Bad advice from salesperson in camera store?

Rayn

Rayn

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So I went to a few camera stores today, as I'm planning to purchase some glass in the near future. As I stood there, either in Jacobs or Jessops, watching the glass on display, some over friendly service guy, high on caffeine and sugar, asked if I needed any help. I didn't really need any help, but was a bit bored so I started to chitchat with the guy. He started to explain the amazing features of the L lenses, how all the paparazzis use them and a load of other BS.
What caught my attention, though, was when he pointed at the Tamron 70-300mm lens, and said it was a piece of ****. I didn't admit to having one, and being very happy with it, so I asked him what was so **** about it. He went on to explain that it was too big. 300mm on a 550D was waaaay to over the top. The worst part was that it didn't have IS, and even if the camera was mounted on a tripod, you'd get blurry results on full zoom. I mean, WTF, can this guy be for real?
I've used the lens a lot on full 300mm, handheld, and still got good results with it.
To make him talk about something else, I asked what he'd reccommend instead. His choice was the Canon 55-250mm IS, a lens so good it would be equal to a 450mm lens.
How can guys like this be allowed to deal with customers? Or is he actually right, and I know nothing about my equipment?
 
He's a buffoon and you should report him to the manager for damaging sales - assuming the shop actually wants to make money, that is...

Tamron - while maybe not up to Pro Nikon/Canon glass standards make OK lenses - let's face it: they'd have gone bust years ago if thousands and thousands of customers weren't perfectly happy with them...
 
hes a salesman.... think about it ....he si there to sell you stuff you may not even want.. he isnt there to teach you about photography..


I test drove a used vauxhall astra (diesel) from a showroom and when turning tightly to the right it made a knocking sound... salesman said all diesel cars do that and i just wasnt used to them...
 
to an extent i think the 70-300mm is **** however for general shooting anyone could be happy with it!

i like jessops staff to be honest and knowledgeable, i even wanted to work there because at least i new about photography and not sales however in this day and age anybody can be anybody. i just wish that when they go through the interview they are asked a series of photography related questions and if they fail a certain amount then they go home.
 
I've only tried the Sigma version which is priced similarly to the Tamron, and found it disappointing, and spending over 5 times on the lens brings significant improvements to quality, at the expense of weight.

His recommendation of the 55-250IS I think is probably good given the options around that budget - although it won't perform like a 450mm lens!
 
in shops people like that steer you towards the stuff they either get more of a bonus on or has a higher profit margin. its not just camera stores it happens everywhere :shrug:
 
KIPAX said:
I test drove a used vauxhall astra (diesel) from a showroom and when turning tightly to the right it made a knocking sound... salesman said all diesel cars do that and i just wasnt used to them...
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Hahaha, that sounds like a broken wheel bearing, which is perfectly normal if you hit the curbs a lot. :LOL:
 
I have a tamron 70-300 and was testing it out yesterday and being new to dslr's I didnt have much of a clue, when I set it to macro I thought you had to be pretty much ontop of the subject to get a good macro shot, I was several feet away which suprised me. Unless I am doing it completely wrong. Which is more like it.
 
Rayn said:
I've used the lens a lot on full 300mm, handheld, and still got good results with it.
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what is a 'good' result though? have you cropped an image you have been happy with to see the quality and abberation(sp?)..

the Canon 55-250 IS is a quite capable budget lens, probably even the best of the Canon fit budget lenses, you can pick them up around £125 now, great price..


@Wheels, the macro function of these lenses only kick in at 180-300mm which is why you need to be several ft away.
 
KIPAX said:
hes a salesman.... think about it ....he si there to sell you stuff you may not even want.. he isnt there to teach you about photography..


I test drove a used vauxhall astra (diesel) from a showroom and when turning tightly to the right it made a knocking sound... salesman said all diesel cars do that and i just wasnt used to them...
Click to expand...

Funny I got something similar when questioning why this diesel astra sounded more like a tractor than a car, 'its a diesel, they all do it' I've spent the last 5 years and 100,000miles in a (comparatively) nice quiet diesel. The lack of any service history suggested it might be still on the original oil after 3 years and 35k.
As said the guy in the shop was a bafoon, trying to sell you something in a really poor manor.

