Jessops bad attitude

Bolded bit is exactly how I feel. I know I'm not going to get drawn in by the endless bulls**t they spout, but unfortunately some may do, and spend a lot of money as a result.

That's not the purpose of the visit though. It's just to see if you're speaking to a numpty or one of the (few) decent people in these roles.

But hey, if you want to defend the numpties then who am I to argue.

I tend to know what I want (and why I want it) in advance... I presume that people working in Jessops etc have limited knowledge of all the photographic brands, as they appear to be mainly spotty teenagers

Let's be honest, most of us only go into Jessops to handle kit we are thinking of buying online anyway....

I know it, the sales people know it... I just try and make the whole process as swift and workmanlike as possible. I hate chatting about kit 'in real life' anyway.

Even if they are teenagers why should that mean they can't take their job seriously, or go about it with a little pride.

I worked in a local deli for years when I was younger. People were always asking what I thought of certain products, whether they should by X or Y, what cheese to get for a certain meal, what coffee is best for a morning cup, etc.

At first I didn't have a clue, and it was a source of embarrassment to me. As a result I made it my business to know. I tried as much of everything as I could (at my own expense I might add) until I felt confident I could properly answer customers' queries.

The little I know about cameras and photography has been acquired through reading and practice. I don't have much time to spend on it (not as much as I'd like) but I feel I have at least a sound basic knowledge. If it were my job, I would want to be far more proficient than I am now. I'd dedicate far more time to learing both the products and the underyling skills.

But wouldn't it be nice to get some real world advice from an actual person, before you part with your cash?

Online reviews can only tell you so much, most of them are more concerned with pictures of colour charts than how something really performs 'in real life'.

I am probably just feeling bad for the sales reps because of all the times I have got them to demonstrate a piece of kit, only to buy it online elsewhere. No wonder Jessops struggles to retain knowledgable staff.

I though Jessops did an exclusive deal with Pentax to be the first UK retailer to sell the Pentax Q, I don't think they would do that if they though it was s***t!

The world is full of people who have a completely uninformed opinion - I think the Internet might have been invented with them in mind!

Maybe they should have told their staff then because when I went to pick up my 100mm WR macro that is more or less what the assistant who served me called it.

If I had my mind set on buying a piece of Pentax kit from Jessops, and got that kind of attitude, I'd wait until the smarmy little git had rung it through the till, then tell them I'd changed my mind about buying from them because of their negativity. Let's see them explain that one away to the branch manager!!

........totally missing the point

To be honest, the problem is going to be the corporate attitude and not generally the fault of individual members of staff.

I've bought from Jessops a lot recently because their prices have been very competitive, especially with the double up Tesco vouchers, but only items I've researched well or handled elsewhere.

Almost to a person the staff have been rude (ignoring customers and talking amongst themselves), lacking knowledge to the point of making things up and unhelpful. They can't be unlucky enough to recruit only poor staff so the fault must lie with the training and/or working conditions.

Whenever I have a problem with any company that can't be resolved (more and more frequently) I fire off an e-mail to the Managing Director, courtesy of a very handy internet site with all the addresses.

I can't recall a single situation where this hasn't resolved things satisfactorily and speedily, usually with an apology and handy cash offer for my trouble, until I tried it with Jessops.

I ordered a lens a few weeks ago which was in stock for home delivery and supposed to come next day. When it didn't I rang up to be told that it wasn't in stock and had been discontinued. No apology, only a 'I'll cancel that for you then'.

Fired off the trusty e-mail expecting at least an apology and possibly a token voucher. Three days after the e-mail I got a phone call from a call centre person with a slight apology saying they hadn't got the lens I wanted, offering me an alternative in a Nikon mount......

With that sort of corporate attitude to customer service it's no surprise the staff are poor. If only SRS took the Tesco vouchers

If you could PM me a link to that site I'd appreciate it.

I have a bone to pick with Currys, but also some praise for Carphone Warehouse.

I bought a 100mm macro WR from Jessops, West Croydon. Reserved it online. They called me to say it was ready for pickup. Arrived, courteous, friendly staff and a nice lens at a steal of a price. The staff weren't spotty teenagers despite it being a Saturday afternoon. One happy customer.

I think the real question here is, what are Pentax doing to change this perception. Do Pentax or anyone else for that matter offer training days for retailors?

Regards Steve

sounds like a really good salesman.....