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Yes - I did similar recently with my Sony A7IV. Panamoz won't always fully match but they will normally be able to offer a similar price.
Cotswold and Panamoz
- Thread starter phinix
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Interesting how expectations have changed these days with many people wanting the near instant responses from organisations. Part of the Amazon effect where you can order it in your pajamas and it arrives the next day.
They won’t always and it depends on the items. I’m guessing the a7v was going to be reduced anyway( Cotswold is now £80 cheaper than I bought it nearly two weeks ago).
A lot seem to pick Cotswold due to price but I’ve yet to see anyone have issues and have them sort it.. trust pilot reviews weren’t the best and it seem anything needed returned to HK for them to check and then work done.
the website say local, but reviews said otherwise.
I know with panamoz they will send to the uk authorised repairer, well from what I’ve seen and with my own dealings. They even repaired a body I bought from here and the warranty was transferred without question
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So you are happy to wait 4 weeks to get a response to an email?
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Cotswold can definitely be cheaper but their customer service is pretty much non existent. Panamoz customer service is second to none, much better than anyone in the the U.K.
Agreed I’ve had far better dealings with them than Wex and especially Clifton, who tried to deny not just my d800 but any had AF issues.
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I can’t speak for Cotswold but I can say from personal experience, having had to make use of it, that Panamoz customer service is indeed second to none, When I in the market for an R3, they priced within £50 of Cotswold (on request) and I was very happy to pay the small extra amount to be confident that if there were an issue it would be sorted quickly and simply.
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Sure - Panamoz won't always meet the price of Cotswold, but they usually get close. All for the cost of dropping them an email.
Stephen L
I asked a Stupid Question Once...
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Unfortunately only Cotswold could supply what I wanted. Out of stock at all the usual suspects.
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Thanks all….really good to know about price matching between them.
Someone above mentioned WiFi band differences between grey imports and UK purchases…is this a thing?
Someone above mentioned WiFi band differences between grey imports and UK purchases…is this a thing?
I dont think thats anywhere close to what I wroteSo you are happy to wait 4 weeks to get a response to an email?
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When I bought my z6ii, I messaged Panamoz but they could not match the exact amount however they did give me some money off and I ended going with them as I know if I sell the body I could transfer the warranty, and any issues they are very good at resolving the issue
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Quite simply No.
Bulldust : it's fear, uncertainty & doubt.
It simply doesn't make sense for the manufacturer to have multiple variants of the same camera for different countries. If might have been a problem in 2002 but the band the cameras will use is settable in software (I can set the regulatory domain to be Japan and that means I can use channel 14 on 2.4GHz band... Or set it to Europe and not use channel 14 as an example)
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When comparing price, don't forget that Panamoz offer a 3 year warranty against just 1 year from Cotswold!
Panamoz also have unrivalled customer service!
Panamoz also have unrivalled customer service!
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Thats not true. They offer 3 years for both cameras and lenses. Thats why Panamoz will often price match Cotswold as they offer a 3 year warranty. Cotswold also offer a 5 year warranty but have to pay extra.
E-infinity only offer a 1 year warranty and Panamoz often won't price match them (but will normally get fairly close) due to different warranty.
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I had a bad experience with Cotswolds recently. I bought an X100VI from them and when I received it, it was clearly used. There was some slight damage to the base, the split rings were already attached (they're not on new X100's), it had a shutter count of 300 and there were box inserts missing. They took it back and gave me a full refund but it's made me very very wary of buying from them again.
Thanks for sharing, where did you buy it from after that?
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Wex
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I found them difficult to deal with and slow to respond, although issue was resolved eventually. I personally wouldn't want to rely on them for support later on down the line. Some of their Trust Pilot reviews are interesting.
On trust pilot someone else mentioned receiving a used camera as well, the same issue that @snerkler had with them also recently.
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So what I take from this is you purchased something from them, Cotswold like a lot of others are essentially drop shippers, the product wasn't what you expected and they resolved it perfectly by giving you a complete refund. Seems to me that's how I'd want a company to respond when I'm not happy.
I know it's not ideal being that customer who got the dodgy product but they rectified it no questions asked.
I've spent a lot of money with Cotswold and never had any issues.
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You can put whatever spin you want on it, but as far as I'm concerned they tried to pass off a used product as new, which is actually illegal. Even open box unused can't be sold as new.
Edit: for the record I've used them in the past without issue too, but I won't be using them again.
I get the feeling that online retailers have had to up their game as far as customer expectations are concerned. What they can't offer that a physical store can offer they have to make up in other ways. This generally means speed of service and a lot of status information alongside the price. This had then upped the bar as to what customers expect as standards in terms of delivery timescales.
However they do have a 4.9/5 on trustpilot
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If you order a new product wouldn't you expect it be new? Would you be happy to receive a used product?
