I think she's been conned

woody12

woody12

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Didn't know where to put this so stuck to basics. I friend and I got talking at work and she explained that she was into photography and we had a little chat about her love for landscapes. I asked what camera she had and she explained she was just started out and was going to buy one very soon, she was using a point and shoot not dslr st the moment. She came back a few days later and excited told me she had her first proper camera which the helpful camera shop had advised her to get - a camera that cost her £1500. She didn't want to spend this much but the helpful man explained anything under £1,000 was worthless and the shots would at best amateur level and really his words 'no better than holiday snaps'. I didn't like to explain in my mind its not the equipment but the person behind the equipment that matters. Mind you he must have been a bloody good salesman. I won't mention the outlet- but I won't be going there!
 
Damn that's sad. I had a friend who got tricked by a salesman before too. He didn't know that the Canon 550D and Kiss X4 were the same... and well... you probably know what happened next :/
 
It is a bit over the top unless she does paid work with the camera and wants to print very large pics. Today even the small and inexpensive sony nex with a good quality lens will give superb results for 1/2 of that. You can spend even less, but I added the cost of postprocessing software and a decent lens.
 
perryyap said:
Damn that's sad. I had a friend who got tricked by a salesman before too. He didn't know that the Canon 550D and Kiss X4 were the same... and well... you probably know what happened next :/
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He gave her a Kiss? :)
 
Unless she was sold something for a higher price than the shop advertise it, she hasn't been 'conned', she's been sold a camera.

Maybe she pent more than she needed to, or was pressured into buying something she didn't need but it's not a con.

If I sell you a 7D and lens for £1500 it will be a great camera - worth every penny.
If I sell you a 550d and kit lens for £1500 you've been conned.
 
Sounds like your work friend got talked into spending more than they had intended to on their camera kit. It's a shame that people that aren't well informed about kit and prices can get talked into spending far more than they need to in stores. Sadly more and more places are full of shyster salesmen that will say anything to get customers to spend as much money as possible.

Can you say what it is she's ended up with ?

If she's not able to return it (I'm guessing not) then it may as well be best to look on the bright side, particularly if she was really excited with the purchase. She now has a very capable camera that will easilly fulfil her needs and give her something to grow into as she learns more.

ps. I'm guessing they also managed to talk her into buying their insurance / protection policies in case something goes wrong after the 1st year ?
 
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Phil V said:
Unless she was sold something for a higher price than the shop advertise it, she hasn't been 'conned', she's been sold a camera.
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I'm sorry, but I don't agree with that sentiment. If the salesman recognised that he had a customer who was very unfamiliar with anything photographic, and took advantage of that lack of knowledge to sell her something that was way more expensive than some other camera that was equally up to meeting her requirements, then I would say he conned her in to spending more money than she needed to.

Some people might claim that she was naive not to do some homework and research before setting out to buy a camera, but others would argue that if you are lacking in knowledge about something, surely you should be able to rely on the experience and advice of someone working within the industry. Or perhaps that's just me being naive about what motivates a salesman.
 
conned

if you get talked into spending more money than you wanted to by someone telling you lies then you have been conned in my book... salesman and shop... name and shame?
 
Yep, definitely misled as lies were used to get the more expensive sell. Conned does imply it was more than misled though but whatever, just proves that some people are not very good at buying things (sticking to budget, doing independent research etc,.)

The fact is you can learn more than most shop workers within a few hours on the internet as their interest is in selling you the camera with best profit margin and yours is to get the best camera for your needs and budget.

Most of my shop visits to purchase have involved a 'discussion' with me questioning most of what they say...
 
nikontos said:
It is a bit over the top unless she does paid work with the camera and wants to print very large pics. Today even the small and inexpensive sony nex with a good quality lens will give superb results for 1/2 of that. You can spend even less, but I added the cost of postprocessing software and a decent lens.
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My camera body cost me closer to 2 grand than 1500 quid and I am just a keen amateur. OK, I like A3+ prints but I could get them from my old D70 (with minimal cropping and compromising a little on the dpi. However, my most recent purchase also gives me great results, prints to A3+ straight from the camera, covers most of my DSLR focal length range and cost me around £350 including cards, case etc. My latest edition of PhotoShop Elements (in general, plenty for a beginner) came bundled with a scanner and will hardly break the bank, even at retail price.
 
