Alan Photo Funan Bad Experience

[night86mare]

after reading your posts...for one's whose just starting into photography like me, care to share guys if "WHICH" place/shop you mostly would go and buy aside from AP and John 3:16 that you would be at ease and not feel guilty afterwards when buying your items?

orient photo is always the place i feel happy with. but that's because they are my style.

some people don't like sales people who don't smile and call them brother, and use honeyed tones. i like leh. so orient photo is where i go, and where i feel safe. :lovegrin:

 

[DrSpock]

orient photo is always the place i feel happy with. but that's because they are my style.

some people don't like sales people who don't smile and call them brother, and use honeyed tones. i like leh. so orient photo is where i go, and where i feel safe. :lovegrin:

Same here bro, I can sit there whole day chit chat, ask for this, ask for that, talk anything on cams with them especially Stanley and stil not buy anything yet they entertain you.

 

[DrSpock]

Likewise, i dun buy any from AP (Attitute too bad)

Or should it be Attitute Problem? :bsmilie: I always walk pass or even if I do enter I'l leave the moment someone approach me

 

[iMac08]

orient photo is always the place i feel happy with. but that's because they are my style.

some people don't like sales people who don't smile and call them brother, and use honeyed tones. i like leh. so orient photo is where i go, and where i feel safe. :lovegrin:

same here. i like his style best. went there chit chat abit recently..only buy a microfiber cloth and ask sthg abt RF..end up he gave me a brochure to take back and get poisoned...:nono:

 

[daredevil123]

same here. i like his style best. went there chit chat abit recently..only buy a microfiber cloth and ask sthg abt RF..end up he gave me a brochure to take back and get poisoned...:nono:

Stanley's cool.

Anyway, I am off to China again next month. Cheap accessories here i come!

Going to visit OP HQ in shanghai.

 

[nikolaiski]

I'm going to add on to this list -

Monday, went to John 3:16 - they were out of stock for a B&W UV Haze for 58mm diameter lenses

Went to AP. They quoted me $105 - that's nearly $30-$40 off the "normally acceptable" price range of the product. Needless to say I didn't buy it.

Maybe my angmoh face didn't help things either.

 

[Mariner64]

Yah man, the people at MS Color at the food centre really polite and no fuss. Good discounts too.

 

[kaylan2000]

It's really true for the filters.

Lenses and big ticket items are generally very standard item and has a very well known standard price. So if you do a bit of research, you know very close price and then call different shops for the best price and you are very certain that you are not ripped off!!

However, the scene is completely different for filters, first there is not really any standard price to compare with and further complicated by different versions of the same filter. for example, the same 77mm Hoya UV comes in so many versions(slim, pro, pro-d...), in so many packages(all sort of colors!!), from so many channels(grey, white, black) and from so many sources (God knows!!). I have reason to believe that many of those are simply FAKE, just a junk glass piece!!. So the apparently similar Hoya 77mm UV may cost you anything between $30 to $100+ Mind that Hoya and BW are so called standard!! think about all those non or semi standard brands!!

I personally never buy filter along with big ticket items!! a very potential trap to rip you off!! I buy filter separately, generally from OP or MS. I checked with AP Sim Lim and price quoted was always absurd price!!
I would not say that I got the best prices from OP or MS... but I can definitely say that I was not completely ripped off by them. Sometime I win and sometime they win!!

 

[greensky1]

1 month back I bought my DSLR from there, the guy attitute super good & very nice.

 

[sanjangr]

needless to say, I'm a srilankan and of course i look like an indian/bangladeshi. the people at camera shops must be thinking I dont have money to buy the goods. I dont like the look they give me when i ask for the price of something. they always quote me a price which is way above average or a price way below the average and say another competitive product is better and quote me a higher price for that, or add a GST when i'm just about to purchase.
I'm pretty sure it's not the same towards Ang mo's and chinese cause they got white skin. infact these sellers seem to love ang mos, so nice and friendly towards them. mind me but this is so freakin unfair and racist. treating everyone as equal is truly not something u can find in simlim square and funan. Does anyone know any place I can complain about these stuff?

 

[bigpond]

needless to say, I'm a srilankan and of course i look like an indian/bangladeshi. the people at camera shops must be thinking I dont have money to buy the goods. I dont like the look they give me when i ask for the price of something. they always quote me a price which is way above average or a price way below the average and say another competitive product is better and quote me a higher price for that, or add a GST when i'm just about to purchase.
I'm pretty sure it's not the same towards Ang mo's and chinese cause they got white skin. infact these sellers seem to love ang mos, so nice and friendly towards them. mind me but this is so freakin unfair and racist. treating everyone as equal is truly not something u can find in simlim square and funan. Does anyone know any place I can complain about these stuff?

