Say what you want about Jessops...

ChrisMClark

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...But I popped into Jessops in Poole today and enquired about a D300, and was quoted £1149, only £10 dearer than Warehouse Express. Quite pleased :)


Now where am I going to get £1149 from? :lol:
 
that ok, the one by me was listing a canon 70-300 for £1100. after checking warehouse express, seems about right. thought these were all about £3-400 ish
 
Jessops have always been pretty good on D-SLR body prices; it's the prices of accessories where they are on a different planet.
 
...But I popped into Jessops in Poole today and enquired about a D300, and was quoted £1149, only £10 dearer than Warehouse Express. Quite pleased :)


Now where am I going to get £1149 from? :lol:

:shake:

£1149 is what I paid for mine 18 months ago, can you imagine what price the D300s will be if it is announced at the end of the month? :eek::bonk:
 
Jessops bless them... they are ok.. but slowing going down the pan i think.

got my sony a200 from buyacamera.co.uk nice deals. just hope i get it. lol should be coming wednesday
 
I paid £1149 from jessops too about 3 mths ago, the warrington store is a bit naff they never seem to have anything in stock however one of the guys that works there tim is spot on always really helpful and he knows his stuff i think if it wasn't for him i wouldn't use them at all but he really goes all out to help you not many places have that kind of customer service these days and i've always said i don't mind paying a little extra if i get good service.
 
I remember buying the 5D & 24-105mm combo from them about 2 years ago (I think) - staff there were brilliant even before I gave them any hint of my intentions. Conversely, I went to another store on an impulse buy for something I saw in the window and the staff person I spoke to was a complete goose and in fact they lost a sale which was nearly money in their hand.

Luck of the draw I guess, you get the good with the bad - its also a retail store so some people just turn up to work well to... turn up. Personally I will still happily buy from Jessops as long as the price is right and the staff give the hint that they at least have slightly more IQ than a microwaved potato.
 
mmmm they have their uses, like, when I need something really quick, sure have to pay over the odds, but its the convienance of having them there.

gets a bit annoying when you 'pop' in (urgh) and need some film, mmmm what choices have I got [theres 4, yes FOUR rolls on the shelf], erm can I have that roll there please, yes the Fuji Superia, in the white/green box?
no sorry we don't have any fuji superia, but we can order some?
no, theres some right there on the the shelf, can I have that please, look here, I HAVE MONEY!!!
no I'm sorry we don't stock 35mm film anymore.
GOD DAMMIT THE FILM ON THE SHELF, GIVE IT TO ME I GIVE YOU MONEY, ITS CALLED A TRANSACTION!!!

/rant over :p

No, they are useful, but the quality of staff has gone down the pan, worst thing is they did all the little independants out of business over the last 10yrs so there IS only them left now :(
 
Jessops < Kerso... I saved about £700 with Kerso compared to if had gone to jessops
 
To be honest, why do any of us use Jessops?

I remember using Jessops back in the 1970's when they only had one shop in Leicester. The sales people were bearded, pipe smoking experts who knew absolutely everything. They gave good advice and service next to none. They had a full range of new and used kit at excellent prices and I loved the place.

Then they expanded.

I went into Peterborough last Saturday to buy a Lowepro bag. While in Jessops I spotted a Jessops own brand 'off camera' flash cable. The box gave no details about camera fittings it just said 'Canon' so I went up to ask if this was OK for EX/EZ flashguns or whatever. (Bear in mind that about a quarter of this shop is filled with Canon stock).
The conversation went like this;

'Can you tell me if this is OK for Canon EX flashguns?'
Sales girl - 'I don't know, I'll ask.' (fair enough!)
Sales girl goes over to a group of three other sales staff milling around the printprocessor.
Sales girl - 'Does this fit Canon EX flashguns?'
Print operator - 'Yes all EF Canon stuff.' (uh?)
Sales girl - 'So, it's OK then?'
Second sales person - 'Yes it will fit EF or EFS Canons!' (what?)
Sales girl - 'So that's EX as well is it?'
Third sales person - 'What's EX, it's EF or EFS for Canon'
Print operator - 'Yeah, EF or EFS.'