Just because a camera is cheap and will do the job doesn't mean that the buyer will choose it over a more expensive model, it's called choice - I could use a D70 but I prefer using the D3S and unquestionably the D3S is better than the D70.
If the buyer has made the choice purely on the salesman saying "anything under £1,000 was worthless and the shots would at best amateur level and really 'no better than holiday snaps'" and if the salesman knew this to be untrue then yes she has been conned.
However, were those the exact and only words?
Did the salesman rather point out the advantages of one over the other?
People generally don't need much of a nudge to get 'the better option' ... cue iPhone 4/4s/5 or Nikon D600/D800/D4.
If she's happy with the camera, one thing is for sure ... she probably won't want you telling her she's made a £500 mistake!
 
Phil V said:
Unless she was sold something for a higher price than the shop advertise it, she hasn't been 'conned', she's been sold a camera.

Maybe she pent more than she needed to, or was pressured into buying something she didn't need but it's not a con.

If I sell you a 7D and lens for £1500 it will be a great camera - worth every penny.
If I sell you a 550d and kit lens for £1500 you've been conned.
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That's not quite true - she was sold a camera based on factually incorrect information provided by a sales person. She should at least complain to the manager or if the camera is still boxed taken it back.
 
Phil V said:
Unless she was sold something for a higher price than the shop advertise it, she hasn't been 'conned', she's been sold a camera.

Maybe she pent more than she needed to, or was pressured into buying something she didn't need but it's not a con.

If I sell you a 7D and lens for £1500 it will be a great camera - worth every penny.
If I sell you a 550d and kit lens for £1500 you've been conned.
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Got to agree with Phil.
 
for your friends money.... what did she actually walk away from the shop with exactly???
 
thing is though if i was told that then the first question out of my mouth would be why are you selling them camera's.

i hope your friend can take it back and get something better suited maybe she could sell it and get something else
 
tezmed said:
for your friends money.... what did she actually walk away from the shop with exactly???
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I have to ask the same question, unless we no what she walked away with I don't think it's fair to hit on the sales man/woman, If she explained what she wanted to do with the camera ie. Land/seascape or Portraits then if salesperson sold a camera and lens for what she wanted then they have been honest if not then take it back and go with her to lend support.
JMO
Russ
 
it's funny that she wants DSLR in the first place. my girlfriend and I went for some tourism in London last week, at Tower Bridge, I took a landscape shot, she also took one with her 4 year old point+shoot. similar angle, and both shots look very similar, both are fantastic. only difference was I had a polarising filter, which made my shot look more colourful and less like "holiday snap". sufficient to say I felt embarrassed and after seeing her shots.

glad to see we all agree it's the photographer that makes the photo.



back to this topic, get the item returned and help her make an educated choice, doesn't even have to be DSLR when mirrorless are looking better by the day.

no one NEEDS £1500 camera+lens to make a good landscape shot. landscape is all about being in the right place at the right time.
 
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russellsnr said:
I have to ask the same question, unless we no what she walked away with I don't think it's fair to hit on the sales man/woman, If she explained what she wanted to do with the camera ie. Land/seascape or Portraits then if salesperson sold a camera and lens for what she wanted then they have been honest if not then take it back and go with her to lend support.
JMO
Russ
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Agreed - she may have paid more than she had bargained for, but may have come away with the basis of an excellent system. Without knowing exactly what she told the salesman it is impossible to know if she has been mislead.

Best always to research the subject to the point where your options are clearly in your mind rather than depend on a seller's advice.
 
Your friends money to be honest. It was their sale. Personally I would say nothing and leave it as that.

It still takes photos and im sure your friend will feel a sense of pride in ownership. Telling them they got conned I would say is going to just cheapen the blow IMO.
 
can't see the problem how many times have we walked into a shop to buy £500 worth and come away with some high spec item at twice or 3 times the price
she has a better camera and lens at 1500 than she would have had at 500
she could have just said no thanks
 
Also, isn't that usually the sign of a good Salesperson, ie. to up-sell an item, well that is how the salespersons boss would see it anyway, not so much from a customer point of view though

But agreed with the above, no con has taken place here, just a salesperson who is good at their job (maybe on commission)
 
No i don,t think she was conned , in the long term it will probably save her money as she will have no need to upgrade . I had similar circumstance when i first decided to buy an SLR . i went in the shop to buy a Canon 550D and came out with a 5DMK2 after i was explained the difference . I know now if i had brought the 550D i would have been looking to exchange it after six months , so the salesman done me a big favour .
 
A good salesperson finds out how much you've got to spend, pushes it a bit, then tells you what you want to hear until you buy. Sounds like he was merely treating a case of GAS, pushing at an open door, and by all accounts she's happy and excited, and can presumably afford it. Don't spoil it for her.

She will have conned herself if she now doesn't make best use of it.
 
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My immediate thoughts too ;
Phil V said:
Unless she was sold something for a higher price than the shop advertise it, she hasn't been 'conned', she's been sold a camera..
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In any case I'm sure she's now got a very capable lens & camera body because for that money it's impossible to avoid decent stuff.

