Advice to others in buying Digital Camera

[arthur_koh]

Hi,folks,
if you are new to Digital Camera and intend to buy one, please read on...

I was quite new to Digital Camera few months ago and I had an unpleasant experience at Sim Lim Sq(SLS) when I bought a high end Sony digital camera then. When I was in the shop, the salesman asked for my budget after I told him that the initial offered price was too expensive. My budget should not exceed $1k, so he offered me $990 but he didn't inform me that it was w/o GST. He even assurred me that he gave me this price as I looked sincere in buying the digital cam and this price can only be offered if I am not using VISA. When he told his colleague that he was offering me $990, his colleague took a new box from their store and replaced the displayed model (which means the sales person had the intention to sell me the display model) which I was holding in my hand. When I was abt to pay, I was told to pay $1019.70 incl GST (and this price is only $25 lower than SAFE superstore) and I was stunned for a while. But I made the payment eventually. Then I upgraded the memory stick from 16MB to 32MB after bargaining from $25 to $20 when in fact the price should be less than $15.

When I went to another authorized Sony shop on the 2nd floor to ask about the price of the same model, I was rebuked by being informed that I need not know the price since I had already bought one and was insulted personally by the sales person that he disliked pple like me. The whole event was a very unpleasant experience for me.

My advice to you:
1) Do a research at these overseas web site:

http://www.digital-camerastore.com/

http://www.dpreview.com/

http://www.imaging-resource.com/

http://dpcorner.com/

for the camera you want and the accessories included. If you convert the price they offered to Sing $ plus the shipping cost, that would be about the lowest price any shop can offer here.

At the local web site, you can check out tips for buying Digicam:

http://forums.hardwarezone.com/index.php
(Go to ->Digicam & Photography SiG - Brought To You By Nikon -> A FAQ for Starting/Buying a Digital Camera)

2) Do not let the salesman know your budget. Instead ask for the best price they can offer. Compare with a few shops. Some will mark up the price w/o you knowing it and will convince you that you are getting a good price after bargaining. The electronic shops at 1st-3rd floor in SLS do not put up a price list outside their shops unlike computer hardware shops at 4th-6th floor. You might want to check out the price at SAFE superstore, BEST Connection, COURTS or Harvey Norman before making a purchase at other retailer stores.

3) Never be pressured into buying a product. It is a common technique used by the sales pple in SLS. When asked "What's your problem?" or "Don't leave the shop, tell me what you want!" or etc, tell them calmly that you need some time to consider and if the price is good, you will come back for it. It will take you some courage, ask a friend to go along with you if need to.

4) Check the local web site for 1st hand Digicam:

http://www.cheapngreen.com (someone who imports Digicam from overseas and sells thro' this web site)

http://www.parisilk.com (I bought a Sony 128MB memory stick and InfoLithium battery for $135 and $85 respectively at Parisilk and most retailers are selling at $165 and $120 respectively).

http://www.phsphoto.com.sg/ (Alan Photo)

http://www.cathayphoto.com.sg/ (Cathay Photo)

http://www.mscolor.com.sg/ (M.S. Colour Service)

& a recommended store by a number of friends at:
John 3:16
109 North Bridge Rd #03-37
Funan The IT Mall
Singapore 179097

If you want a 2nd hand locally, check out:
http://sg.auctions.yahoo.com/
(Go to -> Electronics and Cameras)

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/
(Go to -> Photography Singapore)

http://www.hardwarezone.com/buysell/

Hope the above advice is helpful to you.

Regards, Arthur

 

[e_liau]

Thanks for the advice. Hope everyone is aware of such a tactic used by salesmen, especially in Singapore, to push their sales. And it do not happen to digital cameras alone, cos the same tactic can be used on virtually anything, from electronics goods to watches to clothes.

We can't control what the salesman say. But we can always filter out what he said. And lastly, we can always walk out of the shop.

And to be fair to the salesman who is also trying to make a living, I'll said to the consumers "You are partly to blame too, because if not for your soft ears, and impulsive buy prior to doing proper market research, you won't be paying so much for your goods".

And so long as the salesman is selling you the product within the recommended selling price set by the product manufacturer, he's NOT cheating you.

I don't think the salesman is "pressurising" the consumer to buy, just that the consumer has weak ears and unstable stand. Afterall, the salesman is NOT holding a knife to your neck and threatening you to buy from them. No force used, no verbal threatening words, so what's meant of "pressurising to buy"?

I think we should start to look at this world at both sides.

On a last note, I'm not in sales nor I'm a salesman.

 

[Goondu]

Alternative, refer to our Consumers Corner and in one of the sticky thread, the guide is also found there.

Refer to this thread for the details.

Thanks to Jason Ho for putting this up and Kenshin for allowing us to reproduce here as well.

 

[e_liau]

(a) Is the camera you bought higher in price (inc gst) than the manufacturer recommended price (in 2002)? If yes, then you can file a claim with CASE.

(b) After you recovered from your shock that the purchase exceed your budget, did you pay up willingly (meaning whether the staffs threaten you verbally or physically if you don't buy)? If yes, then you can file a police report against the salesman.

Originally posted by arthur_koh
Hi,folks,
if you are new to Digital Camera and intend to buy one, please read on...

