Dont you just love jessops

B

Blundred77

Suspended / Banned
Messages
417
Name
Andrew Blundred
Edit My Images
Yes
Went into my local jessops today and asked to look at the 7d, not knowing the answer myself I asked if there was a battery grip available yet.

The girl showing me the camera admitted she had not got a clue (obvious as she originally passed me the 1d when I asked for the 7d) and said I will go ask. Then a nice chappie came over and got out the grip for a 500d. Opening the battery door on the camera and removing the battery (not the door) he then tried to fit it into the camera, obviously this didn't work, so he tried this with the 50d battery grip. He said this will work cos it looks about right, despite the fact that it didnt get anywhere near to the body of the camera because the battery door was in the way. He justified his statement by saying the screw on the grip looks like it lines up with the body!!!

I need a little more of a garauntee than this, sorry Jessops, NO SALE today!
 
sorry, dont know how this ended up in the sale section
 
Get them to try fitting an MB-D10 to a 7d .......but explain it is a tight fit so may need some hard pushing...............then leave, then maybe these shops may start to employ staff who know what they are talking about:lol:
 
It's alright, sometimes they do know what they're doing! They sold me a 5D + 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM for a tad over 1k this time last year and I'm not complaining! They obviously knew I was looking for a bargain!:D
 
Last edited:
Moved to Shopping, Suppliers & Bargains :)
 
Just to say,

I have yet to find a member of staff in any of my local Jessops who are not up to the mark. City Centre EDI branch, all the staff I have had dealings with seem switched on, polite, professional and friendly. It's a real asset to have such a store in the city, and I would not hesitate to send anyone there way. I know some of them are part time photographers earning from their skill outwith the full time Jessops gig.

One other thing, the discounts I have always managed are great. On my biggest order, I saved £300 or so more than I could have online, and was also given ALL my UV filters free of charge (7 of them, 7 lenses).

You normally only hear the bad stories, so I think its only fair to remind people, there are probably far more good than bad stories out there! They just need to be told more :D

Gary.
 
I agree with Gary. My local Jessops is very good. Always keen to help, open to negotiation and now there stuff.
 
Think with all companies\stores you will always get good and bad ones. My local Jessops is ok, they seem to know what they are doing, but if you start to ask specialized questions then its gets a little slow.

But we should all support them, they are in the high street supporting the world of photography which we love. Would be a shame to see them go.
 
Peterborough Jessops is full of tards
Jessops as a whole is totally mismanaged by the big-wigs in the offices, however i dont doubt that in some stores, there are people who actually know what they are doing. You can tell that some of them are just there for a job and others will be interested in every single new release that is made
 
EdinburghGary said:
Just to say,

I have yet to find a member of staff in any of my local Jessops who are not up to the mark. City Centre EDI branch, all the staff I have had dealings with seem switched on, polite, professional and friendly. It's a real asset to have such a store in the city, and I would not hesitate to send anyone there way. I know some of them are part time photographers earning from their skill outwith the full time Jessops gig.

One other thing, the discounts I have always managed are great. On my biggest order, I saved £300 or so more than I could have online, and was also given ALL my UV filters free of charge (7 of them, 7 lenses).

You normally only hear the bad stories, so I think its only fair to remind people, there are probably far more good than bad stories out there! They just need to be told more :D

Gary.
Click to expand...


:agree:

Same goes for the Sauchiehall St branch in Glasgow, there might be the odd newstart who isn't fully clued up on everything, but let's face it the carry a pretty diverse range of products, so you can't expect every member of staff to be an expert on every make or model of camera, so as Gary was (really) tring to say, if you see a Jessops salesperson, give them a :hug: it's nearly Christmas after all ;)
 
I don't get this Jessops bashing. " I went in today to show that I know more about cameras the the plebs of staff, therefore I am superior". Please get over yourselves. Some of them are there just for a job I agree, but go into a Supermarket butcher section and ask about the origins of the meat, and I am sure you will get a similar answer.

If they are not rude, served you quickly and are generally friendly, you have no reason to complain.

