Ffordes Reviews 225

I was recommended to Ffordes many years ago and have bought cameras and lenses there. The service has always been excellent and the staff very helpful in giving advice either by 'phone or, now, the internet.

I visited the store some years ago and was fascinated by all the equipment on display inside and the general ethos.

Many thanks.

Carl Willits.

It only took Alister a couple of days to email me sale prices for several film cameras and lenses. The prices were high enough to give me a fair price after commission but designed to sell reasonably quickly, and after a month of listing two thirds have already sold.
Ffordes arranged next day collection from me and then checked and tested everything. A couple of items needed cleaning or servicing, but done at fair prices.
A great service by lovely people.

I have sold quite a few items with Ffords and have always found the staff very helpful, knowledgeable, friendly and professional.The fee paid for the service is fair in my opinion,and I would not hesitate to use again.

Lighting Stand kit arrived within 24 hours of ordering and exactly as described,

I have used Ffordes since the mid 1960's when they were based in Essex and I was still at school!!

Always a pleasure to deal with.

Although Ffordes were unable to help in a practical way Alister gave me excellent advice and suggested several ways to solve my issues.

I ran my business the same way, making sure that everyone I came into contact with had their issues addressed, problems solved or, as in this case, referred to someone who could help.

Great business, use it or lose it.

I ordered a secondhand ML-3/A Modulite remote set, it was as described on their site in excellent condition, this item was delivered the following day by Royal mail, super fast and smooth process, and helpful staff, I am happy to buy again from ffordes, a trust worthy company to deal with. Thank you to the staff at the Kirk, By Beauly Inverness shire ffordes

Ross Seldon has been my guide to numerous wonderful pieces of gear over the passage of time. I fortunately to live reasonably close to Ffordes and frequently go through Beauly on my way to the West Coast. I carry with me my Swaroski binocular, which must be one of the best in the world, my Leica Q2 and once by the sea, I use my Swaroski scope.The variety of Billingham bags, all bought from Ffordes have remained in pristine condition, even though I have used them constantly over the last decades. Ross has guided my adventure with interest for us and Support. I cannot speak too highly for they have remained in pristine condition, even though I have used them constantly over the last decades. Ross has guided my adventure with interest and support. A superb and most knowledgable font of knowledge . I am at present considering buying a Leica. D Lux 8 and a Peak Roller case. The efficiency and effectiveness of trading-in pieces of gear has been exemplary thank you, Ffordes. Ben

My old camera gear sold quickly, money paid into bank promptly, got good prices for my old gear. I have now just bought my 5th second hand camera from Ffordes which is in near new condition. This shop is my first place to look for camera gear since they sold my first film camera about 25 years ago on my behalf.
Very helpful staff behind the counter.

The overall experience dealing with Ffordes is fantastic. Their quality rating for used products is very realistic. If anything the product you receive is better than described. I would not hesitate to recommend them and will be using them again. Thank you

I found a Sony HX99 that I'd been looking for, at Ffordes online. It was at a very reasonable price, beating all others I had found. After email confirmation and provision of tracking info, it arrived one business day after ordering, really well packaged and in pristine condition, with original box and accessories. It is flawless and could pass for brand new. It certainly lives up to its billing as "mint".

I'm really happy with the swift and seamless experience of buying online from Ffordes. I will be back! Thoroughly recommended.

My late husband was a keen photographer and I was reluctant to part with his equipment but have had to downsize recently so needed to find a good home for some of his kit. I looked at several sites and felt that Ffordes offered the best service.
I wasn't disappointed - they were professional, patient and courteous. After an initial consultation and assessment of the items, they offered several options for trading. They sent postage labels to send the package and having reviewed everything, agreed a fair price.
I am very happy with the service and can definitely recommend Ffordes.

Top service. I have bought from and sold to Ffordes a number of times over many years. The service has always been exemplary. Their offers on used equipment have been so reasonable I don't bother looking anywhere else (ebay might raise more but it's unreliable nowadays and not worth the stress). They make selling to them a breeze with home pick-up and great communication. Items I have bought have always been exactly as described and with no problems.

