advice needed wrt cameraleather.com

[adrianzg]

i'm in a situation where i do not know what to do and am hoping some forum members can give me some advice.

i ordered $170 worth of camera grips from cameraleather.com on september 7th and have yet to receive anything. i've emailed morgan sparks on sept 24th about them and was told that they need some time to cut. however, it's more than 10 weeks and i've nt received anything. i've emailed morgan 3 times in the last month but have received no answers. is he on an extended holiday or have i been scammed? i've bought 2 covers from him previously and was very satisfied with the customer service. however, this sucks.

i have no idea what to do now.. 🙁

 

[ItsReallyDarren]

Morgan does deliver on the goods. Just sometimes mistakes come along the way. I ordered two sets of camera coverings from him, while they were shipped fast I got the wrong order with the wrong name. He double checked and set the order right so it was only time lost. Plus some shipping.

10 weeks does sound like a long period of time though. Did he give any estimates of how long it would take to fill the order? Its possible he's waiting on more material to come in.

 

[ZeissFan]

As I mentioned before, he's quick to take your money but his customer service is spotty and can border on atrocious.

If you run a business, you must treat it like a business.

Chef Gordon Ramsey would tear him a new one.

 

[Ezzie]

I would have called him, instead of complaining in public. As far as I can see there is only one Morgan Sparks of Burlington, Vermont.

 

[adrianzg]

I would have called him, instead of complaining in public. As far as I can see there is only one Morgan Sparks of Burlington, Vermont.

i wouldn't have complained in public if he replied any of my emails. i do not have his phone number, if anyone does, please pm me. i don't mind making an international call from australia to usa if it is necessary.

the time frame he gave me was 10-12 working days. 10 weeks is absurd!

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

If you order something common, like a Leica M covering, it will come very quickly. Anything custom can take months. My wait times with cameraleather have ranged from 3 days to 3 months.

 

[adrianzg]

i've ordered 2 covers for a m6 and one for the m8. i think they're relatively common. i'm just very disappointed with the service. as zeissfan had said, quick to take the money but customer service is spotty. the bare minimum he could've done would be to answer my emails.

has anyone received emails from him in the past month?

 

[Ezzie]

I got an email two days ago. My order took a some weeks as well, but I expected this as mine was the first order for that particular combination of leather and camera. It came through and I´m happy.

 

[ZeissFan]

I was going to tell you to give up and find a different supplier, but $170 is a significant amount of money for a single order.

I would urge you to continue trying to contact him. I am also going to guess that this will be your last order with him.

Lately, I've been buying from Aki-Asahi. Very fast delivery, although unfortunately he doesn't yet offer material in 9x11 sheets.

 

[fbf]

For me, delivery time varied from 3 days to 2 months.
$170 for 2-3 covering, that sounds like you ordered either exotic leather or some rare/expensive kind. He might have material shortage? Who knows. 12 weeks does sound ridiculous but at this point, there is nothing you can do besides waiting.

 

[ZeissFan]

I would say that the wait isn't nearly as irksome as the failure to reply to any of the customer's e-mails.

 

[adrianzg]

zeissfan, agreed. he should at the very least reply my emails. as for my orders, i ordered a black beauty for bothe the m8 and the m6 as well as a calfskin for the m6. the actual amount was $186 including shipping. and yeah, i've actually had 2 positive experiences with him previously, which was why i felt ok putting in such a big order. shld've known better.

 

[mark-b]

I've had a similar experience with Sparks. It took 2 months and he scolded me for being impatient. After that, I've been doing my own re-covering work.

 

[david.elliott]

For me, delivery time varied from 3 days to 2 months.
$170 for 2-3 covering, that sounds like you ordered either exotic leather or some rare/expensive kind. He might have material shortage? Who knows. 12 weeks does sound ridiculous but at this point, there is nothing you can do besides waiting.

I'd rather ask for a refund than sit and wait.

 

[maddoc]

I received a griptack kit for my M7 just 3 days ago. It took one week from order until delivery to Japan. After receiving, I asked a question by email and got prompt and very detailed reply from him. I had also ordered a griptack kit for my M4-P in August and delivery time was the same (one week).

 

[monopix]

I've placed a few orders with him and they've all taken 5-6 weeks (to the UK). I've generally given him a month and if I haven't received anything I've emailed to ask where it is. He's always replied though sometimes it might be a few days before he does. The last order I had from him was a few weeks ago.

I've started to to use Aki-Asahi as well. Twice now. The first time it took about two weeks to arrive and the last one about 10 days. He has, on both occasions, thown in an extra cover as well, something exotic looking. In future I'll always use Aki-Asahi if he has what I want though I would still use Morgan if there's no alternative.

I think after 10 weeks and no comms I'd be asking for a refund.

 

[carlb]

I've used Aki-Asahi as well instead of cameraleather after I read some of the cameraleather comments on here. Both orders from Aki-Asahi arrived here in Australia in about a week to ten days. Great service.

Ten weeks without receiving the order or a reply to emails is far too long - I'd get a refund as well

 

[adrianzg]

an update: just received the corevs anti an apology note. I'm just glad that the order came through. Too bad aki won't do M8 or coloured leathers.

 

[ItsReallyDarren]

Glad to hear it came in. I think Morgan does good on his word, he gets busy sometimes. He's only human, though delays this long could make someone worry. Was there a reason for the delay? Shortage of materials?

 

[dacookieman]

Nothing irks me like a seller who refuses to reply emails. i agree, Aki-Asahi is very fast.