Bad Experience with Orient Photo

[loudhailer]

I would very much rather spend a little more for proper local warranty. Besides I prefer to support bonafide local businesses, at least the money rolls into domestic pockets not flow out of the country.

i was quoted 930 for the 70-300VR grey set. finally got it at a local shop for 840 with local warranty. :thumbsup: for good price and good service.

 

[nottipiglet]

5 dollar charge for about $300 purchase? This is the first time i heard of it. No idea if this is true or not...
If you are dealing witht the first salesman, why interupted by the second one...you should insist the agreed price and ask the second salesman to FO..

I read just the other day that the nets transaction fee is around 0.3 to 0.5%. They are going to raise it soon... to a level that's the same as credit cards, which is around 1.8% if I remember correctly. A lot of businesses are complaining.

So... the salesman lied. The charge for a $500 purchase should be around $2.50.

 

[zola70]

Woa! 62 reply to this thread with most of the CS members voted as ridiculous & stupid complaint. It's ok with me if you strongly disagree with this kind of decision for what we've done. Many people have different ways of thinking, I understand.

First of all I would like to highlight that it's not because of the extra $5 they charge we decide not buy in the end. At first, my friend & I actually decided to go down to withdraw cash but to our surprise there isn't any POSB/DBS ATM machine in SLS (if I not wrong) only OCBC & UOB next to the lift. The nearest would be OG building or Rochor Centre. Waiting & taking the lift up & down, crossing the road to the opposite side of the building plus queuing at the ATM machine can take at least 10-15mins of the time during lunch hour. When we left the shop we've only 20mins to rush back to office so that's why in the end we decided to give it a miss.

Come to think of it why didn't one of us or the salesman came out with an idea to spilt the amount $499 into half and do a NETS double transaction. That will definitely save the extra charges, time & trouble for both parties. Not sure if it can done in this way.:think:

Another reason why we decide not to go back to the shop even if we have the time is that, in the first place as a sales person you should let your customer know what kind of payment should be made in order they can give special discounted price and not after they wrote the receipt, customer take out their ATM card and start telling your customer that we do not except such payment. Bear in mind not every customer can have time to waste to run up and down to get cold hard cash.

Lastly, read the article in yesterday Straits Time (H5) about the NETS service hike, this only take effect on 1 July and don't understand why the shop so KS start charging their customer now.;(

Sorry... hope those who disagree can understand why we make such a decision.

 

[itsybitsyspidy]

Woa! 62 reply to this thread with most of the CS members voted as ridiculous & stupid complaint. It's ok with me if you strongly disagree with this kind of decision for what we've done. Many people have different ways of thinking, I understand.

First of all I would like to highlight that it's not because of the extra $5 they charge we decide not buy in the end. At first, my friend & I actually decided to go down to withdraw cash but to our surprise there isn't any POSB/DBS ATM machine in SLS (if I not wrong) only OCBC & UOB next to the lift. The nearest would be OG building or Rochor Centre. Waiting & taking the lift up & down, crossing the road to the opposite side of the building plus queuing at the ATM machine can take at least 10-15mins of the time during lunch hour. When we left the shop we've only 20mins to rush back to office so that's why in the end we decided to give it a miss.

Come to think of it why didn't one of us or the salesman came out with an idea to spilt the amount $499 into half and do a NETS double transaction. That will definitely save the extra charges, time & trouble for both parties. Not sure if it can done in this way.:think:

Another reason why we decide not to go back to the shop even if we have the time is that, in the first place as a sales person you should let your customer know what kind of payment should be made in order they can give special discounted price and not after they wrote the receipt, customer take out their ATM card and start telling your customer that we do not except such payment. Bear in mind not every customer can have time to waste to run up and down to get cold hard cash.

Lastly, read the article in yesterday Straits Time (H5) about the NETS service hike, this only take effect on 1 July and don't understand why the shop so KS start charging their customer now.;(

Sorry... hope those who disagree can understand why we make such a decision.

it can't be done like you've mentioned. else there'll be tax evasion problems.

 

[goering]

I read just the other day that the nets transaction fee is around 0.3 to 0.5%. They are going to raise it soon... to a level that's the same as credit cards, which is around 1.8% if I remember correctly. A lot of businesses are complaining.

So... the salesman lied. The charge for a $500 purchase should be around $2.50.

It may not have been a lie - I see very little reason in this case for them to lie. The exact amount charged to the retailer and the terms of usage varies - the retailer may also be paying a monthly subscription fee. In this case, the retailer may have an agreement with NETS to charge only for purchases above $300

For the TS, the salesman should have made it clear from the outset that the price is for cash only and there will be additional charges if paying by NETS.

But my feeling is that NETS is the biggest culprit here - especially with the new charges from July 1st to near credit card levels (2%).

 

[gundugundu]

Ts, if i'm you i'll probably ask the saleman to add the $5 to the sale & pay by nets. Don't really see the point in getting upset over $5

 

[ianpaice]

Usually, I tell straight in the face to retailers who refuses VISA and NETS. Either you process my card or you lose a deal. Many times they give in.

