Vancouver Photo Workshops

Overall I would say I was pleased with the 1 day Nikon camera course I took here. I paid the early bird rate of $ 142 which is perhaps a little bit much, and probably what prevents me from giving it 5 stars.
The instructor (Ross) was a good speaker and teacher, and clearly passionate about photography. He was extremely patient with all the different types of Nikons that the students brought and took the time to answer every question thrown his way. Just a couple of small negatives: the classroom was a bit too warm (no windows, typical of warehouse-​type photo studios), and there was no advance info on lunch break times & facilities, which would be useful as the course runs from 10 AM to 5 PM.
Now, if I could just remember everything we were taught…

I hate to do this but they were completely inflexible and stuck to their guns so I need to call them out.
I registered for the Intermediate Digital Photography course last year, eager to follow up on the Beginner one I’d just completed at Langara, while saving a bit of money. Eager is key, because only after I hastily registered (the course was starting within a few days and I didn’t want it to fill up) did I notice the course outline, which was buried in one of the drop-​down menus, and saw that there would be a lot of model work, which I had no interest in. So, I called them, less than 30 minutes after registering, and explained myself, but they refused to give me a full refund. Now, the remaining amount was only $ 30 — something about the company they go through for visa payments — but I’d just donated $ 30 for half an hour of nothing, and they were completely unwilling to budge and help me out.
Did they do anything wrong? No, they followed their policy, but there are always exceptions to rules, and good customer service seeks to understand the big picture, and make clients happy. In this regard, they failed miserably. Instead, they seemed to prioritize making money, and for that reason, they’ve lost a client for life. I’ve not booked with them again since, and I never will.
Also, I’ve heard (and just looking at their course outlines by comparison) that they’re nowhere near as thorough, or therefore educational, as Langara. Yes, Langara is more expensive, but you get what you pay for.
I wish VPW would have made a better impression on me, but they chose to prioritize themselves over their client, and so lost out on both counts.