I hate Henry’s Waterloo store. Why? Let’s review the security camera footage…
A man walks in, approaches the Canon counter, sets down a camera bag, and waits to be helped. He dinks around with the iMac on the counter for a while. Looks over the lenses behind the counter. Checks his Blackberry. Takes a couple steps over to the studio strobes and look at them for half a minute. Comes back, checks his Blackberry again. Looks at the point-n-shoot cameras in the display case. Checks his Blackberry again. 45 minutes pass in this way. He picks up his camera bag and leaves. Not once in this entire interval did anyone approach him, ask what he wanted, or even glance at him. He was invisible. He seemed accepting of this. Perhaps it’s not the first time he’s had this experience at Henry’s.
Was he a ghost that only the security camera could see? What did he want? Was he just standing there to keep the carpet from curling up? Was he there to buy a $2 pack of lens tissues? Or maybe he was going to drop a couple Gs on another Big White Lens. I guess we’ll never know.
72 responses to “I hate Henry’s Waterloo store”
My sympathies. I find my service varies greatly, and I have to be VERY proactive if I want something resembling a competitive price. I think its most redeeming qualities are (for Waterloo) the selection, and the fact that it’s a large chain. So I tend to buy big things there because I have a warranty that is more likely to be honored in 2.5 years when I need it, and I’ll have choices as to where I can take the device in for service.
But otherwise, I’ve had MUCH better mileage ordering stuff from the US – such as mpex.com. Henry’s couldn’t even come close to their pricing on PocketWizards even after taxes/GST/Shipping/whatever. And the mpex folks were pretty darned smooth about making it all happen – even accommodating my desire for “Expedited UPS Shipping” (the lesser evil of the UPS shipping options… and there’s a rant I’ll spare you.)
For what it’s worth, I’ve been in twice in the last week or so and got good service – but it does vary greatly. Again, my sympathies.
You don’t have to tell me about UPS. Or any of the other 168 people that have commented on it…
http://www.thegatesofdawn.ca/wordpress/posts/2006/12/10/ups-brokerage-fee-class-action/
I do all my Henry’s purchases through a single person. I met this person when I bought my Nikon. I have thier card. I call them and only them with all my questions and purchase requests (lenses, adapters, tripods, lens paper, everything regardless of value). By having a single point of contact, I seem to get better service. When I have to go into the store, I call my guy to make sure he’s there and that he know’s I’m coming in. When I arrive, I simply ask for him and he takes care of me. That’s what a business experience should be. I can’t speak for the Waterloo store, but I know in Ottawa the individual sales by the salespeople are tracked (recorded or commissioned, whatever) so perhaps this is why ‘my guy’ at Henry’s tolerates me.
J.
Hi Jones, we are interested in making a substantial purchase at Henry’s Ottawa. would you be willing to share the name of your guy, t would be much appropriated. Cheers Sara
You think thats bad I was in Henrys today and I wanted to buy some paper. I brought my receipt with me from my purchase at their sister store ( Headshots ) The price at the Henrys downtown location was 20 dollars more expensive than Headshots. I even called Headshots to make sure the price hadn’t gone up since I bought it a few days earlier ( it hadn’t ) I spoke with the manager at the store and she told me that it wasn’t the case. ( she wasn’t even polite about it ) I asked her if as a customer she was telling me that I wasn’t correct.. she said yes….. its soo typical at Henrys. The customer is never right..thats if you can even find someone to help you. Henry’s is a terrible store and the one on Queen st. is particularly bad. The prices their are inflated. Seems strange that made me drive across town to Headshots and made me buy it there instead of just calling them and giving me the lower price. Henrys is filled with people who hate their job… and don’t want to be there…
I always feel small when I leave there. They have my money and I’m not really sure what they sold me. How can I know when the salesperson spends more time watching out for his next victim than answering my questions? Dam commission sales.
Oh that’s disappointing.
Disclaimer: I teach photography at Henry’s School of Imaging. All over the GTA, and I’ll be at the Waterloo store (for the first time) today 1pm-4pm, teaching Canon cameras.
