Jessops News

There is a lot of Jesspos bashing that goes on in these forums. I, for one, am happy their future is secured for the time being. I have used Jessops to buy my camera's and a few of my lenses and have had nothing but outstanding service.

Good news for many of their hard working staff as well.

David
 
Impspeed said:
There is a lot of Jesspos bashing that goes on in these forums. I, for one, am happy their future is secured for the time being. I have used Jessops to buy my camera's and a few of my lenses and have had nothing but outstanding service.

Good news for many of their hard working staff as well.

David
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I utterly and absolutely agree with you..I have personally bought two digital camera bodies and a lens from them, and have always found good and knowledgeable service from them.....I only wish the idiots who go into Jessops and try out everything on offer, then buy from dubious dealers in places like H.K. and then blame Jessops for not looking after their warranty issues...I sincerely hope it works out for Jessops this time.(y)(y)
 
neil_g said:
i cant remember the last time i even went into a jessops to look around.. i think its just because i know the prices are so much more than shopping online.
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If you check on the big items - bodies, lens, and flash for example, they're normally competitive if not the best - including online, but for accessories then online seems to have them beat every time. The staff support is often, although not always, about as useful as online shopping.

Hugh
 
when i went to buy my 580mk2 jessops were at least 30 more expensive than online.. my lowerpro sling 300aw was near 90 quid in jessops, online it was closer to 60-70.

im not trying to start an argument but in this day and age im not surprised theyve been struggling.
 
After buying a big ticket item on line and having problems I've bought a few things from Jessops. Yes, they can be a bit more expensive, but the time and postage cost savings in the event of something going wrong are worth it for me.
 
Thing is with Jessops and companys that sell photographic equipment that don't specialize in one or two makes that there is so much to learn about so many cameras, lenses, flashguns, and other kit.

When people who are looking for advice and "know" their stuff go into Jessops branches to find out more information they feel let down when the new boy/girl doesn't offer top notch information. Generally the staff with all the knowledge are too busy helping someone else and too busy to train the new people who end up having to train themselves and if they're not interested in photography it won't happen.


It's good news that the company has "survived" but long term it will no doubt lose all the non profit making branches and will get some kind of shake up to make more dosh.
 
I agree with the above post. Over the years Jessops have had changing policies and staff recuitment/training. It is very rare any of their stores have full time staff and with this policy they experience a high turnover resulting in poor product knowledge. It is also true they a constant changing of internet pricing/matching. As with any high street store they will struggle to match the internet and even more difficult if you cannot match your own web prices.

Lets hope the new owners will continue to support their high street outlets and hopefully sort out the mishmash pricing policies.
 
I go in Jessops for a nosey around, but buying anything at those prices would require a lobotomy, especially when you consider Kerso and the big second hand market. Paying over £1,500 for a 70-200mm 2.8 IS is poor value when you can save hundreds if you buy from Kerso or £500 saved second hand.
 
The Moorgate Branch in London are useless, the level of customer service is like PC World. Maybe the staff used to work in PC World, actually that would be insulting people who work at PC World.
 
henryf4 said:
The Moorgate Branch in London are useless, the level of customer service is like PC World. Maybe the staff used to work in PC World, actually that would be insulting people who work at PC World.
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:LOL::LOL::LOL:
I know what you mean. I was in PC World this morning and it was like walking into a United Nations seminar. The questions I asked about certain items were met with a blank stare.
Even worse than the lack of knowledge was the lack of personal hygene. These guys certainly don't have the Lynx effect!!

Sorry if this offends but no offence intended.
 
Judging by the comments on this post and others, it is clear that the standard of service & product knowledge varies wildly from store to store. Let's hope that the standard can be raised to the level of the good stores which are out there.

My 10 year old son bought his 1st compact camera, a Nikon coolpix from a local Jessops recently & the staff were great with him. They spent a fair bit of time explaining the main features & settings to him & told him if he had any problems or if there was anything he was not sure about, to pop back in & they would help him out.

Service like that justifies the slightly higher price paid imo & I hope that Jessops do pull through this difficult time.
 
Quote today from the Jessops chairman David Adams... 'It will also protect thousands of jobs and ensure that our customers continue to receive the specialist service they expect from us.'