Sorry, but no sale because the don't know as much as me is stupid. It is either at a price you are willing to pay, or one you are not. Under trained staff should not come into the equation.
 
my local jessops is crap and i don't shop there

i think that's about all i've got to say about that :)
 
ding76uk said:
Sorry, but no sale because the don't know as much as me is stupid.
Click to expand...

No it isn't. If you're looking to spend well over a thousand pounds on a camera, you have the right to expect the salesperson to know what they're on about. I bought my first DSLR in Jessops in Kingston, I was clueless as was the salesperson, in the end I bought a Nikon just because it was the brand I associated with cameras more than the others. The 'advice' I got was crap, but I'd set out to buy a camera and did so. Oh, and also left with a filter that was 10mm too big for the lens I purchased, even though I was assured it would fit.

Your supermarket comment isn't really a good comparison as they don't just sell meat. Jessops sell cameras, photography is their business, therefore the staff should be well clued up. Go to John Lewis' camera dept and speak to someone there, they only have people who know exactly what they're talking about, and so should Jessops.
 
MJ Stebbings said:
Peterborough Jessops is full of tards
Jessops as a whole is totally mismanaged by the big-wigs in the offices, however i dont doubt that in some stores, there are people who actually know what they are doing. You can tell that some of them are just there for a job and others will be interested in every single new release that is made
Click to expand...

Now you see when I got my 70-200 from Jessops Peterborough a year or so ago, they were incredibly helpful. Phoned them up and they had the only one around for miles. spoke to the manager who ut it aside for me and gave me a large discount when I gave him the on-line price at another retailer.

Very happy me, but that was then .
 
PsiFox said:
Now you see when I got my 70-200 from Jessops Peterborough a year or so ago, they were incredibly helpful. Phoned them up and they had the only one around for miles. spoke to the manager who ut it aside for me and gave me a large discount when I gave him the on-line price at another retailer.

Very happy me, but that was then .
Click to expand...

That's different, they didn't need any knowledge of what they were selling, they just helped you out when you already knew what you wanted.

I still use them, but only in this situation when I know what I want. I reserve online and go and pay for it, I'm in there for no more than 5-10 minutes. There's one person in the Kingston store who knows his onions, but you'd be waiting all day to talk to him.
 
Many years ago, I had a camera that got smashed whilst on holiday. In order to make an insurance claim, I had to get a quote for repair. To do this, I took the camera into my local Jessops branch. The quote duly came through and the insurance company coughed up for a replacement camera.

When I went into Jessops to collect the broken remains, the child that was working behind the counter said "I am afraid that there's a £10 handling charge" - he then opened the till and gave me £10!
 
Wildsnaps said:
Many years ago, I had a camera that got smashed whilst on holiday. In order to make an insurance claim, I had to get a quote for repair. To do this, I took the camera into my local Jessops branch. The quote duly came through and the insurance company coughed up for a replacement camera.

When I went into Jessops to collect the broken remains, the child that was working behind the counter said "I am afraid that there's a £10 handling charge" - he then opened the till and gave me £10!
Click to expand...

:lol::lol::lol::bang:
 
strumstrum said:
not a staff fault as such more an insufficient product training problem...
Click to expand...

true
you can't assume expertise from a retail worker because it's their hobby.
you have to put your faith in the management training and canon reps training the locals.
having said that, you might hope that her more experienced colleague would have some nounce...
oh well. I hope he didn't wreck the door too much!
 
Wildsnaps said:
Many years ago, I had a camera that got smashed whilst on holiday. In order to make an insurance claim, I had to get a quote for repair. To do this, I took the camera into my local Jessops branch. The quote duly came through and the insurance company coughed up for a replacement camera.

When I went into Jessops to collect the broken remains, the child that was working behind the counter said "I am afraid that there's a £10 handling charge" - he then opened the till and gave me £10!
Click to expand...

that's awesome.... :clap:
 
I think the same can be said for a lot of products nowadays and not just cameras.

I've been around the BMW Mini scene for a long time now, and exactly the same kind of thing happens, guy goes into buy a MINI and ends up telling the Sales staff in the showroom about the cars.

Anyone who has a keen interest in a particular subject is quite often more knowledgeable than the person who is selling it. It doesn't make it right, it's just fact nowadays.

