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Photospecialist.co.uk
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740 reviews in the last 12 months1,593 total reviews  

4.28
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Top positive review

21 Aug 2023
 Verified review
The order I made was despatched quickly and collected by the couriers you use and it arrived in the UK alright but everything has gone wrong from there. UPS the UK side of the delivery are totally useless. They have not delivered the package yet and it has been in their hands since 08/08/2023. They are blaming a Customs hold up in the release of my delivery. They have so far sent me 14 stupid messages telling me that the package will be delivered the next day but nothing happens. It appears that the UPS staff in the UK and their computer system are totally useless. Do not use UPS UK for anything. I have made 2 phone calls to them and the staff in the UPS office just keep telling me that the package needs Customs clearance for a £14 lens hood!

Top negative review

10 Aug 2023
 Verified review
Absolutely disgraceful customer service. Firstly our first order with the company does not show in our account, having been assured it would be fixed straight away, it still does not show. The items arrived and so far seem ok, so we made another purchase giving them the benefit of the doubt. BIG MISTAKE. Having identified our email address had been added incorrectly and not being able to update it via the website, we were told they would fix it straight away, we are now locked out of our account. The second order we made got stuck in customs, it was very clear from the UPS tracker this had happened, having contacted Photospecialist the first day it did not arrive we were told they would fix it straight away. The next day the same thing happened, it was clear the item was still stuck in customs. We contacted their support again and after around half an hour wasted time found out not only had the previous support agent not even bothered to contact UPS, they were refusing to speak to us and refusing to give UPS a telephone call. The person responsible was hiding behind one of the girls who was speaking to me (Who we thank for trying her best) they were literally refusing to speak to us and sending messages to and from via this poor girl who was landed in the middle of all this. Our emails regarding this subject were all ignored and we received no written response regarding the issue. We were told we would be called back in two hours with a solution, when that call happened we were told they still had not contacted UPS. We went back and forth for over an hour trying to get the person dealing with this speak to us, who continued to refuse, and trying to get them to agree to pick up the phone and contact UPS. We were continually told it was impossible for them to call UPS, a straight out lie. I informed them multiple times all they need to do is pick up the phone and call them, they continued to refuse to do that, and the person responsible continued to refuse to speak to me. Bearing in mind this is how they treat customers that have spent nearly 1000 GBP with them in the last 3 weeks. We contacted UPS ourselves, and within 5 minutes had found out the item was indeed stuck at customs, and that it should be arriving tomorrow. Instead of Photospecialist picking up the phone to try and resolve this, it took two days of being messed around before we finally got the answer ourselves. Photospecialist gained and lost a customer within the space of 3 weeks due to their pathetic customer service (Aside from the girl we spoke to). Do not buy with this company, their company, website and customer support is an absolute joke.
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Reviews for Photospecialist.co.uk

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17 Sept 2023
 Verified review
Variable delivery performance
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10 Nov 2023
 Verified review

Not great comun

Not great communication
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Answer by Photospecialist.co.uk
11 Nov 2023
Thank you for your feedback. I am so sorry to read that and your request has been send to the correct deparment. We will send you the 5 year warrenty as soon as possible.
10 Aug 2023
 Verified review
Absolutely disgraceful customer service. Firstly our first order with the company does not show in our account, having been assured it would be fixed straight away, it still does not show. The items arrived and so far seem ok, so we made another purchase giving them the benefit of the doubt. BIG MISTAKE. Having identified our email address had been added incorrectly and not being able to update it via the website, we were told they would fix it straight away, we are now locked out of our account. The second order we made got stuck in customs, it was very clear from the UPS tracker this had happened, having contacted Photospecialist the first day it did not arrive we were told they would fix it straight away. The next day the same thing happened, it was clear the item was still stuck in customs. We contacted their support again and after around half an hour wasted time found out not only had the previous support agent not even bothered to contact UPS, they were refusing to speak to us and refusing to give UPS a telephone call. The person responsible was hiding behind one of the girls who was speaking to me (Who we thank for trying her best) they were literally refusing to speak to us and sending messages to and from via this poor girl who was landed in the middle of all this. Our emails regarding this subject were all ignored and we received no written response regarding the issue. We were told we would be called back in two hours with a solution, when that call happened we were told they still had not contacted UPS. We went back and forth for over an hour trying to get the person dealing with this speak to us, who continued to refuse, and trying to get them to agree to pick up the phone and contact UPS. We were continually told it was impossible for them to call UPS, a straight out lie. I informed them multiple times all they need to do is pick up the phone and call them, they continued to refuse to do that, and the person responsible continued to refuse to speak to me. Bearing in mind this is how they treat customers that have spent nearly 1000 GBP with them in the last 3 weeks. We contacted UPS ourselves, and within 5 minutes had found out the item was indeed stuck at customs, and that it should be arriving tomorrow. Instead of Photospecialist picking up the phone to try and resolve this, it took two days of being messed around before we finally got the answer ourselves. Photospecialist gained and lost a customer within the space of 3 weeks due to their pathetic customer service (Aside from the girl we spoke to). Do not buy with this company, their company, website and customer support is an absolute joke.
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Answer by Photospecialist.co.uk
11 Aug 2023
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. Our sincere apologies for the turn of events. We see that you are in touch with our customer service and assure you that a suitable solution will be provided.
30 Jul 2023
 Verified review

