Short story: they send me a demo item BUT they shipped it on time and good packaging.  
 
Full story:  
 
The Good Part:  
I ordered a manfrotto ballhead 488rc2 from canogacamera on monday at 10am, and in the afternoon I called them to make sure they shipped it on that day because I'll need it by Friday. They're very helpful and they shipped it at monday night.  
On schedule at Thursday around noon the package arrived, the packaging was great, they put the ballhead box on a big package with foam around it.  
 
The Bad Part:  
After all the excitement, then comes the problem. My ballhead is scratched in many places and looks used. I wonder if they send me a DEMO item?  
If I need a demo item, then why would I buy a NEW item? Is this a deliberate act? Don't they check the item first before sending it a customer?  
Very very disappointed.  
 
Update: the owner, chris is very helpful and apologetic in helping me return the item.  
He gave me full credit for the item, plus the return shipping.

This review was modified by its author, donkhani, on 9/17/08 10:54 PM.

I have to say that this is the 2nd time Chris ( Store Owner ) has been rude to me as a customer who had bought several items from them and this is also the 2nd time I have the exact same experience with them. He had apologized to me on our first bad case. I don’t think he will ever apologize this time.  
 
I simply wanted to get my order tracking number because I wanted to ask UPS if they can re-attempt the delivery at the same day or if I can pick it up, for some reason, the delivery guy didn’t give the correct UPS InfoNotice at my front door so I can’t trace the package at all – Btw, Canoga website didn’t provide anything about the tracking number, their website only showed the shipment progress and it was not updating as fast as UPS website. I spoke to Chris, when I asked him about the tracking number, Chris came up with millions of reasons and Chris never stopped talking ( I asked politely to him if he could stop talking for a second, and let me talk so then I could explain what I want to do with the tracking number, but he didn’t give any chance at all for me to talk. I asked more than twice, he still didn’t want to let me talk and he seemed to be raising his voice. I decided to hung up and call them again and ask for Kathryn ), rude as if I have no experience with lens, tracking number ( which he was not willing to give it to me, I spoke to Kathryn right after I spoke to Chris, within 10 seconds, she was able to give the tracking number ).  
 
I mean how hard it is to just send me a simple plain email about the tracking number or call me directly to my cell phone number? Don’t tell me that it is for security reasons, technical difficulties or whatsoever, it is my personal email and cell phone number that I used for my order. The bad part was not just Chris’ rude attitude, when I opened the packaging; I found out that they sent me a used-demo item, a very used item with lots of scratches here and there, I don’t think the condition of the item was like “that” from the manufacturer. My head was about to blow when I saw it is a used item. I have done everything I could to get the item on that day ( I did manage to get it on that day ), but it turned out to be a major disappointment. I called them immediately for arranging a return or exchange, not sure if I want to exchange it as it has happened to me twice, I’m just no longer willing to put my trust on them. I spoke to Jamie; he’s very helpful and willing to do what’s necessary to fix it. He’s also very apologetic and polite. They did manage to give my money back, but that’s not what I expected, if they wanted to satisfy a customer, they should have treated them as one and shipped the “correct item” on the first place. Let me tell you, I bought several items from Canoga Camera because a big camera dealer at NYC ( where I bought most of my camera gears ) did not have the items in stock and Kathryn ( store manager I believe ) seemed to be a very nice person when I visited their store during my West Coast road trip last year.  
 
Read these comments from mysterywhiteboy and donkhani : http://www.resellerratings.com/seller_info.pl?seller_id=1322&comment=396730#comment396730  
http://www.resellerratings.com/seller_info.pl?seller_id=1322&comment=403397#comment403397  
 
My experience is very similar to them ( I’m not the only one who has experienced this kind of treatment ) except I was willing to talk to them and replying their email if necessary.  
 
Oh and, before that, I bought a Gitzo tripod from them, I simply asked them what the tracking number is, Chris replied that they did not provide tracking number at that time which I understood, and within 30-40 minutes later, Kathryn replied with the tracking number. Huh?? Weird as if Chris simply did not want to give it out which is a very similar experience to my comments above.  
 
So, so far, I have 2 bad experiences ( not a coincidence as it had happened twice, same case, same attitude ) & 1 so-so experience out of 4 experiences. I will never buy anything from them again.  
 