I wish more shops would give out handling charges though, that's a cracker! :lol:
 
Dman said:
No it isn't. If you're looking to spend well over a thousand pounds on a camera, you have the right to expect the salesperson to know what they're on about. I bought my first DSLR in Jessops in Kingston, I was clueless as was the salesperson, in the end I bought a Nikon just because it was the brand I associated with cameras more than the others.
Click to expand...

No disrespect, but if I'm going to spend a grand on something, anything I do my own research before going anywhere near a shop......

wibbly said:
I think the same can be said for a lot of products nowadays and not just cameras.

I've been around the BMW Mini scene for a long time now, and exactly the same kind of thing happens, guy goes into buy a MINI and ends up telling the Sales staff in the showroom about the cars.

Anyone who has a keen interest in a particular subject is quite often more knowledgeable than the person who is selling it. It doesn't make it right, it's just fact nowadays.

I wish more shops would give out handling charges though, that's a cracker! :lol:
Click to expand...

I went in to the MINI dealers to get plates made up, the car reg is basically the MINI model code and colour, so the parts guy says "which plates do you want MINI or BMW?"

I replied "Guess"

"Ah, I see" he says


So that was two sets of plates he ended up having to make :lol:
 
Alas but this week I was in Jessops (Llandudno) with my mother-in-law as she was looking for a memory card for her shiny new PS Camera. We explained that one her biggest bugbears with 'going' digital was all the fuss with "downloading pictures all the time"... and it is "Soooo slow after you take a photo".

So we asked for a great fat fast memory card please.

To be offered a standard 2gb generic Jessops SD card and told that it would store between 400 and 600 photos easily. I countered with the camera being a 10 MP camera and that the MIL likes to shoot at the highest resoloution, so surely a 2gb card could only hold approximately 200 photo's? To this I was shown the back of the packet which quite clearly stated that all of my (limited) powers of mathematics were wrong and the assistant was able to fix me with a superior grin. I did try to explain the relationship between image size and resolution but it met with a blank stare.. as did my 1x10 is 10, 10x10 is 100.... song as i left the shop

Once again the husband of the golden daughter is shown to be unworthy in the eyes of the Mother-In-Law

That and I ordered my FIRST EVER 'L' glass lens from them 2 weeks ago and it still hasnt shown up.. i'm now in fear of tears on Christmas morning.

It's horrible when my baby son sees me cry

Having said all that I would rather have Camera shops in the high street than not have them at all.
 
I think with all of these stores your going to get good experiences and bad experiences. I still haven't a bad word to say about my local jessops. You can always tell when you're dealing with a "green horn" in that once they realise you know what you're talking about they will seek assistance! Although, there is 1 lad in there who's a bit of a dimwit. I went in once looking for the price of an ND filter he tried to sell me a circular polariser :lol:. On the other hand, there's another really bright lad that I always have good experience with. He knows his stuff, gives good advice, and actually understands what you're talking about 99% of the time. He comes across as a lad who is actually into photography.

In fairness to Jessops this isn't isolated to them. I had a similar bad vs good experience in Currys when looking for a TV a while back. Same goes for Dixons when I was looking for a headphone adapter to convert a large jack to a small jack, was looked at like I had 4 heads until someone with a bit of common sense heard what I was asking for.
 
You should try to bring the 1D (mark IV?) for the price of the 7D. :D
 
Flash In The Pan said:
No disrespect, but if I'm going to spend a grand on something, anything I do my own research before going anywhere near a shop......
Click to expand...

I was referring to the fact the OP wanted info on a 7D and grip. But in any case, staff in a photographic shop should know about the products they're selling and advising on, full stop.
 
Last edited:
I completely agree with Flash In The Pan. It is very easy to have a dig at Jessops but surely if you are prepared to spend in excess of £750 upwards on equipment you would do a little homework first? Or is it just another case of Jessops bashing?

Having said that I am sure we have all come across people who have all the gear and no idea? That must be Jessops fault as well??

Arron
 
I feel sorry for Jessops just recently. I know a fair bit about Canon DSLRs, and next to nothing about other brands/types of camera. If I'm buying Canon gear I really can't see the advantage to buying in Jessops when I could get it online/here cheaper. In my mind (and humble opinion) lenses are pretty solidly built and apart from my old kit (18-55 mk1) lens, they will last if you look after them.

