A Los Angeles camera repair shop is facing scrutiny after a woman accused it of mishandling her family heirloom—an incident drawing comparisons to the New York store criticized by Kelly Clarkson.
Photographer Kai George brought her grandmother’s vintage 1960s Rolleiflex to Walter’s Camera Video and Digital Repair in Los Angeles, hoping to have the treasured camera restored.
But George claimed the store swapped some of her camera’s parts for damaged ones and did more than just replace the mirror and lubricate its parts, in now-viral TikToks.
“I was excited to learn it and to have a piece of her,” George told ABC 7.
George agreed to pay $450 for a mirror replacement and a CLA service, which involves cleaning, lubricating and adjusting the camera.
When the professional photographer returned to collect the camera, she became involved in a heated exchange with a worker and recorded the confrontation for TikTok.
“I am literally so pissed off… I genuinely feel like he swapped out my parts,” she said in the video.
George pointed to what she said were new dents, different components and other changes. The worker told her the camera required more work than he had initially expected, but George maintained that they had only discussed replacing the mirror.
Photographer Kai George accused Walter’s Camera Video and Digital Repair in Los Angeles of swapping parts on her vintage camera after she took it in for restoration
George said the Rolleiflex was returned with a different serial number, dents and scratches. Pictured: the camera before it was taken to the shop
The camera belonged to George’s grandmother, and George said the heirloom made her feel connected to her
George also noticed that the camera’s serial number appeared to have changed.
“You’re not going to sit here and tell me it’s the same camera and try to gaslight me when you literally can see that there are different parts on that camera,” she told the worker in the video. “I’m just so upset because, like, it was an heirloom.”
George left the shop without taking the camera and did not pay for the work.
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The photographer returned on Tuesday to collect the heirloom. After inspecting it, she said the original parts appeared to have been put back in place.
She was not charged for the service but told the outlet that she does not consider the dispute resolved.
George has since taken the valuable camera to another repair shop for an evaluation, she told the outlet.
When ABC 7 sought comment, the shop directed the outlet to a since-deleted Instagram post from the employee. It read: “My inspection indicated that some plates and components had been mixed up… I have worked to restore the camera and its components.
“I should have listened more carefully when she first raised her concerns. I am sorry that my initial response made her feel dismissed.”
The Los Angeles dispute echoes the incident involving Kelly Clarkson while she was trying to buy a singing bird in Brooklyn, New York
Clarkson said staff treated her as though she could not afford the $15,000 bird. After she complained online, her fan base targeted the store
George’s videos have raked in millions of views, and some of her followers have begun leaving bad reviews toward the shop online.
The debacle comes after singer Kelly Clarkson got into a row with a Brooklyn shop over a $15,000 singing bird.
Our News Outlet has reached out to George and the repair shop for comment.
Clarkson claimed a member of staff at the high-end shop treated her as though she was unable to afford their products in a moment she said was reminiscent of a famous scene from Pretty Woman.
The star had originally shared online that she ‘drove all the way to Brooklyn’ to visit the store and ‘had a few things in mind to buy.’
Similarly to George, fans turned out in droves to reply with supportive comments, while targeting the shop in the comments section of its social media accounts.
