Cotswold Cameras

At risk of getting judged a fraud as a first poster, I have just taken the plunge and ordered a 7D Mk2 from Cotswold. I have never bought an import before, although I suspect a couple of my ebay lenses for my EOS M3 originated outside of the UK but in those instances I am not really bothered.

Most of my equipment purchases are now through Wex, thanks to some pretty shoddy service and patronising attitudes I had with high street specialists in the past. Indeed I have ordered a Grip and extra battery from Wex for the 7D Mk2 as they are cheaper than from Cotswold.

I thought long and hard about ordering an import because of the Warranty issues. If there is a problem then I would hope that Cotswold will resolve the problem for me. However I am importing with my eyes wide open as to the potential issues and effectively gambling that the huge savings on UK prices will be worth the risk.

If the charger cable comes with a non-uk fig 8 power cable I will swap it with one from my garage. If there is a photocopied manual then who cares, as I will download an electronic copy. If it takes a week/10 days that is fine. If it does not appear Paypal can sort out my money

I hired a 7D Mk2 before buying to test at the Goodwood Revival and BoB Flypast so I am reasonably confident that it exceeds my talent and I will use it for long enough that there will be little residual value in the camera anyway in the distant future when I seek a further upgrade. (this is to replace/add to a 1D Mk3 which has been a faithful servant but is just showing it's now )

I ordered Friday last week so will try and remember to post an update on the experience good or bad.
oh and I better sort an Avatar out at some point or I may be judged as a fraud/spammer.
 
AndyJ2014 said:
oh and I better sort an Avatar out at some point or I may be judged as a fraud/spammer.
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It's not the avatar that matters. It's your contribution to the forum. Welcome, stick around, enjoy.
 
Is it that time of year again?

My, doesn't time fly...
 
StewartR said:
It's not the avatar that matters. It's your contribution to the forum. Welcome, stick around, enjoy.
Click to expand...

Thank you, glad to be here
Still no Avatar but an update on Cotswold Camera and my first import order.
Ordered last Friday evening and despite a few wobbles when my order was still showing as "processing" Wednesday morning, I held my nerve and by Wednesday evening the status changed to despatched and the box arrived Friday morning.
UK plug, manual and menus.
Time to charge the batteries for the grip and then time to play on Sunday

So... Buying experience from Cotswold has been fine. I hope I never need to comment on post sales support
 
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The only issue I had (minor one) was it took about 10 days for them to refund the FedEx invoice for 30 something quid. And the slow email response...
 
Bit early for a FedEx invoice but I am sure it will come
I took the 7D Mk2 out for the first time in anger on Saturday to photograph a National 2 South Rugby match. Borrowed a 400mm F2.8 which was helpful as my team got a battering and rarely got close to the try line at my end.
My impressions of the 7D Mk2 are positive. Hit rate with focus was better than 1D Mk3 and that is before I have really dialled in any adjustments to the Case 4 settings. It was a bright afternoon but so very happy I chose Cotswold.
 
Their terms and conditions state they will refund so yes expecting it to happen once processed and then on their next payment run so I am quite relaxed about it.
 
My final word on this one, Cotswold refunded the custom fees on their next payment run so overall delighted with the buying process and would use them again.
 
I've just 'won' a second hand lens on fleebay from a seller which, after a very quick search, sussed it was a dealer/retailer. The item is declared as second hand but is actually a returned item where the original buyer changed their mind.

Anyway, paid for the item and I've just received a receipt from Cotswold Cameras which then made me slightly nervous as I knew there was a thread in here about this company. So, I'll let you know how I get on.

I have a question though; I now suspect this is a Grey import which, if it is, wasn't declared in the sale. Assuming this is grey and it is second hand would I be liable for any import taxes etc. My view would be NO, but would apreciate other views.
 
If its second user then no* - the import taxes etc would be paid by the first user - ( *presumably it must already be in the UK in this case)

that said if you buy a second hand item abroad you can still be stuck for import taxes/vat based on its value when imported for the first time
 
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Quick update on my eBay encounter with Cotswold Cameras (dslrsdirect). Won and paid last Friday with an estimated delivery date of Tuesday this week. Sent email on Monday morning and I got a response the following day saying that the item would be shipped Tuesday ie the day it was supposed to be delivered, with a new delivery date of Wednesday. Emailed again Thursday as item still hadn't been delivered and as I got no response I've emailed again today.

