"I purchased a Pentax K-50 with 18-135mm lens from the Camera Canada Website for $719 on Friday June 5, and was expecting to receive it on June 9 or 10. What enticed me to buy this from them is that they bundled a 4GB MOBI card.

I got an email confirming the purchase, but nothing regarding tracking in the days that followed.

I logged on to the website on June 9 and checked my order status, which was marked "unavailable". So, I called the 1-877 number and found out they are out of stock on that particular bundle (i.e. with the 18-135mm lens).

The CSR said they don't expect to have stock on the lens for another week. However, the web page for this particular camera still shows the camera in stock as of today. I guess they don't update in real time.

I guess the lesson is to call the merchant to confirm availability.

I'm really disappointed with the lack of communication about the actual stock situation, so I cancelled the order. To my way of thinking when an order is placed, and you don't have stock, that should be communicated to the customer immediately."

"I ordered a new flash kit and 50mm lens for my Canon camera. What I like about my transaction is that the shipment was fast. My orders were undamaged so I'm happy"

"Polite, knowledgable staff. Competetive pricing, good web site. Shipped it the same day I ordered it. Arrived in perfect condition. I'll buy from them again."

"I am VERY pleased with their service. I ordered a Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM lens + a 1.4X Extender III from this store in March, which is a very expensive piece of glass. They informed me the lens was back-ordered (as stated on the website) and told me to expect delivery before the end of April. Well, both the lens and the telextender arrived yesterday, very well packed.

I also separately ordered a $3,000 Canon DSLR several weeks ago and it arrived in California only 3 days later! Again the price and service were absolutely terrific.

In my dealings with the reps over the phone and by e-mail, they were consistently helpful, knowledgeable and polite. It was a pleasure doing business with them, and their prices were a great bargain. I will definitely do business with them again."

"A few years ago I have ordered binocular (about $100) from Camera Canada which was a good deal. When Item arrived package was right but inside it was used cheap binocular. I called sales guy and he told me send it back and it was probably mistake and he didn't actually look inside the box. After I send everything back and called the guy he told me THIS IS NOT WHAT THEY SEND TO ME. I talk to his manager and HE CONFIRMED IT. So they stole $100 from me. Thanks VISA which compensate my loss. BEWARE!!!
P.S. I don't remember order number but I keep all emails somwhere. "

"I've ordered from Camera Canada twice. Both experiences were perfect. Spoke with a customer service rep. the first time; was very friendly and polite, and knew his answers. Both orders shipped on time, arrived on time, in perfect condition, no hassles; not to mention great prices.

This is how business should be conducted. Will do business with them again."

"I have ordered expensive photo gear from Camera Canada before, after checking ResellerRatings - and received prompt delivery. The gear had always been in good condition, so my experience with Camera Canada's service was limited in scope. This time, a professional-quality lens arrived with faulty auto-focussing. I called Camera Canada and within 15 minutes I had printed out their return shipping label. The item was out of stock at the time, but was shipped the same day that new stock was received from the the distributor. Camera Canada's service could not have been any better than this. Bravo!"

"Order was shipped quickly, and the staff phoned me to confirm some information - they were very polite and articulate. I would purchase here again in a heartbeat - futureshop and bestbuy were my first two attempts, and neither would accept my order as the shipping and billing addresses were different. Any attempts to contact them via phone, I ended up talking to a foreign person I could hardly understand. Camera Canada was 10x better and I highly recommend. OH and my macro lens arrived in perfect condition!"

"First time dealing with this store and so far, it has been a very good experience. I placed an order for a Canon lens 35mm F1.4L and literally received it the next day at 11am via Canada Post. The package and everything was in good shape and brand new. I will continue to order through them since their prices are a lot less than the other distributers. "

"I am a full-time professional adventure photographer and videographer from the United States. I had a need to purchase a specific Canon lens (and a few other items) while staying in Canada. I picked Camera Canada because of the good things I'd heard here, and because the price was relatively reasonable for being outside of the US. My total order was around $3,000.

The web site stated that the lens I required was in stock, which turned out not the be the case. A few hours after I placed my order, I was informed that it was back-ordered, and would take another week to arrive from Canon. An inconvenience, but not a huge deal. I had several other questions regarding my order, which I sent via e-mail to their listed customer service contact address. ALL of these e-mails went unanswered. 4 days later, I received an e-mail stating that they could not process my transaction, due to not being able to verify my US credit card through their "third-party verification service" (still no response to my earlier questions). The bank account is fully funded, and I use this card for business, all around the world, every single day without any such problems. And as a businessman myself, I can appreciate the need to verify larger orders. But finding this out after 4 or 5 days of waiting is just plain wasting my time.

Since they were unable to process my order, and their customer communication was virtually non-existent, I will take my business elsewhere. I sent another e-mail asking to cancel my order (which, again, went unanswered). So, I gave in and called them to cancel. Camera Canada, if you don't like responding to e-mails, then don't advertise online customer service. I do 90% of my business online. Ignoring your online customers or giving them a lower priority is really unacceptable in this day and age. If you are a foreigner looking to purchase camera gear while staying in Canada, or are placing a larger order, you may want to look elsewhere.

Just to contrast my experience, I sent an e-mail to Broadway Camera in Vancouver, and they responded to my inquiry within seconds. I have since purchased this lens from them (using the same credit card) without any problems. The entire transaction was complete in minutes, and I was outside shooting this lens on the same day. There's something to be learned here, and hopefully Camera Canada reads this as a constructive criticism to improve their business practices."

"Amazing Store, great prices for Canada, really really fast shipping, great customer service. No complaints as all. Job Well Done!"

"Very impressed overall.

I put together an order on the 3rd of October for a D40 with the kit lens and a UV filter. I got an email on the 5th that the camera shipped but that the lens was on backorder, so I sent an email back to cancel the filter as I could get one quicker in town, and the refund was applied to my card the same day.

Absolutely wonderful service."

"I have ordered products from this store on several occasions. The pricing is very competitive and service is excellent. I had to cancel an order on one time and there was no hassle. I highly recommend them to any photographer in Canada."

"Great store. Bought a Nikon D50 at a good price (better than Henry's or Blacks) + shipping. Ordered on boxing day. Arrived nicely packaged on the 29th. No problems. So far :)"

"Ordered a new Lens from them on a friday - Had it in my hands by monday noon - The price was great - beeting anyone local here in vancouver - and I paid less tax!

I know where I'll be shopping in the future for my lnens."