Utterly Disgusted by Alan Photo

[orislee]

I have to disagree with you on this..

Good: John 3:16, Orient Photo (though Orent photo has once quoted me a very high price for low priced item. I believe it was a genuine inventory mistake)
Average: Alan Photo (FUNAN)
Waste Time: SLS Shops
You nothing better to do: Bally Photo (Cannot tahan this shop)

I cannot comment on CP, TCW, RUBY and MS Colour as I don't have the time to travel there)

Orient photo actually refunded me the difference when i told them i could get the price lower than them after i bought a lens from them. I don't think any of the local store can match their service.

And the services they provide when you are purchasing expensive items are extremely good. I seriously hope local retail and STB could review the service quality in Singapore. MS Color is extremely good to regulars, not sure about newbies. CP depends on which sales u are dealing with, AP, they choose customers who they like. RUBY the counter aunty is very friendly. TCW I have not been there before.

 

[s598719]

...... No more Alan Photo or any other Ah Beng shop for me.

Same here....sometime back i rented a car from an Ah Beng shop.....returned & they want me to pay for 'slight dent'.......i refused.....& they threaten me....

Sales service in singapore can suck .... somehow the foreign own shop like OP has better service.

Why?

 

[drakon09]

Same here....sometime back i rented a car from an Ah Beng shop.....returned & they want me to pay for 'slight dent'.......i refused.....& they threaten me....

Sales service in singapore can suck .... somehow the foreign own shop like OP has better service.

Why?

The problem I find with a good number of Singapore retailers is that they only think for the moment - make the sale now and off you go, don't give a damn if I don't see you again. Retailers like these may survive, but make it REALLY big they will never.

The really successful ones are those who understand the principle that service "beyond the call of duty" so to speak are the ones that bring customers back - along with their grandfathers and grandmothers. Nothing is more effective than a good word of a trusted person to convince someone.

As the saying goes: lay a long line to catch a big fish.

 

[orislee]

The problem I find with a good number of Singapore retailers is that they only think for the moment - make the sale now and off you go, don't give a damn if I don't see you again. Retailers like these may survive, but make it REALLY big they will never.

The really successful ones are those who understand the principle that service "beyond the call of duty" so to speak are the ones that bring customers back - along with their grandfathers and grandmothers. Nothing is more effective than a good word of a trusted person to convince someone.

As the saying goes: lay a long line to catch a big fish.

sounds like relationship marketing and retain customer policy...wahahahaha....but that's the way to do business in long run.

 

[mynameisjizeng]

I have to disagree with you on this..

Good: John 3:16, Orient Photo (though Orent photo has once quoted me a very high price for low priced item. I believe it was a genuine inventory mistake)
Average: Alan Photo (FUNAN)
Waste Time: SLS Shops
You nothing better to do: Bally Photo (Cannot tahan this shop)

I cannot comment on CP, TCW, RUBY and MS Colour as I don't have the time to travel there)

i have to agree. Got cheated at Bally when i bought an underwater casing for $315. went over to Song bros after that and was qouted $275. maybe it was jus my lack of checking beforehand, but Bally told me that it was their 'rock bottom' price. hmmmm..

this AP thread's going soo far. haha. i used to buy alot of compact cameras from them (on behalf of friends) and felt the price to be quite good. yes, the service there isnt always that great, but the prices there i felt was quite good.

but then again that was sometime back so things may have changed.. haha.

for my DSLR now i go primarily to TK and CP. v patient, even tho the store's obviously crowded. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[mynameisjizeng]

Same here....sometime back i rented a car from an Ah Beng shop.....returned & they want me to pay for 'slight dent'.......i refused.....& they threaten me....

Sales service in singapore can suck .... somehow the foreign own shop like OP has better service.

Why?

yeah! bet those who went to thailand will say that the shops there have excellent service.

sigh. singapore's too pampered

 

[solasido]

My experience so far in term of Customer service (but not price):

1. John 3:16 (best)
2. MS Color (very good)
3. CP (good)
4. AP SimLim (sucks, few years ago when bought Olympus film camera, quite pissed off)

 

[weixiang_06]

same here

reminds me of last time when i brought my friend to AP Sim Lim... kenna sai... we stand there looking and asking for a camera as we are buying.. they bo hew us and gave us a @!##@!#@!!@ brochure to read niah...

we wanted to buy on the spot wor... what the @#!@#!@ is this? instead they just entertain those ang mohsss

 

[weixiang_06]

we stood there watching, and about 10 minutes later the ang mohs all left w/o buying.. only then they serve us... by then we were all @!!@#@#!!@ mad, and just said thanks but I WILL NEVER BUY FROM U ALL... LOUSY SERVICE..

YOU ALL JUST LOSE A GENUINE CUSTOMER

 

[bartman]

Same here....sometime back i rented a car from an Ah Beng shop.....returned & they want me to pay for 'slight dent'.......i refused.....& they threaten me....

Sales service in singapore can suck .... somehow the foreign own shop like OP has better service.

Why?

