Bel Air Camera Superstore
Los Angeles, CA 90024-3405
Phone: (310) 208-5150
- Cross Street:
- Gayley Avenue
- Hours:
- Mon-Fri 9am-7pm, Sat 9:30am-6pm, Sun 12pm-5pm
Editorial Review for Bel Air Camera Superstore – by Laura Randall
The Scene
This Westwood Village institution is a Costco-esque discount warehouse that's managed to preserve its mom-and-pop roots. Staffers know their stuff--many are pros who can talk lighting setups with film crews or explain the basics to neophytes. The clientele is a mix of Westside professionals and UCLA students, plus one famous Los Angeles Laker.
The Goods
Canon, Minolta, Nikon, Pentax and Polaroid are all well represented, as are specialty items like strobes, light meters, hand-coloring sets and pinhole cameras. Bel Air managers claim they won't be undersold, and the prices bear that out. The sophisticated Nikon F-5, for instance, sells for about considerably less than retail, and popular models like the Nikon One-Touch are discounted by about 10 percent. The store also sells recycled equipment and takes trade-ins. The always-busy in-house film processing service is known for high quality and drugstore-comparable prices.
Editorial content is independent of paid advertisers. Any expenses are paid for by Citysearch.
Insider Tips
Student DiscountBel Air offers discounts to UCLA students and faculty. The amount varies depending on the purchase.
When to GoSaturday morning classes go from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and include lessons on point shoot and single lens reflex.
User Reviews for Bel Air Camera Superstore
05/31/2008 Posted by Barryjr
I am a Manager at Bel Air Camera. just a quick response...I don't know about this exact transaction but I can say this...The day this occurred, Canon had just started an instant rebate program on their lenses. it's possible that the person you spoke with was unaware of the instant rebate and as such quoted a price that was too high. Not a great defense, I know but without knowing who the person you spoke with is or what lens we are talking about, it's the best I've got. I am usually able to honor our internet pricing in the store, as long as you tack on the $15.00 average shipping charge. You must understand that there are higher costs associated with a brick and mortar store as opposed to an online site...we have salespeople to pay, you get to try the equipment, see it there are any imperfections in the lens, open it and make sure it's exactly what you want and will do what you want it to do etc. I appreciate hearing about issues like these because it gives me the opportunity to address them with the staff so that in the future, the same mistakes are not made. I only wish that whoever had this experience would have asked to speak with the manager so I could have dealt with it right then and there, I can't fix a problem that I know nothing about. If anyone has an issue with any aspect of Bel Air Camera, please feel free to contact me barry@belaircamera dot com
05/17/2008 Posted by jedes
Snotty, condescending customer service. Web pricing much less than in-store. When I called, the difference was $120 on a $400 lens. What was I thinking?! I get lousy personal service and a hundred free prints for the extra money! Wow, I guess I'm just a dumb customer. Shipping choice on web is only 2nd day air or faster, even if you're in the same county and ground is faster and cheaper. Don't bother asking about other shipping options, they'll make you feel like an cheapskate. If they get defensive when responding to inquires about pricing variances between the web and in-store, then they should raise the web price and lower the in-store price and make them the same. Give more shipping options and not try to make up a low web price by jacking up the shipping price. It would make them look better and they wouldn't have to get defensive.
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