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.

Chevy and Lincoln

We knew right away we wanted more kitties in the house, so we started looking a month later. We found a great pair of cats at the humane soc...