Tuesday, 23 November 2010

Wingscape Birdcam!

As I mentioned in the previous post, I was using pictures taken with a wildlife camera.  It's a Wingscapes model that was a gift from Iain's mom a couple of Christmases ago.  The usual use is for getting shots of birds visiting the feeders, but we have used it for other spots as well, most notably as a time-lapse of a few of our camping trips.  The camera is only usable in daylight hours, which is a minor drawback, but we have enjoyed it a lot.

Our camera quit working this August; I thought it was case of depleted batteries, but new ones made no difference, and when I ran a test the display showed an error message.  So I decided to contact the manufacturers, an American company, by email.  I hoped they would tell me where to take the camera to be repaired, if it could indeed BE repaired.  I went to their website, http://www.wingscapes.com/ , and wrote them a short "help!" letter.

I received a nice email back from Kim Creel, their customer service manager, and she explained that the error code meant there was a software problem, and the unit would have to be replaced.  She asked for my model and serial number, so they could send me a replacement.

Now, when I sent the info off to her, I thought I'd get an email back saying "Okay, now send money".  But I didn't.  They just found one like it at their factory, tested it to be sure it worked, and sent it off to me.  Gratis.  I had the replacement camera (which they sent with new documention, bungee cords, cables, and remote control, even though I already had these things) delivered by courier to my home in less than 2 weeks!

And because I'm in Canada and sending the camera back across the border would be kind of a hassle, they said "nah, never mind returning it; enjoy your new camera".  Absolutely outstanding customer service!
So if you ever plan to buy one of these cameras, don't pass on the Wingscapes because they are a little more expensive.  They're worth it.

A picture of Onyx enjoying the window seat... 





 ...and a picture of Snaps, enjoying the same spot!



3 comments:

Holly Dean Artist said...

Now that's the way you should be treated. So great to hear a positive story. And the kitties look so happy :)

Jenny Davidson said...

It is clearly a popular spot! Both cats look great - Onyx looks much more relaxed than usual!...

Larry said...

In the past we bought Nikon, but there are always problems with the battery casing - the closing and locking mechanisms break easily. And we did not have much luck with customer service. So Holly's most recent camera is an Olympus.

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