Jessops - do they all employ clueless staff?

-halli-

-halli-

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Or was I just unlucky today in the Gateshead Metrocentre?

The girl couldn't even open the cabinet let alone answer any of my BASIC questions about the cameras.

I was looking to see how the different cameras felt in my hand before I did some further research. After my holiday last week I've noticed the limitations of my s9600 and I feel the urge to leap off the bridge and into the river of entry level DSLR.

I was hoping they would have had one of the Olympus 4/3 cameras (e450 or the like, not the PEN) but they didn't.

I tried the Canon 1000d - the grip is too small for my hands, so I guess the Olympus might be too small also. Seemed easy to use though.

Canon 450d felt much better, but is more than my budget as I'd like to get some sort of zoom lens too. They had the Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DI lens on special when you bought a DSLR, anyone have any thoughts on this lens?

Tried the Nikon d3000 felt good, comfortable grip and a good weight. Price also seemed competitive.

The assistant seemed to be in a hurry to get away from actually having to speak to a potential customer, perhaps her tea was getting cold? Of the questions I asked her, most replies were "err, I think so" or "I'm not sure" I only asked things like "What memory cards fit" "Can you show me the live view feature" "Does this one have live view" and other simples questions - she was also too busy trying to sell me bags and tripods for the camera I hadn't even chosen yet!

Had I not been with my wife and three kids I think I would have asked for another assistant, but as it took her so long to open the cabinets I gave up after the third camera.

Looks like a bit more Internet research is needed before I decide what to get and where to get it. :bonk:
 
My experience of Jessops is pretty mixed. But the staff do seem to be pretty focussed on making a sale. Maybe they're on targets or commission. If you have a John Lewis near you I've always found them to be well informed and not at all pushy.
 
I have had the same problem, especially on a saturday, she may have been w/end staff. I would have asked for the manager! after all your potentially spending a lot of money! I did ask for the manager last autumn when I purchased my 50d, the assistant told me they are not allowed to open a box with the camera inside in case in case I dont buy it? my answer was surely you wouldnt go into currys an buy a £1000 + television without seeing it? and as they didnt have one on show How else am I going to see A 50D The outcome was I bought it at a very good price after showing them what i could get it for on the internet, and telling them I would report them to head/office if they didnt compete. regards mike
 
I've only ever used 3 Jessops stores, the one at Meadowhall, and both Doncaster ones [back when we had two]. The staff at the Cleveland Street, Doncaster store were excellent the last time I was in there [replaced lens on a Warranty Issue] and most of them know exactly what they're on about when you talk to them.
 
My local Jessops is full of clueless staff! I am a noob, but even I knew more than them!
 
MDB2 said:
I have had the same problem, especially on a saturday, she may have been w/end staff.
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Exactly what I thought too. But as my wife said, you'd think they would employ staff who had some interest in cameras.

MDB2 said:
I would have asked for the manager! after all your potentially spending a lot of money!
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Yea, like I said - I would have had I not been with my family and had already spent about 20 mins just waiting for two cabinets to be opened!
 
It's more than likely she was just Saturday staff, she may even have only started working there, not everyone with an encyclopedic knowledge of cameras wants to work for minimum wage y'know ;)
 
Flash In The Pan said:
It's more than likely she was just Saturday staff, she may even have only started working there, not everyone with an encyclopedic knowledge of cameras wants to work for minimum wage y'know ;)
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I'm not sure she would have gained one star on her badge in MacDonanlds, let alone a camera shop.

I asked the chap behind the counter about adapters for telescopes and because they didn't sell them, they didn't exist unless you go to a high end telescope shop online and pay big money :bang:
 
Personally I've never had any problems at Jessops Sunderland or Newcastle.
Staff there have always been very helpful and knowledgeable ..
 
-halli- said:
I asked the chap behind the counter about adapters for telescopes and because they didn't sell them, they didn't exist unless you go to a high end telescope shop online and pay big money :bang:
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They don't sell them, but you're expecting a shop assistant to be fully versed on which of his competitors might sell them?
 