Ah Beng shops are all the same. Their business culture are fairly the same. Providing good service is never part of their business model. In fact, i think they can't be bothered with it and its an extremely unnecessary unprofitable extra work load for them. Their priority is to make as much money as possible from each sales, that's it. Be it the salesman's own commission or jacking up prices to milk more sales commission from the unsuspected.

Has any one come across an Ah Beng shop that provides consistent good service to all? I highly doubt there would be one out there.

 

[photobum]

Singapore...... World class country. Third world service.

 

[AxeLa]

wow, i'm a newbie at photography.. reading all these posts i really dun dare to walk into AP already. haha.. I'm thinking of trying out MS Color though, heard some good reviews about them. Thinking of buying 400D.. any other recommendations or places to buy? would appreciate it lots.

MS color not bad lah...LORD'S also good..:thumbsup:

 

[broccoli]

I do believe it is all depend on the person who are serving you...

Today, I went to OP to look for shutter release cable for my 30D, however they cannot meet my asking price, so I left and went to AP. To my surprise, the first quote given to me was even lower than what I had expected, I made my purchase.

That guy (Jam--) who was serving me had served me previously (few months ago), which I belived he find me familiar. Maybe I looked "I know what i am buying", therefore a sincere quote is expected.

 

[ricohflex]

It is only a hobby.
Just take it easy and let it go.
If the shop offends you, don't go.

And I don't think J 3:16 is good.

Any shop can live without your patronage.
You can live without buying from the shop or can even give up the whole hobby.
So both do not need each other.

There are many types of buyers.
So know exactly what they want. If price is + or - a bit never mind, just buy fast and get out.

There are others just asking prices repeatedly and endlessly for the same thing. But they have no intention to buy. They just want to kill their time.

There are buyers who are rich and want their ego boosted.
Like in the film [Pretty Woman] Richard Gere in the role of billionaire corporate raider, says to the salesman, I want the sales staff to give (his lady friend) "major sucking up".

Similarly, these usually boastful buyers are looking for flattery and balls-carrying by the sales staff when they go to the shops. When they get it, they buy.

 

[coffee3in1]

I have bought stuff from some of the shop. Here's my comment

MS Color - Aunty Florence. Very nice. Fixed low price.

TK Foto Technic - Richard Tan. Low price. Can discount abit if you pay cash.

K-13 Marketing - Peninsula Plaza, 2nd floor. Very friendly guy.

CP-P - full of noisy sales people chatting with each other. Kills my buying mood.
CP-M - Sam. Nice calm guy, not pushy. But tends to over-quote. Prices includes GST and payment via 0%. But I get discount EVERY time.

AP-SLS - is good bargain provided you know what you are looking for, don't expect service or advise. Desmond is one blur sotong lah, but he's responsible. He sold me a wrong adapter, but no problem to swap and trade-up.

OP - Nice sales people. Not pushy. Can see and touch. Very good.

Happy Shopping...

 

[swhyge]

Statistics dun lie.

The fact that there are 'bad' customers is no excuse for bad service.

I got my first digital camera - Canon G1 + plus assess. - many many years ago. I kicked my own a** for being ignorant then, but I never go back to the shop again - even though sometimes from the forum here, I gather that they are slightly cheaper than the 2 shops i frequent (MS and CP). Why should I depart my hard earned money like that - I dun need to be carried, but I expect a reasonable service!

Ponder for a while, how come stream of customers still go to these shops......

hmmmm.... - you got the answer in the head? - So are you?

Let them practise whatever business strategy they think fit! After all it is buyer beware, and buyer is the king - except some are just unlucky and probability of being unlucky seems to be higher in certain shops!

 

[sunshinegal]

thanks all for the reviews.. i will go walk walk around the different shops! hopefully i wont meet ah-bengs who spoil my day! anyway, i'm gg to hongkong soon.. heard there could be cheap equip there.. any tips? or else.. does anyone need anything from hk? i'll try my best to find!

oh! and im interested in taking pics of kids in motion (playing, laughing etc).. any recommendations on which equip to use?

PS. maybe i shdnt be replying on the "utterly disgusted by AP" forum.. kinda inappropriate.. hee. :devil:

 

[azul123]

To me all shops have some profit margin they need to meet, people can rate shops according to their buying experience.. so why the difference in experience?

The factor is the sales person. I've been buying new stuff on an off and have made freinds with the sales person in AP, TK, CP, Lords and to a little extent MS and I always wait till that sales person is free to get my stuff.

I won't let some other sales person serve me, so the relationship is such that I benefitted from the trust and the sales person benefitted that I only want to patronise my buying with him/her.

So over time, regardless where I buy I have not got any bad expereince from any of these shops. Just my 2cts.

../azul123

 

[airforce1]

Actually all this depends on the customers. My humble opinion.

1. check the pricing.
2. Knowledge of the product
3. Patronise the regular shop
4. Contact and negotiate

 

[AxeLa]

oh! and im interested in taking pics of kids in motion (playing, laughing etc).. any recommendations on which equip to use?

PS. maybe i shdnt be replying on the "utterly disgusted by AP" forum.. kinda inappropriate.. hee. :devil:

U need fast lens.....AF-S DX 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED...at least $2k ++....alternatively try Tamron....cheaper @ $600/++.......;p