That said: I am a full-time professional photographer and I do not work for Henry’s. The School of Imaging is simply my customer some hours every week: I am not an employee. I have nothing to do with the stores. I am not linked with them, and do not get any commission or anything like that. So I feel I can voice an honest opinion.
And that opinion is: While the behaviour you outline here is unacceptable, it’s rare. I really like Henry’s because the people who work there are all passionate about, and knowledgeable about, photography. They’ll usually happily spend half an hour talking to you about this option or that technique. I find it a pleasure to spend time in the stores.
So I do hope that your experiences were really as rare as I believe them to be. I’d much rather buy at a store where staff are knwoledgeable and passionate than at a bog box store where they know nothing.
Just bought a Canon 7D at the Oakville store yesterday, to add to my 1Ds MkIII and 1D MkIII… now have to go earn that moeny I just spent… 🙂
Sorry to disagree you you Michael but you are a liar. You do work for Henry’s. If you teach for the School of Imaging, you work for Henry’s. The pay check you get is from Henry’s (or correctly, Cranbrook Glen Enterprise). You might be on contract and not full time but do not lie to the people ion this blog and say that you do not work for them. You Do.
Plus, to say you bought a camera the day before from their Oakville store, Who cares. You get Henry’s discount as an employee and got the camera at cost. Stop butter up your pay cheque and tell the truth. Henry’s Camera was once a good store when they only had 2 or 3 location but now that they are the new BIG BOX STORE, their quality sucks.
You’ll likely never see this, but don’t call him a liar. I work for many clients as a photographer, yet I would never say I work FOR them. I’m taking photos for them, but that’s it.
I hear you on that one; however, Henry’s is not the only culprit. Many retail stores have poor customer service. AND the only way to change this is to shop elsewhere. Future Shop is no better and in my experience its sales reps are rude and lack social graces required to be a good sales representative. Customer service is what a sales rep provides; but instead of being of service they are being of greed. Bottom line to them is the $$. Poor customer service is what we complacent Canadians come to expect – now and then you have a squeaky wheel, but that person is lonely and can’t carry the load. Much more power in numbers. Watch out you may become the unwanted and banned customer, like the Tim’s burnt coffee guy.
Micheal, you are wrong and because you a known and a “friend” to Henry’s the staff recognize and treat you well.
If you listen and watch you’ll see most staff are pompous and arrogant. They think they are such great photographers blah blah blah, just about every staff I have talked to can’t answer my questions!
Maybe the stores you frequent are better, but you are wrong to say it is “rare”.
I have sent a message to Henry’s headquarters and have yet to hear back from them regarding an offensive sales person! I feel quite intimidated by this sales person, he’s turned agressive ever since I returned a big purchase he processed.
This is the email I sent to the info@ adress.
I don’t usually take time to write email to complain , BUT ENOUGH IS ENOUGH !
I walked in the Waterloo location 2 weeks ago , to be ignored for over 30 minutes by 2 staff “chit chatting” about facebook ,weather,etc….That is until Ron Hewson showed up and noticed that I existed and that I might need help..
Not only did Ron help me , he answer all question I had and even had a few tips on Microphone input for prosumer Camcorders. Ron should get a medal and raise !
So tonight I returned to the store hoping that Ron would be working ,but no dice … We turn our attention to a customer service representative with red hair that insisted on looking down.
She did NOT greet or acknowledge us ,she was about 4 feet away….SAD !!!!
The Camcorder in question is the Canon HFS 100 , when I walked in the Waterloo location 2 weeks ago that Camcorder was $749 , speaking to my girlfriend
I expressed that the camera is now $999 , staff member “DEAN ” finally acknowledge that we are present and told us (Sarcastically) that
” STUFF GOES ON SPECIAL SOMETIMES DUDE” while walking away….. ( Please note that as a consumer I do grasp the basics of promotions)
1. I was not speaking to your employee at that time .I was speaking to my girlfriend. (sarcasm was not required nor wanted)
2. The red haired employee (had a grey shirt ,store manager ?!?!) heard the comment made by Dean and seemed amused.
3. Once again received no greeting by ANY of your staff….(please note that my girlfriend and I we’re the only customers in the store at that time)
I wanted nothing to do with Future Shop / best buy (Big box stores) , I would rather encourage local specialized businesses such as yourself.
