Conns Cameras

paulkellypix

I'm amazed at the amount of bickering that goes on here!

Not just the rubbish being mouthed in previous posts here, but other threads in Photography.

Maybe I'm too new to "get" what's normal....???

Paul

lukeod

paulkellypix wrote: »

I'm amazed at the amount of bickering that goes on here!

Not just the rubbish being mouthed in previous posts here, but other threads in Photography.

Maybe I'm too new to "get" what's normal....???

Paul

Its unbelievable. I think people have too much time on their hands...

Fajitas!

paulkellypix wrote: »

I'm amazed at the amount of bickering that goes on here!

Not just the rubbish being mouthed in previous posts here, but other threads in Photography.

Maybe I'm too new to "get" what's normal....???

Paul

Ah you'll get used to it, don't worry

AnCatDubh

Please keep on topic with the responses to the thread. Personal abuse will incur normal boards site wide sanctions.

Thank you.

Mr. Grieves

In Conn's 2 weeks ago they were looking for 10.60 for a roll of Portra 400 35mm! "That Kodak stuff's expensive", I was told. It's £3.60 online. Gunn's is much cheaper for film.

Having said that, I think the OP is being harsh. Conn's overheads must be enormous compared to Jessops or ebay sellers in the far east and they don't have much competition in Dublin for second-hand stuff to keep prices down.

Shop around, do your research, but no need to get too worked up about it - if you can get it cheaper elsewhere, do!

Fionn

Mr. Grieves wrote: »

if you can get it cheaper elsewhere, do!

and make sure you share your discovery!!!

Why are there no dedicated online/internet camera shops in Ireland????

majiktripp

I thought I might share my experience from New Zealand on dealing with a local camera shop in Christchurch just for perspective. I had recently sold my van and had a good deal of extra cash before heading home, and converting it back to euro was a bit pointless as the exchange back to euros was awful. Anyways I had seen a 70-200 f/2.8 for Nikon and decided it was the way to go. I made an email enquiry to the store and was told $2975 for it brand new with New Zealand warranty. Bearing in mind this retail store was selling it to me for roughly 1250e given the exchange at the time. This I think is a fantastic price! Now after being told that I said fine I'll take it. It was a 20 minute walk away in 30 degree heat so when I an the g/f got there we were sweaty to say the least. So I found the contact I had been dealing with and chased up the deal. Last one had been sold but he would order it in over night and I could collect it in the morning. Fair enough. Time to pay the lot and collect the next day. I tried to use my NZ lazer card but the daily lmit wouldnt allow that much. So he told his boss, the owner. The owner gave the assistant the keys to his "Leica 1" reg'd Landrover jeep and proceeded to drive us both (me and g/f) 10 minutes to a nearby bank to get the cash. Once we returned and the transaction was complete, the owner said instead of me walking twenty minutes out to pick it up in the morning he would drop it in to our hotel.
THAT is the way a customer should be treated. At every stage I felt like they really wanted my business and were doing their best to make me happy, even though I was saving quite a lot over retail, even competing with prices on ebay.
And yes I did get the lens it wasnt a giant scam or anything! It just seem's that Irish retailers aren't willing to give us a reason to shop locally and seem to be focused on driving us up the North and towards online retailers...

AnimalRights

It's very hard to get into and out Clarendon street to be fair to Mister Conn. :P

*Dallas

out of a matter of interest, does anybody know, in Conns' old location (behind AWear & BT2) did they always charge these over the top prices?

Covey

AnimalRights wrote: »

It's very hard to get into and out Clarendon street to be fair to Mister Conn. :P

Which is my excuse for avoiding them like the plague.

TelePaul

What exactly is the problem here? You're the consumer, and you have a choice; you can buy from the European free-market, or buy locally. It's your call - I don't really see why a brick and mortar store should drop their price by 25% before you'll deal with them. Bargaining power of buyers is low in competitive markets.

CabanSail

majiktripp wrote: »

I thought I might share my experience from New Zealand on dealing with a local camera shop in Christchurch just for perspective....

