I wrote this letter to a company. I don’t expect anything from it. But I figured why the hell not? Begin:

I have coveted your products for a long time. Often referring others but never pulling the trigger myself because timing was always bad or things just kept happening that made premium gear a low priority.

This is foreshadowing: I have been uber unlucky. Like most recently the blower on my AC had gone out in the summer heatwave. I could amass a list for then last few years. I could go on and be the stepchild of a Lemony Snickets plot but to save time I wall say that one unfortunate event after another has been why I’ve been wanting Peak Products for 5 years but I never made the jump.

On the flip side; my frustration with more affordable gear was surmounting and the nuances (and yearly reinvestments for inferior gear) drive me crazy. To complicate things, I had a motorcycle accident on May 30th that did some bone damage to my shoulder socket. Now I’m unable to push/press in anyway that applies backwards pressure to the socket else it’ll pop right out. Fast forward to now: my tripod weighs a ton and my backpack with gear in it is just under 40lbs: imagine the pressure.

So I said, “If I had a messenger bag then that would take the weight off of my shoulder… If I had a compact tripod then that would be even less weight.” Bad things are always going to happen in life so why let the inevitable stop me from being happy?

I said, “Enough is enough. I’m doing it.” I ordered the bag that I always wanted, the tripod that dreams are made of, and a new slide. This gear was to go with my capture clip and lens kit that I purchased in May prior to wrecking. YOLO. Order placed.

The next day my car radiator blew a leak. 😦

It’s ok. Don’t look back. It’s all going to be ok. You have good weather: take the motorcycle to work

Thursday I nearly dropped the bike on my ankle because I don’t yet have all of the strength in it since accident.

So yesterday I stayed put and worked from home. (Plus my gear was coming). Hopefully you can feel my anticipation. I had all of the excitement as any normal human being should and some because of all I’ve been through! This was 5 years in the making. I unboxed everything alone and in the quiet. Time slowed. I moved even slower savoring every second and doing all of the appropriate “ooos and aaaahsss”. This was easily a highlight of the year. Immediately I began to play with my new PD bag, slide, and tripod. It was absolutely blissful. It was perfect. Everything was perfect. The negatives just faded away.

Two hours later, I left my house with my things. Switching lenses, accessing the bag, and making adjustments was so flawless! I came to an an intersection a few blocks away and crossed. I didn’t pay attention that my tripod, still in its pouch, had made a muffled tumble into the street. I hadn’t taken the time to strap it to the bottom of the messenger bag so I had laid it across the top thinking the mag latch would love me long time.

I kept going! I got to my friends house to go on a photo walk together and… the tripod was missing. A feeling of dread poured over me as I retraced my route and found my brand new $350 tripod, part of the living joy of the universe on this particular day, laying in the street like road kill. Yes, it had been run over. It’s not funny but I had this painfully low chuckle present in place of every expletive that I was too weak to yell.

I picked it up and examined it. Poor baby. I took it to the sidewalk and set it up. It seemed ok. The pouch was ruined. A leg was wonky. A clasp had broken. It was scratched up. “Accept it and just go have a good day.” I tried. I so tried. An hour later I was setting up for a shot with my wounded travel tripod that I’d now affectionately dubbed “Trippy”. My mood was calm and I was going to attempt the only stabilized shot of the evening as a way of committing to and accepting my misfortune.

“It’s all going to be ok.”

Just as I place my camera on to the head, prior to it snapping in place, one of the legs falls off.

CLANK!

It fell. Off.

Thankfully my camera was safely still in my hands.

My ask is not a warranty claim. It doesn’t qualify because it is my fault. I accept it. I accept everything. However this whole experience doesn’t have to end here. It doesn’t hurt to ask if you could send me a replacement tripod?

Please?

If you say no then I understand. It is not your obligation nor is it your duty. Crap happens. You’re in business for a reason and it won’t make me any less appreciative. The tripod is and was a great product for the three hours that I had it. I’m totally enamored by it and some how some way by blessing, luck, or fortune that is beyond me; I will own another.

Thank you,

-Mario