I know that your company takes pride in over 100 years of service ,I truly hope this not the new standard your are implementing store wide.
This absolutely is un-acceptable to us , I was hopping that this was one of those Hidden camera shows, where everyone starts laughing because its a joke…
Un-fortunately it was not , and the only joke was the customer service provided at your Waterloo location.
thank you for your time and consideration.
Big fat guy at the Waterloo store is a jackass. Made my wife feel like an idiot.
I’ve been going to the W’loo store for at least 6 years – seldom get the time of day and nobody knows me. Bought 2 DSLRS, some white lenses, bags, gear etc.
But there is nowhere else to go. They have selection and a place to set up shop. If that is all you need you won’t be disappointed.
Kijjiji has better service.
I don’t get it? Doesn’t anybody own that store?
Try CameraCanada.ca
You can order online, or go to their store in London ON
I’ve only been in there a couple of times and found it unlikable; seemed like a hobby-business owned and patronized by the same bunch of in-laws, distant cousins and old friends from high school. Folksy, if you like that kind of thing.
Anyway, the time has come for me to make the leap and spend a couple of grand on a nice Nikon. Having seen in the reviews above that my personal perception of Henry’s in Waterloo is shared by dozens of patrons over the last two years *at least,* it looks like I’ll be taking my brown bills elsewhere.
Thanks for the feedback, all!
I have had great experiences with BJ Photo in Waterloo – prices are competitive with websites, and they have a good selection.
So this person walked into a store and just stood there waiting for someone to come up to him instead of actually asking for assistance? Heaven forbid a store let someone just browse in peace until they talk to a salesperson, oh lawdy Henry’s sure must suck!
Dumbass.
“Heaven forbid a store let someone just browse in peace until they talk to a salesperson,” obviously this fictitious person you speak of, in your own words said “just stood there waiting for someone to come” therefor he was not browsing but he indeed was in fact waiting to be acknowledged. That said most commission based sales representatives usually upon entry will/should ask “can I help you or be of service?” Where as the potential costumer might respond by saying “yes, you may” or “NO, I’m only browsing at the moment.” See, the difference on the one hand the sale-rep is being proactive in getting a sale and on the other he has acknowledged the customers presence and left him alone to do hio.
@fsdgryh:
Your sarcasm would be better placed where there weren’t TEN CORROBORATING COMPLAINTS following the one you lambaste with reckless, ill-bred and foul-mouthed ire. In fact, it is the very recklessness of your retort, the way you don’t seem to care enough to consider the problem in carefully, that makes me wonder if you “work” there.
Listen, I’m glad to live in a place where shallow, shit-talkin’ good ‘ol boys like you can find solace in each others’ company through the facade of retail camera sales; but why leave the place open to the public? Wouldn’t it be easier for you to make it official and hang a “members only” sign on the door?
Hi . I live in cambridge. I have done the majority of photo shopping at henrys in Cambridge. The sales people are nothing but helpfull and friendly .A couple of times I have had to return items and they did what they could. A user friendly store for sure. i would rate them a 9 or more out of 10.
Just a quick follow up on the email I sent to them back in June. So I did receive an email 3 days later and I honestly suspect that the girl that ignored us and that was amused by DEAN the dickhead was the store manager and the person that replied to my email….(Could see that my email was forwarded internally to 3 people before getting to her)
Anyways the email I got back from them said to maybe deal with Ron next time I come in…. WTF ????? I wish they would simply CLOSED that location before they insult or piss off more consumers…
Dean if you ever read this YOU ARE A DOUCHEBAG ! and Ron if you ever read this thanks for your help you were brilliant !
This is a great find !!!!!, I think I will buy my new camcorder online…thanks folks
Wow, I didn’t realise I wasn’t the only person with this experience at the Waterloo location. This has happened to me at least twice. At any rate, I don’t go there anymore; there are enough other places in town to buy cameras and supplies.
