... Miami in the winter sounds very tempting ....
But kind of unprofessional don't you think? My goodness - don't you have a sunset bar here for that? This does seem to be kind of a boys club here though, especially with the boys at CI. I would rather concentrate on the camera equipment than chasing women and getting drunk, but I guess I'm in the minority here. Oh well.
Joseph,
I think that his remark was in response to what I wrote above. If it was out of the blue, than I can see how that can be unprofessional.
Also, to me, good customer service doesn't necessarily means to be all the time political correct and official like. I'm in the event industry and I deal with people all the time. Joking and making fun is part of the "connection" you forge with your customers.
Some people like to keep it business like all the time, and that is fine. I personally don't mind when people joke and act natural. This is not an office where everybody has to wear a tie.
In regard to "the boys at CI" ... I think that's smart business on their part. It's an open forum and any vendor is free to post and answer questions. If other vendors want to gain new customers, they should try to do that by staying involved and get to "know" the people that are looking for products.
Just to be clear: I received answers to my questions and I was never solicited to buy anything from CI or anybody else.
While I did buy a camera from them, it was because they offered a good value (comparable with KEH). They showed great customer service and when I'm ready to buy something else, they will be the first place to look. At the PPE show, the guys that are closer to me (NY) left me with a bad taste and I felt like I was in front of a used car salesman.
So, if you are a vendor, you should stay more involved because you never know where your next customer will come from: I'm in Philly area and the closest CI is to me is Atlanta.