Not great customer service.
 
Final update. Gave up with communicating via eBay so emailed Cotswold Camera directly. Instant response and after a few exchanges a RM tracking ref was supplied and the lens was finally delivered this morning. All's well that ends well and all that.
 
one of my local camera shops bought a few bits from them always friendly and helpful
 
Well - here I am, another first-time poster (please be gentle with me).

I'm not sure how to establish my credentials as a genuine contributor without any particular axe to grind, or even if such a thing is possible, so I'll go ahead with this and take all the various comments (on both sides of the fence) objectively and come to my own decision on how to proceed (constructive advice always welcome).

I'm just rejoining the "proper" photography community after many years of managing with small digital cameras - the last "real" camera was an EOS1 35mm which I loved but was rather too much camera for my level of expertise. After much soul-searching and experimentation (isn't it nice how people are so willing to let you try out their equipment - especially with digital cameras?) I am 95% certain that a Nikon 7200 with 18-140mm zoom will pretty much fit the bill.

I'm less certain about how to source it. Whilst researching prices I came across the Cotswold Camera site, never having heard of them and not initially realising that it was on-line only and a grey importer, so I found this thread and read it with interest. There seems to be a certain ambiguity about whether first-time posts praising CC are genuine, and on the other hand there are those that seem hostile to some degree for no particular reason that I can ascertain. In the middle are those who (quite rightly) point out the potential pitfalls of purchasing in this way if it all goes pear-shaped, but maintain that "You pays your money and you takes your choice".

So this is where I am at the moment: 95% certain it'll be a Nikon and currently 75-80% certain it'll be Cotswold but there's still more research to do on that yet. What's swaying me at the moment are the balanced comments and also the (occasional) contributions of the company themselves who seem to respond calmly and sensibly to criticism. I have no particular problem with grey imports, given the potential savings involved, providing that back-up and support are still available if needed, either from the supplier or the manufacturers warranty (I've bought cameras abroad in the past and always had them supported by the manufacturer in the UK, unlike a grey import motorcycle which Honda promptly washed their hands of - different kettle of fish, though).

I'll post again when a decision is finally made and follow up with objective progress reports. All the best.
 
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skydancer said:
on the other hand there are those that seem hostile to some degree for no particular reason that I can ascertain.
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A bit like real life then :D

As with all grey cameras you are dependant on the will and future existence and conditions of the supplier of the camera.
If they go bust, so does your warranty, yes you will be able to get your camera repaired but it will cost you to send it to Nikon if it wasn't bought through Nikon's distribution network.
Grey is fine as long as you accept those realities ... maybe do your checking to find suppliers with a really good track record of dealing with issues promptly and effectively, you will find that not all do :)
 
Hi does anyone know of any other way of contacting Cotswold Cameras as I've a faulty Nikon body delivered to me on the Monday 16th I've been trying to get them for 24 hrs now both on the phone and emails
thanks for looking
Cakey
 
Love the typo at the foot of their FAQ/Contact page..

We also have a live chat function at the bottom right side of any page. When our sales advisors are available then the chat box will appear and we'll respond as soon as we can. We work Monday to Friday 9am-5pm and aim to respond to any emails within 24 hours. We will usually get backlash to you within a couple of hours.​
 
Cakey said:
Hi does anyone know of any other way of contacting Cotswold Cameras as I've a faulty Nikon body delivered to me on the Monday 16th I've been trying to get them for 24 hrs now both on the phone and emails
thanks for looking
Cakey
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Did you pay via credit card? Might be worth notifying them.
 
