p.12 #4 · Do not buy from Cardinal Camera / Greentoe! You have been warned.
Dec. 19, 2022 - I GIVE CARDINAL CAMERA 5 STARS *****
I don't know how to get this feedback to the top of the page. (I should ask Fred M. about that).
I have found Cardinal Camera (and Greentoe) nothing short of great/fantastic.
First Event - I purchased a Tamron 28-75mm Version II from them. It took a couple of days longer but the savings were worth it.
Second Event - I went back to GT and got a quote from Cardinal Camera for Sony A7C for my wife and everything went very well, both price and delivery.
Third Event - With the A7C in my hand I thought about how much we (my wife and I) loved hiking and walks in the city with our Leica CL and 40mm Summicron (that's film). Back to GT and no serious offers came back for the "new" Sony 40mm G lens. I called Cardinal Camera and asked what they could do for me given our recent sales history. I was transferred to Kurt the actual store owner who confirmed that they had one in stock and could sell it to me at a very good & reasonable price.
Signed, sealed and delivered!
That's my story about Greentoe and Cardinal Camera.
What more do you want from ANY RETAIL ESTABLISHMENT!
Shouldn’t we support real “brick & mortar” establishments?
p.12 #7 · Do not buy from Cardinal Camera / Greentoe! You have been warned.
I got the following items from 2018-2022 from Greentoe via Cardinal:
a7III; no issue
Sony 200-600 from same; no issue
Tamron 28-75; no issue
Tamron 70-180; no issue
Tamron 70-300; no issue
Sigma 85 f1.4; no issue
sony 35 f1.8; no issue
sony a7S3 from same; no issue
sony a1 from same; no issue
sony a7S3 from same; no issue
Sony 50 f2.5; no issue.
Tamron 50-400 just got so not used yet.
The thing I noticed was that for hot items, it may take 2-3 weeks to get the items to your door (e.g., a7s3 in Dec 2020; Tamron 50-400 in 2022).
p.12 #9 · Do not buy from Cardinal Camera / Greentoe! You have been warned.
RoamingScott wrote:
As usual, a couple of whiners are louder than a mostly silent majority of satisfied customers.
Exactly. I find it a main issue when buying online.
Few unsatisfied customers will complain about their experience, which in most cases is trivial, not worth to mention or give low score - then hundreds of satisfied customers won't even give positive reviews, just stay silent.
p.12 #11 · Do not buy from Cardinal Camera / Greentoe! You have been warned.
RoamingScott wrote:
As usual, a couple of whiners are louder than a mostly silent majority of satisfied customers.
Isn't that true for everything the world over? My own whining has been detailed with specific facts. This is not a case of someone parroting vague complaints. There are several well documented examples of questionable business practices by that one vendor here on the forum. I don't disagree that there are many satisfied buyers out there. Other vendors are not immune from trouble either. But I have personally experienced suspiciously similar problems more than once from that vendor. My solution was to request that greentoe provide a way to exclude vendors from offers and they did exactly that. So each of us gets to exercise our own power of choice.
p.12 #12 · Do not buy from Cardinal Camera / Greentoe! You have been warned.
I've had many satisfactory transactions with Cardinal, both through Greentoe and then direct. Spent well in excess of $20k with them in the last 5 years or so.
There was one screw up (shipped the wrong lens) but they fixed it immediately.
p.12 #13 · Do not buy from Cardinal Camera / Greentoe! You have been warned.
I had an OK experience with Cardinal for my Fuji X-T30 (2019; shipped after some delay and few calls); then two not-OK experiences A9II (2021) and 70-200mm GM II (2022). In the last two cases, I was charged right away as usual, but items did not ship for 2 weeks or so. Refund was promised but never actually given until dispute with Credit Card companies.
I have stopped using Greentoe (even though not their fault and they tried their best to help) and their network of dealers. I understand most transactions are smooth and will continue to be so; but for me, I concluded that service and peace of mind were more important to me and my time than saving few hundred dollars. Just sharing my experience, not advising on what others should or should not do.
p.12 #14 · Do not buy from Cardinal Camera / Greentoe! You have been warned.