So Woody : what did she buy? :)
 
Get the feeling this is all blown out of proportion. She may have said something to the sales man that caused him to suggest the higher model. The fact that you won't say where she got it and what she got, tells me that (and I may be wrong) the fact that she's not an informed man that she had her woman brain tricked by one of those smart types with a penis. Seen if a few times with music equipment, people see a male amateur with high end stuff and think arrogant noob, but if its a female they think oh bless she got tricked by a higher being.

She's a grown Adult and she could have walked away. It's not a con, as phil said, it's a high end purchase. If its so terrible tell her to return it, simple as.
 
Personally I think the lesson people need to learn from this sad story, that you need to research things before parting with your hard earned cash.

I note comments about future upgrading not being necessary etc, but on the information provided this really isnt the issue, this person wants to enjoy photography more but you can buy far cheaper ones with lots of accessories for far less money and still get results that any amateur would be happy with.

I dont blame the camera shop - they are trading at a difficult time, and salesmen are under pressure, having said that hopefully others learn from such sharp practices which are not necessarily in an individuals best interests when reviewing their own buying requirements in the future.

I agree with the comment about Return Policy for the item - might be worth looking into the legality side of that.
 
Mystery57 said:
Personally I think the lesson people need to learn from this sad story, that you need to research things before parting with your hard earned cash.
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But what do you research? Honestly, when I look to buy a new bit of kit, I read reviews etc but I know what I am looking for, understand the terms they use etc however when I started, I had no idea. This is going to be the same with most people.

The easiest way is get something that was recommended and just get on with it imo.
 
research couldn't be easier these days. The types of searches could have been "what camera/lens for landscapes" based on results narrow down to items in budget.
Take that list and research a bit further, bingo.
 
Exactly Chris - you dont buy a car for instance because someone recommends it, you look at features, how it is compatible with your requirements, suitability for the job etc - buying a camera should be no different.

The person in question had also been using a point and shoot, and had identified what they liked taking photos of, so that would have been the start of the research, discovering forums around the place and asking questions.
 
It's funny people saying you can't research if youre new to it, when we are in the talk basics section of a photography forum containing many, many threads about what dslr should I buy first! Hmm
 
At the end of the day the sales person has done exactly what he is paid to do and nothing else. By reading through this thread we could label all sales staff as con artists!!

If the op's friend did not want to or could not part with the cash she wouldn't have...
 
It takes two to complete a transaction, one to sell, one to buy. If your friend wasn't happy about the amount of money she was about to spend or had doubts as to suitability she should if walked away. Even if she got offered a discount.

Generally, any price offered today is just as good tomorrow, despite what sales staff may say.
 
Plus we are only hearing one side of the story from the OP,is she happy with the camera,we dont know.

Some people buy a mobile for £500,then you always get someone who said you were con mate,my mobile only cost me £20 s/h.

Its just life sometime we get caught out buying something,better than we need,most of us have done it :)
 
Depends what she got for her £1500...

A D90? Conned? Most definitely.

A D700? Conned? Nope.

I'm sorry, but if i was willing to part with a lot of money for something i didnt know a lot about, id a least do a bit of research first and not just believe what a salesman told me. In my opinion, this thread should be titled " i think she's naive".
 
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I think we can be fairly confident he sold her stuff that actually does sell for £1500. It really would be a con if he's sent her off with a Canon 1100d and kit lens for that money but that is unlikely.

After that it's back on her. More expensive cameras and lens do tend to have "better" features and advantages. Does your friend really need them - maybe not but having them isn't the end of the world either. If she does take to photography she may well have found an 1100d class camera limiting and have come to regard buying that a "con".

She went in looking for a DSLR. She therefore isn't intending to just use it for the odd snap of a sunset that comes along - the kind of thing she could use her phone for. She had already made a value judgement about the gear she was buying. The salesman may have raised her expectations unfairly but she had expectations in the first place.

If he's sold her a correctly-priced DSLR I don't see that he's been anything other than a salesman. People don't actually rely on what the salesman tells them, do they?:shrug:
 
I'm a little surprised, the conversation with the OP didn't include what she should be looking for, following her indication of an interest in landscapes.
 
Before deciding if it's a con or even a good deal we need to know what she's got.

If she has a suitable camera and lens there's possibly still the issue of not explaining that a cheaper option was available but if she's got a camera and a Canon 65mm MPE :crying: for "landscape" that's probably a different matter.
 
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Everyone that's saying she should take it back and speak to the store manager seem to have missed the fact that the OP says she's excited about her purchase.

Oh, and everyone thinks it's Jessops, don't they?
 
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