Vistek West

vistek calgary downtown is filled with arrogant and not helpful people. Specially in management, Video department, rental department, Salem is the most rude person I have ever met in retail. Their store manager is carefree dosent listen to the issue with the products and makes judgement. I bought a sennheiser AVX system from them for $ 1199 plus taxes. When opened there was a scratch on the receiver and the receiver was loos where battery was connected. I called the video department the girl was helping me was very nice her name is nandani. she told me bring back the system we ll change it or refund it to you based on what you need. I went to store and she was on lunch there was another guy at the pro video section his name is alehandro. I explained the Issue that transmitter battery is loose, he tried to open another box and exchanged the battery to confirm, the other battery was also loose, it turned out the the transmitter was misaligned and the other battery was also loose. the guy looked in to this and said yes this is genuine issue, he said but refund or replacement units are not in my hands i need to consult with my manager. he went to talk to his manager and when he came to me he said my manager denied refund or exchange because it is a functional unit. i showed them the loose connection but they are not ready to listen to me. the store manager came and told me you have two options either you send it to sennheiser or return with restocking fee. the way he said it, it was really a threatening tone. I am talking to him very calmly and he is trying to scare me. such a bad experience. I decided not to argue with him. well you have lost a permanent customer. I had bought almost $ 20,000 equipment last year. I was planning to buy at least $ 25,000 more this year .Last year salem had given me some troubles when one or two items were defected. Such a bad experience. management is garbage. I would never buy anything from them.

The staff at the Calgary 10^th street Vistek location are incredibly snobby. Literally the worst, most arrogant customer service I’ve ever experienced in Calgary. I will do everything I can to never have to set foot in that place again.

I stopped in on a Saturday when they were holding a special sale event, and I got to play for a bit with a large Elinchrom Octa light modifier, shooting a model in-​store with my DSLR tethered to a 27-​inch iMac via USB3. I wasn’t planning to buy anything, but I ended up getting another padded carrying case for my light stands because I couldn’t find one at another store I normally shop at.

I had a digital image printed and mounted here. The service was a little indifferent. I had the feeling they’d rather have been dealing with a professional photographer instead of someone who knows nothing. I was hoping for more guidance and assistance in my decision making as I’ve never done this before.
In the end, they did a great job and I’m super happy with the result. I’d recommend it if you don’t need hand holding through the process.

I have been a customer at Vistek downtown Calgary store for the past 5 years. I have found the sales staff there to be the most accommodating staff of any camera store that I have dealt with.
They always go the extra mile to make me aware of new equipment available, if I am having a problem with any equipment they step up to the plate to help solve the issues with the least amount of inconvenience to myself. I shoot all pro camera and lens… up to 600 mm. Even when they are very busy they seem to find time to accommodate all levels of customers whether you are pro or beginner.
The consumer level, pro level, video or rental department all have such a positive view towards the customers, it is a pleasure to be considered an import part customer at this store.
The photofinishing dept. has never let me down once and I have given them some unbelievable problems to solve. They have always been able to come up with exactly what I need to work for me.
I take pride in the fact that they make me feel like I am part of the Vistek family.
Thank you to all the staff!

This is a good place to go to for professional advice and equipment. For lower end hobbyist/​consumer grade stuff make sure to get them to price match The Camera Store because they’re usually cheaper. For almost everything you can say «It’s cheaper at The Camera Store» and they won’t bat an eye and match it quickly with zero fuss.
As for professional equipment the guys that work their pro counter are more knowledgeable than most of The Camera Store’s staff. They’re not biased towards brands which is very important in my opinion. Nobody wants to be told that the reason they’re having problems is because they invested $ 8k in canon or because they invested $k in Nikon or something silly like that.
If you’re interested in digital MF I think these guys really stand out. Every single one of their pro counter guys are knowledgeable in this regard compared to only about 1 or 2 staff members at The Camera Store being knowledgeable enough to answer serious questions about a MF workflow.
Do keep in mind if an obscure item’s not in stock it’s going to take bloody forever for them to get it. They order it through their Toronto head office and unfortunately all the incoming stock at the head office gets diverted to their toronto locations and the calgary locations get the scraps. But they do stock the regular, important equipment.
Also: NO REFUNDS IF YOU’VE SO MUCH PULLED A LENS OR CAMERA OUT OF IT’S PACKAGING BAGGIE. If you’re an impulse shopper DO NOT SHOP HERE. Shop at best buy or something where they’ll refund your impulse purchase. Keep in mind you can rent equipment before trying it.