Absolutely. However selling the occasional used item occured before online retailers. I think the additional faf of having to mail it back and start the process all over (and losing the dopamine hit associated with the excitement of a to-door delivery) coupled with the inability to march into a store, bark and vent at a person detracts from the returns and showing displeasure experience.
I wonder what the ratio of such experiences is with current online sales compared to back-in-the-day when your only option was to buy in store. I also think customer expectations has risen and levels of tolerance has dropped
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He is not the only one that received a used camera according to their Trust Pilot reviews.
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I'm not one to kick and scream so online returns are much easier for me, I don't like 'confrontation'. I can't say I've ever bought a new product from store that was used, not that I'm aware of anyway. I've bought the display models of things before but they've always been upfront about it and knocked money off.
Have you ever had to use their support @Hanley ?
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Thankfully no as everything I purchased was fine
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I've had used items come from Amazon on quite a few occasions, products that should have been new.
It happens but the key is how the retailer deals with it.
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See now you're suggesting intent. I think you and I both know this wasn't deliberate.
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Please don't use made up derogatory Chinese-style names to make your point.
As with a lot of online businesses,you have to accept the site only acts as the agents , the packers ,handlers ,dispatchers in the warehouse are the ones that send you the items , so if someone is trying to make a fast buck by selling returns instead of new it’s hardly the guy in middle englands fault ..
If I went into detail of some of the moves and scams I personally witnessed when I was in the wholesale meat industry then in all honesty you would never want to eat again , and looking at recent news it still goes on . Let’s just say a sell by date is only as good as the date imprinting machine
Moderator note: Edited to remove possible racist content
If I went into detail of some of the moves and scams I personally witnessed when I was in the wholesale meat industry then in all honesty you would never want to eat again , and looking at recent news it still goes on . Let’s just say a sell by date is only as good as the date imprinting machine
Moderator note: Edited to remove possible racist content
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I have mixed feelings with this.
We all know that any webshop gets goods returned for whatever reason. This is 1-3% of the sales depending on the goods (much higher for clothing)
I think that they will ship it out again if the box is still original and if there are no real sings of usage... but of course, this is judged by a low paid warehouse worker.
I know some websites like Coolblue or BOL are selling this as a '2nd chance' with 5-10% discount. That is honest and fair, and you know that the seals might be broken.
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Well I don’t know how/why they wouldn’t know
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From the Cotswold FAQ page:
Are your products brand new and genuine?
Yes, we only sell brand-new, genuine products. Our products are sourced globally and are fully compatible for UK use, including 3-pin UK plugs and English manuals where applicable.
Why is the box sometimes opened before shipping?
We take product quality seriously. That’s why we may open the box to carefully inspect and test the item before it’s sent out. This ensures everything is in perfect working order and matches exactly what you ordered. Rest assured, we only sell brand-new and genuine products.
It could have been a lazy employee who decided not to use gloves but that doesn’t answer the shutter being 300.
Are your products brand new and genuine?
Yes, we only sell brand-new, genuine products. Our products are sourced globally and are fully compatible for UK use, including 3-pin UK plugs and English manuals where applicable.
Why is the box sometimes opened before shipping?
We take product quality seriously. That’s why we may open the box to carefully inspect and test the item before it’s sent out. This ensures everything is in perfect working order and matches exactly what you ordered. Rest assured, we only sell brand-new and genuine products.
It could have been a lazy employee who decided not to use gloves but that doesn’t answer the shutter being 300.
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Yes, it is perfectly normal for a brand-new camera to have a small shutter count. Manufacturers routinely test cameras at the factory for quality control (QC) purposes, which involves firing the shutter several times before the camera is ever packaged. [1, 2, 3]
What is Normal?
A truly "new" camera can range anywhere from 0 to a few hundred actuations straight out of the box. The exact number depends on the manufacturer's QC protocols. [1, 2, 3]
- 0 to 50 clicks: Extremely common for brands like Canon and Nikon.
- 50 to 300+ clicks: Also completely normal, particularly for Olympus, OM System, and some Sony bodies, which often undergo more intensive factory burn-in and calibration
This would suggest even 300 on the OPs camera could be deemed normal, I must admit this isn't something I've ever checked when I've bought a camera.
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The guy at Cotswold Cameras doesn't see, nor touch, the box before it's sent to you. He's the middle man.Well I don’t know how/why they wouldn’t know
Then the product they sold, given that the contract is between you and Cotswold, doesn't meet their own Terms and Conditions. Should be a clear cut send it back for replacement or refund. They are UK based so operate under UK retail law and are subject to the 14 day returns legislation according to Martin - Under UK law, online and distance purchases are covered by a legal "cooling-off period" that allows you to cancel your order for any reason within 14 days of delivery. You then have an additional 14 days to return the items to the retailer for a full refund.
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That’s not what the FAQ says though is it? I’m with you on them being the middle man and only drop shipping their products but it clearly says that they may open the box, so you can’t rule it out.