Certainly won't be shopping here again!

So i had to wait 2 weeks in total to actually recieve my order. This store uses UPS to send out their parcels whoch they tell you. Only problem is they don't bother sending you an order confirmation or UPS teacking number. How useless? Very. The only thing i had that was proof of purchase was the fact that £258.99 was taken out of my account. I tried calling them several times (10+) that morning, i kept getting hung up on like someone on the other end of the line was purposely declining the calls. I pressed the request a call back button and in all fairness, they did call me back, however when i actually said to the women on the other end of the line how poor the service had been she was giving excuses like "there's alot of people on holiday", "they have no English speaking people". Here's a suggestion, don't expand your buisness to the UK if you can't support the volume of customers there! I basically had to wait 2 weeks to discover my parcel was left at a corner shop a mile away from my house without anyone telling me. I've lost work because i didn't have this order and i'm raging. Terrible store, incompetent staff and desperately needs some attnetion to their practices.
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Answer by Photospecialist.co.uk
31 Jul 2023
How sad to read that you had this experience. I can imagine that this is not what you had hoped for. I would be happy to help you further so we can look at a solution.
10 Aug 2023
 Verified review

Poor customer service

I ordered a top loader camera holster from photospecialist , good price including £10 delivery was still cheaper than in the uk. Parcel arrived in a reasonable amount of time and the product was good but not suitable so I wanted to change it for a larger holster. Here’s where the fun begins, pulling teeth would be easier than trying to get them to send a return label, I have asked 3 times via email only for them to pass the buck to a different department, Clearly they are waiting for my 30 day cooling off period to expire so I can’t return the item. They also insist on me paying £25 to return the parcel , steep or what? Decided to keep the holster and cut my losses, it cost £60 and return for £25. Make sure you don’t want to return your purchase before ordering from photospecialist or avoid like the plague…
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17 Aug 2023
 Verified review

Item hasn't arrived and no emails received.

I ordered Sennheiser MKE 440 Directional Stereo Microfoon on 4 August 2023. I only received purchase confirmation email. I haven't heard anything from them after that when the shipping information email was claimed to be delivered within 1-4 business days and It is already 17 August today. Reached to the point where I might just report the transaction as fraudulent to my bank and get the money back. Let the customers know in advance about the shipping time frame of the order taking to get delivered to UK or any other country. If you cannot deliver the orders on time, then atleast make the customers informed about it either by sending an email or a tracking number. Customers receiving tracking number is a must as soon as the order gets shipped.
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Answer by Photospecialist.co.uk
18 Aug 2023
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this review. I am so sorry to read that it has gone wrong. I have tried to find anything on your emailaddress, but there is nothing in the system. Can you please reach out to me, so I can assit you further? You can send the email to reviews@kamera-express.nl.
6 Jun 2023
 Verified review

Photospecialist are not based in UK and I would not order from an overseas company again

Photospecialist give the impression of being UK based with .co.uk web address and UK contact numbers but they actually ship from the Netherlands. Be aware that their delivery terms are that for countries outside the EU, such as UK, "you may have to pay the relevant import taxes and customs duties". This puts the cost and risk on the customer. My delivery was in two parts. One part was "delayed due to reported damage" and UPS did not give a delivery date. When I contacted Photospecialist by email for help they were extremely unhelpful. They said they knew no more than the UPS website and I just had to "be patient", basically they couldn't care less was the impression given.
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Answer by Photospecialist.co.uk
7 Jun 2023
Thank you so much for taking the time to write this review. We are located in the Netherlands and we never make a secret about that. This is also mentioned on our website. The reason the website it co.uk, is because Kamera Express took over Photospecialist and we didn't want to confuse the customer, so we kept the name and the co.uk. So people still knew where to find us and our services. I am so sorry UPS didn't give you an delivery date and that we didn't help you more usefull than that. I will contact you by email.
27 Aug 2023
 Verified review

Stressful !!!

