soon can he have it...a very simple question to which I was willing to pay!

Your assumption that if Wisner goes out of bussiness I wont be able to sell the camera is wrong, Koronas and F&S sell all the time without them being around, thanks to Ritter if I am unable to get the part from Wisner I will be able to have it made in the end. In either case, this resulted in a much greater hassle that a simple inventory search could have avoided.

Jorge,
I hear your pain in this posts but what is the part. Is it something you can replace locally?

Also I must ask, when did you buy your camera? Recently? Long after there have been tons of threads about service. You didn't have to buy that camera you had been warned? Why complain in public? Why start another Wisner bashing thread, will it get you your part any faster?

I am a 13 year customer of Wisner, no they are not always as fast as we might think they should be. Nor do they stock every part we think they should. But I gotten every product I ever order, every part I 've ever asked for, and help from emails even during the height of the bashing.

All this can do kind of an email can do is push them closer to going out of business. Try to get parts for your camera after that happens. Try to sell you camera after that happens. Sending venting emails to the boards might make you feel better in the short term for venting your fustrations, but it could hurt you and the LF community in the long run.

[Michael Kadillak]

Sorry for your inconvenience Jorge. Unfortunately while your obvious optimism was short lived you at least gave Ron an opportunity to make it right.

I understand where George is coming from but we all need to look at the dynamic not the static picture here. It is absolutely critical that current feedback from real customers be shared with the LF and ULF community if for no other reason than to provide a reference point for a potential transactional decision with all of the pertinent information on the table. Buyers operating in an information vacuum tend to make very poor decisions because they have nothing to go on.

I own a Wisner ULF camera that shoots three formats and it is a great camera and serves me well. But I purchased the camera to make photographs, not for making a profit selling it. Success in business is not an entitlement and the inherent risk is that if you fall short of customer expectations you will not be in business very long.

I wish Ron only the best in his sailing and seminar endevors where I feel he is in his chosen element. IMO his passion for making cameras has been highly suspect simply because there seems to be no urgency in his new "business" model while each month new offerings for cameras and film holders are coming closer to fruition.

When Ron started he was a pioneer in making cameras and starting a new trend line in this arena. Others are picking up the momentum and as a result, those of us on the consuming end of things are quite happy with the state of our options and the legitimate service that is following along. Long Live Analog!

Cheers!

[Matt Magruder]

And that would be a bad thing?

ha. leave it to clay to give me my monday morning dose of humour.

Wisner makes a gorgeous camera, but seems on par with the manufacturers service available for my early 1900s F&S camera ... as in, nonexistant.

[Capocheny]

Jorge,

Sorry to hear about your frustrations.

Personally, I would have approached Richard Ritter right off the start and by-passed Ron. But, that's just me!

Good luck in getting the part.

Cheers

[Jorge Gasteazoro]

Jorge,

Sorry to hear about your frustrations.

Personally, I would have approached Richard Ritter right off the start and by-passed Ron. But, that's just me!

Good luck in getting the part.

Cheers

The problem with that is that I was trying to save me at least $400 extra that would cost me to ship the camera to Richard and back. Now, I let Wisner have it in my last e mail, told him not to bother anymore that I would get the part on my own. What do I get as a reply? "as you wish, the part is still here if you change your mind"

Am I the only one who sees this as dumbfounding and contradictory? I wait for 3 months to get an answer, and when I finally give up, bitch about him in a couple of forums and send him a fairly scathing e mail, I get....."I got the part if you do change your mind"?!?...... Go figure!

[Capocheny]

Now, I let Wisner have it in my last e mail, told him not to bother anymore that I would get the part on my own. What do I get as a reply? "as you wish, the part is still here if you change your mind"

Am I the only one who sees this as dumbfounding and contradictory? I wait for 3 months to get an answer, and when I finally give up, bitch about him in a couple of forums and send him a fairly scathing e mail, I get....."I got the part if you do change your mind"?!?...... Go figure!

Jorge,

"Holly crap, Batman!" is about all I'd say to that comment from Wisner!

I sympathize with you Jorge... I had an adapter board made by a fellow well-known on this forum as a Master Dorff Repairman. It was AGONY trying to get the item and I was frustrated to no ends! I'll NEVER send him another job even if it costs me an extra 50% (or more!) To me, the extra cost is well justified just to escape the added frustration! But, again, that's just me.

Good luck.

Cheers

[Robert Brummitt]

I think we should all pool our resources and either pull Mr. Wisner into small claims court or buy his supplies of parts and designs. I love my 4x5 tech camera and I bought it with the understanding that the camera had a lifetime parts warranty. What's hppening now is a breach of contract. If Wisner cameras is truly closed for business then no one should be selling cameras and the Wisner website should be closed down as well.
If Mr. Wisner feels that he can take our money and not offer good customer service? Then we should warn future buyers of his actions. Our voices should be heard!