Personally, I have spent more than I would care to count in Jessops and most times I have had good service, you will also get poor staff in all shops or any other business to be fair.
 
I mooch around Jessops Solihull quite often at lunch break. Always friendly staff will answer most questions O.K. But with the likes of canon bringing out new models every 18 months with more and newer gizmo's I'm really supprised they cannot answer all questions on all makes and models.
 
Looks like I've been unlucky with the staff in the Metrocentre then. I thought as much.

Flash In The Pan said:
They don't sell them, but you're expecting a shop assistant to be fully versed on which of his competitors might sell them?
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That's not what I said or meant.

I asked him if they sold them (as I'd seen them advertised on the internet and have read threads on astronomy forums about them) He said they didn't exist and if they did exist they would be incredibly expensive and only available from high end online stores.
 
I tend to use Jessops in Shandwick Place, Edinburgh and am more than happy with the service. Particularly as one sales assistant recommended a cheaper lens to me rather than one that i'd gone in to ask about.

I think you've just been unlucky with a newbie or weekend staff.
 
-halli- said:
That's not what I said or meant.

I asked him if they sold them (as I'd seen them advertised on the internet and have read threads on astronomy forums about them) He said they didn't exist and if they did exist they would be incredibly expensive and only available from high end online stores.
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Even so, it's not strictly a photography item, more an astronomy one, so there's no reason why the chap would have any knowledge of them...
 
I asked to have a look at a 50mm 1.4 AF-S last time I was in there, and I clearly said it would be used on a Nikon D60. The guy then told me it would not autofocus on my camera, and that I should be going for 28mm 2.8D, as this would be the same focal length (roughly) as 50mm on my kit lens, and would autofocus! :wacky: his arse was probably jealous about the amount of ***** coming out of his mouth..
 
Jessops are great! Just round the corner from me, and the sales girl I know there is just gorgeous! :love:

Mind you, never bought anything in there!! :LOL:
 
Every Jessops I've been into have had helpful staff - even if they don't know the answer to the question they wouldn't try to answer, or just get another member of staff who know.

I was over-hearing a conversation between a staff member of Curries trying to sell SLRs to two young ladies in a shopping center the other day, that was cringe worthy. :(

It may be the location which causes the problems, where they're only very small stores in huge glamorous shopping centers like The Trafford Center and co vs. bigger stores in the high street.
 
guybrush said:
It may be the location which causes the problems, where they're only very small stores in huge glamorous shopping centers like The Trafford Center and co vs. bigger stores in the high street.
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I think you've hit the nail on the head. The Metrocentre store is very small.
 
I'll always stand up for my local Jessops (Basingstoke, Festival Place), they've always ben extremely helpful, price matched (almost to grey import prices) and knowledgeable...

Admittedly I do tend to go in on a Wednesday rather than weekends and wa impressed with their online print service as well :D
 
Flash In The Pan said:
Even so, it's not strictly a photography item, more an astronomy one, so there's no reason why the chap would have any knowledge of them...
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Had you been the chap, and you hadn't heard of them wouldn't you have said "No, we don't sell them." and left it at that. Or even "I've no experience of them" But not "There's no such thing" as he said (probably trying to sound knowledgeable)

I might try the Jessops in Newcastle next time, that was a larger shop the last time I was in there.
 
i sold myself a new camera bag at the scarboro branch yesterday but didnt get the commision something wrong there i think
 
The Jessops stores around here usually have knowledgable staff, I used to like the big shop at the Arndale end of Deansgate, (Manchester) that's where I bought my first (current) DSLR, the chap I spoke to spent ages sorting out what I wanted and did me a good deal comparable with what I could get online. Sadly that shop closed and the other shops are really small with little stock.
 
