I could sit here and use this blog as a place to vent my frustrations with corporate America. Yeah, Verizon, Time Warner Cable, I’m talking to you.
But I’m not talking to you today.
Because today I want to talk about some decent customer service. And it comes from Vanguard, the company that manufactures my tripod.
A couple of weeks ago, I went out for a late-night photo shoot. My Vanguard Tracker 4 tripod was in the trunk of my ca. I pulled the tripod out of the car, and slung it over my shoulder, using the tripod’s shoulder strap. I figure half a mile walk toward my shooting target location, all will be well.
A few steps taken… and suddenly SNAP the tripod fell to the ground. The strap’s clasp broke. The tripod crashed to the ground, landing on the tripod’s head.
Oh well, no harm no foul, I picked up the tripod and continued to my location. I’ll get a new strap another time.
I arrived at the location, set up the tripod, and put the camera into the tripod mount.
Hmm… why is the camera wiggling in the tripod mount? Did I not tighten the tripod mount locking screw? Okay, let’s tighten it up…
Tripod mount is still wiggling.
And it was at that very moment that I realized… when the tripod fell on the ground, it damaged the tripod mount locking screw. This meant that my camera was not locked in place; in fact, the camera wiggled around like it was the last tooth in a meth-head’s mouth. Crap.
I finished the photo shoot as best as I could; but there was no way I could use this tripod if it had a broken locking screw. No way no how. Tripods are supposed to keep your camera locked in place. That’s how you can get tack-sharp photos on long exposures.
Next morning… I dialed up Vanguard’s customer service line. “Hi, thank you for calling Vanguard, this is Michelle, how can I help you?”
I explained the situation. “Tell me,” I asked, “is it possible to get a replacement Vanguard Tracker 4 tripod head, rather than have to purchase an entirely new tripod?”
“Well, sir, there’s good news and bad news.”
“Give me the good news first,” I replied.
“You don’t need to replace the whole tripod.”
“So what’s the bad news?”
“You said that tripod was a ‘Tracker 4’ model, correct?”
Please don’t say it’s discontinued… please don’t say it’s discontinued… please don’t say it’s –
“I’m sorry, sir, but we discontinued that product line four years ago.”
Aw, nertz. This explains why the tripod was so cheap when I purchased it – they were clearing out discontinued stock.
“But there’s some good news, sir.”
“And that is…”
“You can purchase any tripod head – pan head, ball head, pistol grip head, whatever you like – and it can bolt right into your Tracker 4 tripod chassis.”
“And how do I do that?”
“Look at the bottom of your tripod mount, there are three set screws. Loosen those screws, then tighten up all the connections on the tripod head itself. After you’ve done that, turn the tripod head counterclockwise and it should come right off. Then you can add a replacement tripod head and you’ll be fine.”
Well, that is good news. “Thanks,” I replied. “It’s just that when the tripod’s carrying strap broke, the tripod fell on the ground and that’s what caused the damage.”
“Sir, if you give me your mailing address, I’ll send you a new camera strap with a new, stronger connector.”
Okay… I’ll call her bluff.
A few days later, my new Vanguard panhead tripod assembly arrived. I followed the original instructions, I disconnected the three set screws, unscrewed the broken tripod head… and then reassembled the unit and replaced the screws. Man, I haven’t had to deal with this much detail in terms of teardown and repair since the last time I read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.
A couple of tests… and the new tightening screw worked like a charm. Now all I have to do is find a new carrying strap, because I’m sure Vanguard just said they would do it to pat me on the head and send me on my merry way –
KNOCK KNOCK
Now who could that be at my door? Why, it’s Mike the Mailman, the fastest letter carrier in all of Green Island. “Hi, Mr. Miller, got a package for you.”
Return address – Vanguard’s home office. I opened the package – sure enough, it was a brand new tripod strap, along with an entirely different attaching mechanism.
Okay, I gotta sit down for a second. Because while some bloggers can cry and kvetch about when things go wrong…
I have to also give credit and props where credit and props are due. And Vanguard not only helped me install a new tripod head to my tripod, they also sent me gratis a new strap to replace the old broken one. And I didn’t have to purchase an entire new tripod to do all this.
So this means I can continue to take pictures of star trails and long exposures and neutral-density shots and slitscan photos and every other experimental shot…
Because Vanguard came through. Much thanks.
Chuck The Writer 