Paul C. Buff equals Great Customer Service!

Recently I made a semi-large purchase from one of my new favorite websites, Alienbees.com. I ordered a couple of B1600 heads and a few modifiers and the Vagabond II Portable Power System. I couldn’t wait to get out and shoot with my new equipment. I tested out the heads with one of the modifiers I had ordered and read the quick start instructions for the Vagabond. I found that I needed to let the thing charge for 12 to 24 hours so I decided to try it out the next day. I knew I had a shoot two days later that would require the power pack, so I wanted to make myself familiar with using it.

That next day I went out in the yard to test out the Vagabond only to find that my new B1600 would not turn on. I tried several things and called a few of my photographer friends who owned one themselves. I explained that it was making a strange sound and asked them if that was normal. They responded that they didnt really pay any attention to any noises other than the internal fan.

I tried a few more times but then decided to call the company for some troubleshooting. I left a message since it was after hours by this time. After leaving the message i decided to try one more thing. I wiggled the plug of the B1600 a few times. I saw the light cut on on the back and saw that it must have been a bad connection between the Vagabond and the B1600. After giving a few more wiggles it finally stayed lit. I had power! The thing was working!

The next day I got a call from Paul C Buff and I told them that I was a bit worried that it might happen again. I had a shoot that next day and I was a bit paranoid that it would fail during the shoot. The sales rep quickly told me that it was not a problem and that I would have one before my shoot. He informed me that they would next day me another unit… Sure enough that next morning I had a new vagabond II fully charged and ready to rock n roll for that evenings shoot. i got some amazing shots that evening! Thanks to the folks at Paul C Buff…

You other companies should take notice! Thats what good customer service is all about!

-Chi “Cyclopedia” Brown

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Tagged as: Alienbees, Anybody Move And I'll Shoot, Customer Service, Cyclopedia Brown, Paul C. Buff, Vagabond II