the story so far ...............
I'm a pensioner and wanted to upgrade my camera probably for the last time so I done all my research and decided on a Nikon D750 and after more research decided that Cotswold Cameras was the place for me ,they were honest in the fact that it would be a grey import and with a saving of £500 I was hooked and excited and paid my £1049 selling my D7100 and using my savings.
the camera arrived on time but due to being out on a shoot it wasn't opened until the next day ,I charged the battery inserted a memory card and installed my trusty 35mm f1.8 lens and went into the garden ,I fired off a couple of shots and went back indoors while viewing the results I noticed a hairline cracked around the view finder .no problems I thought I will phone them ,yeah right they do not answer the phone or phone back even after leaving desperate messages on the Wednesday Thursday and Friday I was also firing off emails which were also being ignored .I then tried a different email address which got answered explaining to me that they would pick the camera up and inspect it and the post me a new camera so I asked if they could deliver a new camera and collet cracked one at the same time they said no and said they would let me know when they would collect it .
Yesterday morning (Monday 8days after receiving it ) I get a email say they were collecting it that day and to print off a document for the courier so after printing off the 12 pages and following the instructions for wrapping the parcel I sat back and waited and waited ......then I waited some more and here I am still waiting with a cracked camera and 12 page documents for an invisible courier .
so now I feel I have now thrown £1049 down the drain and this nice family business called Cotswold Cameras don't care
my advise to anyone thinking of buying from Cotswold Cameras is DONT DO IT pay the extra to get normal service.
just a little add on........when I decided to buy from Cotswold the 3 year warranty was one of the deciding factors theres no signs of it in the box and nothing in the post !
 
I bought a Nikon body from Cotswold, arrived on time, UK manual and plug, received an invoice from FedEx a couple of weeks later and contacted Cotswold. They asked me to send a copy of the invoice and they reimbursed me a few days later.
No problems with them, but I didn't need to contact them with a faulty camera!
 
@Cakey I don't think @davidfleetphoto has been about for a while, might be worth a PM to see if he gets the alert email.

A search of the web shows there have been communication problems reported across several forums for several months, including a period when it appeared the phone number had been cut-off.

There is another number that may not be on the website - 01242 633840
 
Cakey said:
Ive now got a CAB appointment and one at the bank ,......next stop Paypal
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Good luck.. Hope you get everything sorted out, that's a lot of money to throw away......
Just read through this thread again, I didn't notice before, but there are quite a few low count posters here that haven't appeared on any other forums since "buying" their Cotswold cameras
 
I ordered a Canon EF 2x III Extender from cotswoldcameras on 2 Nov 2015. I bought my camera and lenses shortly before that from Ebay grey importers who had stock based in UK. I thought cotswoldcameras were either a UK company or a similar grey importer with UK stock. Sure enough though the dispatch email showed my order being shipped from Hong Kong. I read the cotswoldcameras FAQ about import duties and waited. Order arrived 11 Sep 2015 new and in perfect condition. Fedex import duties bill arrived 20 Sep 2015.
I emailed a scan of my Fedex bill to cotswoldcameras as they state I should do in their FAQ and dispatch email. They state that they pay Fedex bill requests every Monday. I received automatic email confirmation at 2:30pm Friday 20 Sep 2015 that cotswoldcameras received my email with Fedex bill. They have not sent any other reply. They did not send me payment on Monday 24 Nov.
I emailed cotswoldcameras again on Tuesday 25 Nov, so far no reply.
I phoned the number on their website 01242 808344 at 2:30pm Tuesday 25 Nov - I heard the sound of a call that seemed to be diverted and then diverted again. Finally somebody said hello and started speaking a foreign language I did not recognise. I said "is that Cotswold Cameras?". The call was then redirected again and I heard a recorded message something about a refreshments company. The call was then redirected again and I heard "thank you for calling NPower. I hung up.

At this point I doubt I will receive any payment for the Fedex bill. I will call it £31 lost and lesson learned. I will post update here if Cotswold do reply.
 
I really hope things turn out ok for Cakey. After calling the UK number for cotswoldcameras and being redirected upon redirected, I doubted they would pay my Fedex bill.
So I am surprised and pleased to announce that they emailed me within the last couple of hours;

Apologies for this, it was a simple oversight.

We have now made paymemt and it should be in your account immediately.

Kind regards
Sarah
Cotswold Cameras

Indeed, I just checked my online banking and the payment has been made.
So things are okay for me with this order. However, I will not rush to order from cotswoldcameras again. The 3 year warranty seems to be no more than a promise on their website without anything at all in writing to back up the claim.
 
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