I sent in my Nikon D750 for a shutter replacement. They had run out of replacement shutters, but still took the camera and quoted £248+VAT for the service, including return delivery (verified in advance over the phone). I posted in the camera for about £7-8 insured delivery from memory. I then waited over 4 months for the service, and they charged an extra £15 for delivery. Disappointing, especially after (a) specifically asking for an all-in quotation and (b) waiting over a third of a year for the service to be completed with what should surely be a standard item they should always have in stock read more

Not only should children stay clear of my cherished DSLR but so should my Mum... Upon arriving at my Dad's birthday dinner, I realised my mum had decided to bring my camera along and had also accidentally smashed the screen into pieces on the way. Needless to say I wasn't in a celebratory mood and felt like shedding some tears into my minestrone starter and to be fair I'm sure Mags (the culprit) did too. Since I work in town this place was the most convenient so I set off on lunch to find out the damage to my camera and my... no actually Mags' purse. The staff were great. My camera was taken through the back and two minutes later I was told the LCD screen looked fine, it was just the glass protector that was ruined and would I mind if they removed it then and there. Feeling like a bit of a drama queen from the night before, but also like doing a dance at the same time, I agreed. Another two minutes went by and my camera was handed back to me looking good as new and I was told I'd be able to buy a glass protector online and reattach it myself. Although a short and sweet service the staff couldn't have been more helpful. Having been in the business for over 40 years I would definitely trust them with my camera should anything happen again. But since Mags is only allowed to use a disposable camera for the foreseeable future, it shouldn't. Love you really Mum :) read more

Put my camcorder in to get a CF Slot replaced (a pretty expensive repair anywhere you look), at the beginning of December. Got a phone call saying when the parts would be in, a week later got another call saying the camera was ready. Did not take long at all. maybe about 2 weeks or there about. No problems, camera works fine now. They kept in contact every step of the way. read more

Fantastic service - my lens barrel was damaged on holiday and the automatic lens cover would not open or close. At first it looked like a big job that required parts but they called me to say that it would be possible to just repair the lens barrel to fix the lens cover. Absolutely delighted..works perfectly and 1/3 of the price of replacing all the parts. Friendly staff and great service read more

Disgusting company - three times they tried to repair my lens and every time came broken - when you phone you cannot talk to anybody because the person who answer the phone is saying that everybody is busy and they cannot talk - of course they are busy repair every item million times - AVOID AVOID AVOID ONLY ONE STAR BECAUSE I CANNOT GIVE 0 read more

Contacted AJ Johnstone by e-mail about getting my Nikon D90 cleaned and serviced (bought in 2008 and no servicing or cleaning carried out since purchase!). They advised, very quickly, how to get the camera to them. I asked about turnaround time, cost etc. Again, almost within one hour they replied with estimated cost and turnaround (1 day). I sent the camera to them by GPO Special Delivery and within 48 hours I had the camera back in my hands, via courier delivery. As I've had the camera for so long without being serviced and cleaned I was a tad worried, to say the least, on what might be found. Impressed with the highest level of customer service, speed and simplicity of the process. Definitely recommend these guys for camera service & repairs. read more

I sent my SAMSUNG camera bought in Malaysia for repair due to water spilt on my camera. I needed my camera in four weeks time before I go for a vacation and they advised that they would need about 2-3 weeks to get the parts ordered from somewhere else and get it fixed. Surprisingly I received a call in just 12 days, telling me that my camera is ready! I didn't expect it to be returned that quick. My camera works fine, functions like a new camera now. I'm very happy with their service and want other people to know that they are indeed a trustworthy company! :) read more

One day my camera stopped working. It just wouldn't turn on. Panic set in. I couldn't remember dropping it or putting it in the washing machine like my poor phone had been subjected to. I didn't have a clue. I trailed to the generic camera shops who were purely sales and said I'd have to send it to the manufacturer. A little web search later and I found this place. They specialise in a lot of the main camera manufacturers - Kodak, Olympus, Nikon and the most important to me, Canon. Yes ! The staff were fantastic. Obviously they get a lot of people like me who know how to snap a picture and thats about it. They checked out the battery by using 2 of their own and still nothing happened. They gave me my battery back and my memory card and told me to leave it with them. Less than a week later I had my camera back and it was in full working order ! There's no doubting it the service is expensive but when you've splashed out on expensive equipment I think it's best to spend money getting it fixed rather than replacing it with a cheaper version. This place is slightly tricky to find but definitely worth the adventure. What was wrong with my camera? Apparentely there were two screws missing - no I've no idea how I managed it either ! read more

