Vistek

Terrible! My second time back at vistek to purchase a $ 3000 + camera and all the sales people seem disinterested in helping you and always on the phone!
I was told to see Jim to pick up my reserved camera body, after being given to run around the store I found out I could not simply purchase the camera without him there as it would result in Jim’s loss in commission. Seriously? The buyer needs to wait for the store clerk to spend their own money. Utterly ridiculous!
Go to Henrys, polite and will price match anything vistek has to offer. Most importantly, you’re not left to stand around while the sales staff take calls.

I don’t know why I keep venturing into this place. Their service is the pits and most of their sales people are rude and look down on you. They all seem too busy looking at their computers. Over the years I have spent thousands of dollars here, but no more. Henrys and Downtown Camera are just down the street, their prices are better and they are polite to their customers. They treat all of their customers with respect and when leave you are happy with your shopping experience. When you shop at Vistek you just get pissed off.

I purchased a charger for my camera and they special ordered it in from Canon. In the meantime though, I found mine and when I finally came in to the store to talk to them about it 3 months late they gave me a refund. They didn’t have to do that, and it caused them some work, trying to get their system to accept the return, but they did it, and they were very gracious. I was really impressed with their service and would go back again in a second.

The complete and utter arrogance of this place is place is beyond staggering. Once loyal despite living on the opposite end of the city and having a Henry’s around the corner this was my go to. To be honest if I’m showing up to your location with 2K in pocket for an «L» lens I would appreciate a bit more than being ignored and looked over. No longer on my radar for digital gear it would seem by the reviews I’m not the only one nor has much changed with this location. Shame as there was always the assurance that they would have what I needed.

Absolute shit-​show. I recently had a big shoot in Toronto, during TIFF. (I do high end celebrity portrait work) Canada makes it rather difficult to fly gear in, so I rent everything local. We had a minor/​easily resolved issue with them the previous year, but not big deal. They had our info on file, so we decided to go through them again this year. After confirming my order, only one pack needed to be substituted. Again, no big deal.
About 36 hours before flying out, I find out that they only can get me 1 sandbag (of 8) and NO C Stands (of 6). «Well, there was a miscommunication, and they went out on another order. Sorry.» «Why don’t you sub-​rent?» (common practice) «We don’t really do that». NO attempt to fix the situation. «Yeah… I’d be really mad, if I were you.» Yup… he said that.
I figure a work around, and get the set built. While they were nice enough to include a battery charger with the pocket wizard that i ordered, they didn’t include the cable to hook it to the pack. Thankfully, I carry a few Wein slaves, so a workaround was made. Money down the drain on the rental though.
We requested delivery/​pickup of gear, given our flight schedule/​their hours. They subbed the job out to a courier. Expensive, but whatever. CODB. I packed the gear, personally, and I know for a fact that everything left with the courier. That evening, I get a call from Vistek, stating that the Pocket Wizard never came back, and they are holding the deposit «until it turns up». Again, this is something that left with the courier, and most likely fell off of his cart, as he made his way to the van. Vistek’s response: «Well, we use that courier a lot, and THEY are trustworthy.» (Are you fucking kidding me??) This is about where I started to come unglued, and berated them for what a shit-​show the whole experience had been. Told them they had dropped the ball on some really basic stuff, and the response: «Well, we’re really more of a pro-​sumer shop» Can you get any more apathetic?
In the end, we had to pay to «replace» a pocket wizard that we didn’t even get to use. From what I’m told, the video crew that we worked with had a similar experience. I will NEVER give them my business again, and I will share this experience with every working photographer/​producer that I know.