If you ever want to do business with them, don’t ever bother speaking with Chris when you call them for any reasons, ask for Kathryn or their other employees ( Jamie ), she is the only reason why I still have respect with Canoga. She has been treating me well – explaining about the shipment info, with a very nice attitude, and honesty. In contrast, Chris has no respect to me and not willing to give any help at all. I’m not asking anything from writing these comments, I could have written everything I have experienced with them, comments above are a short version of the entire saga; I wrote this hoping they could improve their customer service, start shipping the “Correct Items” and start giving respect to customers like me.  
 
Edit :  
**When you called us...**  
See, this is a true example of how you ignoring my comments above, you clearly did not read it. I called for the tracking number because I NEED it.  
 
** When you called us back a few minutes later, I directed **  
That's not the case, I called Canoga immediately and asked to speak with Kathryn directly after I hung up with you and she was able to give out the tracking number as usual.  
 
**I certainly did not intend to be rude when you called and I apologize for not handling your call in a manner**  
Well, why didn't you give me a chance to talk and explain why I wanted the tracking number? You kept talking, ignoring me as if I didn't want to give an explanation, and you even seemed to be raising your voice so then my voice won't be heard. I mean, that was plain rude.  
 
I was very very dissatisfied and still very dissatisfied, I didn't give the worst rating because of Kathryn's nice attitude and services.  
Who wouldn't be pissed if same case, same attitude happened twice.  
Considering all the efforts that I have done to get it on that day, "used" item when I opened it and your "bad" attitude. I think you deserve the rating. I'm sorry.

This review was modified by its author, woot, on 9/24/08 2:51 PM.

***this is an amendment to an earlier review***  
 
the delay in my response to mr. chase's inquiries was due to me being unavailable during this time period. i am only now able to properly address this situation.  
 
first and foremost, i must say that my shipment did eventually reach the recipient. and i while i do appreciate the effort made to remedy this situation, i take exception to mr. chase's statement, "We invested much time to accommodate the customer’s special needs prior to even shipping this order." much time?!? really?!? because the items i ordered were a gift, i simply asked that the shipment be sent to someone other than myself and that the statement/receipt showing the price be sent to me instead of the recipient. not an unusual or "special" request by any means. it probably took all of 5 minutes to handle.  
 
this could have all been avoided had the gentleman who took my order stated the truth--that they were experiencing "difficult technical problems over the past couple of weeks that...led to the hard decision to stop automatically emailing or providing the UPS tracking numbers until these technical issues are addressed and resolved." instead, i was told--as i mentioned before--that i could not be given my UPS tracking number "for security reasons." when i pressed for more information as to why, i was told my only recourse was to use the tracking feature on their website. but nothing in this conversation indicated that this was a temporary or transitional aspect of their service. it was if it was business as usual. very awkward to say the least...  
 
i am glad to see that canoga camera has since remedied their tracking policy. however, as i said before, i will never order from this place again...

This review was modified by its author, mysterywhiteboy, on 8/9/08 1:09 PM.

I ordered a Canon 30D body. Received box from UPS in great condition, but the Canon box inside which contains the camera was smashed on one whole side like an accordion. I talked to Derrick and he stated " This is the way they come from Canon, just send it back ". He did not seem to care that my camera was sent out in this condition in the first place. I then talked to Chris the owner who was very nice and offered a full refund including the shipping there and back. This was very nice of him. However, sending a 1.400 camera out like this in the first place was not very nice. A little crinkled corner I can accept, But this is beyond a bit crinkled .

I called for an exchange, the lens I just received last night looks like it has been used before. I did have a not so good impression at first but the store owner was willing to co-operate, offered an apology and solve the problem. It turned to be a nice experience. Thanks.

This review was modified by its author, hrl, on 1/16/08 2:56 PM.

I did my research on the seller and the product (Nikon D50), I placed my order on the web on Monday, and even called to follow up and added an item, they had no problem adding the item and still getting the product out the same day, I even was left a voice mail confirming my order had shipped, they advised I would have had a tracking number later that evening, but that never arrived via email or through their site, however upon calling the next day, they confirmed it shipped and apologized for not having a tracking number sent via the email from UPS. They provided that promptly, it did ship on time, and arrived per the shipping method time frame requested. Item is what it was described. I saved atleast $50 off some other well known companies, but I have faith that I will do business with this company again.