Not sure what’s up…I’ve shopped at Henry’s for years. I bought all of my equipment from them, and from multiple locations (not just the Waterloo store). I’ve been treated with nothing but respect at all locations. Numerous family members of mine found the same thing. You guys just must be one of those “high-maintenance” customers, that expect royalty treatment. If that’s the case, no wonder you got treated like crap! You deserve it!
B&H Photo in NY is excellent — wife got me a 70-200 for Christmas and it was $400 cheaper even after shipping and duty+taxes. Now B&H have a dedicated Purolator (not UPS or FedEx with their crazy brokerage) that precomputes and includes duty into your order, it’s even better because you can see how great the prices are. The warranty thing might be an issue, but I’m not sure how much since I know many people order via the US.
Definitely recommend that over the local Henry’s — better selection, almost as fast, and saves hundreds of $$.
This is very interesting to me. I went to Henry’s Waterloo recently for the first time. I only went to that location because I needed to exchange a gift that had been purchased there. While I did eventually get good and friendly service from one fellow (don’t know his name), I found it odd how long it took to get someone’s attention. When I entered the store, I walked right up to the Canon counter, but no one came over. I looked over to the back corner, where all the staff seemed to be congregated and chatting. I finally walked back to where they were, and at first they all seemed unwilling to stop their casual conversation. Finally the one guy looked up long enough to ask if I needed something. I certainly wouldn’t get away with that where I work!
My father had purchased from the Queen street location for many years, and I have bought three cameras and accessories from the Waterloo store since moving to Waterloo.
In each case, I was approached within 5 minutes of arriving in the door, and had courteous service. Too this, the camera I bought yesterday was the LOWEST price in North America I could find. Not even the USA prices were as low. Granted, our dollar value is higher these days, so that may have something to do with it. I expected them to be a little higher than the big box stores, but they were $20 cheaper.
So, kind of sad to see the experiences posted here, as I haven’t had them at Henrys. And yes, I suppose I do expect a bit of camera snobbery going into specialty shops. I bought cheaper gear and was still treated with respect. However, that doesn’t remove human factor from any location. Perhaps they’ve had their share of bad eggs working at the store or still do.
Well, this all sounds discouraging! But as l am going there today because it was recommended by 3 other stores that do not carry the parts l need. (will make sure l lookup other places to visit as l am from out of town)l will let you know how I did with service.
I have to chime in here about Ron. I highly recommend him and refuse to deal with anybody but him. He knows what he’s talking about, he doesn’t pressure you and he’s a pleasure to deal with. He never rushes me out of the store. Anytime I am planning a trip to the store I call ahead to check his work schedule. Ron rocks.
wow -i’m glad I saw these comments – and hear that many others thought Henry’s staff are not good. I wondered if it was just that one girl but for sure now I won’t go back.
Thank you.
I’ve dealt with dean many times and he’s actually saved me money and time. I know he’s a local photographer and he knows his shit. I’ve tried dealing with others and havent been nearly as successful.
I deal with one of two people period…. Dean or Ron.
Two examples: First time going into the Store dean approached my gf and i and and told us he would or someone else would be right with us.
My gf had to take a pee right bad…I asked if their was a bathroom she could use, and he said “were not supposed to let customers in it…but yeah follow me” And the store was pretty busy and he was already with someone. Having worked retail in a previous life, that was a solid move and that gained my respect right off the bat.
Second example different occasion:
-dean remembered my Nikon purchase from a year previous and asked how it was working. He then asked if i needed to use the bathroom. I thought it was funny and again his way of remembering me and being funny (his style for sure) I told him i was having a lens issue and he showed me that my aperture ring wasn’t locked and didnt make me feel stupid about it. I wasnt rushed or pressured into buying anything.
So at the end of the day i love these public blogs but really, maybe some people have too much time on their hands. I say Dean or Ron any day, they know their stuff and each are characters!!
My gf and I are actually considering asking dean to shoot our wedding. He did her cousins wedding and he was hilarious and the photos were sick. (my gf was the maid of honor)
Kristian
More recently..
