Hi Guys and Gals -
If you're not aware of it, there is a forum on photo.net that allows anyone to d escribe their experiences with photographic retailers, good and bad. It's raw, unfiltered data, so don't take everything you read as gospel. But, the large-sc ale trends are probably close to the truth.
I bring this up for a couple of reasons. First, It's a valuable resource if you 're planning to make a purchase. This kind of data wasn't readily available in the pre-internet days.
Second, it's a good place to send people when they ask "should I buy from Klik-K lak Kamera"?
Lastly, as consumers, we should be in the business of encouraging (and rewarding ) fair and ethical business owners. As a case in point, I recently made a small purchase from a company called Focal Point in Sanford, Fl. There was a misunde rstanding about exactly what I was getting (truth be told, it may have been MY m isunderstanding, not his). Anyway, there was no argument; he assumed I was corr ect and telling the truth, and immediately resolved the situation in my favor, n o questions asked. He may have even lost money on the deal. But, you can be su re that if I ever need similar items, he gets first crack at my business. He's already shown me that his interests lie in good customer service.
I took a minute to thank him, and them made a positive comment on the forum. It didn't cost me anything, and it might steer some business his way. A good expe reince for both of us, in my mind.
I understand that this is not strictly a large format issue, so why am I bending the rules to post here? Most of us don't mind spending money on our obsession. As a community, we have amassed a substantial database of experience, and it r eflects a good bit of buying power. We can't eliminate all the unethical busine sses out there, but maybe we can steer a few customers in the right direction.
Thanks for listening.
BTW, to find the forum, go to www.photo.net, click on the ?Community? menu, and select ?User Recommendations?.
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