GT’s network isn’t as wide as they make it out to be. Try excluding Cardinal and Hunts and offers dwindle down to may be one with at-most 10% discount. FM B&S is overflowing with camera shop affiliates flooding top of the line gear with substantial discounts which makes GT almost irrelevant in most cases. For quicker turnaround with refunds, if anyone gets into trouble with Cardinal, it’s less frustrating to deal with Cheryl directly so she can fix whatever mess Kurt has created. Hope this helps everyone here who has gotten into trouble with CC.
jigesh wrote:
I had an OK experience with Cardinal for my Fuji X-T30 (2019; shipped after some delay and few calls); then two not-OK experiences A9II (2021) and 70-200mm GM II (2022). In the last two cases, I was charged right away as usual, but items did not ship for 2 weeks or so. Refund was promised but never actually given until dispute with Credit Card companies.
I have stopped using Greentoe (even though not their fault and they tried their best to help) and their network of dealers. I understand most transactions are smooth and will continue to be so; but for me, I concluded that service and peace of mind were more important to me and my time than saving few hundred dollars. Just sharing my experience, not advising on what others should or should not do....Show more →
p.12 #16 · Do not buy from Cardinal Camera / Greentoe! You have been warned.
I've lost track of how many transactions I've had with Cardinal over the last several years(more than 15 for sure) and I've never had an issue. I just received a new Sony 70-200GM II today. It was shipped within an hour after placing the order(on new year's eve), very well packed for shipment and a good price as well.
I send Kurt a message and have a price in 5 minutes and if it's in stock. He is the only one I've dealt with there and since he's the owner, I'll continue as I have.
Several of my purchases were over $5-6k(A1 and GFX 100s), and never a hiccup. I think that as members of this forum, we really have a sort of "duty" to look out for each other when things go bad, but I also think it's nice to put in a kind word when things have gone very well.
p.12 #17 · Do not buy from Cardinal Camera / Greentoe! You have been warned.
Kurt is an old school businessman, if he senses an opportunity to make a sale, he will. He rolls the dice on people who may or may not get picky with items he sends them or can wait longer than usual for discounts etc etc. So you always take a chance with him or buying from CC. To everyone who has had good experiences, continue to use CC but please be mindful of people who had to deal with their questionable sales practices.
Jonathan wrote:
I've lost track of how many transactions I've had with Cardinal over the last several years(more than 15 for sure) and I've never had an issue. I just received a new Sony 70-200GM II today. It was shipped within an hour after placing the order(on new year's eve), very well packed for shipment and a good price as well.
I send Kurt a message and have a price in 5 minutes and if it's in stock. He is the only one I've dealt with there and since he's the owner, I'll continue as I have.
Several of my purchases were over $5-6k(A1 and GFX 100s), and never a hiccup. I think that as members of this forum, we really have a sort of "duty" to look out for each other when things go bad, but I also think it's nice to put in a kind word when things have gone very well.
p.12 #18 · Do not buy from Cardinal Camera / Greentoe! You have been warned.
I bought a few things from CC. Some via Greentoe, some directly (they have pretty good discounts on their website on some lenses). Every single time it’s a great experience. I cannot say the same about B&H though.
p.12 #20 · Do not buy from Cardinal Camera / Greentoe! You have been warned.
RoamingScott wrote:
Please don't pretend to know me. Have you read this thread in totality? I have.
I don't have to pretend to know you or indulge you in a conversation. Just responded to your opinion, which was irresponsible and condescending. And yes, I've read the entire thread and watched it since 2018; also, have kept an eye on GT/Cardinal since they began their operations together. Since you asked if I've read the thread, and I gave you an answer, could I ask if you have spoken with Kurt in person or on phone or have dealt with him to fix a shoddy customer care issue? If yes, please provide specifics and I can elaborate on why I wrote what I wrote above. Until then, lets not engage.