-halli- said:
Had you been the chap, and you hadn't heard of them wouldn't you have said "No, we don't sell them." and left it at that. Or even "I've no experience of them" But not "There's no such thing" as he said (probably trying to sound knowledgeable)
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You're probably right, I had a "conversation" with the manager in one Jessops branch over a problem I had with one of my cameras, he told me that the camera wasn't faulty (it was) it was that I was trying to use a 50mm f/1.8 on a D80 and neither the lens or the camera had an af motor. When I pointed out the camera did have one and demonstrated it to him, he was still adamant that it didn't.

Last time I saw him he was working at a different branch - as a sales assistant :LOL:
 
i must admit i bought my camera from the meadowhall branch and found the service ok but i knew what i wanted , most of the questions i wanted answering i found out for my self from the manual.
 
we used to call them 'people who failed the Mcdonalds entrance tests' but some are a lot better than others, it all depends on which store you choose... If you know what your talking about your fine, but if not walk away to somewhere like London Camera Exchange etc and find what you want and then if needed go back and ask
 
Ah the staff at Jessops @ the Metrocentre - you get the word useless and then you get the staff at Jessops @ Metrocentre. ;)

The only exception to this is a young lad with medium length hair who has a real passion and an older guy though I've never saw the pair of them for a few months now. Newcastle Jessops is a different kettle of fish bar the weekend but they still have at least one experienced member of staff most times at the weekends.
 
I've experienced really crap service and really good service at my local branch. It's different everytime I use them! :bang:

However, I am grateful to have a camera store in the town, be a sad day if Jessops dissapeared from the High Street. Did have an independant one too a few years back but closed when the owner retired.
 
NigelPaul said:
I've experienced really crap service and really good service at my local branch. It's different everytime I use them! :bang:

However, I am grateful to have a camera store in the town, be a sad day if Jessops dissapeared from the High Street. Did have an independant one too a few years back but closed when the owner retired.
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I'm pretty pro Jessops and will use them when I can, because indeed it would be a great shame if they disappeared from the high street. I know cameras, I know what I want when I walk into Jessops so I dont have a problem at all with the staff clueness or not because when I walk into a store and get something if in stock that very moment. Couple of quid here and there is irrelevant.
 
I usually find if I want to buy something, a little research on my part will produce huge dividends.

The net suprisingly is an excellent source of information.

The shops are suppliers not the font of all wisdom. Expect them to be able to take care of the goods they're selling and to be able to process your credit card and you'll rarely be disappointed.

I buy on the net, and don't have to ask some poor low paid worker if this thousand pound doobrie works within the specifications of Newtons revised estimation of reality. It does or I would'nt be here. Or there either.
 
MagicMynx said:
I've had bad experiences in that same store.
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razor777 said:
Ah the staff at Jessops @ the Metrocentre - you get the word useless and then you get the staff at Jessops @ Metrocentre. ;)
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Explains a lot! Cheers (y)

toonamp said:
I usually find if I want to buy something, a little research on my part will produce huge dividends.

The net suprisingly is an excellent source of information.
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I had done preliminary research, but not as in-depth as I should have as I only decided I fancied an upgrade during my hols last week. My research so far has been the drooly type research a child might partake in with supercars ;)

I mainly wanted to get a feel for the cameras in my hand and ask a few questions about the cameras as I was handling them. I'm glad I went in as I have crossed the Canon 1000d off the list purely because of the thin and uncomfortable hand grip.

I've been looking around on the net tonight and the Nikon d3000 looks good so far. Right price and features for me at the minute (just learning) and scope for lots more to learn.

Has anyone experience of the Tamron lens they are offering £50 off?

Suppose I should start a new thread or search for an existing one though.
 
I've never used Jesops - not sure if I will or not but imho its just like all these big stores trying to maximise turn over ( eg DSG ) - you get your good ones and you get your bad ones...... its just knowing where to find the gems ;) ( Plus research helps before hand )

Terran
 
I see the problem here being how the employers use their staff, I visit loads of different stores as I'm a service engineer, and invariably they have full time staff on during the week doing sweet FA. Then they draft in the part time staff on a weekend to deal with all the customers, whilst the full time staff are sat at home. Its a really wierd way of working to my brain.
 
pepper said:
Then they draft in the part time staff on a weekend to deal with all the customers, whilst the full time staff are sat at home.
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Exactly the conversation I had with my wife on the way home.