After being a customer for a number of years at Vistek, and this is unfortunate because the stock that Vistek has is impressive, I moved over to a Henry’s camera and what a world of difference when it comes to personalized customer service!
The fact staff at Vistek tend to be a bit snooty, a bit «you’re not a professional, what are your YOU doing on this floor?» I felt that unless I pulled out a wad of cash literally out of my pocket, I’d get zero attention.
Again, great stock on all things photographic, but their demeanor to customers, as ice read in other reviews on Vistek is that their service is lacking, the sales people generally indifferent to questions and that really sets them back as not being in the same league at all as some other major downtown camera stores (ie. Henry’s, Downtown Camera, etc.)
Stay to browse, but be prepared to be generally isolated from any direct help because of their assumptions that you are just a complete amateur photographer, not worth their time on the sales floor while I’ve noticed the majority of them doing nothing except standing and talking amongst themselves, even if it’s obvious you need help or want to ask questions.
One great thing — Good stock of all kinds of wonderful specialized printer papers (Canson, Epson, etc.) and background papers sold by the role, that are hard to find anywhere else, is one of their rare saving graces.

Spent $ 25,000 and they wouldn’t give me a bolt that was missing from a pocket dolly I bought. They told me a Kinoflo light set had bulbs and it didn’t. I asked for help and they told me to go to a hardware store. I asked for a part for my pocket dolly and they took it off a demo and charged me a made up price for it… Very bizarre!
Went with their «Expert» advice and was called an amateur and I ended up getting burnt on my purchase. Worst experience of my life. Even though were are a high profile client they are willing to piss that away for $ 30. I am building a studio and will NOT purchase from them.

I have been in this shop a few times and bought some camera bags from them before my last vacation. On that visit I received good service but only as the store was closing. My experience there has typically been to be ignored. Sales stay behind the counters and are generally busy with customers, especially on weekends.
I feel like most novices would be very intimidated here.
In terms of selection, they have everything that the other guys carry and quite a bit more, especially at the higher end. Between all of the floors, this is the kind of place that sells gear for post too – I think they offer extensive printing and computer services.
Their used equipment, at least for Nikon, was good but perhaps no better than elsewhere in the city. Prices for a few things I looked at were good.
In general, prices have always seemed a little bit higher but not dramatically so. They advertise a bit and seem to cater to pros and people not on the strictest budgets.
Recommended – but mostly if you need something that nobody else has and do not want to mess with buying online. Most hobbyists would be better served at Downtown Camera, especially if you are just getting into photography or moving on from the basics.

On a recent photo /​adventure trip to Africa, I had my camera stolen my very first day .
But no worries, Vistek to the rescue! Within 48 hours Vistek had a new system delivered to me in Addis Ababa.
This is why i have been a loyal customer of Vistek since they first opened .
This unparalleled service to resolve my emergency situation, the knowledgeable staff, their genuine concern to resolve my problem, and fabulous professionalism is why I will remain a loyal Vistek customer

Dustin, the onsite Mac guy in the repairs department, gets five stars for diagnosing, repairing and getting Apple to pay for the replacement of my faulty hard drive (something I hadn’t been able to do despite numerous calls over a three year period and paid phone assistance with Apple).
Professional, helpful, problem solved — for which I am eternally grateful.
Also in the repair department, sensor cleaning while you wait.
I also like the rentals department for lenses.
Yes, there are shy middle age guys that seem unapproachable on the sales floor, but if you get their attention, they’ll help you with what you want or need and they seem to know their stuff.

There is no doubt that this store carries some great products. Unfortunately the staff is pretty snobby and unhelpful. I went in to buy a camera and the salesperson was really snarky and condescending. No doubt I don’t know as much about photography as he does but that’s really not the way to treat customers. The whole time the salesman was talking to me he was presenting himself like a professional photographer but as I began to ask more specific questions about the camera I began to realize that he really didn’t know what he was talking about and finally he admitted he hadn’t used his camera for over a year!

