Precision Camera & Video

08/08/2008 Posted by annabellesmith

Do not bring your camera here for repair. Send it to an authorized repair center even if you have to mail it off. You will get more info about what is going on with your camera/equipment. I took my Nikon D70 to Precision for a check over before an important shoot. They charged me 50 bucks to tell me my camera was fine. Unfortunately very shortly after the 50 dollar check over my camera manifested a memory problem during a time when I was shooting professionally. It was a problem that had happened intermittently before and I know was going on for a while so they should have caught it. Also when I called them about the problem the person in repair said that they had never heard of the type of problem I was having. The authorized repair place knew right off what the problem might be. Later I sent my cameras to an authorized repair center and they saw the problem immediately and fixed it along with a few other maintenance things that were never mentioned at Precision. When I went back to Precision to find out what they had actually done for 50 dollars they were pathetic in their response. The person in charge basically blew me off. Im just saying, don't go to their repair department cause they don't know that much about repair.

08/07/2008 Posted by mrhea

I have been a Precision Camera customer for several years. From sales to supplies, I have had nothing but excellent customer service from the company. Our rep, Jon Leatherwood, is never pushy, but always helpful and bends over backward to provide all of the data and comparisons I need to make an informed decision. Knowing I am not much of a photographer, Jon is very patient and always goes that extra mile to explain things to me. I find their prices to be very competitive...........and Elsa could not be nicer or more helpful when ordering supplies--her suggestions have saved my company a lot of money. Logistically, shopping in the Dallas/Fort Worth area would be much more convenient, but changing suppliers is not even a consideration. I hope those who have had negative experiences will go back and try them again.

Pros: Excellent professional staff

Cons: none

07/08/2008 Posted by saidagive

I saw a few negative reviews and I wanted to weigh in. Precision is a great place to buy all things photography. Don't go on Saturday afternoon...the customer spike makes it impossible for the more than adequate staff to fully satisfy you. I will only go early Saturday or late Sunday if I have to go on the weekend. Try trading places with those guys behind the counter. Did you notice while you were waiting that they are bombarded one after the other with customer after customer? That is a tough thing to do non-stop. Do you think you would notice who was "next?" I have lived in Austin off and on since 1989 and I bought a powerwinder for my Nikon FA from Precision when they were on Guadalupe. I always considered myself a Camera Exchange (Houston) guy since I started in photograpy back in 1981. Since jumping back in this year I am a loyal Precision fan. David is my salesperson. I only buy from him. Most of his coworkers know I will wait for him. They have all been realy helpfull while I waited but I am loyal. I have spent a lot of money and I get the same service whether I am spending $2000 or $20. From the classes to the showroom they create an educational and friendly environment for the professional down to the enthusiast. I don't know anywhere else in town you can get products and service like this.

Pros: photographers selling to photographers

Cons: coverage during weekend spikes of customers

02/10/2008 Posted by austinaggie96

After reading several negative reviews online, we debated even going into Precision. However, we're glad we did. The salesperson who helped us was extremely knowledgable, and he went out of his way to answer all of our questions (we had a lot). We spent well over an hour in the store on our initial vist (we even had our seven-month-old baby with us), and every salesperson we came in contact with was very nice. We ended up going to the store twice that day, and we're headed back this week. The store is well-stocked, and the people were great.

Pros: Staff and stock

Cons: Parking

11/20/2007 Posted by lucwheels

Elsa Gomez, assisted us in the purchase of a digital Olympus SLR camera, and she handled our shopping experience perfectly. I appreciated her service on two levels. Firstly, speaking as a customer, she listened to our needs, and found the product best suited to them. I was impressed with her knowledge of the product. Also, my fiancée, who will be the primary user, was initially very intimidated by the camera and Elsa did a great job of simplifying it so that she understood its features and benefits. Furthermore, we both felt OK, spending several hundred dollars more than we had initially intended, because we saw the value and felt we were being treated well and fairly. On a different level, as a salesperson, I must extend great compliments to Elsa, for qualifying the customer, picking the right product, and giving a great presentation. I was unable to find a good objection that Elsa could not overcome. We bought the camera from her on the spot, on what I can assure you was purely a research trip.

Pros: good products, excellent staff, good value

08/23/2007 Posted by dicesquirrel

While Precision Camera may not have the cut-rate, bargain-basement prices of an online retailer like B&H or Adorama, or their vast warehouse inventory, they make up for it with their fantastic employees, wide selection of photographic services, and "if we don't have it, we'll find it for you" mentality. Whenever I need something right away, they're the first place I turn to. If I have any strange, obscure questions that would take days to find a reliable answer to online, I'm guaranteed to find at least one salesperson at Precision who can rattle on about the subject for hours. Nothing gets past these guys. Whether it's a quick diagnosis of a camera problem, a question about IR photography, or the subtleties between Velvia 100 and Velvia 100F, I've never stopped by Precision and NOT found an answer. The other most telling part of their customer service is that it doesn't end once they get their commission from the sale. Quite the contrary in fact, if anything the service and level of attention you receive increases, and they'll help you out with every detail of your new equipment. They truly value their customers, and truly have a passion for photography.

Pros: Service, inventory, repair, personal attention, excellent used equipment.

Cons: No inhouse black & white processing, only C41 and E6. Everything else goes to Holland Photo. Quicker to take it to Holland yourself.

08/22/2007 Posted by jolenwj

Recently I was looking into purchasing some video equipment for the City of Cedar Park and had to get several quotes from local businesses. I found your company online and decided to email you guys for a quote. Jim Walters received my information and within the hour had called me to discuss what I was looking for. He was a professional from the beginning and throughout the 3 weeks it took to finalize the deal. Every time I had a question or concern Jim was there. I can't say the same for ALL of the other companies I dealt with during this process. It was his customer service that won our business. Other businesses were not as quick, while Jim would have the revised quotes to me within the hour (usually a matter of a few minutes). When we finalized the deal he let me know that he was going to be out that day but I could deal with Chris Paine. Chris too was great to deal with. Very helpful and knowledgeable. It was really refreshing to be on the receiving end of such professionalism every time I called or came in. It made it easy to spend that $5000.00. You guys have a top notch store over there and I look forward to working with these guys again.

08/21/2007 Posted by moneymeg

I went to Precision Camera to buy a low end camcorder. I was worried that I would be wasting their time, but if I was, you would never know it. Actually, I was made to feel as though I were the most valuable customer they had! Since having bought my camcorder, I have recommended them to everyone who has stood still long enough to listen. I look forward to buying our next digital camera there, as well!

Pros: Options that fit many budgets

Cons: Parking is a pain

08/20/2007 Posted by jrider

I went in to this store to just look around. I was approached right away and was shown some cameras. The salesman listened to me, and suggested a few options. Well 30 minutes later, I was walking out with a brand new camera. What a great experience. I highly recommend this store. Jake

Pros: Very nice staff, clean store

08/13/2007 Posted by sadiaz

Great website cannot make up for terrible customer service. I just left there and purchased more than $2000 worth of equipment elsewhere. A black gentleman and I were waiting for over 10 minutes at the counter. John (?) (from Louisiana) or something like that ,ignored us and went to the next White customer. Unfortunately that customer had just shown up, while we had been waiting. I just turned around and left. I was caught by a woman who worked there and asked for help. Another mistake since she was not at all knowledgeable and very curt. Never again!

Pros: Great website, clean store, rentals

Cons: Poor customer service, poor selection basic equipment, overpriced