Now I believe that the sales girl tried her best, but not one person in the shop actually knew the Canon range of equipment beyond what they could read on the labels.

That is not how Jessops used to be. Call me old but I know falling standards when I see it. Jessops are a failing company because they don't recognise what made them 'The Best' 35 years ago in that little Leicester shop and they don't consider their customers are worth making the effort for.
 
I went into Jessops two weeks ago looking for a 50D, I knew what I should be paying on Camera Price Buster (about £820), asked for a best price and was given £800 :)

Walked out happy
 
Hmmm, I happen to like Jessops, yes they aren't always as competitive as they could be but they are a store/chain and have overheads that they must meet.

Personally I have had two cameras from them a 400D and a 50D very recently.

I'd had the 400D only a couple of weeks and "I" ripped a bit of the foam that the mirror buffs against. I took it back and without any quibble they changed it because although it didn't affect performance I wasn't happy and the shop assisitant could see I wasn't.

Just recently, I again being fickle tried to clean some dust from the viewfinder of my 50D which eventually turned out to be on the focusing lens.....! "I" again made a right mess of it and despite my best efforts could not get an annoying bit of C*$P of the focusing lens.

Again, I took it back to Jessops after having the camera only 3 weeks. No quibble, just ordered me a new one. I picked it up boxed & sealed, just a few days later.

So whilst I agree they aren't always the best choice price wise, there is a lot to be said for service like that.

So Jessops very much get my vote!.

Cheers
 
Here's a direct quote from the companys own profile document;

'Photography's No.1 Choice

Jessops is the largest photographic retailer in the UK. It was founded in 1935, so a lot has changed since then, but one thing has remained constant: the exceptionally high standard of customer service.
That's been the cornerstone of the Company's success, and its phenomenal growth proves that the approach is working. The store portfolio includes over 200 stores nationwide and the whole group turned over £250 million in the year to 30 September 2008.'

What a difference a year makes!
 
Like all high street stores, they would certainly be missed I think if they weren't there, the convenience of being to pop in and buy there and then can never be replaced by online ordering, even if you pay a premium for that service.

FWIW, mifsuds have got some tasty prices on D300 [£1077] and D700 [£1727] atm, but still can't afford to go FF :(
 
I agree that we should support High Street stores and I don't think people object too much to paying a little more than 'box shifting' internet prices. In their turn however they must offer something more than you can get from reading reviews on the web. I use Jessops sometimes but not as much nowadays as I used to and that's the shame. They have all the potential to be good but all they want to do is compete with Comet and Currys and that's why I prefer the smaller independant retailers who know their stuff.
 
I recently bought my Nikkor f1.4 50mm afs from jessops, only because I couldnt beat the price anywhere on the net, got a uv filter chucked in free as well to boot.
 
Jessops < Kerso... I saved about £700 with Kerso compared to if had gone to jessops

Surely a fairer comparison would be Kerso against another grey-market import company? Jessops supply UK stock so the comparison against WHE was valid.
 
Surely a fairer comparison would be Kerso against another grey-market import company? Jessops supply UK stock so the comparison against WHE was valid.


Or more to the point against another seller who doesn't have retail premises on almost every high street.....
 
The only time i use Jessops is to "handle" the goods. I'll have a play then tell them the cheapest price i've found online (with a print out). If they match it they've got my business.

Did this with two Fuji F31D's and two lenses and my Elinchrom D lights.
Otherwise, i wouldn't give them the time of day.

Won't be long before we're reading about the dimise of Jessops!
 
Just noticed they are paid advertisers here. Wonder if my log-on works tomorrow?
 
no they aren't that's google advertising.

It's people like you that are killing brick and mortar shops - using and abusing them. The reason online is cheaper is because you don't have the option of going in and having a feel, what will you do once Jessops has gone?
 