I saw a whole raft of bad reviews on another site but cannot understand why, maybe it was a hater submitting multiple bad reviews. I also think the other yelp review score of 3/5 is harsh, especially considering the words of that review indicate it was a good experience. Anyway, to my own review. Several years ago I had the shutter in my old DSLR replaced at A.J. Johnstone, so I knew this was a good place to go in central Scotland area if you want to get your DSLR fixed properly. Yes the parts are expensive but if the price annoys you, perhaps you shouldn't have bought a DSLR in the first place. Now on to my latest DSLR. I thought that the shutter wasn't closing properly at times, so based on the previous symptoms of my old camera, I assumed the shutter was on the way out and I immediately dropped my camera into A.J. Johnstone. They examined the shutter and tested camera functionality but could not find anything wrong with it. It seems the effect I had started seeing on some of my photos was more likely to have been caused by shadow from the lens hood whilst on high zoom. But here finally is the main reason for my 5/5 review. They did not charge me any for labour incurred by checking/testing the camera, they only charge if they need to repair or replace a part. This I feel is an excellent example of old school customer service, and it's not something that you experience very often nowadays. Because of this great service, next time I do need a camera repair or replacement part, I shall immediately go straight to A.J. Johnstone. read more

I had to take my sony Z7N camcorder in for several repairs over the summer. I chose Johnstone's because I'd rather use a local recommended supplier with a reputation than sending my beloved camera to a faceless corporation down south. This proved to be a wise judgement. Although my case was quite complicated and I had to make a few visits, I thought the company was fair and did they best they could for me. Johnstone's offer better warranty conditions than other repair companies, and also charge affordable repair charges including offering free estimates on repairs. In my latter case because of the specific problem I had one of their technicians stripped my lens down on the spot and did all he could to repair my camera, even staying later than he was paid, to look out for me. I always got a call back when i got in touch, and when they took some time to update me about the progress with my camera, it was because they were hunting for parts and trying to get me the best deal they could and they filled me in as soon as they had exhausted all options. I'm an experienced person, and I judge Johnstone's to be a professional decent company who are offering a decent service and I recommend them unreservedly. read more

My review of this company is entitled "What would you do".... I own a Nikon 3100 I have had it for 18 months and I love the camera. On the 15 September 2012 it developed a fault with the thumb wheel. I looked around for a repair centre and despite reading some very mixed reviews about AJ Johnstone I decided to contact the company by phone. The assistant I spoke too had a couldn't care less air about him (warning signals) but I though I would give them the benefit of the doubt and called round personally with my camera. The assistant I spoke to was helpful and had the fault diagnosed by a technician and gave me both a quote for the work and a turn around of 10 to 14 days I left the camera for repair. 14 days later I contacted the company by phone and got the same couldn't care less assistant and was told that my camera hadn't been repaired they apparently had been busy and that it would take another 10 to 14 days. (without making any enquiry about my camera) I left it for another three days, concerned at the attitude and alarm bells ringing about how long the repair would take. On the 3rd October (today) I called round in person and asked about my camera I was told that it would be yes another 10 to 14 days. I asked if anyone had looked at the camera but "no its on the shelf we have only had it 17 days the 10 to 14 days is apparently only their average turn around and some cameras take longer to repair" I asked if the broken part been ordered "yes it had" and it would be going out in the next order they made .... so it hadn't been ordered... ..lies, prevarication poor phone service and couldn't care less attitude......... I ask what would you do?? ........... I asked for my camera back...... This company proudly display the notice "Authorised Nikon Repair Centre" I bet Nikon don't authorise this kind of service.... I wonder if I will get any reply to my letter of complaint from AJ Johnstone I am hopeful but given my recent experience I doubt it. read more

Very disappointing. I tried five times to get my camera fixed - each time they said it was fixed, but each time the same error occurred. Each 'fix' took several weeks if not months so I've been without a camera for 10 months and it is still no better than it was. They eventually agreed to refund the cost of the repair, but not the huge costs of getting the camera back and forth to the shop. Not pleased and won't be going back. read more