 

[rain-man]

there's a DBS ATM just outside SLS - quite near Burger King next door. nearer than the one at OG.
when buying from small shops, always ask first about whether extra charge for NETs or credit card payment.
reading through the thread, i really don't think it is fair to put OP down just because of one incident. my experience with them has been good. the sales people there may feel a bit handicapped or awkward because their english is not so good but i don't think they are cheats.

 

[Lenscapes]

NETS deduct directly from your bank account whereas credit card give you a month to pay.
how can NETS compare themself to CC? :thumbsd:

 

[zola70]

Usually, I tell straight in the face to retailers who refuses VISA and NETS. Either you process my card or you lose a deal. Many times they give in.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: Must try your way, deal or no deal.

 

[zola70]

NETS deduct directly from your bank account whereas credit card give you a month to pay.
how can NETS compare themself to CC? :thumbsd:

I agree, that's why I told the salesman NETS is direct transfer to your company account so what's the diff btw cash & NETS? All I have to say is NETS company is making difficulty for the consumers & the retailers from now on. Sigh.....

 

[zola70]

Ts, if i'm you i'll probably ask the saleman to add the $5 to the sale & pay by nets. Don't really see the point in getting upset over $5

I don't mind paying the $5 but they way they told us at the very last min of payment that make us frustrated so we decided not to go with it. If they told us earlier during the price discussion we might have happily pay the extra $5.

 

[zcf]

Bro, cannot read the article. Needs a ST account.

I am against hike in Nets charges :angry: , but well, that's the Bank business, all about money.

Nets fee hike to start on July 1
Small retailers have advised customers to pay cash or expect goods to cost more
By Lim Wei Chean
COME July, retailers will start to pay a higher levy to use Nets, the cashless payment system - and a number of them say they may be forced to push prices up to cope.

The higher administrative fee, to be implemented over three months from July 1, is pegged at between 1.5 and 1.8 per cent of purchases, which brings this levy close to credit-card transaction fees.
About 83 per cent of Singapore residents use bank-issued Nets-linked cards for purchases as a popular alternative to cash and credit cards.
Unhappy small-scale retailers - who rely heavily on Nets - have advised customers that, with the hike, they should revert to paying cash or expect their purchases to cost more.
Currently, the fee Nets charges businesses is between 0.35 and 0.55 per cent of purchases.
Nets, or the Network for Electronic Transfers, is owned by DBS, OCBC and UOB. In January, it had announced that the levy will go up by between 0.75 and 2 percentage points.
The hike was supposed to start on April 1, but was delayed after retailers raised their concerns with the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry which initiated a dialogue with Nets in February.
Nets has now confirmed a July 1 start for the phased hike, which retailers say brings its fee close to credit-card fees.
Banks charge about 2 per cent for Visa transactions and around 3 per cent for American Express.
Four trade associations with a combined total of about 4,000 members told The Straits Times that they are upset over the news, coming on top of the two percentage point goods and services tax (GST) hike, also in July.
People's Park Traders' Association chairman Poh Boon Pang, 60, who owns an organic food store, said that to gear up for the Nets fee increase, he has started telling his customers to pay by cash. Otherwise, he will have to raise his prices to cope with the fee hike, he said.
But one shopper, graphic designer Jackson Tan, 28, does not buy this argument.
'If merchants can shoulder credit-card transaction fees, why can they not take on the fees for Nets too?' he asked.
Mr Chua Ser Keng, president of the Federation of Merchants' Association, explained in Mandarin: 'Small HDB retailers like us are caught between a rock and a hard place. Our costs keep rising, but competition prevents us from increasing prices.'
Mr Chua, 62, who owns a pet shop, added that many small-time retailers do not accept credit-card payments. They cannot afford to shoulder the Nets fee increase, he said.
For jeweller Yeo Hiang Meng, 51, who is also president of Toa Payoh Central Merchant Associations, about 10 per cent of his monthly transactions are by credit cards and 30 per cent are through Nets. Shouldering the hike will amount to paying for an extra employee, he said.
Wine importer and retailer Lewis Mitchell, 47, stopped offering credit-card payments three years ago. With the Nets fee hike, he will give a 2 per cent discount for cash payments.
He said the fee hike went against 'the original purpose of Nets, which was to be an alternative system for cashless payment that does not penalise the vendors'.
Mr Ivan Ong, vice-president of Nets Payment and Value-added Services, said Nets faced increasing competition from international card schemes and the increase is to maintain its viability.
He added that retailers are not allowed to pass on the administrative fee to consumers.
Mr Ong insisted that Nets transaction fees are still the lowest in the market.
But Bras Basah Merchants' Association chairman Ong San Jin, 56, said: 'This fee is making us revert to being a cash-based, not cash-free, society.' weichean@sph.com.sg

 

[Artosoft]

Its true NETS now not same as cash. Some shop in Funan have a list price different for paying cash, nets, and credit card.

You know lah, after penetrate well in the market, NETS also want some profit.

Regards,
Arto.