I wish I had heeded the other reviews, rather than take a punt on the cheap prices. My package arrived very late and badly damaged. It was UPS that smashed it about, but the seller was responsible for the long delay in customs. Luckily, in a way, I bought sturdy tripod equipment, so the damage, whilst significant, did not affect the functioning. My advice would be to avoid buying anything fragile, as it may very well arrive unusable. Nonetheless, if this had happened with any other company, I'd have returned the stuff. But communication with these guys has been so difficult, I rather live with it than have any more dealings with them.
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Answer by Photospecialist.co.uk
28 Aug 2023
Thank you for taken the time to leave this review. I am so sorry this has come to you this way. That is not what we expect from UPS to deliver our packages at all. I will contact you, to see how I can fix this for you.
26 Aug 2023
 Verified review
I’m sorry to say that I can only give 1 star. The website is misleading and doesn’t suggest the company is based in NL. Therefore shipping is international and as a result, sent via UPS who give poor customer service. My parcel didn’t arrive, despite ordering 11 days before needed. I paid £9.99 postage and they won’t give me a refund until they have received their goods back from UPS. No one told me they were running behind. I have had to purchase elsewhere and have to wait for my refund of nearly 2 weeks. Very poor and won’t use again.
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Answer by Photospecialist.co.uk
28 Aug 2023
Thank you for leaving this review. I am so sorry this has happened. We have found the solution and are working hard to get everything delivered for you. You have recieved an email last week about this. Again I am very sorry about this.
24 May 2023
 Verified review

Waiting for a refund from a lost order - poor communication from Photospecialist

My order hasn't arrived and has been marked as lost by UPS. Communication with Photospecialist seems to have stopped and I am now left out of pocket, and without the item I ordered. Refused to refund or send a replacement until UPS had confirmed the parcel as lost which is understandable, but now the parcel has been confirmed as lost, I have been ignored. Have had to place an order elsewhere to ensure I get the item in time for an event which is now fast approaching.
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Answer by Photospecialist.co.uk
24 May 2023
Thank you for taking the time to write this review. I can see that you send the forms yesterday, but due to low staff your email has not been handled yet. My colleague will get back to you on this order and arrange everything. You are not ignorned, but sadly it is just very busy and low of staff. I will send a request for them to respond to you urgently.
24 Aug 2023
 Verified review

Not great, paid for goods that haven't arrived

I ordered a tether cable on 2 weeks ago, UPS tracking a complete shambles, I still haven't received my item, mo idea when it will arrive. Communication with PhotoSpecialist fair good and timely, however no solution offered, I requested a refund which they agreed to but on return of the goods, which I haven't received, but have paid for. I've ordered from different supplier as I need it for a project and couldn't wait indefinitely.
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Answer by Photospecialist.co.uk
25 Aug 2023
Thank you for taking the time to leave this review. I am so sorry to hear you haven't recieved it yet. UPS is having difficulties with customs. Of course we are doing our best to get this solved ASAP. I will contact you via email about this issue.
5 Jun 2023
 Verified review

Where is my order

I ordered a camera more than 1 month ago and it hasn't arrived yet, I put my address correctly and they sent it through UPS so that it would arrive 10 days later than expected, and it's June 5th and I still don't have the camera I ordered , plus I have to go to the UPS wherehouse 11 miles away to try to claim the order that didn't even ship to the correct address and someone random ended up rejecting it. Worst birthday gift ever
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Answer by Photospecialist.co.uk
7 Jun 2023
Hello David, Thank you for your review. I have already send you an email with all the information about your order. If you could please get back to me by email, we can try to solve this asap for you.
22 Aug 2023
 Verified review