I called Henry’s Waterloo last night about getting some old slides converted into digital format and the guy says “yeah sure, it will cost you [X] for each one.” I think, “that sounds about right”, and I head over after work today… When I get there, the girl says, “they cost [2X] each.” I say, “the guy on the phone last night said they would cost only [X] !?”
She walks away and interrupts another sales clerk who just stops talking to his customers (who both glare at me). The two clerks have a quiet little chat, after which the girl gets out a binder and brings it over to me. She says, “they cost [2X-10.5%].”
I’m thinking, “I drive all the way out here and find I’ve been lied to twice.” I say, “I think I’m going to shop around a bit first…maybe look into an attachment for my scanner…” She says, “a scanner will cost you around two hundred dollars.”
Dean’s fucking phenomenal, he knows his shit and he won’t waste time trying to get you to buy stupid junk you don’t need.
SEB…feel free to leave your conct information 🙂
Contact
For great prices, check out
http://www.photoprices.ca
They list a lot of different camera store prices (including US) for you to compare and shop.
Since, we do not have a lot of good camera store out there, you will have to do you homework.
School of Imaging is still Henry’s and probably not a reliable source, but try other school that might be able to help you with your questions.
It really depends on the person not all the employees in general. The first time I went into the Cambridge location, my mum and I were treated really well by the employees so naturally we went back. The second time, we were the only customers in the store and we weren’t even greeted by any of the employees. This was shocking to me, even at the age of 16, because employees are expected to at least greet the customer and ask if they need any help. That’s workplace etiquette. Unfortunately, the lovely employees who were there the first time, weren’t there the second time. As Henry’s is the only place I have easy access to to buy my camera accessories I keep returning hoping those friendly employees.
Two of the most helpful and knowledgeable adult staff were let go earlier this year and replaced with young dipsticks. Ridiculous!
hoping those friendly employees will return as well.
I have had nothing but terrible experiences at Henrys Waterloo.
My biggest complaint is about an older guy (to narrow it down, he has a lazy eye). He is condescending, not helpful and cold as ice. Henrys Waterloo needs to higher some young passionate photographers who actually enjoy educating people on photography.
That’s Ron, and he is absolutely the most helpful, useful guy in Henrys in Waterloo. I come in relatively often, buying everything from paper and ink for my printer to accessories for my camera, and have had nothing but good experiences with all the staff.
Also, Henrys price matches any reputable store (e.g. Vistek), so their prices are almost always competitive.
Stumbling on this blog is almost weird – I can only say my experience has been the diametric opposite of the majority of posters.
I bought a couple of cameras and a few lenses at the Henry’s in Windsor until I realized that a couple of the staff members were actually laughing at me for being an easy mark for buying so much stuff from them. Apparently they think that they themselves are the only ones talented enough to buy and use quality equipment and the rest of us should stick with entry level gear.
I walked into Henrys and after waiting several minutes was asked if I needed help. I asked questions regarding the Sony A77 and received rather inadequate info from the clerk who knew nothing about it and when she tried to demo it to me she couldn’t even get it to take a picture. My 17 yr old daughter was with me. After a lengthy sales pitch for the warranty (which I mentioned up front and several times throughout the conversation that I never buy warranty) I told the clerk that I would consider purchasing the camera after discussing it with my wife. She then asked me if my daughter who was standing next to me, was “the wife” to which I replied, “no, but we are pretty close. ” My daughter was mortified (I’m 42). The clerk tried to act like it didn’t phase her but her face turned red. We had a good laugh when we left the store. I did buy the camera without extra warranty from Henrys online though when they had their boxing day sales. I’ve never had great success at the store though.
I stopped going to Henry’s years ago for many of the reasons stated by so many of you here. I too made a very large purchase and often returned to the store only to be ignored and left feeling that no one knew me or was interested in providing service. I make and have made 90% of my purchases over the years locally at BJ Photo on Philip St. and BH Photo Video in New York. I have never had bad service from our local retailer BJ Photo and to their benefit and mine I have established a long professional working relationship over the years. To me this is how it should be and I would never spend another dollar within a store who has no interest in you other then your money.
after reading this im never going to buy from henrys overpriced and bad service. you know ordering from the states even with duty fees is still cheaper than henrys, or try out the other camera stores like bj photos
I used to run a small chain of prosumer photo stores in London. I can only comment on the Henry’s in Waterloo but this has been my experience.
