Steadicam service!

[Gabe Strong]

I bought a Merlin a couple years ago. I haven't used it that much....probably on
less than 10 real shoots, so not very many hours on it at all. I'm not great with
it, but for 30 second TV spots, I can try several things a couple times each, and
when I get one 4 or 5 second shot that works, it does add a lot to the spot.
Anyways, I got it out a couple weeks ago as a client wanted a 'flying' type shot.
Mounted the PD-150 on it and...YIKES the upper spar was swinging all over
the place. So I got on the web and found the Steadicam rep for my area and emailed
him. He got back to me the same day with the email address of the guy who
would be helping me, so I emailed the new guy and he got right back to me
and said that sometimes there wasn't enough adhesive on the top spar and had
me pack it up and mail it to him. Now mind you, even though I haven't used
it much, the Merlin was officially NOT under warranty anymore! I asked how
much it would cost, and they said they wanted to look at it first (understandably,
they probably wanted to make sure I wasn't abusing the thing or that the gimbal
didn't have signs of me trying to fly a heavier camera than was recommended or
whatever.) Anyways, once they got it, they fixed it and mailed it back to me. I got
it back here in Alaska within a couple weeks, AND they did not charge me for anything,
even shipping! That is why people buy Steadicam products, they have GREAT
service and work to make sure that you are happy with your purchase.