J
 
strumstrum said:
@Wheels, the macro function of these lenses only kick in at 180-300mm which is why you need to be several ft away.
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Yeah I noticed I think its pretty good at zoom, I was messing with that part also.:geek:
 
Rayn said:
To make him talk about something else, I asked what he'd reccommend instead. His choice was the Canon 55-250mm IS, a lens so good it would be equal to a 450mm lens.
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The Canon EF-S 55-250mm is not such a great lens, either.

Always best to just keep saving until you can afford say a 70-200mm f/4 L, which would be worth every penny.
 
dan-marsh said:
The Canon EF-S 55-250mm is not such a great lens, either.

Always best to just keep saving until you can afford say a 70-200mm f/4 L, which would be worth every penny.
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Well I have both of these lenses and I wouldn't sell either!
Yes, the 55-250mm looks poor against the 70-200mm f4 L, but when you compare price, the 55-250 shoots well above it's price bracket!
 
Let me start by saying that I have been in sales for over 25 years and not all sales people are arrogant retards just trying to take your money.

Sales is about 2 things:

  1. Making a profit for the business
  2. Providing customer satisfaction

Now this guy sounds like an a**e, but don't tar everybody with the same brush. Good sales people give sound knowledgeable advice which keeps customer coming back time after time.

I hate poor sales people, but I enjoy "working" with somebody who understands my needs and can provide a solution. Even Jessops get it right sometimes (I never thought I'd say that...) but they can.

This guy needs some serious product training, as well a slap round the back of the head :bonk:

Steve
 
I remember when I was looking for my first DSLR , the 350D had just come out
I went to Currys the guy in there tried to talk me into getting the 300D instead of the 350D he said there was no difference between them !
I'm so glad I went to jessops and got good advice , chap said the 350D would be the best camera for me
Pete
 
Jelster said:
Now this guy sounds like an a**e, but don't tar everybody with the same brush.
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Exactly. There's 2 camera shops by me. One is Wilkinson Camera (they have like 8 stores in the North West), and the other is a little independent camera shop.

In Wilkinson's they either have what I want or they don't, and whether they do or not, the staff always seem to know what I'm talking about, even when I don't.

In the other camera shop, they're primarily a Canon place. They don't do Nikon, their loss ;). But, again, they really know what they're talking about. The manager there's been working in the place for about 40 years, although I think he gets a little too excited when you start talking about film cameras and developing fluids. ;)

They do better prices than Wilkinson's on the stuff they can get, but everything else I go to Wilkinson's if the other place hasn't got it in stock or can't get it.

So, I frequent both and they're great. Not a Jessops in sight. :)
 
mastertrinity said:
to an extent i think the 70-300mm is **** ...
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I agree, I don't necessarily think that his advice was bad. I bought the Tamron 70-300 and hated it. Didn't like the handling, didn't like the results I got with it, especially at 300mm. I sold it pretty quickly.

Subsequently I borrowed the EF-S 50-250 IS and in my experience it's a much nicer lens.

Mind you I guess the Tamron would be better on a 550d than my 400d as you can really pump up the ISO without losing too much image quality, and so avoid shooting wide open. Maybe it gets better then? Or maybe I just had a bad copy? :shrug:
 
Jelster said:
Let me start by saying that I have been in sales for over 25 years and not all sales people are arrogant retards just trying to take your money.

Sales is about 2 things:

  1. Making a profit for the business
  2. Providing customer satisfaction

Now this guy sounds like an a**e, but don't tar everybody with the same brush. Good sales people give sound knowledgeable advice which keeps customer coming back time after time.

I hate poor sales people, but I enjoy "working" with somebody who understands my needs and can provide a solution. Even Jessops get it right sometimes (I never thought I'd say that...) but they can.

This guy needs some serious product training, as well a slap round the back of the head :bonk:

Steve
Click to expand...

It's all about No 1.

No 2 is the rabbit, also known as marketing talk/sales speak/economy of truth/bull crap/aka lies, that gives the customer an enduring belief that No 2 is the same as No 1.
 
Jelster said:
Now this guy sounds like an a**e, but don't tar everybody with the same brush.
Click to expand...

Oh, sorry. I didn't want my post to sound like I was fed up with every salesperson out there, my rant was aimed at the particular bloke I spoke to yesterday.
I've got plenty of help from talented staff over the years, but it's not often I run into staff who are down right lying straight to my face, that's why I had to vent somewhere, hence my post ;)
 
HoppyUK said:
It's all about No 1.

No 2 is the rabbit, also known as marketing talk/sales speak/economy of truth/bull crap/aka lies, that gives the customer an enduring belief that No 2 is the same as No 1.
Click to expand...