I have to agree that in the short term at least, it will protect some jobs. But as for continuing to receive specialist service... Well perhaps the kindest thing I could say is that he may be a little out of touch with his business.

There are exceptions of course, and maybe that's part of the trouble with them. You just never know if you're going to deal with an absolute idiot who clearly has no interest in photography at all, or someone who obviously cares about it in spades. I've had both types, but it's a bit of a lottery!
 
I would also suggest asking about Jessops price matching. Not sure if their policy has changed recently with the current climate but I have always been given the price of Warehouse Express, Mifsuds and many of the other UK based online retailers.

I strongly recommend Shrewsbury and the Birmingham City Centre (Temple Street) store.

DB
 
Bill Roberts said:
Quote today from the Jessops chairman David Adams... 'It will also protect thousands of jobs and ensure that our customers continue to receive the specialist service they expect from us.'

I have to agree that in the short term at least, it will protect some jobs. But as for continuing to receive specialist service... Well perhaps the kindest thing I could say is that he may be a little out of touch with his business.

There are exceptions of course, and maybe that's part of the trouble with them. You just never know if you're going to deal with an absolute idiot who clearly has no interest in photography at all, or someone who obviously cares about it in spades. I've had both types, but it's a bit of a lottery!
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he's not going to say 'It will also protect thousands of jobs and ensure that our customers continue to receive the generally poor servicethey expect from us.' is he? Of course he's going to talk his company up a lilttle
 
boyfalldown said:
he's not going to say 'It will also protect thousands of jobs and ensure that our customers continue to receive the generally poor servicethey expect from us.' is he? Of course he's going to talk his company up a lilttle
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Well yes of course :)
I usually treat businessmen like politicians... believe about 5% of what they say (and that's on a good day)

cheers
Bill
 
Jessops' staff is just lacking to say the least.
Saw a man browsing Nikons in a London store.

Man: How do you turn on the Live view on this D90
Sales: I'm afraid there is no Live view on this model, perhaps you can consider the D700 if that's something you would like.

Another case:

Lady: Is this D5000 able to use the older Nikon lenses?
Sales: Of course, it has an in-built motor to auto focus any lens Nikon has made which bear AF on them.

I mean, wtf.
 
I'm surprised they have survived as long as they have. Most people these days know you can get stuff online much cheaper.

It wouldnt be so bad if jessops would price match, i've been in there before and asked them to match a price from an online company and they say no and expect that im just going to say "oh ok then, i'll just pay more and buy it from you"

Mind you, my father is one of those people who thinks that internet companies are all run by satan and would rather pay more in a shop!
 
Well iam am going against the general concensus here and say that the level of service I have had from the manageress in my local branch has been excellent, I went in to peruse and looked at a d300 as I had just read that it was being discontinued, well the deal I got on that and a mb-10 wad great, got it for not a lot more than a lot of interweb sites were advertising the camera for. Funny enough she remembers me when I go in and always gives me a good deal, plus it a bricks and mortar establishment so is easier to deal with if I do have a problem, that in it's self is worth paying a bit more for.
 
My local Jessops sell Ilford HP5 for £5.50 per roll and will only price match Wildings and Boots - neither sell black & white film. Also they only keep 2 or 3 rolls at any one time. I can purchase as many rolls as I like directly from Ilford for £3.99 and they will now deliver to my door, or I can collect myself as they're only just up the road from where I live.

The last time I visited Jessops, I asked about getting hold of some negative sheets and they said they could no longer get hold of any for me. I ended up ordering them from Silverprint.

Now, much as I would like to give my business and support to my local shop, if they're unable to provide me with what I require, then I have to go elsewhere. And with regards to film, I certainly won't pay an extra £1.50 per roll.
 
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Am sure its been said time and time again on many forums, for many commodities - usually online will always be cheaper due to much much lower overheads - a computer and a warehouse, opposed to shiny shops with rates, big bills etc etc.........

I guess where the shop comes into its own is that you can see, touch, feel and play with things before you buy them (so people nowadays go to Jessops - feel, touch and play, and then go home and order online......)
 
Lynton said:
(so people nowadays go to Jessops - feel, touch and play, and then go home and order online......)
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And thats why retail stores on the high street (and not just Jessops) have struggled.

Paul.
 
