The Camera Exchange — Attraction in San Antonio

If you are thinking about sending your camera to get repaired through Camera Exchange, please read. TL;DR: Camera Exchange is charging me (and possibly you) DOUBLE the cost it would be if you sent it directly to the manufacturer.

I have sent my Canon R6 (which I purchased through Camera Exchange 11/2021) twice to get repaired during 2022. The first repair was a laser damage that was sent in around Jan 2022 and I received back in Feb 2022. Camera Exchanged charged me $1184.26 for the repair done through the Canon factory in California and I received my camera back in working/repaired order. I thought that the repair was expensive (almost 1/2 of the cost of the camera I purchased a few months previous) but the price of conducting business in this industry.

Fast forward to the current repair that I sent off 12/2/2022 and just received my quote this week. I was having hot pixels so I sent my R6 back to Canon through Camera Exchange and I have now received a quote of $620. Curious about the price difference, I called Camera Exchange to ask what the differences in price were, and they said they only knew as much as I did which is the information posted in the invoice below. Still confused I called Canon and after a 30 minute conversation, I discovered that Camera Exchange's invoices are DOUBLE THE REPAIR COSTS that Canon would charge if you sent the camera to Canon directly.

I have been told by Canon repair services that the price of my first repair from them was $699 + $14 shipping with a discount of $139.80 for a total of $573.20. This is the same repair that I was charged $1184.26 by Camera Exchange. For my second repair, the Canon rep has stated it would be $359 + $17 shipping with a discount of $71.80 which totals $304.20. Camera Exchange has sent me an invoice for $621.36 which I have decided to decline and have my camera sent back to me, which I will proceed to send right back to Canon and have it repaired on my own.

Camera Exchange was not able to provide me any of my repair order numbers that Canon mentioned they should have since the repair is technically in their name; only adding additional confusion and time going back in forth with Canon to narrow down my orders (through camera serial ID). In the invoices sent to me by Camera Exchange, there is no mention of a "middle man" fee and the illusion of the entire cost is lumped into the repair service, adding prejudice to Canon since I was under the impression their services were double the actual costs.

I am not here to tell you who to support and my previous experiences with the front desk employees at Camera Exchange has been acceptable. I did my business through them in an attempt to continue growing our community and supporting our local businesses. Today I am just giving my anecdotal evidence which I ask you to form your own...

A long review but well worth the read.

DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME SELLING CAMERA EXCHANGE YOUR USED EQUIPMENT

Yesterday me and my wife drove an hour and a half to trade in our (old--but like new) equipment. After reading what camera exchange offers on their website claiming that they are "paying 75% current retail value" for equipment. We brought in a Canon Rebel t6i and a Nikon d5200 with 4 different lenses. The lens value alone retailed over $1400-1500, not including the cameras. These cameras have hardly been used and are no doubt in the best condition I've personally seen for a used piece of equipment. Agree the guy does his inspection and checks everything out he goes to the back to check prices..he comes back and has the nerve to offer $430!! I'm staring at him confused thinking is this a joke? He has the same exact used canon camera body for sale right in front of me for $399. I question about their false advertisement of purchasing equipment for 75% of current retail value. All he could say is "UP TO" 75%. He goes on to say that they go on Ebay and look up the cheapest sold listing and that's how they get their prices. So my camers that has maybe 2k shutter clicks deserves the same price tag as the camera on Ebay that has 50k shutter clicks?! So now the best part is...they find the CHEAPEST SOLD LISTING AND THEN OFFER YOU 75% OF THAT VALUE😂This place is a joke. Do yourself a favor and take your stuff to a pawn shop before you ever consider selling it to Camera Exchange. I wouldn't send my worst enemy to this location. Beyond furious with how much time was wasted. I would leave zero stars if all possible.

Also BESTBUY does price match guarantee. You will receive far better customer service with bestbuy. Two days ago I purchased a Canon 6d ii and a 24-70mm ii from bestbuy. $3500 for the camera and lens. I'm so glad I never gave the business to Camera Exchange. We originally went in to purchase another lens for her camera at Camera Exchange thinking we could get at least $800 for everything we were trading in ..especially since they claimed to pay 75% of retail. At this point id rather pay $150 more for the lens on amazon then support this establishment.

I read reviews yesterday morning. I should have listened to the one star reviews. Do not ignore reviews. 9/10 times 5 star reviews are left by friends and family. Every now and then someone will leave pleased. But the majority of their reviews I'd call BS. I regret giving this place a chance. Seriously. Do yourself a favor and dont waste your time. If you need money asap a pawn shop will give you more. If you have time..sell it on...

I was really hoping to have found a place to go to get solid camera information and expertise, but that is not what I found with sales rep 193. I had gone in with several questions, and he was courteous and professional, and also helped un-jam my flash, which was nice. But he was more interested in making a sale than in truly determining what I wanted and needed.

I am a hobbyist photographer, so I am still learning. I am taking a macro-photography class and wanted a 2:1 macro lens. The sales rep provided me with apparently the only option. I do like it, as far as I can tell, but I don't have a clue what else is possible, nor did he ask follow-up questions about what I was wanting to do with it.

I also had a zoom lens with a broken lens cap ring. I asked if they did repairs, but he told me it would be cheaper to buy a used lens. Cool - he brought me the lens, and I noticed the one he was selling me was not Ultrasonic, whereas my own lens was. I asked what the difference was, and he said nothing. I pushed him a little, knowing there was a difference (I later Googled it, confirming what I already knew - of course a different label means a different feature), but he insisted there was no difference. Now, either he'd decided I was too stupid to deserve a real explanation, or he knew they didn't have an Ultrasonic version in stock and he didn't want to lose the sale. Either way, he was wrong.

I was also looking for a filter to photograph next year's eclipse, but thankfully, they were out of stock, because I'd shown him my other two filters, and he didn't pay them any attention. I already have a UV filter; I'd just forgotten. He'd have sold me something I didn't need, had it been in stock, because that's how little he was focused on actually helping. (He also gave me no additional information on how to get the filter, beyond, "we get them in all the time.")

It's very disappointing. I know I can research answers online and purchase equipment from Amazon, but I was hoping to get better, more personalized service locally, and I was hoping to not give my money to a soulless conglomerate. Sadly, while this shop did seem to have a large selection of things (although not a whole lot for a Canon 80D, apparently), and while other sales reps might be more willing to truly help, that was not my experience on this day.

If you are an expert photographer and already know everything, you might have a great experience getting the equipment you need here. If, like me, you're an amateur looking for a shop that will help you learn, it might be hit or miss whether you get that here (maybe other reps are...