1. They never return emails to their store – Never
2. They seldom return calls to their store – Never
3. If you go in the store and one of their staff knows you, you may get service.
4. If you happen to get Leigh or Dean you’re in very good hands. If not, well, your not.
5. If you order something and they tell you they’ll call you when it’s in.. well, you’d better call, often. Even if you pre-pay for the item (special order).
6. I once asked about flash triggers – I won’t tell you who, but someone who is normally very helpful was so into eBay at that moment (actually checking their eBay items while talking with me) that they told me to find something on eBay. Perhaps good advice, but not great business.
My opinion is that this store does very well due to the affluent community and it’s good location without the management and staff needing to work too hard. I’d up their targets and do a bit of anonymous shopping to separate the good from the bad. I’d also let the current store manager go, immediately, and replace them with someone who’s hungry.
I buy most of my stuff through B&H these days. I used to shop a lot at Henry’s and Vistek so I could see before I buy. B&H has fantastic service and the best prices most of the time, and unlike Henry’s I don’t leave feeling small or angry so it’s a no brainer.
It’s a shame Henry’s went downhill like that, they used to be my favorite store and have spent many thousands there over the years. I hope they stay afloat for at least 3 more years because I bought the upgrade warranty on the last camera I’ll ever buy there. I dropped 5K on a full frame camera and a bunch accessories and they still treated me like crap. The idiot salesperson tells me after I pay that they have a new policy that sales over 3K are final sale and if there is a problem with my expensive equipment I need to deal with the manufacturer directly. I know this is nonsense but upsetting nonetheless. Damn shame it is!
Used to live and work near the original(?) Henry’s at Queen/Jarvis in Toronto and it was great. Especially for prosumers/camera geeks like me as the pro store tended to be snobish. Moved out here and saw this store open. Thought it would blow away but they are horrible. It’s impossible to get assistance, it’s pointless going in for things like paper and ink. The one time the sales guy had a black eye and kept going on about he got jumped for no good reason. Probably the best selection locally, but unless you need a new lens or SLR, I avoid it. As far as ordering, check out B&H in Manhattan – it’s like Toys-R-Us for photographers (with great service).
Same lack of service at Windsor location. I heard such great things about Henry’s. I picked up my first DSLR used and went there to pick up whatever accessories I might need.
Zero acknowledgement from either of the staff working. Even after walking around the store for 20 minutes checking things out myself and then standing at the counter for 1 minute or two, I was pretty much ignored. It wasn’t busy and I was the only customer when I came in. Started to leave and was thinking maybe I’d get a “Thanks for coming in” or something. Nope.
It was my first and last time there. It’s true, I get better service from Kijiji sellers.
I ended up buying a bunch of stuff from a nice lady at Best Buy who was into photography and was a big help. The prices there were actually better than Henry’s.
I don’t normally say never but NEVER again will I ever purchase ANYTHING from Henry’s. I thought since I was buying from a specialty retailer and not Big Box, service would be better but then this is the rest of the story.
I purchased a Nikon D7100 in June 2013 as a gift from the London, On. South location. Problem occurred with the camera within it’s first few uses and basically I would deem it DOA but because of their policies and I didn’t purchase THEIR EXTENDED WARRANTY this is a manufacturer’s warranty issue and their assistance on this was just as useless. I had to contact Nikon and send directly in order to get prompt service for which Nikon was very forthcoming. In the end Nikon ended up replacing the unit. Now with this new camera, the conspiracy theory that the receiver of this gift has may be true that they sold us a defective and or returned unit for which they denied but shutter counts says it all.
Hello,
My name is Mark Shannon. I am the Social Media Coordinator for Henry’s. I came across this page in a web search, and I’m thankful that I did. As a retailer, our primary goal is (and should always be) to strive for excellent customer service. Anything short of that is unsatisfactory.
