Jessops poor service

[Balenciaga]

I wouldnt have believed it possible but I am still waiting on a battery grip for my 550D..I ordered it through Jessops in store and they duly supplied the BG E5 which was the wrong one for my camera..no amount of fiddling by the instore manager could get it to fit so he faced facts it was the wrong model..He duly re ordered and should have had me and my camera grip, a BG E8 a done deal..I even called them yesterday to make sure it had arrived and sure it enough a camera grip with my name on it was due in today..so I duly pop in to collect it and once again they had supplied a BG E5 and not the BG E8..what a crap company... The assistant who was not overly interested said I would have to go back in again tomorrow to see the manager and sort this out..so more fannying about and time which I can ill aford..Sorry to say I wont be using Jessops again so any recs for suppliers gratefully recieved

A letter will be going off to Jessops HO to express my amazement at such ineffeciency and lack of service and I am interested if anyone else here has had similar experiences of Jessops..

As a rule I never use chain shops when shopping, large companies are in my experience always a disaster and I have always had better service from small individual companies who value your business..

Shame on Jessops for poor service..if I ( the customer) has to tell your managers which hand grip to order for a camera that you the experts (Jessops) supplied then what the heck am I paying your so called expert staff for..todays service was poor and the entire incident is a farce..

You may presume I am losing my patience with Jessops..silly really as I am the type of person who spends a lot of money if I like the service I am getting..

Bal

[karenoliver]

I bought my camera from Jessops about 18mths ago and had to wait ages for the thing to come into store! I was furious! I was waiting for a 5dmk2 and lens kit, plus battery grip. Anyway it took about a fortnight for the camera to come in and I waited 3mths after that for the battery grip. They kept saying stock was low, only so many were showing in the warehouse and they had been allocated to other stores etc... They also told me stock would be arriving on certain days yet when I turned up my grip was never there. I have not bothered with them since and either use HDEW or Warehouse express now instead.

I know how it drives you mad, especially when you have handed over a large amount of money!

Karen

[Balenciaga]

Hi Karen,

yes it is maddening..I think I may call my credit card company and withdraw the payment that should ghet head office jumping..I have tried to call on and off all morning and no one is answering the phones so I am nowhere near getting this matter fixed..

In the grand scheme of things I spent just under a grand, not a colossal amount of money but big enough seeing as I am just starting out..its really poor when they think they can mess people about..Thanks for the rec on another supplier..I shan't be using Jessops again..

Head office watch out, I'm coming for you and be warned I make Mary Portas look like a saint..you really have no idea.

Bal

[Paul2008]

Jessops are not the most helpful of companies. If you want anything always go on line and order it and collect in store. I just looked on line and the grip you want is out of stock and is actually a home delivery product only so not actually available in store anyway. Cheers Paul UK

[ap4a]

I've only ever bought 2 items from Jessops, both were lenses and both were bought online. There were no issues with the purchases and I saved a huge chunk of money as they had a big discount applied and I got cashback via Quidco too. Making a saving of about £100 on both. I've been in to their shops a total of three times and never bought anything as the staff in them are just about useless.

[Balenciaga]

Jessops is it seems a classic example of a serious lack of training for it's staff and poor management. I could kick myself for using a large firm, as a rule I always steer clear of big companies..I use a small local computer shop and never visit PC world or some equivalant..If I have a problem the small traders are always more helpful, they value your custom..These useless individuals in the big stores dont it seems give a stuff and frankly couldn't care less..I suppose it stems from poor motivation and a serious lack of incentive..It only demonstrates poor management and infrastructure..

Funny part is My friend who told me to buy the camera did wince when I mentioned Jessops I so wished he had catagorically warned me not to go to them..

Hey Ho..

Bal

[Stormsong]

What everyone forgets is that those that work in such stores are SALES people, who work to targets and a commission for sales made. It is rare to get a sales person working in a large chain such as this one who is a) interested in photography; b) knows anything about cameras; c) has the enthusiasm and willingness to learn about the trade they are in and d) gives a tosh about the customer's requirements at the end of the day.

If you want passion and knowledge, avoid the chain stores and go for the independents! It goes without saying that their prices will be a bit higher than the chains, but I bet their customer retention rate is much higher. After all, your business is their livelihood and if customers don't keep coming back, they don't have a business. It's easy to get customers into any store - keeping them coming back (to spend, not to complain) is an art.
Good luck with approaching head office, Bal, you might find it's not worth the effort and time. Previous experience with the same chain allows me to say this.

Regards,
Denise

[Balenciaga]

I hear you Denise and I agree that the sales people are just that..however surely some management structure must be in place to train these individuals..Equally I am sure that the staff are not highly paid and that would explain their lack of committment to customer service..why should they care..thats a fatal flaw in any business.

However I do feel strongly that we are a nation of Non Complainers and feel that we should start raising a ruckus..I also note from some investigation that Jessops is in trouble, I read a few city reports that their bankers (HSBC) are considering pulling the plug with debts in the region of £60,000000 (yes thats sixty million) and a business that has failed to move successfully with the the new Digital age (The Times) that even with their new chair (who's name excapes me for a moment) that they are failing to make any real headway..added to which they have disgruntled share holders..never a good thing..

Thankfully I paid using my Credit Card so I will stop the transaction and cancel the order..I will in future stick to small individial companies..

Bal

[pburness]

Originally Posted by Balenciaga

I hear you Denise and I agree that the sales people are just that..however surely some management structure must be in place to train these individuals..Equally I am sure that the staff are not highly paid and that would explain their lack of committment to customer service..why should they care..thats a fatal flaw in any business.

Bal

Jessops have been on the verge of administration (in fact they may be in administration) for ages, so I doubt there will be any money for training staff about.
I went in Jacobs today and they were really helpful - a bit more expensive, but service was good and not pushy either.

Phil

[Balenciaga]

Thanks Phil,

thats interesting to hear..I dont know Jacobs but I do know Mifsuds in Devon, I grew up down there, it used to be a strange little shop devoted to mainly photography but with some sidelines as well..records and fishing gear in fact I bought my very first record there way way back..Now they are a much bigger shop still owned and run by the family and are entirely about photography. So I will give them a call..

Bal