The snobbery continues at this camera store and it is so annoying. If you venture to the the top floor looking to buy something it so obvious that you will be ignored. I don’t understand how these sales guys still have jobs. You pass by three sales consultants who are busy on the telephone or doing their income tax or texting their friends that it is like you are invisible. I even was planning to try to steal something or knock a light stand over after making positive eye contact in order to get some interest.
However, there is a bright light and it is Alexandre Ulleri who is a down right honest and helpful sales consultant. Ask for him!
Eventually the other clowns will catch on that when you walk in and spend $ 4200 with Alexandre that they maybe should have asked «can i help you?»
When I buy my $ 7kProfoto kit it will be from B&H.
The problem stems that they have pretty much the monopoly on pro brands that they cannot be bought elsewhere so that allows them the right to be arrogant and rude to their customers.
The Mississauga store is way better… they love their jobs, they love photography and it shows.
If I am paying list price the least they can do is be polite, say hello and try to show some genuine interest so I can buy what I need and get out of there quickly.

Bought a product online.
Product received was defective.
Job was fast approaching so I ordered a new product through their online rep in tandem with the defective one being shipped back.
New item arrived to my billing address and not the original shipping address on day of shoot.
Had to go out and buy another item from a different camera store, on the way to the job, since replacement never arrived on time as promised for the shoot.
Sales rep didn’t respond to these issue afters they were brought up.
Sent multiple emails about returning the defective product back. Finally called to get things sorted. Vistek said they would call back… never did.
Sent email requesting notification of when the item would be credited to my visa.
No reply again.
This would have all been sorted out if their actual store accepted online returns BUT they don’t because they are considered separate in vistek’s eyes. How about accept the return, make the client happy, and then work out the paper work amongst your selves.

This business is absolutely terrible in terms of customer service. They are disorganized and individual sales reps make promises and guarantees for services and deliveries that are never communicated to anyone else.
I ordered something online from their store on Friday. I called before placing the order to make sure that their «most items ship in 1 – 2 days!» would apply to this product and was assured that it would. I stressed that we would need the product by the following Wednesday. I placed the order.
I hadn’t heard anything by Tuesday, so I called them and asked for a shipping number. I was told my product hadn’t been shipped and that it would arrive in 3 – 6 business days. I told the representative over the phone that that was unacceptable, as I was guaranteed we would have it in time before I placed my order the Friday before. I had to call two more times before I managed to get someone to ship it with an express Purolator shipment at a charge of over forty dollars. I was peeved about having to get charged through the nose for rush shipping due to their incompetence, but was again guaranteed it would arrive before 5pm the next day, Wednesday, when I needed it for first thing Thursday morning.
The package never arrived, so I called Thursday morning. Apparently my order hadn’t even been shipped until Wednesday evening after 5pm.
Bottom like– the customer service is terrible, their web sales are unreliable, and their telephone representatives are clueless. I would never shop here again.

Wow.
What a bummer this place has such a bad rep for customer service.
THIS STORE IS VERY DOG FRIENDLY!
The stars must have lined up for my visit today, because I had great, attentive service. I went in looking to buy a camera with no budget, with my only request being that it ‘can take photos of my dog running’. (Obviously, I know very little (nothing) about cameras).
I went in expecting not-​so-​awesome service, as in had prowled the reviews on here prior to visiting. So, I was extra attentive to catching the sale customer service/​sales guys’ name …
When I finally got up to the 3^rd floor, where the cameras are, I was quickly greeted by the guy in the fancy camera section (the ones with special lenses and such), and he asked me what I was looking for. That’s when he handed me over to Mike, who’s the go-​to guy for automatic cameras.
Anyways, I wasn’t rushed and Mike explained a few different cameras that fit what I was looking for. I confidently picked a sweet little Sony Cybershot. Mike goes into the back to get it, and comes back empty handed, telling me there are none left and then calls a downstairs to see if they had any … and before i knew it, it was in my hands.
I’m completely confident in my purchase, and I wouldn’t hesitate to return.
Oh, and it was super nice of them not to ask me to leave after they realized my shopping companion (my doberman) had really bad gas!