I was quite new to Digital Camera few months ago and I had an unpleasant experience at Sim Lim Sq(SLS) when I bought a high end Sony digital camera then. When I was in the shop, the salesman asked for my budget after I told him that the initial offered price was too expensive. My budget should not exceed $1k, so he offered me $990 but he didn't inform me that it was w/o GST. He even assurred me that he gave me this price as I looked sincere in buying the digital cam and this price can only be offered if I am not using VISA. When he told his colleague that he was offering me $990, his colleague took a new box from their store and replaced the displayed model (which means the sales person had the intention to sell me the display model) which I was holding in my hand. When I was abt to pay, I was told to pay $1019.70 incl GST (and this price is only $25 lower than SAFE superstore) and I was stunned for a while. But I made the payment eventually. Then I upgraded the memory stick from 16MB to 32MB after bargaining from $25 to $20 when in fact the price should be less than $15.

When I went to another authorized Sony shop on the 2nd floor to ask about the price of the same model, I was rebuked by being informed that I need not know the price since I had already bought one and was insulted personally by the sales person that he disliked pple like me. The whole event was a very unpleasant experience for me.

My advice to you:
1) Do a research at these overseas web site:

http://www.digital-camerastore.com/

http://www.dpreview.com/

http://www.imaging-resource.com/

http://dpcorner.com/

for the camera you want and the accessories included. If you convert the price they offered to Sing $ plus the shipping cost, that would be about the lowest price any shop can offer here.

At the local web site, you can check out tips for buying Digicam:

http://forums.hardwarezone.com/index.php
(Go to ->Digicam & Photography SiG - Brought To You By Nikon -> A FAQ for Starting/Buying a Digital Camera)

2) Do not let the salesman know your budget. Instead ask for the best price they can offer. Compare with a few shops. Some will mark up the price w/o you knowing it and will convince you that you are getting a good price after bargaining. The electronic shops at 1st-3rd floor in SLS do not put up a price list outside their shops unlike computer hardware shops at 4th-6th floor. You might want to check out the price at SAFE superstore, BEST Connection, COURTS or Harvey Norman before making a purchase at other retailer stores.

3) Never be pressured into buying a product. It is a common technique used by the sales pple in SLS. When asked "What's your problem?" or "Don't leave the shop, tell me what you want!" or etc, tell them calmly that you need some time to consider and if the price is good, you will come back for it. It will take you some courage, ask a friend to go along with you if need to.

4) Check the local web site for 1st hand Digicam:

http://www.cheapngreen.com (someone who imports Digicam from overseas and sells thro' this web site)

http://www.parisilk.com (I bought a Sony 128MB memory stick and InfoLithium battery for $135 and $85 respectively at Parisilk and most retailers are selling at $165 and $120 respectively).

http://www.phsphoto.com.sg/ (Alan Photo)

http://www.cathayphoto.com.sg/ (Cathay Photo)

http://www.mscolor.com.sg/ (M.S. Colour Service)

& a recommended store by a number of friends at:
John 3:16
109 North Bridge Rd #03-37
Funan The IT Mall
Singapore 179097

If you want a 2nd hand locally, check out:
http://sg.auctions.yahoo.com/
(Go to -> Electronics and Cameras)

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/
(Go to -> Photography Singapore)

http://www.hardwarezone.com/buysell/

Hope the above advice is helpful to you.

Regards, Arthur

 

[arthur_koh]

Originally posted by e_liau
(a) Is the camera you bought higher in price (inc gst) than the manufacturer recommended price (in 2002)? If yes, then you can file a claim with CASE.

(b) After you recovered from your shock that the purchase exceed your budget, did you pay up willingly (meaning whether the staffs threaten you verbally or physically if you don't buy)? If yes, then you can file a police report against the salesman.

Hi, thanks for giving me more info.
a) The model is not in the manufacturer recommended price in 2002. Should be in 2001. However, since I bought it slightly cheaper than SAFE superstore, it should be lower than the manufacturer recommended price.

b) I was green horn in Digicam then and did not have the courage to withdraw from the deal. Normally, I would buy computer hardware stuff from SLS and hence I did not expect the trading style to be so different for electronics product in SLS. However, I have learnt to be more tactful when asking for price in future and learnt that I should act on what I think is right rather than conform to pressure.

 

[DeepZpace]

I had the same experience when I bought my digicam at SLS. This shop assistant gave me that kind of look when I asked for the price of cameras in the range of 1k and suggested that I should get some low-end p&s digicam instead. He also kept recommending a particular model of a digicam, which I think he probaby didnt have good sales for that. When I left the shop to reconsider, he gave me the reply of "don't leave the shop, tell me what price you want". Yeah, be careful of the shops there, only some shops are shoppable. Another shop quoted me a ridiculously low price for a digicam, only to tell me they have no stock for it. Watch out for such traps.
Btw, if i were you, i wouldnt buy the display model.

 

[arthur_koh]

Originally posted by DeepZpace
I had the same experience when I bought my digicam at SLS. This shop assistant gave me that kind of look when I asked for the price of cameras in the range of 1k and suggested that I should get some low-end p&s digicam instead. He also kept recommending a particular model of a digicam, which I think he probaby didnt have good sales for that. When I left the shop to reconsider, he gave me the reply of "don't leave the shop, tell me what price you want". Yeah, be careful of the shops there, only some shops are shoppable. Another shop quoted me a ridiculously low price for a digicam, only to tell me they have no stock for it. Watch out for such traps.
Btw, if i were you, i wouldnt buy the display model.

Thanks for sharing your experience.

Initially, I didn't know it was a display model as it was not on the display shelve but taken from their store room inside. It was later when I was given a new box that the sales person confessed to me that the previous box was used for display.

I have a friend who told me that his friend recorded down the serial no. of the displayed electrical appliances so that when it was delivered to his house, he can verify that he is not getting the displayed model.

 

[grifter]

This is very informative.. Thanks for posting!!

People with complaints must remember Singapore has CASE and the Small Claims Tribunal to protect our rights..