One way is to expose the black sheep by writing to the Straits Times (Forum page).

And you might want to try out John 3:16 at Funan the next time you are looking for some photo equipment -- think they are the most "neutral" towards customers that I know of.

All the best.

 

[hope107fm]

I'm the contrarian. My experience with AP at both Funan and Sim Lim have been pleasant. Bought two lenses and filters from them and found the prices reasonable and competitive. The Funan salesperson on both occasions was the chubby fellow - though i cannot remember whether he had dyed hair or spectacles.

Anyway, it always pays to do your homework. I can't believe a filter costs only $6 in today's market.:what:

 

[CS TAN]

needless to say, I'm a srilankan and of course i look like an indian/bangladeshi. the people at camera shops must be thinking I dont have money to buy the goods. I dont like the look they give me when i ask for the price of something. they always quote me a price which is way above average or a price way below the average and say another competitive product is better and quote me a higher price for that, or add a GST when i'm just about to purchase.
I'm pretty sure it's not the same towards Ang mo's and chinese cause they got white skin. infact these sellers seem to love ang mos, so nice and friendly towards them. mind me but this is so freakin unfair and racist. treating everyone as equal is truly not something u can find in simlim square and funan. Does anyone know any place I can complain about these stuff?

Contrary to your believe, these black shops aka chop shops do not discriminate from different races. As long as you look blur and not sure of the price, they will take your money whether you are ang moh, Chinese, Indian or whatever. Their popular "bait and switch" tactic is to lure you into the shop with a too-good-to-be-true price and then persuade you to switch to another model which you have no idea what the street price is. GST is part of the tricks and they usually will end with recommending you to buy a cheapo filter at not so cheapo price to go with your camera/lens.

 

[simdavid]

Yup, any decent genuine brand filter won't cost $6.

 

[overtherainbow]

Do not go to Alan Photo.

They are dishonest.

will definitely cheat you if you are a newbie

I got cheated as I am a newbie buying DSLR. They recommended this Vitacon lense, charged me for $350 while it only costs about $190, how can we still trust them anymore?

I will go and ask them for refund. If not I will bring the claim to Small Claim Tribunal Court. Lets bring these traders down!

DO NOT GO THERE

I am not going to let them get away with this sort of unacceptable trade practice.:angry:

However, if you have done your research and find their price still good, by all means go ahead. I am sure they won't be able to cheat the professional photographers.

 

[cleonbus]

Do not go to Alan Photo.

They are dishonest.

will definitely cheat you if you are a newbie

I got cheated as I am a newbie buying DSLR. They recommended this Vitacon lense, charged me for $350 while it only costs about $190, how can we still trust them anymore?

I will go and ask them for refund. If not I will bring the claim to Small Claim Tribunal Court. Lets bring these traders down!

DO NOT GO THERE

I am not going to let them get away with this sort of unacceptable trade practice.:angry:

However, if you have done your research and find their price still good, by all means go ahead. I am sure they won't be able to cheat the professional photographers.

Lens is spelt as LENS.Not LENSE!

This will teach you a lesson.People will always check prices(call/ask from shops)before buying from a shop.No point you come here and KPKB about AP:nono:

 

[Cheap-cheap]

Clubsnappers should just boycott such establishment la........put together a blacklist crooks and if this forum boycotts, the news will spread, cheers. Consumer power

 

[Spaniard]

Just try to avoid these shops in the future.

 

[daredevil123]

And you might want to try out John 3:16 at Funan the next time you are looking for some photo equipment -- think they are the most "neutral" towards customers that I know of.

You gotta be kidding me...

 

[daredevil123]

Do not go to Alan Photo.

They are dishonest.

will definitely cheat you if you are a newbie

I got cheated as I am a newbie buying DSLR. They recommended this Vitacon lense, charged me for $350 while it only costs about $190, how can we still trust them anymore?

I will go and ask them for refund. If not I will bring the claim to Small Claim Tribunal Court. Lets bring these traders down!

DO NOT GO THERE

I am not going to let them get away with this sort of unacceptable trade practice.:angry:

However, if you have done your research and find their price still good, by all means go ahead. I am sure they won't be able to cheat the professional photographers.

Actually I hate to break the news to you... the vitacon lens cost around 50-60 only.