The Lost City, Machu Picchu, Peru
When I last left you nearly two weeks ago, I was expressing my extreme displeasure with Gitzo for the lack of a response in addressing my broken tripod. This wasn’t merely an isolated incident with the “Industry Standard for Excellence” but instead it was the proverbial last straw for me. One commenter wholeheartedly agreed and thanked me for pointing out that the emperor, indeed, had no clothes. The folks at Gitzo, on the other hand, “thanked” me for – in their words, “ripping them a new one.”
Other readers believed I was being a bit unfair. After all, how about my beloved Righteous Set of Sticks? OK, fair enough. The Righteous Set of Sticks, however, is now officially semi-retired and it only managed to
attain a long life by cannibalizing parts and pieces from my other crippled Gitzo tripods.
After reaching out to a contact I had in Gitzo’s upper management, I did eventually get the parts I had been requesting for the past month. I am grateful for the help, but it’s too little too late, I’m afraid. It should never have gotten as far as it did.
In the meantime, I’ve accepted a sponsorship offer from Really Right Stuff. When I return from Iceland in a few weeks, I’ll be using their products – including tripods – exclusively. Really Right Stuff makes the best camera support products in the business. Their tripods, ballheads, and camera and lens plates aren’t cheap, but when did I ever complain about the price of Gitzo tripods? Well, that would be never. I’m only interested in equipment that works, so I don’t have to think about it. I only want to focus on creating great images.
And when something does go wrong and breaks – and let’s face it, all photo equipment will have problems eventually – I want someone on the other end of the line who is going to help me get it fixed ASAP. I’m pretty tough on my equipment due to the amount of time and the way it’s used. Really Right Stuff, because of the quality of their products and their commitment to customer service, is the best partner for my business at this time.
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12 Comments
RRS is and has been for many years my go to solution for most things related to camera support and beyond. You have made a very good choice with RRS!! The only product I have yet to own from RRS is a tripod and that’s only because my trusty Manfrotto has yet to let me down!
Enjoy!!
Rick Lamb
Ramblin Lamb Photography
Congrats on the RRS sponsorship! Need to replace my Manfrotto gear someday with a full set from RRS…
Your photo of Machu Picchu is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. Thank you for sharing! Did you climb Huayna Picchu?
Richard, I guess I’m not the only one that has had a recent problem with Gitzo. I contacted them several times concerning some replacement parts of a Gitzo tripod and they never had the courtesy of replying. It’s pretty sad when a company refuses to adequately support their products and their customers. Unless they change their approach, they will soon be history. Jim
Richard thanks for speaking up and speaking out. At the price point Gitzo products sell, one has every right to expect on going support and the ability to purchase replacement parts. Sadly, they would not be the only supplier to the photo community currently cutting support to save $.
Congrats on picking up sponsorship from RRS. Their products just ooze excellence and the Johnsons love of design comes through in everything they do. I was very happy for them when I learned the RRS business is doing so well that they moved into a much larger building.
I have been using RRS since they started in a small storefront in Los Osos. I still use their original Ballhead. All camera plates since My Nikon D100 days. I have a wimberley for my long glass. My gitzo tripod is not yet ready for replacement.
The photo of Machu Picchu is amazing — this ancient world arising out of the mists. Really exceptional.
Is it possible to purchase a print of it?
And thank you for showcasing the natural beauty of the Eastern United States. I think we get overlooked sometimes. Phyllis Whitman Hunter (from North Carolina)
I have to say I am sorry to hear you went the way of the “sponsor”. I really try to avoid accepting much information from sponsored sights. Sure we all need to make money, but we all need to be unbiased first.
Congrats, Richard. I’m happy that you received some lemonade in return for your lemons.
Your pictures really fascinate me…-Great!
Morgan
I have experienced the same “no response” from Manfrotto, the USA distributor of Gitzo. I’ve had a good repair experience with Really Right Stuff. The tech called me about the ballhead and clamp being repaired to verify the problem I was experiencing and pointed out one other problem I did not notice.
Richard: Sorry to hear about your experience. I’m just now retiring my Gizto; the original model which Ive been using non-stop since 1994 for all of my photography. That’s 18 years of solid use. I gotta give some credit to a product that’s held up over so much time. But you’re certainly right about one thing above all; A company should be professional and responsive. I don’t care if you make the best product in the world, if you treat your customers like crap, it may just be that fact alone that makes me walk away. FWIW – I also own a bunch of RRS, (no tripods) but what I do have is also high quality and durable.
Cheers & Happy Holidays my friend.