First time ordering from Ffordes. Ordered a used item late on Wednesday, item arrived on Friday. Great service and value. Item in excellent condition and exactly as described. Very happy 1st time customer.

I bought a second hand Rotolight from Ffordes - it was sent out on the next working day and reached me very quickly. When I had an issue Steve was so helpful and speedy at sorting out the problem and I am very happy with my new light!

Excellent friendly service. Emailed for gift vouchers at 10.30pm on Tuesday. Email reply at 8.45am on Wednesday. Vouchers arrived by recorded delivery on Thursday morning. Kept updated all way through and even an email to check if they had arrived.

Ordered a Canon 5D at what I estimated was a bargain price. Ffordes' service was exceptional, with next day delivery, updates on progress of the order. Cannot fault in any way. Loved the camera, beautiful photos and handling, but on 2nd use, seemed the CF card I used was damaged and subsequently bent a pini inside the CF slot of the camera, basically rendering the camera unusable. I emailed Ffordes and received a prompt response, to investigate the issue, and while I was honest in my description and understood the gravity of my self-imposed error,
Ffordes told me the problem was not covered by warranty and thus nothing they could do to help. I guess I was hoping for a little goodwill, although of course there was no compulsion on their part to help. I'm a numpty, and I know it, but this is not a
negative review and I'm very grateful for the feedback I received from them. Further, having used Ffordes in the past, I have no hesitation to state they're the go-to photographic store, and I will certainly use them again. Note to self: check CF before use!

Update: Since Ffordes has responded to this review (thank you Ffordes) yes, you did offer to see if the pin could be bent back into shape; however, you did state it would not be done under warranty, and the price of repair you quoted (if possible) would be prohibitive (for me) and would cost more than I paid for the camera. Hence I shall try to do it myself, and see how it goes; my stepson is a whizz with micro-soldering, so fingers crossed! Many thanks though for the response, which was typically rapid.

I’ve dealt with Ffordes for several years and they’ve always been friendly and helpful. All the staff are very knowledgeable and informative. My overall impression is of a very professional and efficient organisation.

I've used Ffordes for a number of years now and have always found their service to be first class.
I recently wanted to sell some lenses I wasn't really using so contacted the Ffordes team. They arranged collection of the equipment and a few days later I received an email with a choice of 3 selling options. I opted to sell the equipment right away with the money paid directly into my bank.
Very efficient and friendly service as I've come to expect from Ffordes.
Highly recommended.

Easy to deal with, good communication and previous purchases of good value equipment. Have visited twice over the years. Good experience.

I was on a road trip through Scotland and didn’t have a pair of binoculars with me. Being a total beginner in this area, I had no clue what to look for. But as soon as I experienced the breathtaking landscapes and incredible wildlife of Scotland, I realised: without binoculars, I’d miss so much. So I simply had to get one.

The first model I enquired about via email wasn't available at Ffordes. Still, the shop was directly on our route, and I was determined to buy a pair on-site. Unfortunately, our ferry to Ullapool was delayed, and I soon realised I probably wouldn’t make it to Ffordes in Inverness before closing time.

And that’s where Alister from Ffordes came to the rescue – a true customer service hero.
He kindly offered to stay late so I could still pick up a pair. And indeed, we didn’t arrive until half an hour after closing – yet Alister and his very friendly colleague (whose name I sadly didn’t catch) opened up the doors of their already stunning shop just for us.

Alister had the binoculars I had chosen – the Hawke Frontier HD X – already prepared. After an incredibly pleasant, relaxed and warmly personal conversation, I got to take them with me. That moment saved the trip – and the binoculars now deliver razor-sharp views that make every wildlife and nature encounter even more unforgettable.

I am absolutely thrilled with Ffordes. This was "beyond ordinary" service – honest, personal and human.
A big heartfelt THANK YOU to Alister for going the extra mile in such a generous way!

I can truly recommend Ffordes and the entire team to anyone – and even though I live in Germany, I’ll definitely be ordering from Ffordes (online) in the future!