Cowboy Studio

[Village Idiot]

I think they do a 1 month warranty on their strobes. ONE MONTH. That's rediculous. Any reputable brand will give you at least one year. On one forum, either here of POTN, some one said their CBS strobe caught on fire just out the warranty period and they were told that it wasn't the company's problem outside of the warranty.

They also use the Strobist name to sell equipment and they're not associated with Strobist at all.

 

[szymonsayz]

This company has the worst customer service. They run two businesses out of their office Yin Yan and Cowboy Studios.

I bought the 3000W kit, first time I opened it, the sandbag broke, lights were not working so I exchanged it with Amazon.

2nd Kit came in, the parts were compeltely different, The company's name wasn't even on the parts. Still no sandbag.

a 3rd Kit came in, no sandbag either, I finally had to call the company they sent me a different sandbag. After about a 2 weeks of using the kit, the clamps that hold the heads to the poles started to crack. Where you tighten the head, the plastic started to crack through, making it impossible to tighten.

After this point, Amazon said that I have to call Cowboy studio directly it was after 30 days. So I did. Cynthia Parker promised to send me 6 clamps so that I can have some as backup, they only sent me three. When I tried to put them on the head, they were to small, they wouldn't fit. (and one was missing washers)

I spoke to Emily, Cynthia's manager. She promised to send me a 4th light and all the replacement parts. This was suppose to happen on sept 19th, 2011, and UPS tracking number showed that it was going to be delivered on the 22nd. Well on the 23rd, nothing has been shipped yet. Emily finally told me and apologized that they were trying to gather all the parts.

They sent out the 5th replacement order. I received it on the 27th. When I got it, the 3 clamps that they sent me were the exact same size as the small ones that didn't fit. On top of that, the 4th light that they sent me, didn't even have clamps to screw onto the pole, and finally the broken sandbag that Emily promised to put into the box (even though it was written on the box) was never in the box.

I called them today. Emily is denying that that parts don't fit, even though I sent them pictures of the sizes being to small, and she claims that the 4th light came with all the parts.

Now they will not even answer the phone, they put me on hold and hang up the phone. I call their store, and they answer the phone and hang up. What kind of customer service to they have. My next step is to contact BBB, Consumer Affairs, and blog about their poor customer service on any review site about their products.

Do NOT get involved with this company. Amazon even took this product off the market with this company because of all the issues people were having.

There are several other companies out there. This is a generic product that Cowboy puts their name on, and I warn you not to deal with them. They are horrible with customer service.

If anyone is going through this problem, you can try Emily on her direct line 972-832-6928 because they don't answer their office phones. Her email is emily.cowboystudio@gmail.com.

 

[bennielou]

Damn, is there a full moon tonight?

 

[Village Idiot]

Now, would it have been worth it to spend some more money on a better quality kit?

If you purchased it with a CC, call your company and dispute the charge.

 

[Geaux]

I've bought from them before, triggers and stand/umbrella. No issues here with their service.

 

[Stradawhovious]

The phrase "You get what you pay for" Isn't just a clever saying.

Really.

I'm not sure why people buy **** and expect it not to stink. It's ****. It's ****'s job to be crappy. As a result, it doesn't cost much.

 

[KmH]

We all have Wal-Mart to thank?

 

[Derrel]

We all have Wal-Mart to thank?

NO, we have the North American Free Trade Act to thank...

 

[12sndsgood]

no, you just have cheap people to thank. stores are only in business if there are customers paying money.

 

[szymonsayz]

Has anyone ever used this site? If so is it any good?

www.cowboystudio.com

Try this site... Cowboy Studio Reviews

 

[Don Kondra]

LOL

Ever heard of a file... rough castings are not unusual.

Cheers, Don

 

[2WheelPhoto]

this thread makes two thoughts come to mind:

1) i like my pocketwizards a little more than i did
2) that 80's song "i wanna' be a coyboy yippee I aye"

 

[StephanieK]

Has anyone ever used this site? If so is it any good?

www.cowboystudio.com

Try this site... Cowboy Studio Reviews

I'm a little disappointed that no one has YET to offer an alternative. The original question was is this company any good... and everyone has just either posted their opinion about cheap equipment, or shared their experience... which is great, don't get me wrong... but with everything said, you're just leaving it up to anyone reading this thread to decide whether or not to go with Cowboy Studio.
At this point, as a semi-pro photographer, I'm still not convinced that I'd be making a mistake going with them. I'm looking for simple, inexpensive backdrop & lighting equipment to use occasionally for newborns, children, and boudoir sessions. So far they offer the most complete kits i've found, at a great price... i'm not paying $1500 for equipment when i'm only a part-time photographer.

Any alternative companies you'd recommend? With good experiences - not just opinions, please?

 

[cgipson1]

Any alternative companies you'd recommend? With good experiences - not just opinions, please?

Nothing I would recommend that is in that price range.. you get what you pay for. Adorama Flashpoint gear is good.. and a lot less expensive than the brand names... check them out. B&H has similar items also. These are quality items at least... even the Flashpoint monolights have a good rep (haven't used them, but people here have.. and say good things about them)... the Cowboy stuff has a bad reputation for being junk.

I do have some flashpoint gear, and it is well built, and works. I don't have to worry that it will not be working on my next shoot, or die during the middle of a shoot.

 

[redessa]

I bought some radio flash triggers from them recently (through amazon). They were very inexpensive and I don't expect them to last forever but they work just fine and suit my purposes for the time being.

I don't think there's anythign wrong w/ buying from them as long as you know you're not getting professional quality equipment at those prices.