Have to agree with Shooter re Tim at the Warrington store. Really knows his stuff and is soooo helpful. Sure if they had more like him around the country they wouldn't be in the sorry state they are today.
 
Sorry you are confused, I don't sell grey-market goods!! Grey market goods are items that don't come with manufacturers warranties. All items I sell come with Canon warranty. Ian.
Surely a fairer comparison would be Kerso against another grey-market import company? Jessops supply UK stock so the comparison against WHE was valid.
 
Sorry you are confused, I don't sell grey-market goods!! Grey market goods are items that don't come with manufacturers warranties. All items I sell come with Canon warranty. Ian.


That's incorrect, grey-market goods are those which are supplied outwith the manufacturer's official supply channel. Not that it matters a jot with your Canon stuff as the warranty is still honoured.
 
I'd rather support a guy giving great deals than a huge chain charging more and giving a worse service.
 
Fair comment! Never dealt with grey market goods. Anything I was offered grey market came with no warranty thats why I didn't want to supply and don't. You are correct Canon warranty is honoured in UK as long as there is a warranty card and invoice supplied. Ian.
That's incorrect, grey-market goods are those which are supplied outwith the manufacturer's official supply channel. Not that it matters a jot with your Canon stuff as the warranty is still honoured.
 
It's all well and good to quote Wikipedia but don't forget that you can edit most pages on Wiki so there's no absolute guarantee what is there is accurate!
Anyway - Ian (Kerso) gets my thumbs up :)
 
Sorry you are confused, I don't sell grey-market goods!! Grey market goods are items that don't come with manufacturers warranties. All items I sell come with Canon warranty. Ian.

Apologies if I was mistaken Ian; I was referring to official-UK warranty and should have been more explicit.

All the best,

Steve
 
I used to use Jessops a great deal - got my D80 body there some years ago and my D300 body in December 07. I don't go to Jessops any more for 2 reasons: firstly they never seem to have a good selection of stock and secondly, some of those that now work in Jessops stores just don't know what they are talking about. There are some great staff in Jessops oulets but I've got fed up of having to wait in a long queue to speak with the one sales person who actually has any real knowledge about photography or the products. Last Jessops store I went in, the salesman thought that a Nikon D700 was Nikons latest Compact camera!!!!!!!!!
 
The only time i use Jessops is to "handle" the goods. I'll have a play then tell them the cheapest price i've found online (with a print out). If they match it they've got my business.

Did this with two Fuji F31D's and two lenses and my Elinchrom D lights.
Otherwise, i wouldn't give them the time of day.

Won't be long before we're reading about the dimise of Jessops!

precisely why the high streets dying !
 
i used to work in a jessops store (in cambridge around 6 or 7 years ago) and although a few didnt really know much about photography, the majority really did.. and the ones that didnt tended not to give shoddy advice, but just point the customer in the direction of the other staff that knew their stuff. we were all photographers, give or take one or two, and id like to think we ran it like an independent shop (even though, obviously, it wasnt)

saying that, i dont think ive been into a jessops store more than once or twice since i worked in one, but it wouldnt suprise me if some of them didnt have a clue. i only worked there a year and its the only time ive worked in retail!
 
I like Jessops because I got my D300 there for £740 when the list price was £999. I even got 6 months interest free credit on it.

On the other hand, I got a Lowepro Slingshot 300AW at Christmas which was £110 in Jessops but just £65 in Wilkinsons just a few hundred yards away. It's the smaller value items where Jessops just can't seems to compete.

I get annoyed when I'm in there and I see people walk in, ask for a price of a memory card then hand over 3 times as much cash for one than they need to. Each to their own though.
 
People keep commenting that some of the staff at Jessops don't know their stuff! and that may be the case, but seriously how many of you really go to Jessops for advice .... :thinking:
 
Steve, No problem, no offence taken at all, was only explaining myself. Best regards Ian.

Apologies if I was mistaken Ian; I was referring to official-UK warranty and should have been more explicit.

All the best,

Steve
 
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