LOWEPRO what a company!

I thought I would share this post with everyone because I usually get alot of questions in my email from my blog about the equipment I use.

I primarily use Lowepro bags for my gear. I own 3 different backpacks, a bunch of Omni Pros, 2 pro rollers and a few shoulder bags. (Some are pictured here while others are at the studio so I couldn't photograph them.)

I really like the durability and innovation that Lowepro bags and belts offer. The only problem for me is because of my heavy travel schedule I end up really giving my bags a beating. Almost every LP bag I have used has withstood the abuse I put them through.

However one bag in particular has always given me a problem. The CompuTrekkerAW and the CompuTrekker AW (ROLLER).

This backpack / backpack roller case is by far the best designed camera/laptop backpack of all time. Its light weight, durable, fits snug, spacious and is perfect for any system out there.

The only problem is the damned zipper. They tend to wear out quickly and split at inadequate times.

Like a hot girlfriend who has nothing upstairs, I ended up sticking with the compu trekkers because they are so "well designed" and although incredibly frustrating, the benefits outweigh the headaches.

 (the crappy zipper... you can see the damage here... this causes splitting)

However 3 years ago I became so frustrated with the backpack compu trekker I ended up having this Chilean shoesmith to sew in a custom zipper. It cost me about $150, but it works great.  

Fast forward to last year. Like clockwork the zipper on my (at the time relatively new) Roller backpack started to wear and split, so I decided to take it to the Chilean fella for a new zipper, only to find out he closed up his shop.

I spent a few months scouring the city to find a shoe maker or luggage repair store that would replace the garbage zipper with a heavy duty one, only to face a wall of rejection from various repair men.

(my replaced zipper)

 Frustrated I didn't want to deal with warranty again and so I simply threw the bag on the shelf and parked it for several months. A few weeks ago I needed the rolling capability so I pulled out the roller and have been using it with frustration ever since.  

Last Tuesday in Vancouver Airport the compu trekker roller and nova waiting to be picked up...

Now to the purpose of this blog.

3 days ago I was in Vistek www.vistek.ca after a shoot to pick up a few things when the Lowepro rep walked in to chat with the manager and sales team.

Me being who I am I decided to share my thoughts with him. I mean, that's what reps do. They take feedback from clients and sales teams. These are the people who really affect change.  He was cool. He listened intently to my feedback.

I told him how I thought how great Lowepro products are, but my crappy experiences with my compu trekkers and compu trekker rollers.... I explained that in my frustration I bought a THINK TANK bag for my medium format camera because at the time I was so frustrated with Lowepro compu trekker zippers.

Because I had just finished a shoot my compu trekker roller (with my gear) was in the back of my SUV... He asked to see it.

When he saw the bag without a second of a thought, he offered to replace my bag with a newer version.  He didn't bother asking me about how long I have owned the bag, or what I shot or who I was. He simply looked at it and was like," I see, ok lets replace this one."

He didn't want to hid behind a (12month warranty) technicality or pass it off to someone else... he dealt with the issue head on and wanted to ensure I was happy.

I wasnt asking for a hand out or even a replacement, just letting him know about my thoughts.

I have never been so impressed with rep in my life.  

I am super stoked because like I said I really like Lowepro products and the rep explained to me that the newer version actually addresses the zipper issue. They actually have upgraded it, as well as the tripod holder.

Not all products operate the way we (photographers) want them to, but it's not so much how the products work, but how the companies or realtors deal with an issue when a client is not happy.

 And Lowepro proved to me that they are at the top of this list. Vistek too!