Customer service in Camera Shops

sambora

I was in The Camera Centre on Liffey St a few weeks ago and there was a bit of an altercation between a customer and a staff member. She was asking about a refund or exchange for a camera she had just bought. Anyway, they were exchanging words for a while and he was offering her a gift card. She did not want this and proceeded to protest, to which this "staff member" roared at her "I DON'T GIVE A SH!T".

I was appalled by this. I hope that poor girl reported him. Obviously nothing has been done about it, I have since walked by the shop and he is still working there. Ridiculous. He was so rude and what a poorly run company if he wasn't pulled up on this.

Jim

sambora wrote: »

I was in The Camera Centre on Liffey St a few weeks ago and there was a bit of an altercation between a customer and a staff member. She was asking about a refund or exchange for a camera she had just bought. Anyway, they were exchanging words for a while and he was offering her a gift card. She did not want this and proceeded to protest, to which this "staff member" roared at her "I DON'T GIVE A SH!T".

I was appalled by this. I hope that poor girl reported him. Obviously nothing has been done about it, I have since walked by the shop and he is still working there. Ridiculous. He was so rude and what a poorly run company if he wasn't pulled up on this.

That place is stupidly expensive as well. I got a flash in Camera Exchange last Dec for €160 and it was €60 more expensive in The Camera Centre. I usually just go in to see the prices of things after I buy them elsewhere. Gives me a good laugh.

DaireQuinlan

sambora wrote: »

I was in The Camera Centre on Liffey St a few weeks ago and there was a bit of an altercation between a customer and a staff member.

Used that be Pixels ? Pixels staff used to be ok, or at least pleasant. The Camera Centre on Grafton street though is another over-priced shop staffed with people who seem to have little idea what they're talking about, at least the few times I've gone in. I guess they have to pay their probably horrendous grafton street rents somehow.

Paulw

If you want good customer service, go to John Gunn on Wexford St. Best camera shop in Dublin.

Promac

I went into the liffey street one last week looking to see what Canon EF lenses they had in store - one of the staff came over and asked if he could help.

I said "I'm looking for canon lenses to fit an EF Mount - a wide-zoom but not too wide as it's for a 5dii".
He said "Wait - what are you looking for?" (As if I'd just asked him for a packet of bacon fries)
I said "Any canon lenses that will fit an EF Mount - a wide-zoom if you have any".
He said "We have a nice sigma 10-20 here..."
I said "Yeah, like I said, it's for a 5Dii and a 10-20 will be far too wide, and I'm looking for canon lenses, not sigma."
So he pointed at the select of EF-S lenses they had on display and I said "Yeah - I said EF-Mount for a 5Dii - none of these will fit as they're all EF-S"
He said "well, I can't help you then" - with a really snotty attitude as if I'd asked him to go out of his way on something.

Obviously I left him to it and walked out - felt like I'd been asking for something really unreasonable. As if I was some elderly customer asking for something that didn't make sense and he was being the smug clerk who told me better.

pete4130

You go into retail shops and you get retail attitude. You go into camera shops and you can get an elitist attitude (Conns & Bermingham Cameras).

I've found this with both those shops over the years apart from when I bought my D3 from Bermingham Cameras a few years ago and because it was high end pro stuff the attitude from the staff was amazingly good!? :rolleyes:

Places like Camera centre are paying minimum wage, have a high staff turnover more than likely and employ people who know a little bit more than the average consumer.

Places like Conns & Bermingham Cameras cater for the consumer and sell them what the consumer thinks they want and gets them out of the shop parted form their cash asap. Their attitudes differ when you are buying high end stuff.

It's been said many many times before. Good attitude, good service, reasonable prices go to Gunns. They are family run, know what they are talking about and are very rare/unique for a camera shop in Ireland these days.

The only reason I didn't buy my D3 form Gunns was because they didn't get their stock in. I wanted to give them the business because they are so good and were about €500 cheaper at the time but I needed the body and Bermingham Cameras had the last 3 in stock in Ireland at the time.

For most shops in Ireland selling cameras, it's a business decision. For Gunns it's a lifestyle choice about how they make their living. Hence the massive difference.