After looking for a place to plant my business to supply my photography studio in Airdrie I chose Vistek. I have a personal account rep’ who takes great care of me, knows my name and cares about having my business. There is no other photography business in the country like that.
Where they loose a star is in the fact that they’re too controlled by their headquarters in Toronto and sometimes I think they think we’re a bunch of yokels here in Calgary…

I have always wanted to own a Leica. I decided to take the plunge and looked around for the best place to buy the DLUX point and shoot. I chose Vistek because they seemed to be the best stocked outfit in Calgary and I figured that if they were that large they must be successful and their customer service would be good.
I ended up buying the camera, a tripod and an outrageously priced case that was worth it to protect the investment. I love the camera and the case is brilliantly designed so I haven’t regretted the cost, until the rivet on the clasp broke after about 8 months. I returned to Vistek looking for some help on warranty or some assistance on getting it repaired.
I have never been shut down so fast. I showed the saleswoman the case and before I could even show the receipt or discuss my request I was told, that there is no way it could be covered under warranty, and there is nothing that could be done. I asked why such an expensive case could have a critical part break so easily and got the same response. It was such a strong negative response there wasn’t even room to ask for suggestions on what to do from here, and truly, I just wanted the thing fixed, even if I had to pay, but we never got that far. I concur with previous posts about the arrogance, there was no support, no listening, it was without a doubt the shortest slapdown I have ever received. The whole encounter took about 2 minutes maximum, and I was so taken aback I left before I made the mistake of verbalizing my reaction.
I got the case repaired by a shoemaker for 11 dollars and on the eve of purchasing some video equipment and a large format printing setup, I learned a valuable lesson. Stay away from Vistek West, there are so many other places to shop where the experience will be memorable and enjoyable and the staff is interested in helping.

I agree about the staff comments. For years I dealt with the same person who was always pleasant and helpful. This person left and the people I have subsequently dealt with are unpleasant, I do not shop there anymore. I believe this is a Calgary West problem, I was recently in the Vistek Edmonton store, it was busy (Boxing Week) and the receptionist helped me. She was more pleasant and helpful than anyone I have met in any Calgary camera store in recent memory.
To Jason F, I don’t know if this make you feel any better But I have purchased $ 5000 stuff at Vistek and get treated poorly. Apparently they look down on everyone.

I’ll be honest: I didn’t always used to be a fan of Vistek. I used to find them very arrogant and high pressure every time I used to visit. But I’ve learned over time that it isn’t all the staff, just a few. I know this because I’ve visited this particular location many times now. So I’ve slowly become a fan, although for a while, I had a preference to shop at their on-​line store instead of their local presence, just to avoid dealing with their staff.
I’ll hand it to Vistek: No one rivals them for sheer selection of photo and video equipment in Canada. I’d even daresay they (possibly even more-​so than Henry’s in Ontario) are the closest thing Canada has to a B&H Photo and Video store in Canada, at least in terms of product selection. Close, but not quite, and definitely not as cheap.
Their everyday pricing is a little bit on the high side, but when they have sales, they’re comparable or even sometimes cheaper than the competition (they’re nowhere near as cheap as their US counterparts, but that’s true in many industries). If you do find pricing cheaper elsewhere, either locally, or on-​line (even from stores in other provinces), you may be able to get a price match in store. I’ve been successful on getting a price match on some lenses against stores in Ontario, but they always had to check with the manager first, so your millage may vary. Their price match policy isn’t like Staples or Best Buy where you show proof of the lower price (and if they need to, verify stock at the competition), then the front-​line staff are authorized to give it to you. So if you’re looking for a price match, you may need to prepare yourself mentally.
Vistek is the exclusive Canadian reseller of Benro/​Induro equipment, so if you’re looking to purchase items from those product lines, Vistek is the only place you’ll be able to find them, at least in Canada. For a while, they were also the only source for Lastolite lighting products in the city as well.
To Vistek’s credit, they seem to stock new items and accessories faster than their competition; I suspect this is because they have a national presence and thus are able to source product faster or easier.
I’ve purchased many things over the last year from Vistek, including camera bags, lenses, microphones and an ENG kit, tripods and monopods, and various other photo and video accessories, either because they were the only ones in the city stocking it, or they had the lowest price or most comparable price compared to other stores on-​line, especially with shipping factored in.
Anyways, if you’re looking for a particular piece of photography or videography equipment, chances are that Vistek carries it.

while *some* staff are knowledgeable, there’s an arrogance common to all areas of this store. I can’t afford a $ 5000 camera so they look down on you. They treated my wife very poorly and have lost our business. The Camera Store is so superior that I’m sorry I ever spent any money at Vistek.