Buying my Inon D-180 strobe

[Gilligan]

After much deliberation and procrastination I purchased an Inon D-180 strobe and Inon fiber optic kit for my Oly PT-010.

The point I want to make in this post is that I purchased the items from Ryan at Underwater Camera Pros. He gave me a price, including shipping (to Hawaii), that was only $60 or so more than ordering direct from a competitor in Japan, which by the way was the cheapest price I found next to Ryan's.
In my opinion the price difference is offset by having a US based dealer to obtain warranty service from, should it become necessary, as well as having a US dealer to obtain parts from and talk to on the telephone.
I have ordered some items directly from dealers in Japan but I concluded it was best to order a strobe from Ryan here in the USA as it is an item that is more complex and more likely to develop problems than a housing, tray, or the like.

Many thanks to Ryan for his courtesy and service.

 

[Dee]

All very good points. Price isn't always everything!

 

[TedJ]

Good going. No you've raised the bar. I know we are all looking forward to the unfolding drama of its use. This could become a great tutorial!!!
TedJ

 

[rad21]

Congratulations Gilligan! My experience with Underwater Camera Pros was not as positive as yours. I called on the phone and got a voice mail message so I sent them an email. I stated that I wanted to buy a tray and a handle for my Oly 5050 and would purchase a strobe soon after. I received a quick auto response that someone would reply as soon as possible but I never received a reply. No email, no phone call. It has been 5 days now.....Pretty poor customer service in my opinion.

I called ULCS direct, Terry cheerfully answered the phone on the first ring, answered all my questions and I placed my order in under 5 minutes. That's the way business should be conducted. When I am ready to buy my strobe, I need to find a reliable dealer for Inon.

 

[Ryan]

Hello Rad,

I must apologize, but I don't have your product inquiry.

I do have some questions about trays for PT-015, but they have all been replied to. It is possible that you typed the reply address incorrectly, or the email is lost in server la la land.

Either way, Terry has already satisfied your immediate needs, but I hope that you keep us in mind for future purchases.

If your email is in your profile, I'll contact you for your contact info, so I can try to isolate this problem.

Thanks,
Ryan

 

[rad21]

I sent you a PM Ryan.

Rad21

 

[rad21]

Just wanted to set the record straight. Ryan found the problem with the Inquiry System on their website. Issue resolved. Let the strobe postings continue on a positive note.....

 

[Dee]

Rad...thanks for posting this last developement. Since Ryan doesn't have time to hang out on all the photo boards, I sent him a heads-up about your post. I'm glad it was resolved. We can all understand internet snafu's.

As everyone knows the internet is a major source of information for us. And as such, any negative reports can have a huge impact on any company. It's always very nice to know when there's been an honest mistake made, or in this case a web snafu, and things have been resolved to everyones satisfaction.