Reading through your services experiences here, it seems as though there are things we can learn and places where we can improve. With that said, every comment here is for us an opportunity to improve and to provide a better experience for you – both in our stores and online. Your input matters, so thank you for voicing your concerns.
I would like to extend to you my email address – mshannon@henrys.com – and encourage you to get in touch with me should you have any questions or comments about our service, policies, or anything else I might be able to help you out with. As I mentioned, I’m the Social Media Coordinator, so I may not be able to directly address all topics. However, I am happy to forward your request to the appropriate managers within the company who can help.
Again, thank you for voicing yourselves so openly here. Whether you’re past, present, or future customers of ours, we do appreciate every opportunity to be the camera store you trust.
-Mark
I had a not so comfortable visit recently at Henrys at Northfield / King. I was looking for Canon flash for my 700D with 18-135zoom. The guy at the Henry’s didn’t seem to have enough knowledge about the flash and didn’t even know what the guide number means!
He just wanted to sell me 600EX RT, the top of the line and insisted this is the only flash that is good enough for this entry level camera.
he didn’t know anything about the flash’s remote control. almost anything I asked he had to look on the web to get answer.
Just a couple of observations: I’ve only shopped at the store a few times. I tend to buy gear from US (no warranty unless I return it to the US) or Stratford based Web company. I don’t mind a small price difference but it is often significantly different. Having said that, manufacturers often have “regional pricing” and Canadian retailers get shafted and have to pass that on.(Grey market aside.)
I stumbled on this blog yesterday because I showed up at the store to pick up something on sale that I ahd reserved on line. Store hours were until 6 pm and I was there at 5 pm. I didn’t know if they had closed due to a (not very big) storm coming in or if they’d gone out of business; there was no sign in the entrance door, just the security panels up so I coudl not even see in the store. I expect it closed early because of weather- the nearby mall was nearly deserted too, but a note would have been helpful. So that is my only negative experience other than pricing; I expect higher pricing in a full service bricks and mortar store; no-one works for free, including the landlord.
I’m also struck by the vitriol of some posters here, toward the store (what should you expect on a blog with this title?) and toward other posters. That tells me that some peopel are not taking a blanaced look at some of the issues. I don’t like being ignored but I also don’t like being pressured by salespeople. If I approach a counter, I expect un-engaged staff to talk to me. If one did that and did not get service, that is bad customer service, obviously. I’m just saying that there are two sides to every coin. ANd finally, I saw a couple of references to Henry’s “Queen St. location”. I believe those people are referring to the now defunct Heers camera, not Henry’s. it’s hard to take an argument seriously sometimes if the basic facts are not presented.
To follow up on the store closing thing, I sent my email at 6:15 last night and got an apology reply and offer to hold the item longer, 50 minutes after they opened this morning. I think that’s pretty good.
I read some more of these posts and realized that when I thought people were referring to the “Queen St” location , I thought they meant the Heers on Queen St. in Kitchener. Perhaps they meant Henrys on Queen in Toronto.
I returned to the Henry’s Waterloo Store the next day and wandered around dreaming those dreams guys have when they see a big room full of photo gear. When I walked up to the counter, I was served immediately.
Worst customer service I have ever seen at the Waterloo Store. Stood at the counter for 25 minutes waiting to be served and watched 4 other customers that came in after me get served first. Unbelievably bad service and I will take my business elsewhere.
I found service there to be great years ago. Ron sold me a Nikon F4s back in the days when almost nobody (but pros) dropped $1000+ on a used body. He always seemed to give me great attention after :).
I haven’t been to Waterloo in years and probably over a year with Cambridge. I can recall more than one occasion of waiting at the counter and watching others get served. At 6ft tall and over 200lbs,I don’t think I am that hard to miss.
I wasn’t turned off enough to return but when I see smaller shops with better prices and opinions – I am likely to try them first.
Admittedly most equipment that I have bought has been riskier purchases on eBay and Kijiji. Good luck so far!