Would not recommend

My order has been stuck at the point of import into the UK for two weeks. Photospecialist has been assuring me they’re working hard on solving the problem, but there has been zero progress + they stopped responding to my emails. I have had good experiences with Kamera Express in the Netherlands when I lived there, but they’re clearly not ready to run a webshop in the UK while their warehouse is in the Netherlands.
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Answer by Photospecialist.co.uk
23 Aug 2023
Thank you for taking the time to leave this review. I am so sorry to hear you haven't recieved it yet. UPS is having difficulties with customs. Of course we are doing our best to get this solved ASAP. I will contact you via email about this issue
2 Jun 2023
 Verified review

Arrived late

I'm rating the service as poor. I paid £9.99 shipping cost (the highest ever!) for the item (digital camera) to be delivered within 2-4 working days. The item arrived on the fifth working day (ordered 19.5.2023 - arrived 26.5.2023). Nothing major, if I didn't need the camera. However, I urgently needed it and had to cancel my work commitments as a result, suffering further financial loss. Camera is good
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Answer by Photospecialist.co.uk
3 Jun 2023
Hello Suzie, Thank you for taking the time to leave this review. I am sorry to hear that the shipping took longer then expected and that this caused business issues. I will contact you via email.
2 Jun 2023
 Verified review
The web site failed card payment processing at time of placing the order which I then retried successfully via paypal. But then you seemed to continue retrying the 1st order in the background to a point where I was charged again having believed the first had been cancelled. Two bags shipped - lots of inconvenience to get it sorted. Next time I will use Amazon
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Answer by Photospecialist.co.uk
2 Jun 2023
Thank you for taking the time to leave this review. I am sorry to read that the website failed. I have pulled up all your info and I can see that everything has been sorted out. I will send you an email to make sure this issue will be solved.
4 Aug 2023
 Verified review
A very poor returns process. It took around 4 weeks from refusing the delivery to receiving the refund, it's just not good enough. Although they use a co.uk. Web address and have a UK phone number, don't be fooled as this is a Dutch company. It is often hard to get through to customer service as the call will often drop without any explanation.
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Answer by Photospecialist.co.uk
4 Aug 2023
We're sorry you feel that way. We would like to get in touch with you to find out what went wrong in this process. Can you please email us at reviews@kamera-express.nl? We are indeed a Dutch company, but we have an English-speaking customer service. Occasionally during this season our telephone accessibility may not be as good as what you are used to. This is due to understaffing during the busy summer season, for which we apologize.
15 Jun 2023
 Verified review

No delivery, no refund, no replies

Website said "in stock, delivery within 2 to 4 days" and they say it is out of stock, will take months to re-order, and are not refunding. I have sent more than 10 emails to www.photospecialist.co.uk, most unanswered, phone calls to the number on their website were not picked up either.
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Answer by Photospecialist.co.uk
16 Jun 2023
Thank you for taking the time to leave this review. I am so sorry this is taking so long to resolve. Your request for refund was send to another department and something went wrong in our system. I have requested this again with urgency and I will keep you informed via email.
7 Aug 2023
 Verified review
Excessive return postage - over 50% of the value of the goods. Offer of help from company but nothing forthcoming. An item costing £68 cost me and additional £30 in loss (sold) and postage.
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Answer by Photospecialist.co.uk
9 Aug 2023
We're sorry you feel that way. We see that you have already contacted our customer service department. You have been offered a return label, with us covering the cost. Somehow there was a miscommunication about this and you chose not to return the bag. You can still contact us so we can resolve this issue for you. You can email us at reviews@kamera-express.nl
4 Jun 2023
 Verified review

Awful customer service.

Was sent a faulty item. Seems impossible to get customer services to sort it out. Next step is a letter of complaint, and then I’ll get the ombudsman on to it.
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Answer by Photospecialist.co.uk
5 Jun 2023
Thank you for taking the time to write this review. My apologies you were send an faulty item. You have recieved the retun lable today. Due to low of staff we try to help every one, however our reply responses are longer then what you are used to from us. I am so sorry about this. I will keep in touch with you via email, to get this sorted out asap.
14 Jul 2023
 Verified review

Item not delivered.

Item not delivered and none of the contact details work. Very very poor customer service. I would avoid this company.
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Answer by Photospecialist.co.uk
15 Jul 2023
How frustrating to read! I'd love to get in touch with you so we can work out a solution!