Camera Co-Op

Do not trust any employee up to the owner. I trusted camera co-op personale to send my nikon D700 into Nikon...only to have my camera serial number taken off and replaced with a more broken camera then what I entrusted them. Manager and owner will not return calls promised..I have been going through this for 3months.. I highly recommend you not trust this business. more

Do not trust any employee up to the owner. I trusted camera co-op personale to send my nikon D700 into Nikon...only to have my camera serial number taken off and replaced with a more broken camera then what I entrusted them. Manager and owner will not return calls promised..I have been going through this for 3months.. I highly recommend you not trust this business. more

The owner is a real cocky jack-a??. I learned to stay at houston camera exchange where service is nice and frienldy and prices are on this planet. more

Forget about customer service here, especially if your a student and know little to nothing about photography, SOME of the employees have an arrogance that will blow your mind, I decided to take a photog class this semester and this store was recommended by our professor, I walked in and automatically felt out of place, the ""younger"" ones looked at me like I had just ruined their day, I asked one of the newer guys to help me, which he did, but gave me no information about the slr camera, didnt get a strap, nor a battery, or even a little bit of his time to even show me how it worked, now i understand him being ""new"" and all but for me to have to come back the following day because my wonderful professor said they sold me half the camera is pretty ridiculous, i went back and had to deal with a very rude and d-baggy person who made me feel like a total moron for not knowing anything about photography, i thought they were there to HELP? and make money? Their prices are pretty high, i did most of my shopping online, it seems like their employees think their too HIP and COOL to help people out, and their parking almost ruined my day as much as they did. more

After seeing some of the comments here, I went by Camera Co-op to look at reflectors. I've usually shopped at the competitor on Richmond, where I've always had great service, especially from Reagan. Checking the competition wasn't worth the trip. Higher prices by a few $ on several identical items at both stores, and after 10 mins browsing, not a one of the 4-5 employees had asked if I wanted any help. They were all talking with friends, and from what I could tell, not about cameras. Pros: Interesting little store Cons: No help from the help more

I felt compelled to leave a review for Camera CO-OP store because of the terrible experience I had when purchasing a camera. I purchased a Canon 7D kit with a lens, after talking to the salesman about the options. Canon was running a good deal on these 7D kits with a lens. I asked the salesman if I could return it if I didn't like it, and he said as long as it was not used. What the slick salesman forgot to say was there is a restocking fee on all returns. So when I got home I did a little checking on the internet and it turned out that the Kit contained a 28-135 lens that was discontinued by Canon and much poorer quality than other retailers that had the 28-135 IS USM, and it was even less expensive. So I brought the camera back and returned it because they did not have the Kit with the proper lens and they charged me a 8% restocking fee on a stock item. Even charged me 8% on the 8% tax which worked out to be a total of $167. He said that the CC companied charge for refunds, ( I know CC companies usually only charge 1-2%) Needless to say I was pissed off. I brought the camera at Best-Buy with the better lens, lens cover and a extra battery and still paid less that those crooks at CO-OP even with the restocking fee. So do yourself a favor and stay clear of CO-OP camera and save yourself a lot of money and aggravation. Every thing is top dollar and a crappy return policy. I will never buy equipment from CO-OP again! I hope they choke on the money they stole from me and other customers. OH yeah the restocking fee is clearly printed on the counter where all my purchases were sitting on top of...maybe I should have worn my X-ray glasses to see it. Pros: Nothing Cons: What a joke for a return policy more

I've been going to Camera Co Op since I first took a B&W photo class in high school and needed to purchase my first real camera. The employee who attended to me that time gave me a reasonable deal on a used camera and all the necessary equipment to get me started. I've been going back ever since even after the move and I've never really had a problem as far as the employees, they've always been pretty helpful for instance I once went in with an old polaroid pack camera and asked for help with film and an employee went through the trouble of cleaning the camera's battery contacts and loading the film and showing me how to use the camera outside as it wasn't as simple as just pressing a button. Recently I went in and asked another employee to recommend some rechargeable AA's and he handed me a charger and 4 battery combo and rang me up, I went home feeling I got a good product but the batteries were dead on arrival even though they were advertised as being ready to use out of the package, I've since charged them and used them in different flashes and cameras and I keep getting terrible results, these batteries were hardly worth the 40 dollars I paid for them and i've gone back to using my rechargeable energizers. I just wish they wouldn't recommend/sell such lousy products or at least refund my money on what I believe was a lemon. Pros: knowledgeable staff, wide selection Cons: faulty products, return policy needs improvement more