I recieved my Order this afternoon, friday June Tenth. I placed the order on Tuesday evening and elected to ship my order with 2nd day air. The picture of my order on the website was out of date, but I placed a call to the store to verfiy I would be getting the second generation of the product, not the first generation which was pictured. Eddie confimred I would be purchasing the second generation product and he was right. I did not get an E-mail confirmation that my order shipped. If not for me having called Wednesday evening and speaking to a staff member, I would not have known my order shipped or what the tracking number was. I would like to see and E-mail confirmation of the shippment and tracking number. Overall, the product that I ordered came on time, the price was the lowest I have found online for a brand new item, and all appears to be well. The store reps that I spoke to were kind and knowledgable and I was never on hold for longer than a minute. I have enjoyed this transaction. Will definitely consider this store for future purchases.

This was a first order and a large order with requested overnight shipping ($175) with "Please rush, need shipping today" in the comment box. Because of the large dollar amount of a first order, I understand extra verification efforts--I would do the same. However, everything about the order said rush, hurry, ship today.  
 
So...how did Canoga contact me to request that I verify with my credit card company? By phone? No...by email. Only by luck did I get it in time. Ordinarily I would not have in time.  
 
This is a small complaint, all things considered, but in this instance it would have been a big problem for me, since a day late might was well have been two weeks--and not worth $175 in shipping.

I have purchased the following from CC:  
 
1) Canon D30  
2) Canon 28-70 f/2.8 Lens  
3) Canon 1.4 Telextender  
 
In each case the merchandise was purhcased at a price lower than I could pay anywhere else. The items were always in perfect condition and well described. Unfortunately, the company sometimes seems overwhelmed. They forgot one of my orders and have been slow to ship others. If you are not in a hurry for something, they are an acceptable source.

Very satisified with my experience. They confirmed the shipping address over the phone prior to shipping because it was not the one for the card I used. I knew the lens was out of stock when I ordered but it arrived before the date they estimated. Price was great without the discount but that made it better. Will buy from them again.

Ordered the Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8 L lens over the weekend. Order was confirmed and shipped on Monday, received on-time this Wednesday in perfect order. Item was significantly cheaper than purchasing through B&H or Adorama. Store called to confirm the order as well. Excellent customer service and execution - will look to them for future lens/camera needs.

This review was modified by its author, ComairCRJ700, on 10/14/09 10:29 AM.

Outstanding company. I have ordered numerous photographic cameras and lenses from Canoga and I have always enjoyed excellent service. They are, bar none the best photo store in business today in my opinion. Canoga ships the same day if ordered in a timely manner and the packing is excellent. (I,m finicky about my delicates lenses and camera bodies being shipped with little protection around the items.) Canoga also protects the buyer (consumer) by making follow-up calls to verify the authenticity of an order. (Not to make add-on sales like some NY stores.)I am truly a dedicated customer and will always look to Canoga first before making my purchases. Chris Chase, the manager, is a "stand-up guy." Kudos to the Canoga team.

This review was modified by its author, nikcanman, on 10/27/09 10:35 AM.

I ordered a high end canon lens online.... 135mm L which they had in stock... later that day I received a call from them because my telephone number didn't match what credit card company had... i had to call credit card people and change the number.... (yes, they check to be sure you are legit).. Once that was taken care of I got the lens 2nd day air as ordered... I would say great service... It was my first order and their prices are very good.... Oh, and the lens works fine...

A pleasure to do business with Canoga Camera on a new Canon 135mm f2L. One of the very few people to have it in stock and the price was the best out there. This is my first purchase from Canoga and I will use them again for sure.

I have been dealing with Canoga Camera for at least 4 years. They are an excellent company. When you call, they treat you as if you are their only customer. On this order, I added instructions to the comment section requesting that they put my lens and filter in a plastic bag before packing it because we had been getting a lot of rain. I was happy when I opened my box and my order was in a plastic bag. The courier had just sat the box on my porch and it was damp on the bottom by the time I got home. Their prices are within pennies of a couple of the other major Internet camera stores. I have exchanged or returned things a couple of times and had no problems at all. Do not hesitate to buy from Canoga Camera.