Confusing experience with cathay photo

[faa]

duno if its jus me, or anyone here got experience the same thing as me before.

i called cathay marina sq few days ago to ask if they got sell 62mm UV filter. the salesman told me they have a cheap one ($10) tat is currently out of stock. they are only left with B+W ones which i'm sure we are well aware of how much they cost.

when i asked them when will the new stocks come, he said he is not sure.

jus a few hours ago, i accompanied a friend to buy a bottle of silicon gel from cathay marina (happen to pass by there) and i decided that, might as well ask if the UV filter is available or not.

the salesman, an old uncle, straight away told me tat why not pay a bit more to get a B+W one.. and he went on to rattle how good the quality is.

but i said jus a cheap one will do and he brought me over to a drawer full of tokina filters. and there's at least a good 10-15 tokina 62mm filters in the drawer (tot they out of stock?).

when i asked how much, he said $20. when i asked if tats the final price, he said, "nvm la.. give u $15 la."

$15 was wat i paid for a tokina 67mm filter jus a few months ago..

i rejected the deal and walked away.

hai...even cathay also liddat.. the second time i had such a "price suddenly change" experience with them alrdy..

initially tot of intro cathay to a fren who jus bought a dslr.. but now, i'm seriously thinking twice...

 

[eosdigital]

I hope Cathay's not stooping down to Song Brother's lvl

 

[faa]

I hope Cathay's not stooping down to Song Brother's lvl

and also not to alan photo's level.. sigh

 

[eosdigital]

Actually AP's not bad..only that KNS botak man is to be avoided due to b******ly service :bsmilie:

 

[faa]

Actually AP's not bad..only that KNS botak man is to be avoided due to b******ly service :bsmilie:

haha.. anyway just emailed CP.. see how they reply...

 

[kkenji]

hmm prices at cathay seems to be exorbitant compared to others..
i went to cathay to check out prices for the lowepro fastpack and they quoted me almost $50 more compared to other stores!
alan photo not that bad. i got my flash and new e-3 body from there. its best to go back to the same guy, and yes not that botak one.

 

[vonlichenstein]

Cathay has a really funky price system. Its overpriced and you have to ask them for the real price. i think thats ***ed up, but no one is forcing me to buy from them, so i just go to where ever else i prefer instead.

 

[NYCer]

hmm prices at cathay seems to be exorbitant compared to others..
i went to cathay to check out prices for the lowepro fastpack and they quoted me almost $50 more compared to other stores!
alan photo not that bad. i got my flash and new e-3 body from there. its best to go back to the same guy, and yes not that botak one.

They are the distributor for Lowepro I believe, so they can't undercut the other dealers when selling the bags.

 

[faa]

Cathay has a really funky price system. Its overpriced and you have to ask them for the real price. i think thats ***ed up, but no one is forcing me to buy from them, so i just go to where ever else i prefer instead.

wah.. seems like i'm not the only one who experience such unpleasant experiences..

so, is there any where in sg tat we can find honest pricing?

 

[psyk1]

wah.. seems like i'm not the only one who experience such unpleasant experiences..

so, is there any where in sg tat we can find honest pricing?

got..

courts, best denki, harvey norman.. :sweatsm:

 

[clioboy]

wah.. seems like i'm not the only one who experience such unpleasant experiences..

so, is there any where in sg tat we can find honest pricing?

where extra profit is not important.

it start from you.

you must know yr pricings, do your research and go forth and buy.

check and compare with the price list and feedbacks from other members here.

if you walk in blind and blur, more likely to be chopped. guarantee + CHOPPED!

 

[Pang-Jio Man]

to be honest..

since i started photography a few years ago from d50 to d80 and probably d700 in near future, i do a lot of homework before i buy. ( money not easy to earn).

i always found cathay's prices a bit on the highway side. i thot they had economies of scale on their side. most ppl.. buy from them.. yet prices.. a bit on the highside..

maybe it was my luck for being quoted higher prices on each of my enquiries. dun mean to flame any shops here, this is just my personal experience to share with you all.

 

[zero o]

Opening new branches cost money. Renovations cost money. Hiring salesman costs money. (ever notice how many salesman Cathay has compared to John or TK ) Higher rentals and higher utilities costs more money. In a nutshell, cost of doing business have gone up over the years. To survive and maintain profitability, retailers like Cathay will surely have to up their prices .. yes ? Nobody runs a business for charity.

Add to that ... salesman sell and make commission. The higher price they can get for an item means their commission is higher. Once in a while, a salesman may sell you an item at low profit margin or at cost to build a relationship / induce a customer to go back ... but in the long run, salesman is out to MAKE money from you. Sad but true... thats how the world works !

My philosophy is, whether it is TK, MS, John, Cathay, Ah Beng-Ah Seng shop, as a savvy consumer, if you want to get maximum value for your money, always do your homework before buying, each time and everytime .

 

[GELworkz]

had same experience like most pple here. so wat i do? i will go to their shop to try this lens, try that lens to get a feel, and YES u r right, n ask the price eventually.
then i will say "thank you very much" and buy from other shops :bsmilie:

bcos i personally feel that most staff arent that friendly n passionate abt customer service...but having said that, if u ever come across, u shld see how they serve ang mor.....:bigeyes:

 

[BlackCloud]

Hmmm... I had a different experience with CP.