Sometimes (only sometimes) Gunns might be a bit more expensive than a bigger store and I always shop with Gunns. I'd rather Gunns be there for many years to come than save €20 on something now.

Zillah

I bought my D7000 in Gunns. Because screw every camera shop I've every been in except Gunns.

sambora

I went into the liffey street one last week looking to see what Canon EF lenses they had in store - one of the staff came over and asked if he could help.

I said "I'm looking for canon lenses to fit an EF Mount - a wide-zoom but not too wide as it's for a 5dii".
He said "Wait - what are you looking for?" (As if I'd just asked him for a packet of bacon fries)
I said "Any canon lenses that will fit an EF Mount - a wide-zoom if you have any".
He said "We have a nice sigma 10-20 here..."
I said "Yeah, like I said, it's for a 5Dii and a 10-20 will be far too wide, and I'm looking for canon lenses, not sigma."
So he pointed at the select of EF-S lenses they had on display and I said "Yeah - I said EF-Mount for a 5Dii - none of these will fit as they're all EF-S"
He said "well, I can't help you then" - with a really snotty attitude as if I'd asked him to go out of his way on something.

Obviously I left him to it and walked out - felt like I'd been asking for something really unreasonable. As if I was some elderly customer asking for something that didn't make sense and he was being the smug clerk who told me better.

Sounds like the same guy to me! Stuck up attitude!

gerk86

Thought I should chime in being from Cork. McSweeneys on oliver plunkett street are very good too. Got my D700 at ebay prices there.

The Snipe

Its not just like this in Dublin, I'm from Limerick and went into Whelans Cameras a few weeks ago, (Don't know why Brendan Whelan is a complete so and so..) but I was met by Brendan instore, and was checking the price of a 7D; got his usual ignorant attitude, but when I was asking about the new Pentax out, and if he'd be supplying it the answer I got was, "PENTAX?!? WHY WOULD I STOCK 'THOSE'!"

Danbo!

Camera centre Grafton street, tried to get a price for an ml l3 remote, got a stuck up reply "d40 doesn't have an IR receiver".

"Em, im pretty sure it does"

"No mate, it definitely doesn't."

The tone was unreal, and I hate when people call me 'mate' in that sort of situation. Bought a spurious remote on eBay that afternoon.

Thecageyone

I wonder is it like this in other forms of outlet? Like car dealerships?

I went into Conn's a while ago, first time there, just browsing but I did end up leaving with a rocket blower.

I waited about 10 minutes for someone to serve me, one guy was on the phone, seemed like he was chatting to a buddy. Another guy walked in and out from a back room, could see I was waiting but ignored. I guess i didn't have that "I'm here to buy a D3s" look about me? But I was the only person besides staff in the shop!

I was actually waiting to ask about sensor cleaning. Eventually I got the "how can I help you?" and was pretty much told I should try to clean it myself. Which I did after. It seems if you're not flashing the cash upon entry you're nothing.

sambora

Danbo! wrote: »

Camera centre Grafton street, tried to get a price for an ml l3 remote, got a stuck up reply "d40 doesn't have an IR receiver".

"Em, im pretty sure it does"

"No mate, it definitely doesn't."

The tone was unreal, and I hate when people call me 'mate' in that sort of situation. Bought a spurious remote on eBay that afternoon.

Ridiculous..I vowed I would never shop there again, but I was in desperate need of something the other day and so I had to go into the Grafton St branch and couldn't get a proper answer from this snotty nosed little midget with the most nasal and irritating voice, so I asked for the manager/owner or whoever and out walks this tall gobdaw and basically just told me that I wasn't going to find any "real accessories" for a Canon 350D anymore because it's an old camera and then tried to make me look at the 550d...
D0uche!

Paulw

As already said in the thread, you should have walked another 5 mins and gone to John Gunn's on Wexford St.

http://www.johngunn.ie/

You would have talked to people who know and understand photography, and who have a passion for it too. They also treat all customers the same - with respect.

City-Exile

That Camera Centre on Liffey St has always been dreadful!
The staff haven't a clue.
I stopped going there after being dismissed by staff when I was looking for a Speedlite. They were only interested in the gombeen who didn't have a clue what they were being sold. I have turned a few people away from there since.