I know its Jessops bashing but although they appear to have secured themselves finacially they still have major PR problems as per my experience today.
Where I was working was directly opposite a Jessops so I went in to have a look at the Tamron 70-300 I have been considering,liked the lens but not the £170 price tag.Called around another local shop that for various logistical reasons I could not get to and they had one in for £130 so I called Jessops and asked if they would price match.5 Hours later they callme back to say that as the other shop does not have my fitting in stock (they had sold it during the 5 hour wait) Jessops would not price match.So now having tried the lens in Jessops and wanted to buy it from them although not at an inflated price they have hacked me off,so now I will probably buy it off the internet and Jessops have lost yet another potential customer.
 
In my experience, my local Jessops (Milton Keynes) have really been pretty good. When I bought my first DSLR, the guy was excellent and really knew his stuff. Nothing was too much trouble and none of my noob questions were too daft.

Since then I've been back twice to buy a 100-400 and a 10-22. Each time they have price matched with WHE and the interest free credit was useful. Also, I am happy to pay a little more for the convenience of high street shopping if there's an issue.

I hope they find it all goes well.
 
When I bought my DSLR jessops were actually cheaper than online - granted only by a couple of quid..
 
neil_g said:
when i went to buy my 580mk2 jessops were at least 30 more expensive than online.. my lowerpro sling 300aw was near 90 quid in jessops, online it was closer to 60-70.

im not trying to start an argument but in this day and age im not surprised theyve been struggling.
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Yet when I bought my 35mm zuiko macro lens they were the cheapest around, as online stores charge extortianate prices for NI delivery even though I still live in the UK.

I called in to Jessops and got it minus the £19 quid some places were quoting for delivery and it worked out cheaper.

It all depends at the time of purchase, they're prices are up and down like everyones.
 
Laudrup said:
I go in Jessops for a nosey around, but buying anything at those prices would require a lobotomy, especially when you consider Kerso and the big second hand market. Paying over £1,500 for a 70-200mm 2.8 IS is poor value when you can save hundreds if you buy from Kerso or £500 saved second hand.
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But you're not comparing apples with apples - Jessops sell new kit, second hand kit is, well, second hand. If you buy a lens SH and it has a problem, where are you going to go? Similarly, with Kerso - where I assume a majority of his stuff is sourced from abroad and therefore may not have a UK warranty...

rockfall said:
It wouldnt be so bad if jessops would price match, i've been in there before and asked them to match a price from an online company and they say no and expect that im just going to say "oh ok then, i'll just pay more and buy it from you"
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Price matching only works to a point where the company who is prepared to price match is still making a workable profit - if they are making a loss on it why would they price match?

What they need to do is to consolidate the stores, have experts (not all the staff) on hand, and cut the amount of stock they have. There also doesn't seem to be any way of them getting stock from one store to another. Don't carry vast amounts of high value stuff, but spread it around the other stores and have a way of passing the stock from one shop to another.

I have actually been the opposite to the current trend - I'll do a lot of research on the net, find out what I want and then go to a store and buy it (for large/expensive items) Most times, as has been said, Jessops are actually right up there with decent prices once you've added any voucher codes etc. But, I reserve online, go in, pay, and leave.
 
mstphoto said:
:LOL::LOL::LOL:
I know what you mean. I was in PC World this morning and it was like walking into a United Nations seminar. The questions I asked about certain items were met with a blank stare.
Even worse than the lack of knowledge was the lack of personal hygene. These guys certainly don't have the Lynx effect!!

Sorry if this offends but no offence intended.
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I used to work in a PC World.. and I don't think in my 14 months there I didn't meet a question I couldn't answer..

We used to sum up the general public like this -

If you know what you're talking about, then you will know that PC World is generally over priced, and do not need the advice...therefore will shop at Aria, Ebuyer, Overclockers etc..or an independent shop perhaps.

If you don't know what you're on about, then you will be happy to pay that little bit extra to be able to speak to someone face to face and collect your goods from an actual premises. All staff should be clued up to a minimum level on most of the products (although I do believe they have changed their staffing - it used to be customer sevice/tech and sales - sales focussed on complete systems, tech on components etc - so I'm not sure what it's like anymore).

