Mike's Camera, Wheat Ridge — Attraction in Wheat Ridge

I've bought multiple items from Mikes and always had wonderful experiences at other locations, I just want to preface that before leaving this review. I recently got into analog photography and had held onto many rolls before dropping them off to get developed tonight, which was my first time dropping off film to get developed. As I walk into the store the woman behind the counter is helping a customer so I wait patiently for her to be free. After her customer leaves I walk up say hi and let her know that I would like to drop off my film to be developed. I'm met with silence. So I say "sorry this is my first time dropping film off to be developed, so I'm not sure what I'm supposed do" (in terms of what information she needs from me). She responds with "You give me the film and tell me what you want". Which is insanely rude after I just let you know this is my first time. I'm not sure what I want because I've never done this before! She doesn't give me any options on what I can get or try to be helpful to me at all. So finally I just say I would like for it to be developed and have digital scans because I have no idea what other options there are. She doesn't say anything else to me for the entire transaction and I'm honestly appalled that someone who obviously has no idea what they're doing (me) is met with such shortness and rudeness. That really doesn't give me, as a newbie to the format, a lot of confidence in how the Wheat Ridge location cares for 1. the community and hobbyists and 2. the level of care and commitment you have for the work you're doing. I will likely not return to this location as this was a huge...

I was in the market for a new camera, and had done quite a bit of research on the Sony A7 cameras. Nonetheless, I went into the store with vague questions, trying to have an open discussion with someone so I could learn more about the camera and if it was really the right fit, not just based upon statistics and performance values you can look up. I know these conversations can be frustrating for sales reps because there's not a lot of consistency from the customer, and the conversations doesn't have a true direction, just aimless talk about various aspects of the camera, lens, etc. I went in and talked to Carl, and I explained my focus, intent, and what I've looked up with the Sony, and sort of just let him talk and put in his two cents. Carl was great, and brought actual professional knowledge to the conversation, both on artistic points as well as technical insight. His opinion for me was that I should wait to buy, and that I should go back and look at the Fujifilm XT-2 because he felt that was a better fit. And it was. I rented both the Sony and the Fujifilm (not thru Mike's), and I found the Fuji to be a better fit for me. Any one else could have just bs'd their way through my visit, assumed I was set on the Sony, and get me to buy so they could get their commission. Carl truly put his service before his personal gain, and gave concrete, technical advise drawn from his experience that actually had me change brands. His impression upon me was so good that when it came to buy the Fujifilm, I drove an 1.5 hours from Fort Collins to Wheat Ridge just to give him the sale. He...

UPDATE: Andrea called me today in response to my review below. I must say that this is the best customer service I've ever experienced. She made everything right by apologizing for the mishap and offering me a refund for the difference of price. She was very sincere and made me feel like a respected, knowledgeable customer. I'm still shocked by this amazing customer experience. The bottom line was that I originally felt betrayed by not being shown all of my options for audio gear. As an informed customer who cares about making the right choices for my needs, I felt like that was taken away from me. However, Andrea understood that and that's why I'll continue to shop here - perhaps a bit more liberally in the future. Thanks again Andrea!

Original Post:

I normally go here for my camera gear, prob spent over $3000 this past year alone. Anyway they've lost my trust.

I was shopping for audio the other day in a pinch because a mic broke. Went to the counter and asked to see all of the audio gear. The "salesman" put it all on the table. I asked if that was all they had. He said it was. I ended up buying a Rode Pro + only to find that they also stock the cheaper Rode Pro. I could have saved $100 had he also showed me the Pro +. I usually trust them to provide me with all of my options, but it only takes one shady business move to shop online from now on.

This is my goodbye letter to Mike's, and I have a LOT of new gear...