Having worked in retail myself, I can assure you that No2 is not marketing talk/sales speak/economy of truth/bull crap/aka lies. Especially as it leads to No 1. ;)
 
HoppyUK said:
It's all about No 1.

No 2 is the rabbit, also known as marketing talk/sales speak/economy of truth/bull crap/aka lies, that gives the customer an enduring belief that No 2 is the same as No 1.
Click to expand...

Without No.2 you dont get No.1.

Where would you rather shop - a place where the shop assistant makes no attempt to engage you, find out your needs, wants etc and leaves you stood clueless or

a place where the shop assistant is or appears genuinley interested in you as a customer.

Ok so they may use the charm offensive,but lets be straight here - sales = profits=wages=job.

How a salesperson performs is down to the training that they receive from the company they work for - my missus has worked in retail training for 30 years and interestingly she very rarely shops where she has had a negative customer experience.
 
Shop assistant in 'trying to make a sale' shocker.

if you were that annoyed with his demeanour and lack of knowledge you should have put him straight there and then instead of running of to an internet forum and complaining about it, surely? Were you more annoyed that he was trying to mis-sell you or that he was slagging off equipment you own?

FWIW I would only take advice on lenses from impartial sources, like here maybe, dpreview and a few other trusted sources - not someone who has a clear financial gain in your decision.
 
So was it Jacobs or Jessops?
 
fabs said:
Having worked in retail myself, I can assure you that No2 is not marketing talk/sales speak/economy of truth/bull crap/aka lies. Especially as it leads to No 1. ;)
Click to expand...

If you were an attractive young lady Marc, preferably flirty and with a name badge strategically positioned on your low-cut top, I'd believe you ;)
 
HoppyUK said:
It's all about No 1.

No 2 is the rabbit, also known as marketing talk/sales speak/economy of truth/bull crap/aka lies, that gives the customer an enduring belief that No 2 is the same as No 1.
Click to expand...

Sorry, but you can only stitch a customer up once - make a bit less and show empathy and they'll return again & again, and you'll make more money. (That's why successful businesses retain their customers and do so well from referrals)

I take it you're not in sales.... :shrug:

Steve
 
Jelster said:
Sorry, but you can only stitch a customer up once - make a bit less and show empathy and they'll return again & again, and you'll make more money. (That's why successful businesses retain their customers and do so well from referrals)

I take it you're not in sales.... :shrug:

Steve
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You overlooked one word in my post Steve - enduring. And that's the difficult bit.

No, I'm not in sales. But I have managed sales teams for decades (indirectly) as part of the business (about 40% of revenue) so I know how important it is and I think I know how it works.

I am also married to a sales person, sales manager and sales trainer. I have utmost respect for her skills. She can tell a very convincing porkie and make it a perfect truth.
 
Trustworthy, honest and considerate salesperson do exist. Period. Are they in minority? Most probably so.

I think one of the largest factors that gnaw away at the integrity of salespersons is the rise and the allowance of intrusive sales tactics implemented by the likes of telesales companies.

It should be banned and in this country (Finland), the authorities are trying to do just that.

I sincerely hope they succeed.

Retail on the other hand will have all kinds of 'species' of salesperson who can be pressured or influenced by management characteristics and tactic.

I worked in retail for 4 years as a senior sales chap in a very large, independent musical instrument retailer in Brum city. I sold hi tech audio, guitars, amplification and banjo's ;)

Our bosses primary focus was on the high margin goods going out the door at an above steady rate. Nothing new there ;)
Typically the high margin items were made in China, were far from reliable and had a huge returns or replacements rate.

I take pride in the fact that I was as honest in sales as I am with my own business now.
I had a large string of 'regulars', who would keep coming back to me as they regarded my advice and assistance highly. I always respected their requirements and made a variety of informed suggestions based on my knowledge and experience with the goods.

I never forced a sale or suggested a single product that I wouldn't have used myself.

Despite having a very good reputation with customers, I wasn't the most popular with management though because the quality gear typically has weaker margins.

Retail for me was a very tough job.

Still, the team I worked with was great, I miss those folk very much despite how much I was exploited and undervalued.

The saying goes 'Pay peanuts = Get monkeys'.

I do believe this is fairly accurate but I also believe that not every monkey is a dishonest, lazy, ignorant scumbag intent on ripping you off.
 
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