Which are you in? ;)

It is really annoying when I hear about professionals and clued up amateurs expecting part time staff to know seemingly everything there is to know under the sun. Jessops are a high street retailer, not necessarily an industry specialist. If you want professional advice then go to Warehouse Express etc. If you want to know which compact to buy for your holidays then by all means, go to Jessops.

There are enough reviews, guides and other sources of info on the internet... it just appears that some people go in purely for the pleasure of making these staff look stupid. There is no excuse for it to be honest.

As for personal hygeine.. some staff don't take much pride as they are quite geeky (sorry for the generalisation :p) and happy to avoid the general public, but I was a little womaniser back then being only 18 so was always preened and cleaned! :p

Rant over :)
 
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I think Jessops days are numbered, even with the restructure they still have fundimental problems:-

High street rents , rates and overheads. A reduced and low skill workforce ( exeptions accepted).

Jittery suppliers, most of all no focus on what their core business activeties should be.

I give them another six months Max
 
Last time I went into Jessops was to purchase my 5D2. I had already bought a 450D, which I'd started my business with, using some of the profits from that to purchase a 50D, 24-70L and a 10-22. I was doing the same again, and planned on upgrading to the 5D2.

Upon arriving and asking about the 5D2, the shop assistant "warned" that the 5D2 was a professional camera, blah blah.. I explained that I'd had some success with photography, had a website, was selling limited edition prints, shooting some weddings, portraits, tiny bits of commercial work as well as club photography etc.. Not in an arrogant or boastful way at all, just normal chit chat from one photographer to another. Upon hearing all of this, he turned to face me, and simply just "That's great, but just remember it can end at ANY time..."

I ended up buying my camera from London Camera Exchange.
 
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CaptainPenguin said:
I know its Jessops bashing but although they appear to have secured themselves finacially they still have major PR problems as per my experience today.
Where I was working was directly opposite a Jessops so I went in to have a look at the Tamron 70-300 I have been considering,liked the lens but not the £170 price tag.Called around another local shop that for various logistical reasons I could not get to and they had one in for £130 so I called Jessops and asked if they would price match.5 Hours later they callme back to say that as the other shop does not have my fitting in stock (they had sold it during the 5 hour wait) Jessops would not price match.So now having tried the lens in Jessops and wanted to buy it from them although not at an inflated price they have hacked me off,so now I will probably buy it off the internet and Jessops have lost yet another potential customer.
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Slightly off topic, but this is the same with any store that price matches. Last Xmas we got our daughter a portable dvd player, had seen it in John Lewis and also in curries or comet, comet orcurries was £15 cheaper, went into John Lewis and asked them to price match, no problem sir where did you see it, I told them and that it was on their website, they looked it up and refused to price match it as it was a different dvd player. "No its not" I said, "afraid it is sir" came the reply. "Its the same model number" says I. "Yes it is sir but it is a different colour" WTF is that about, anyway to cut a long story short they did not price match. So with all the jessops bashing, just remember its all companies that do this and not just jessops.
 
Davec223 said:
Slightly off topic, but this is the same with any store that price matches. Last Xmas we got our daughter a portable dvd player, had seen it in John Lewis and also in curries or comet, comet orcurries was £15 cheaper, went into John Lewis and asked them to price match, no problem sir where did you see it, I told them and that it was on their website, they looked it up and refused to price match it as it was a different dvd player. "No its not" I said, "afraid it is sir" came the reply. "Its the same model number" says I. "Yes it is sir but it is a different colour" WTF is that about, anyway to cut a long story short they did not price match. So with all the jessops bashing, just remember its all companies that do this and not just jessops.
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Oddly enough.. I've seen different coloured products attract different prices before... it may not have been the case here, but it does happen!
 
purpleclouds said:
Oddly enough.. I've seen different coloured products attract different prices before... it may not have been the case here, but it does happen!
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Yep - depends what's in fashion at the time. The last TV I bought was available in black and silver - the silver was £30 more, because that's "what people want" - only those who want silver though, otherwise they wouldn't bother making black!
 
dinorock said:
can,t believe you said that who would work in a camera shop and not be interested in photography:shrug:
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So every person who works in retail has an interest In what they sell, I don't think so.
 
all the people in my local Jessops are really knowledgeable... never had a problem with them and they always seem to have what i'm after :]

and i bought my 450d from my local PC World - they knew their stuff as well.

maybe Southampton is a shoppers' haven :p
 
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