Poor customer service

Had an interesting visit to some of the local"good" camera stores the other day. Went looking to purchase a 50mm F1.8 MkII with $$ in my hand in the hope of picking one up.
Camera store 1, not in stock but can get it from Head Office in Sydney in approx 1-2 weeks. Quoted max RRP and when asked if he could do better, was told no. Fine, go to store 2.

Store 2. Interrupted sales clerk reading the newspaper after 5 minutes (good start, must have been a good article!). Qtd off the cuff $30 above retail but apparently had it in stock. When told he was $30-$40 off the mark price wise (for a A$180 lens) was told rudely that it's easy for others to quote lower prices (RRP) when they didn't have it in stock. When I asked to have a look at it as I still may be interested he checked out back and found that they didn't have one and went back to the newspaper. I was waiting for "would you like me to order one for you?" but nope, must have been that great article again !

Store number 3, where I bought my 300D, not in stock but can get it in. Quoted full RRP and when asked if they could do better on the price as I recently spent A$1800 with them was told no, it's a very popular product and the margins are slim. If it's so popular then why don't they have it in stock ?

At no stage did I act rude or clueless and am in fact in the sales industry as a sales manager. What is wrong with these people ? Do they realise that there is an enormous number of online companies selling 20-30% below retail who offer better service than a bricks and mortar store ? Maybe the digital camera "boom" has changed their way of doing business and they're just waiting for the next P&S buyer to walk through their door with a fist full of dollars.

That's my rant for the day, would be interested in others stories.

I was at a Canon store the other day, where I was very surprised at the high prices. I told the guy, your competition is not the other brand or store, it's the internet! He smiled.

I've also had mixed experience when buying items that are out of stock. I found Fletchers the most competitive and prepared to bargain on lenses. Saying that, it was the main store in the Sydney CBD.

Last week I found a shop stocking the Sandisk Firewire CF card reader that I've been after. This is a unit that ships for US $55, they wanted AUS $299! When I queried this, they later advised they were overcharged by the supplier and the best price they could offer was $189. Needless to say, mine is now coming from overseas.

I've found very few stores are prepared to negotiate to get the sale. Few seem bothered when you say you can get a product cheaper elsewhere. Odd reaction when they need sales to stay in business

I bought the same lens at Quality Camera in Sydney Nova Scotia Canada.
My experience was good. Mike the camera manager ordered one for me, though I had to pay the list. He said there was not too much of a margin.
I got the lens in 4 days.
Mike had a heart attack, and is unusally friendly.

He had a heart attack because of being friendly or he's friendly because he had a heart attack?


Mark

I ran into a similar instance when I was buying my 10D (May of '03 when they were just starting to ship). I have a local camera shop that I frequent when I want to put my hands on something, and I have built up a raport with one of the sales guys there.

I had priced the body with B&H and the local shop and they were both identical, so one day I went in there, visa in pocket, and pulled the manager aside so as not to be overheard, and told him I appreciate all the knowledge and expertise I've gotten from the local "pro" shop, I'm going to be buying a 10D and that I really want to give them my business, but that it will cost me at least $100 more to buy it from them due to sales tax. I asked if we could work anything out on the price and was given a flat out no.

Now keep in mind, yes I know the 10D was just out, and yes I know that they would have zero problem selling them at full price. But I also know it would have taken as little as him splittin the difference ($50 out of his end) to get me to buy the camera from them (even knowing I would hav ea 3+ week wait to actually get the camera) and he wasn't willing to do it. To date I have spent over $3k with B&H since April '03 and have spent less than $100 with the local shop.

There is a lot to be said for customer loyalty, and especially with the Internet, retailers have to work harder to entice customers to spend their money with them. The way he handled himself in that situation cost his company a lot more than the $50 I was looking for.

And I thought poor customer service was something that the U.S.A. held the monopoly on... sorry to see it's spread so far.

I bought a Canon PowerShot camera. The software in the box was for a scanner. The store told me to contact Canon. Canon refused to reply to EMails and then on the phone told me they did not replace missing components unless within thirty days of purchase. I can't download an "upgrade" because I don't have the original.

I wish I knew their service was this bad before I made the dicision to buy Canon. Is it really in their interest to anger their customers?

Where the prices are the same, or close, I tend to buy from my local pro supply shop. It many cases, I can walk out of the shop, equipment in hand, for the same price it would cost me to buy from B&H (including the shipping). Sometimes I can even get items cheaper that I would be able to get them from B&H. A recent example is the 24-105 EF L IS lens. It was listed at $1249 at both places, but obviously I didn't have to pay shipping to buy it locally (and in Oregon there is no sales tax).

The problem is, unfortunately, that the sales service sucks unless you're buying a big ticket item. I've spent over $8000 USD there in the last 8 months, but when I went into the shop last week to pick up a book and a spare lens cap, I had to wait at the counter for nearly 15 minutes before anyone would deign to check me out. It doesn't sound like a lot of time, but I was on my lunch hour and had to drive across town to get to the shop.

I really should write a letter to the store manager and explain what happened, but I don't have high confidence that it would make much of a difference.

Mark