My husband and I are completely new to digital SLR cameras. We went here looking for a lens, not really knowing what we needed. All the staff that helped us were extremely helpful, friendly, professional, and helped us without talking ""down to us"". The first lens we purchased was apparently not compatible with our camera, and we had to go back to the store two or three times within an hour, before it finally became apparent that it was not compatible. Each time they were unfailingly smiling, helpful, and as glad to see us as they were the first time we entered the store. We ended up purchasing another lens; after the trouble we'd had, the manager even gave us an exceptionally good deal. We also traded in some old 33mm equipment we no longer use, and found some small accessories I'd been unable to find elsewhere. Prices are very reasonable. We'll go here again and again! Pros: friendly, knowledgeable staff, good variety of used and new equipment Cons: parking a little hard to get in & out of, limited parking more

A friend referred me to Camera Co/Op on Durham because he found the people there to be very friendly and helpful. My friend told me this over my cell phone as I was leaving a well known camera store on Richmond where I received almost no help at all. When I arrived at Camera Co/Op I met Erwin who led me through a very significant purchase (for me at least). He was patient and he carefully answered my questions. He even introduced me to their used lens inventory when I reacted to the price of a very nice new lens. I wound up with a new camera and lens, together with a very nice used lens, for what I was prepared to pay for just the camera and one lens. The internet stores do not do this. While I was there I found the atmosphere there was quiet in spite of what seemed to be steady foot traffic for the two or so hours I was there. No one rushed me or appeared frustrated with my questions. And, they had what I wanted in stock. Finally, Erwin was careful to explain the warranties and the store's return policy so there would be no misunderstanding later on. I really appreciated this. I hope this store remains in business in spite of the internet market. more

Some back story. I have been going to Camera Co-Op for about 7 years and have had most good experiences. I have spent THOUSANDS,,,,not hundreds,,,THOUSANDS of dollars in this store, $5,000.00 in the last 2 years. Having said that I thought I had a good relationship with the store and they gave me deals and in turn I did not buy on-line to save money, instead I paid more at their store out of loyalty,,,well NO MORE! Pros: None really Cons: Apathetic staff, arrogant and condesending, terrible parking more

I bought some film and a filter accessory from this establishment on 8/18/2007. Pros: relatively competitive pricing on used gear Cons: somewhat snide, unprofessional staff more

Camera Co-Op is definitely the best camera shop that I've visited in Houston. Pros: Sales staff friendly, knowledgeable, and very helpful. Cons: Might need a little more stock. more

I'm a semi-pro wedding shooter, and I've had mixed experiences with Camera Co Op. About half the time, the staff is helpful and knowledgable. But there is one salesman who seems to be indifferent, unwilling to talk about the equipment, and seems generally unhappy to be there. more

This review is for the Richmond Location which has since moved to durham. This is one of my favorite places to shop for camera gear. This may not be as big as Camera Exchange, but they still carry a lot of hard to find equipment. Infact when the D70 came out, I couldnt find a remote in stock anywhere else, but htey had it. They are also very knowledgeable and helpful when you have questions about the equipment. Definitely recommended. more

I use Camera Co-Op exclusively. The staff is professional without being stuffy. Unlike the rude and condescending staff at Houston Camera Exchange I find the Camera Co-Op staff friendly and more than helpful. Pros: Staff, products, service Cons: parking is bad more

As a professional photographer I rely on my sources for film, paper and chemistry to be absolutely fresh and uncompromised. The fact that those items are non-returnable is extremely important so I don't end up with film/paper that's been fogged because someone left it in their car in 100+ degrees Houston heat after realizing they bought the wrong film. The integrity of this store is absolute and they deserve every accolade for providing their customers with the best and freshest supplies available. This store is full of helpful and talented employees who know their stuff. Pros: Experienced Staff, Friendly Staff, Plenty of Gear more

I have not been to Camera Co-op in a year or so, maybe a bit longer. I went to visit and realized they moved! I have been buying photography supplies at this store since 94 or so. The staff is totally willing to help and have wonderful suggestions and their prices are pretty great, I have gotten some wonderful deals. I highly recommend this store!! Pros: helpful staff, large selection, great prices Cons: n/a, n/a, n/a more

As a novice photographer I went to this store to purchase film for an assignment. I was given the wrong film. With a receipt, I attempted to exchange the unopened item less than 24 hours later. They rudley refused. Not only that but I asked for help with purchasing the correct type of film and the sales clerk refused to assist me. It is a shame that such a neat photography store is armed with rude, uncooperative clerks. more