Getting a P&S for the daughter in the Northwich branch was very pleasant. I knew what I wanted (something pink & damage resistant) and he knew what to show me. I'm not about to quibble over internet prices and I know that when it stops working I can take it back.

Slough branch wasn't quite so much fun. I wanted to look at a macro lens and all I was given was the Jessops catalogue and a brush off. I guess they can't afford to stock every type of lens, but that inevitably means fewer sales. Why order it in for £80 more than I can order it on the internet?

But the crown of it all was browsing the Chester shop a few weeks ago to hear some arrogant idiot sounding off at the poor assistant that they didn't know which "compact SLR digital camera" (his words) was the best. I could hear the assistant trying to explain key functions of the camera (MP, interchangeable lenses, functionality etc) but the guy just wouldn't listen. He ended up ranting that (s)he "didn't know a thing about cameras" because (s)he couldn't just tell him which was the best!.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't. The worst thing about working in shops is the customers.

-H
 
arronbarnes said:
I completely agree with Flash In The Pan. It is very easy to have a dig at Jessops but surely if you are prepared to spend in excess of £750 upwards on equipment you would do a little homework first? Or is it just another case of Jessops bashing?
Click to expand...

It still amazes me that people think that a shop that specialises in photography is ok not to have staff who know anything about what they're trying to sell. If I go into a car showroom knowing a bit about what I wanted but needing to know a bit more, I'd expect the salesman to tell me a little bit more than the number of seats it has and the colour.

The amount of money you're looking to spend shouldn't matter one bit. Not everyone has the time or means to do extensive research and would look at a member of staff in a photographic shop to know about what it is they're selling and get sound advice.
 
Dman said:
If I go into a car showroom knowing a bit about what I wanted but needing to know a bit more, I'd expect the salesman to tell me a little bit more than the number of seats it has and the colour.
Click to expand...

Then in a lot of cases you'll be sorely disappointed there too...
 
Dman said:
It still amazes me that people think that a shop that specialises in photography is ok not to have staff who know anything about what they're trying to sell. If I go into a car showroom knowing a bit about what I wanted but needing to know a bit more, I'd expect the salesman to tell me a little bit more than the number of seats it has and the colour.

The amount of money you're looking to spend shouldn't matter one bit. Not everyone has the time or means to do extensive research and would look at a member of staff in a photographic shop to know about what it is they're selling and get sound advice.
Click to expand...

That is a poor comparison. The staff at Jessops are now mostly on part time contract with only a few each shop on full time contracts. They are also on minimum wage. It is more in comparison to a tesco or asda. Do the staff in either of those major retailers know the full in's and out's of everything they sell?

I also cannot believe that anyone would go out to spend in excess of £750 on a semi pro camera knowing nothing about it? Personally I have never had any problems with jessops. I always find the staff to be pleasant and helpful. Perhaps that is because I don't go in with the attitude that I know more than them?

Arron
 
arronbarnes said:
That is a poor comparison. The staff at Jessops are now mostly on part time contract with only a few each shop on full time contracts. They are also on minimum wage. It is more in comparison to a tesco or asda. Do the staff in either of those major retailers know the full in's and out's of everything they sell?
Click to expand...

No, because they don't specialise in one aprticular area, they sell a wide range of things.

arronbarnes said:
I also cannot believe that anyone would go out to spend in excess of £750 on a semi pro camera knowing nothing about it? Personally I have never had any problems with jessops. I always find the staff to be pleasant and helpful. Perhaps that is because I don't go in with the attitude that I know more than them?

Arron
Click to expand...

Meaning that I do? Well I can tell you now that I didn't when I went in there, the best I'd managed was a P&S. My point still stands, a retailer who specialises in one particular area should make sure their staff know about what they're selling. Or are you saying that anyone who knows sod all about photography are at fault for not doing their research and making up their minds first? Besides, it wasn't the camera the OP knew nothing about, it was the shere incompetence of the staff not having a clue what accessories actually worked with it.