I have recently bought a EOS 450D from them and the E-quote they gave me is much cheaper than AP and John. Hence, I bought from them lor.. :bsmilie:

 

[faa]

where extra profit is not important.

it start from you.

you must know yr pricings, do your research and go forth and buy.

check and compare with the price list and feedbacks from other members here.

if you walk in blind and blur, more likely to be chopped. guarantee + CHOPPED!

i agree.. but how abt items like UV filter? it seems very negligible and small item to some yet but they still over price leh..

 

[faa]

haha.. anyway just emailed CP.. see how they reply...

they have replied me and say tat they had reprimanded the involved salesman. and on top of tat, they agreed to give me the filter FOC.

well, this move perturbed me even more as it really seems to me tat cathay really dun have a fixed pricing system.

i am definitely aware of the "two price" system that cathay adopts but somehow, is it an ethical pricing strategy?

even for items like filters, they even go to the extent of upping it double the price to a customer they deemed as "noob"or newbie.

personally, i feel tat in this time and age, we, as consumers shud really be proactive in finding out the actual price and gain some knowledge into general pricing on these items..

by knowing more, we can then pressure these salesmen (or the company) into adopting a more ethical pricing strategy..

well, it is of course fair enough to argue tat they are afterall a profit-oriented company, which company isnt, right?

but if they can sell a filter at $10 to make a profit, isnt it murderous to charge the same item $20 to someone whom they deem as a newbie or can "tok" one?

sigh.. just my take on this issue.. apologies if it is too long winded la..

 

[chngpe01]

they have replied me and say tat they had reprimanded the involved salesman. and on top of tat, they agreed to give me the filter FOC.

well, this move perturbed me even more as it really seems to me tat cathay really dun have a fixed pricing system.

i am definitely aware of the "two price" system that cathay adopts but somehow, is it an ethical pricing strategy?

even for items like filters, they even go to the extent of upping it double the price to a customer they deemed as "noob"or newbie.

personally, i feel tat in this time and age, we, as consumers shud really be proactive in finding out the actual price and gain some knowledge into general pricing on these items..

by knowing more, we can then pressure these salesmen (or the company) into adopting a more ethical pricing strategy..

well, it is of course fair enough to argue tat they are afterall a profit-oriented company, which company isnt, right?

but if they can sell a filter at $10 to make a profit, isnt it murderous to charge the same item $20 to someone whom they deem as a newbie or can "tok" one?

sigh.. just my take on this issue.. apologies if it is too long winded la..

Dun understand what's your take, already apologise to u and offer you FOC and yet you not only complain but more perturb.

As I say before and now, price discrimination exist in all sectors.

A Coke Zero in the mini mart in my estate is $0.80. However in the Petrol Kiosk is $1.20 and 5 blocks away in another provision shop is $1.00, while in some 7 eleven is $1.50, and if you go to those wholesale distributors, it is only about $0.50 to $0.60 a can if you buy in bulk. So what is so murderous?

As a consumer it is up to you to check the price and your choice and rights to buy or not. Nobody is pointing a gun at you to force you to buy.

 

[GavinTing]

they have replied me and say tat they had reprimanded the involved salesman. and on top of tat, they agreed to give me the filter FOC.

well, this move perturbed me even more as it really seems to me tat cathay really dun have a fixed pricing system.

i am definitely aware of the "two price" system that cathay adopts but somehow, is it an ethical pricing strategy?

even for items like filters, they even go to the extent of upping it double the price to a customer they deemed as "noob"or newbie.

personally, i feel tat in this time and age, we, as consumers shud really be proactive in finding out the actual price and gain some knowledge into general pricing on these items..

by knowing more, we can then pressure these salesmen (or the company) into adopting a more ethical pricing strategy..

well, it is of course fair enough to argue tat they are afterall a profit-oriented company, which company isnt, right?

but if they can sell a filter at $10 to make a profit, isnt it murderous to charge the same item $20 to someone whom they deem as a newbie or can "tok" one?

sigh.. just my take on this issue.. apologies if it is too long winded la..

Basic Economics. If you can make money, make the money.

 

[Fotophilic]

they have replied me and say tat they had reprimanded the involved salesman. and on top of tat, they agreed to give me the filter FOC.

well, this move perturbed me even more as it really seems to me tat cathay really dun have a fixed pricing system.

i am definitely aware of the "two price" system that cathay adopts but somehow, is it an ethical pricing strategy?

even for items like filters, they even go to the extent of upping it double the price to a customer they deemed as "noob"or newbie.

personally, i feel tat in this time and age, we, as consumers shud really be proactive in finding out the actual price and gain some knowledge into general pricing on these items..

by knowing more, we can then pressure these salesmen (or the company) into adopting a more ethical pricing strategy..

well, it is of course fair enough to argue tat they are afterall a profit-oriented company, which company isnt, right?

but if they can sell a filter at $10 to make a profit, isnt it murderous to charge the same item $20 to someone whom they deem as a newbie or can "tok" one?

sigh.. just my take on this issue.. apologies if it is too long winded la..

this is the kind of world we live in. ppl are like that, what u expect?

the word "murderous" is a bit strong la friend. $10 more only, will die meh?

Morale of the story: Do your homework b4 u buy your stuff.