Wow, can’t believe all the negative reviews here. Thought I would balance it out with my own rating and review of the RENTAL department. Those guys are absolutely stars. My order is always ready for pickup when I need it. They bend over backwards to help with items I need last minute. Once, they even created a new «item» on the system to fulfill a need I had. I might of knocked a star off for long light-​ups Monday mornings and Friday afternoons, but they even run through that pretty efficiently.
Couldn’t be happier.
Having been to Henry’s and B+H (NYC), I don’t think the service is that much worse in the PRO SALES departments. It’s all a matter of finding the right person and establishing a good working relationship with them. Believe me, if you are going to Vistek to buy gear in the PRO department, you are not just going to be there once. Camera gear has a way of sucking you back in.
Plus there is always free parking space in the back.

They’ve got high end stuff that you can’t get elsewhere — and they treat you like they’ve got you over a barrel.
I walked in there with $ 3,000.00 cash in hand to buy a lens and I got spoken to (by the assistant manager) like I was a piece of crap that you would wipe off the bottom of your shoe.
I’ve NEVER been treated that way by ANY other staff at ANY other camera store.
I gave them my money that day after requesting a discount because of their disrespect (and because they had a sale on that took their price below their competition), but they will never get any more of my business (unless they are the ONLY choice).
PS: If you are even thinking about shopping here, PLEASE, do yourself a favor and read all the 1 and 2 star reviews at the bottom of the page under «26 reviews for Vistek that are not currently recommended»

Before purchasing a camera and lens I was told by the clerk that I could rent the same model to test it out. If I decided to buy the camera the cost of the rental would be deducted from the purchase price.
Great! So since this was a several thousand dollar expenditure I decided to do the rental played with the camera a bit and decided I wanted to buy it.
I return to make my purchase and the clerk says NO SORRY you can EITHER get the sale price on the camera OR you can have the rental fee deducted. Either way this was going to add over $ 100 to the cost of the camera.
I had to argue with the clerk, who then went on a long long long phone conversation with the manger, who then told me again no sorry either the sale price or the rental fee waived. I then demanded to speak to the manager personally, and when the clerk called the manager back again and told the manager on the phone this they decided to finally GIVE ME THE THING THEY HAD ORIGINALLY PROMISED ME IN THE FIRST PLACE which was that I could buy the camera at the sale price and waive the cost of the one day rental.
It was so infuriating to me that I had to aruge and argue and argue just to get what they had originally promised me.
If Vistek tells you anything GET IT IN WRITING unless you want to go through a whole lot of grief.
You can generally order everything at Vistek for cheaper from B+H, and even with shipping and customs it’s still cheaper. I would go to Vistek because they’re local, but with customer service like that, why bother.
(On the plus side they have a good selection and their website is intuitive)

I have not been to this «third» floor of snooty people so I cant comment on that but my recent experience with this store has been very good. I needed to borrow a speedlight for an event and I filled out the order form online and within a day as promised they called me to confirm my order (it was very last minute on my part so pleased with that). Only part I found odd was giving my credit card # over the phone to confirm my rental. Personally I think that could have been done over the form… which I feel more secure about since I don’t rly want my number being read by an employee or give it over the phone.
I returned it the day after and I forgot a part at work but they were very nice about it and said I could come back the next day to return it (they’d just have to hold onto my deposit till I do).
Haven’t bought anything from the store part so can’t comment on that but great rental place!

I’ve been ordering from Vistek & Vistek West for years. Best price on many items. Spent almost my entire first small business loan here when I was starting out. That was 10 years ago and I’ve never been disappointed.
Knowledgeable & friendly staff. Totally reliable when it comes to shipping out orders. Nice that they have some rare stuff, like flashtubes that fit my old Swiss made Broncolors.
I have ordered numerous pieces of equipment from them and only once did something arrive broken. A Polaroid back for my Mamiya. Vistek promptly shipped out another Polaroid Back and had me return the broken one at my convenience. Apologized and (can’t remember the arrangement) but I didn’t get stuck paying any shipping costs.
Received a call from them one day. They had seen one of my images that had just won an award and called to congratulate me, make sure I was receiving their catalogue and ask if I needed anything. I know it was a sales call but it was kinda classy in a way too.