I obviously stand alone in thinking a 'Photographic specialist' should train their staff to at least a half decent level of knowledge.
 
Last edited:
I had another amusing incident with Jessops just after I bought my beloved F5, all those years ago.....

I had eagerly pushed a roll of slide film through the camera and dropped the roll of film off with them. I usually processed them myself when I had a batch of films to do but since this was a once off, I decided to get them to do it. The conversation went along the lines of

Me: Hello, I'd like to have this roll of slide film processed please.
Jessops: Yes sir. What size would you like?
Me: It is slide film, I'd like it in those little plastic slide mounts please.
Jessops: Oh, yes. Sorry sir! Do you want gloss or matte?
Me: It is slide film! Gloss or matte depends on whether I project it on a screen or the side of a fridge!

It hardly instills confidence!


Simon
 
Dman said:
I obviously stand alone in thinking a 'Photographic specialist' should train their staff to at least a half decent level of knowledge.
Click to expand...

In an ideal world I would agree with you. This isn't an ideal world though. Who is to say that the staff didn't have a half decent level of knowledge? Perhaps they are experts in medium format? Or perhaps they specialise in film developing? Or perhaps they specialise in dealing with the general public who want a point and shoot?

Perhaps the expertise isn't in the higher end DSLR's now because most people buy their kit online as a cheaper alternative? That is why Jessops cannot afford to pay the staff much more than minimum wage. I agree that Jessops sometimes fail miserably but the continual Jessops bashing is just wrong.

If you don't like Jessops then don't go in. Simples.

Arron
 
arronbarnes said:
In an ideal world I would agree with you. This isn't an ideal world though. Who is to say that the staff didn't have a half decent level of knowledge? Perhaps they are experts in medium format? Or perhaps they specialise in film developing? Or perhaps they specialise in dealing with the general public who want a point and shoot?

Perhaps the expertise isn't in the higher end DSLR's now because most people buy their kit online as a cheaper alternative? That is why Jessops cannot afford to pay the staff much more than minimum wage. I agree that Jessops sometimes fail miserably but the continual Jessops bashing is just wrong.

If you don't like Jessops then don't go in. Simples.

Arron
Click to expand...

Perhaps whichever area of expertise they lie in, they should stick to? If they don't know a thing about high end DSLR's, either pass the customer on to someone who does or admit they haven't got a clue rather than making it up as they go along.

As I said earlier, if I need anything from them these days I pre-order and collect, my only dealings are with the till staff thankfully.

As for Jessopos bashing, if I think a company is poor, they'll get slated, if they're good they'll get praised. I'm not going to keep quiet about my feelings just because others don't agree with my experiences.
 
Last edited:
arronbarnes said:
If you don't like Jessops then don't go in. Simples.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, it isn't that simple. We used to have two really good independent camera stores here in Rugby. One was taken over by Jessops when the owner retired. The second was put out of business when Jessops opened a second store, less than 300 yards from their first. When they'd got the market sown up, they closed their first store.

This means that if I want to handle a bit of kit before parting with my money, I have no real option other than dealing with Jessops.

Simon
 
Dman said:
If they don't know a thing about high end DSLR's, either pass the customer on to someone who does or admit they haven't got a clue rather than making it up as they go along.
Click to expand...

Now thats one thing I can agree 100% on. :) I think most shops are guilty of this nowadays.

Arron
 
My 2p worths is why do Jessops then advertise see any photo mag that if you buy form them you get Sue or John as your expert to refer to.

I.e i buy a camera for someone and give as xmas present they can then go to jessops ask how to use it maybe. But if they don't know there A from their E your more likely to get a 5 year old toddler to tell you how to use it.

Don't have exact word of adds but they try to sell themselves are photographic experts which i'm sure some of the staff are, but it would just be nice if the person who does not know actually just said i don't know X man will come and help you.

Rather then make up Rubbish or read the back of some packet which most people are capable of doing.

But i think at Xmas they will have lots of temp staff maybe so maybe you can't blame them for it all
 
My last Jessops experience..

Me: Hi, do you have any 120 films in stock.

Jessops: Umm, no sorry we are a camera shop

Me: Laughs (whilst walking out of the shop)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top