I have only spent two week in NZ, but I must say that one thing that struck me about the retailers there was they tended to give that bit extra in customer service. It was so refreshing. I do tend to find the Customer Service worse here in Dublin than I was used to in Australia, but then home in Australia is a rural area & the shops in the rural areas in Ireland are on par.

thefizz

rymus wrote: »

I strolled into Conns during lunch to see about buying a 120 film back. Second hand of course. €100 on their website dont you know.. Anyway, I knew full well I could get it cheaper on ebay from the UK from several reputable camera shops that had setup as sellers on the site.

So you went into the shop already knowing they would be dearer than ebay sellers, the sales man wouldn't drop the price to your level so you bad mouth them on the net. Bad form I think.

TelePaul

thefizz wrote: »

So you went into the shop already knowing they would be dearer than ebay sellers, the sales man wouldn't drop the price to your level so you bad mouth them on the net. Bad form I think.

Have to agree.

John

OP, would you go into a record store and ask them to give you an album for free because you can download music off the internet without paying? Does seem awfully petty.

TelePaul

Fajitas! wrote: »

You weren't treated well by other places? And you were by Conn's? I'm sorry, but the staff I've dealt with in there have been both unintelligent regarding photographic equipment and unfriendly.

I've had the exact opposite experience. Granted, I don't put as much business their way as you do.

coylemj

rymus wrote: »

Their idea of 'negotiating on price' was €15 off the €100 price tag. Even if he'd gone down €25 I would have taken it, but he wouldn't budge off €85.

Agree with above posts, you would have accepted a discount of €25 but he only offered €15. At that stage you should have done what 99% of the population would have done - take your business elsewhere and keep your opinions to yourself.

If two people are bargaining and they can't meet in the middle then there's no deal, this has been the basis for commerce for thousands of years. Everyone has a price below which they won't go and just because Conn's lowest price didn't match your expectations doesn't give you the right to portray them in the way you did and all over a measly €10!

TelePaul

John wrote: »

OP, would you go into a record store and ask them to give you an album for free because you can download music off the internet without paying? Does seem awfully petty.

I'm gonna try that! Want that new Springsteen one...

Fajitas!

TelePaul wrote: »

I've had the exact opposite experience. Granted, I don't put as much business their way as you do.

Correction - Could potentially give them

John wrote: »

OP, would you go into a record store and ask them to give you an album for free because you can download music off the internet without paying? Does seem awfully petty.

You're buying two different products though. If I'm buying a CD or a vinyl, I'm buying an actual object, if I was to buy from itunes, I'm just buying the data - It dosn't include a CD, a cover, artwork nor a jewel case.

Thirdfox

Not just in Ireland though - I recently bought a film camera here in the US, tried one of the local shops (was willing to pay around 175% of prices on ebay... instead owner wants 400% of the price). Thanks but no thanks, I'll take my chances on ebay in that case.

challengemaster

Another example.. Nikon SB-28 for sale

Decent ebay seller - €149.44 including p&p and 21% vat, brand new, mint, including everything.
Conns Cameras - €149.99-€199.99, Second hand and in who knows what state.

Tbh, even for that 50c difference, I'd go to ebay as I'm getting a brand new item. Fcuk Irish retailers thinking they can get away with these prices, now more than ever. About time they learned what competition was.

Nisio

The internet/ebay/hong kong have been there for quite a while now without the shops going out of business or being forced to match prices, can't see that changing in the next few years.

spav

coylemj wrote: »

Nikon 50mm 1.8 'nifty fifty'

Jessops GBP 89 (Eur 99)

Conn's Eur 130

================================

Even if you accept the argument that running a local shop is more expensive when you don't have a big mail order business to subsidise the retail operation (as is the case with Jessops and Calumet), I'd like to hear Conn's explanation for this price difference:

Lowepro 200 Slingshot AW

Gunns 90

Conns 110

================================

Q.E.D.

It's hardly like for like though, is it?

Conns have a shop with lots of staff (helpful, in my limited experience) in a prime town centre location. Gunns are a bit more out of the way, have a cramped store and fewer staff (but again, very helpful). Conns carry a huge amount of stock, Gunns don't.