The shop was quite busy, and there was a small queue of people waiting for help on the shop floor but the guy behind the desk wasn't doing anything as far as I could see.
 
:thumbsdown:My local Jessops in Bedford has just one word attached to it: CRAP!

I go in there to have some slides processed, I knew it would take 2 weeks but I had lost my mailer and just wanted it done cheap. The guy doesn't ask for a phone number. 2 and a half weeks later, I ask my mum to pick the slides up for me. She is politely told that they are not in yet and she should not have bothered until they called. When she told them that they had not asked for a number, they ended up acting very 'rudely and sarcasticlly' as my mum put it and try to blame me for ot leaving a number. So my mum leaves our home phone number. 3 weeks later, no call so I go to see if they are in. They are, and have attached to the front ' tried contacting, no response'... If your going to ring in the day its pretty pointless as everyones at work or school. I look at the slides at home. Random ones are darastically over exposed to the extent that they are unviewable yet I know I definently didn't overexpose them. Not ever using their E-6 service again.:thumbsdown:

Another time, I order 2 enlargements from negatives, 1 12x8 and 1 9x6. They try to charge me £8.70! A pro lab like Peak Imaging are cheaper than that. When I tell them that their prices are about double those on their website they don't believe me. So I ask to speak to the manager. She tells me to that a they cannot find these prices on their website I should take a print out of them when I pick the enlargements up and they will charge me the price on it. Week later, I go to pick them up and the saleswoman can't find my enlargements and after 10 minutes she realises that they are negative enlargements not digital despite it clearly saying on the front of the order form 'enlargements from negatives':bonk:. She locates them and then without even looking at my printout charges me only £4.70, even less than I thought I was going to pay. Looking at the prints afterwards, they have drying marks, large scratches and wite spots on them, which were not on the original negatives.:thumbsdown:

This one has to be the worst though, about 8 months ago I am dropping off an order. I then overhear a conversation between a saleswoman and woman customer in her early 40's. She wants to get a DSLR for her husband in the £500 range and she admits she knows little about cameras. The saleswoman immediately points out 3 or 4 models and says they are pretty much all the same so it doesn't matter which one you get. The customer then asks what live view is as one of the cheaper models doesn't have it. The saleswoman looks like she doesn't know what to say and eventually says that its not a useful feature so don't bother with it! The customer looks just even more confused so she thanks the assistant and continues looking round. As I went to leave I went up to her and explained what live view was and what some the other features were. She smiled and said that I had actually helped her more in the last 5 minutes than the assistant had in 20 minutes. I reccommended that she went to a dedicated independent photographic shop and she agreed with me, saying that the so called 'sales experts' in Jessops were absolutely no help at all.:thumbsdown::thumbsdown:

If Jessops want to gain a better reputation an give a better service they really need to train their staff in basic photographic knowledge. Plus they really need to sort out quality control for their out of store services.:thumbsdown:
 
Our store in Worcester is quite good the 3 main guys are into photography themselves so know what they are about, or to me they do anyway. However what does annoy me is when I decide what I want I get told their price then if you argue it will become cheaper. Take my FX38 279.99 they wanted to start with then it suddenly became 249.99. when I said stuff that. Now it is on offer at the lower price anyway.
Went in there today all the shop is altered no counter, displays now a bit like pc world and till at end of display. So now its find assistant amongst customers and grab him quick.
 
s162216 said:
If Jessops want to gain a better reputation an give a better service they really need to train their staff in basic photographic knowledge.
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:agree: and not just for Jessops, all shops should go back to serving/helping the customer and not purely meeting sales targets and attaining commission.
 
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