Cameraleather on vacation??

[Dez]

I wonder if anybody on the list is having delivery problems with Cameraleather recently.

I put in an order to them more than two weeks ago, and haven't received anything yet. I am in Canada, so mail from the US takes a few days longer most of the time, but I have always had fast service from them before.

I have sent two emails requesting the shipping status and a tracking number, but have not received a reply. Do they maybe go on vacation in the summer and don't mention that on their website?

Cheers,
Dez

 

[fad gadget]

Ya, same here...

I ended up ordering another one from Aki on the 29th, a week after, and received it today.

cheers

 

[burancap]

By some accounts -they have been on vacation since opening.

 

[AlexBG]

I ordered a covering on the 1st, got delivered to England on the 5th, same as last time I placed an order, amazingly quick and no problems. It was grip tac for an OM2.

 

[colyn]

This is normal from cameraleather. You may or may not get what you ordered. I placed a couple of orders a few years ago and finally had to file a paypal complaint to get my money back..

I buy from Aki now. He is reputable.......unlike cameraleather...

 

[Dez]

I have experienced very good service in the past from both companies. The Cameraleather site suggests that they handle their emails on Mondays, so I'll wait to see if I get a reply to my queries then. If it has not shipped at that point, I'll cancel and re-order from Aki Asahi. I have a cosmetically-like-new IIIf with a self timer, with perfect chrome and destroyed vulcanite. I have just finished overhauling it, and I really want to see it with the Cameraleather Black Beauty skin. I had thought of using Griptak, but although it is brilliant as a tactile cover, it's not really quite black, and I don't think it would look the best on this camera.

Cheers,
Dez

 

[Tony Whitney]

Good grief! If I only "handled my emails on Mondays" I'd have been out of work years ago. Aki Asahi is a great outfit and I've ordered many times and never been disappointed in any aspect of their product and service. Mind you, I wish they'd add a few more cameras to their list, though I can guess that the tooling is expensive and do understand...TW

 

[Moto-Uno]

It's a pity this comes up so often "concerns" about "Camera leather". Problem is it's based upon personal experiences, I've received kits within a month and others within 2 1/2 months. Product is great,wish it could be quicker, does anybody know what goes on there?
Peter

 

[Dez]

I got it wrong about the Monday email thing. The website states that they get a lot of email, and that the weekend backlog makes Monday a bit slow. But I still haven't received any answers to my two emails sent on weekdays.

Cheers,
Dez

 

[alfredian]

Only Morgan now, "in-stock" is faster

Only Morgan now, "in-stock" is faster

Camera Leather is/was a family outfit, Morgan & his Dad, Morgan Sr. Dad passed away a couple/few years back and now it's a one-man-band operating in one room (he posted a photo once).

Things slowed down ever since it's only-Morgan Jr. He has a "day job" and his Dad was retired & there all the time. My experience (Leathers for Pentax M-42s, Leica M4) is that common cameras (above) and common materials (GripTac for the M4) are quick to do.

Also (only one data point here) my grey GripTac for the M4 was shipped to Sherry Krauter for her to install & the GripTac arrived in her shop before my camera did.

Being a one-soul operation, the communication-time-spent could be a drag. The actual craftsmanship part of the job is plenty, plus he has to be the Receptionist and Shipping & Billing departments.

Got money? offer to buy the business from him and run it yourself. If I had the money and the 401k to live on it would be a nice semi-retirement, along with teaching a class or two at a Community College.---alfredian

 

[goamules]

Yeah, if I owned such a business, where I might get one order a month, I wouldn't be sitting there at 6AM every morning waiting on the next one to come in.

I remember a time when you sent a check off to a business, and expected four to six weeks for delivery. The gimme now generation cannot fathom such a thing.

 

[ZeissFan]

Look, if you're willing to take customers' money, then you must add people to handle capacity.

Sadly, this comes up way too often, and the responses are always the same:
- Some get orders filled quickly.
- Some get some orders filled quickly but not so quickly on others.
- Some wait a long time
- Some never get their order filled, nor do they ever get a refund.

At some point, he is going to get sued in small-claims court. Or he'll simply decide it isn't worth the trouble, and he'll shut down.

 

[Dan Daniel]

For those who don't get kits from cameraleather- File a complaint with paypal. I think Paypal's timel imit is 45 days- keep track. I had cameraleather not fill an order, and at 44 days I filed a claim with Paypal. I got the kit three days later with a note of apology from Morgan.

And three orders since then have been filled within ten days or less. Maybe he remembers the names that file claims.

Yes, it is annoying, but it gets his attention.

I'm not certain what to say to people who wait and wait for months with no responses to emails. Stop payment!! It's pretty simple- I pay for something, I didn't get it, I want my money back. Stopping payment or getting a payment reversed will get the attention of most businesses. Paypal and credit card companies provide mechanisms for just this situation. USE IT.

 

[colyn]

I remember a time when you sent a check off to a business, and expected four to six weeks for delivery. The gimme now generation cannot fathom such a thing.

As do I...but that does not excuse never sending the order and not answering email requests..

In the old days you got your order or they sent another to replace it. They wanted your continuing business...

 

[Dez]

It has been well past three weeks now, and nothing has arrived. I wouldn't worry but there has also been no response to multiple emails, so I have filed a Paypal claim.

Cheers,
Dez

 

[Strelnikoff]

I had a deal with him lately and I got nervous when the time to file a claim with paypal was about to run out. Got the leather after about six weeks at last.
He does not produce in advance and as it seems there can be long delays with not so common varieties of leathers. It wouldn't have been an issue with me if he had responded to my emails or had given me some idea about the time it will take. Nobody knows about the volume of his business, but I really think, he should find someone to run his office.

 

[Dez]

After three weeks of getting no answer to emails, I lodged a Paypal grievance and ordered a cover from Aki Asahi. That was exactly a week ago. Today, both orders arrived in the mail. Fate has a sense of humour. Let me know if anybody needs new cover for a IIIf with self timer.

Cheers,
Dez

 

[daveleo]

This has been a recurring issue, that I know of, for years. Many threads on the topic in several photo forums. All the comments above are correct. Morgan is honest but seriously over-scheduled with his work load. People have waited many months at times. To my knowledge, no one has ever been, in the final analysis, "cheated".

 

[Dez]

The leather finally arrived, and like other products I have bought from Cameraleather it was really excellent.



This is the "Black Beauty" kid leather product on my project IIIf. I bought this recently on ebay with the wind and shutter jammed, much of the vulcanite gone, and major problems with the lens, but near-perfect chrome bits. All fixed now and a CLA done, and with the new cover, it looks and works like a million bucks.

Cheers,
Dez

 

[Dralowid]

The leather finally arrived, and like other products I have bought from Cameraleather it was really excellent.

Cheers,
Dez

And that just about sums it all up. The product, when you get it, is absolutely excellent.

Cameraleather appears to use the Paypal grievance procedure as a means of prioritising workload.

Would I order again? Yes, I am confident the stuff will arrive one day. But having ordered I wouldn't hold my breath awaiting its imminent arrival.

In some ways I smile at his business method. I get nothing but platitudes from 'customer service departments'. Cameraleather works on the basis that
we want his product. He is right. So we wait.

He should move to the UK or perhaps France. It is a bit like going to a good restaurant here (or there).

The idea is to add an element of surprise to the whole life experience. You have forgotten what you ordered long before it shows up and when it does isn't it great!