I wouldn't imagine Conns are making massive profits, mearly charing the prices that they have to in order to maintain the business. They're offer convenience above all else - of course you can get cheaper elsewhere, but that's not really the point.

It must be maddening for staff there when people use the 'it's cheaper on eBay' line. Of course it's cheaper on eBay. If you didn't exactly understand why it's cheaper on eBay, then you wouldn't set foot in Conns.

imo this thread is a potentially damaging whinge about Conns, but from what I can gather they have done precisely nothing wrong in this instance.

spav

challengemaster wrote: »

Another example.. Nikon SB-28 for sale

Decent ebay seller - €149.44 including p&p and 21% vat, brand new, mint, including everything.
Conns Cameras - €149.99-€199.99, Second hand and in who knows what state.

Tbh, even for that 50c difference, I'd go to ebay as I'm getting a brand new item. Fcuk Irish retailers thinking they can get away with these prices, now more than ever. About time they learned what competition was.

Irish retailers have to pay Irish rents and pay Irish wages. This idea of Irish retailers being greedy is way off the mark, particularly in today's climate.

challengemaster

spav wrote: »

imo this thread is a potentially damaging whinge about Conns

Their stupid prices and idiotic staff do enough damage, tbh.

TelePaul

challengemaster wrote: »

About time they learned what competition was.

Hmmm. Let's see. In Dublin, you've got: Conns, Gunnes, Dublin Camera Exchange (x 2?), Dublin Camera Centre, Pixels (x 3?), Berminghams...

I think they know full well what competition is.

TelePaul

challengemaster wrote: »

Their stupid prices and idiotic staff do enough damage, tbh.

Think you can find a cheap lawyer on e-bay? You know, to pay for Boards' defense against a defamation suit from Conns.

sasar

This is starting to get interesting.

off to get popcorn...

Mr. Grieves

Conn's do seem to have a very large staff for a smallish shop. And they're hardly paying them minimum wage...their business model is completely different from an ebay seller's when you think about it so comparisions aren't really valid.

challengemaster

Same item, less cost... what's not valid about that?

Dundhoone

We could have this self same arguement about wedding photographers charging 2.5k for 30 photos in a leather bound album. (and often only delivering average photos for that)

Fact is, if you'll pay it, they'll take it. No one needs a business lesson here, why the whinge over someone setting a price they feel they can get from some other punter if not you?

If they can make the markup they'll stay in business, if not , they wont.

Calina

challengemaster wrote: »

Their stupid prices and idiotic staff do enough damage, tbh.

CM, I have to say that I strongly disagree with this statement. I have always found their staff to be more than helpful, and I do buy stuff from both them and from Gunns. As it happens, most recently I've spent money in Gunns on camera equipment but Conns happen to have my preferred range of photography paper.

I tend to prefer buying certain things locally. Sometimes it's Conns, sometimes it's Gunns and on one occasion it was the Cam Centre in Blanch (although never the one on Grafton Street).

The point is I don't think you understand a whole lot about running a walk in store. A more valid comparison between an eBay store and an Irish store would be like dabs.ie rather than Conns. They are different business models.

I'm a bit disappointed by the premise of this thread. I fully expect shops in Ireland to be more expensive than elsewhere because Dublin commercial rents, particularly in Dublin 2 are historically top five highest in Europe, we have higher VAT and we have higher wages courtesy of higher cost of living. The cost of doing business in Ireland is just higher.

But for me, sometimes the difference is worth it. You really need to understand that different people make different calls on their time and money.

TelePaul

challengemaster wrote: »

Same item, less cost... what's not valid about that?

Different business model.

melekalikimaka

challengemaster wrote: »

idiotic staff

i wouldnt use that term... but i can see where he is coming from, i've had issues with the staff in there twice... serious competancy issues with one member in particular... didn't know wheather to argue with him over it, or check to see how many crayons he had rammed up his/her nostrils

PaulieC

challengemaster wrote: »

Same item, less cost... what's not valid about that?

very simplistic way of looking at things. there are lots of factors that go towards making prices in one market versus another.

maybe you'll understand when you're older :-)

Calina

Alright.

I've had enough. And not one IBTL post.