 

[Dennis]

Aiya buying things at SLS is like that one.
Sometimes when ask about price even stated net net cash price i.e. include GST etc but when paying time the GST is there than somemore can reduce when you argue.
It is true that nets add a small amount of cost to it but I agree that it should be told up front that it is cash price to avoid misunderstanding.
BTW Nets and Credit card charges differs from retailer to retailer.

 

[AndyC]

if NETS and CC going to have same charge i rather use CC cos i can pay them back the next month and get points as well. is NETS gonna start giving reward points too? then might as well be debit cards...(except cannot use at as many places as VISA/MC)...

talk abt anti-competition laws...where's the competition in this case?

 

[zola70]

Never know there's a DBS ATM near the Burger King, hardly walk over there.

Just to make myself clear, in this thread I'm not discouraging pple to go OP to buy their camera stuff but just to share my experience of what I encounter during my friend's purchase with them. It's not a big issue, just to let others know what condition when making payment in future using NETS after you've make a price bargain with them, not to the last min payment as what we face.

It doesn't matter if their English is no good, I spoke to them in Mandrain. Maybe they should learn/find out how other retail shops in SG do their way of business when comes to payment terms.

there's a DBS ATM just outside SLS - quite near Burger King next door. nearer than the one at OG.
when buying from small shops, always ask first about whether extra charge for NETs or credit card payment.
reading through the thread, i really don't think it is fair to put OP down just because of one incident. my experience with them has been good. the sales people there may feel a bit handicapped or awkward because their english is not so good but i don't think they are cheats.

 

[Canew]

I am against hike in Nets charges :angry: , but well, that's the Bank business, all about money.

Nets fee hike to start on July 1
Small retailers have advised customers to pay cash or expect goods to cost more
By Lim Wei Chean
COME July, retailers will start to pay a higher levy to use Nets, the cashless payment system - and a number of them say they may be forced to push prices up to cope.

The higher administrative fee, to be implemented over three months from July 1, is pegged at between 1.5 and 1.8 per cent of purchases, which brings this levy close to credit-card transaction fees.
About 83 per cent of Singapore residents use bank-issued Nets-linked cards for purchases as a popular alternative to cash and credit cards.
Unhappy small-scale retailers - who rely heavily on Nets - have advised customers that, with the hike, they should revert to paying cash or expect their purchases to cost more.
Currently, the fee Nets charges businesses is between 0.35 and 0.55 per cent of purchases.
Nets, or the Network for Electronic Transfers, is owned by DBS, OCBC and UOB. In January, it had announced that the levy will go up by between 0.75 and 2 percentage points.
The hike was supposed to start on April 1, but was delayed after retailers raised their concerns with the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry which initiated a dialogue with Nets in February.
Nets has now confirmed a July 1 start for the phased hike, which retailers say brings its fee close to credit-card fees.
Banks charge about 2 per cent for Visa transactions and around 3 per cent for American Express.
Four trade associations with a combined total of about 4,000 members told The Straits Times that they are upset over the news, coming on top of the two percentage point goods and services tax (GST) hike, also in July.
People's Park Traders' Association chairman Poh Boon Pang, 60, who owns an organic food store, said that to gear up for the Nets fee increase, he has started telling his customers to pay by cash. Otherwise, he will have to raise his prices to cope with the fee hike, he said.
But one shopper, graphic designer Jackson Tan, 28, does not buy this argument.
'If merchants can shoulder credit-card transaction fees, why can they not take on the fees for Nets too?' he asked.
Mr Chua Ser Keng, president of the Federation of Merchants' Association, explained in Mandarin: 'Small HDB retailers like us are caught between a rock and a hard place. Our costs keep rising, but competition prevents us from increasing prices.'
Mr Chua, 62, who owns a pet shop, added that many small-time retailers do not accept credit-card payments. They cannot afford to shoulder the Nets fee increase, he said.
For jeweller Yeo Hiang Meng, 51, who is also president of Toa Payoh Central Merchant Associations, about 10 per cent of his monthly transactions are by credit cards and 30 per cent are through Nets. Shouldering the hike will amount to paying for an extra employee, he said.
Wine importer and retailer Lewis Mitchell, 47, stopped offering credit-card payments three years ago. With the Nets fee hike, he will give a 2 per cent discount for cash payments.
He said the fee hike went against 'the original purpose of Nets, which was to be an alternative system for cashless payment that does not penalise the vendors'.
Mr Ivan Ong, vice-president of Nets Payment and Value-added Services, said Nets faced increasing competition from international card schemes and the increase is to maintain its viability.
He added that retailers are not allowed to pass on the administrative fee to consumers.
Mr Ong insisted that Nets transaction fees are still the lowest in the market.
But Bras Basah Merchants' Association chairman Ong San Jin, 56, said: 'This fee is making us revert to being a cash-based, not cash-free, society.' weichean@sph.com.sg [/i]

Thanks for posting the article, Bro.

 

[Synergyworld]

For $5! :dunno:

 

[lwm]

I don't mind paying the $5 but they way they told us at the very last min of payment that make us frustrated so we decided not to go with it. If they told us earlier during the price discussion we might have happily pay the extra $5.

That's why usually up front we will ask if the price includes GST, and what mode of payment, so that to prevent any miscomm later.