Hi Folks,
Just registered and posting here for the first time...so here goes!
(holding the grenade) I work at a branch of Jessops (pin comes out...sound of explosion follows)
This topic thread really caught my eye, and I've read it through with great interest...so if I may add my thoughts, many of which come from the 'inside looking out'.....
I'm not claiming the be the worlds authority or expert on every type of battery charger AV or Camera USB cable known to man (which are the most commonly requested items in our store) BUT I am seriously worried for some of my colleagues.
Yes, there are some of my colleagues who lack some pretty major fundamental product knowledge (my manager asked me to explain an 'f/' number to a new starter only the other day, for example!)
However, having said this some of our new starters do have a great willingness to learn, and show great enthusiasm for what we sell.
We have also been told that the new training programme is due to start up again in the very near future. Some company based stuff and manufacturer sponsored sessions usually fill the itinery to bursting point. I'm looking forward to that.
Some of our concerns (those of us in the high street shops, including managers) have been appalled by the administration of Jessops price match policy. Just recently we were told to take down all point of sale within the store because "price match was finishing"....only to find our very own website AND full page adverts in just about every popular photography magazine from this months issue still claim we will price match 110% a UK website or high street retailer (with confirmed uk business telephone number)...OUR BUGGER!
As everyone will probably understand, we are advised to follow a procedure, like any other company would do.
So the current policy for price match at the moment we can only assume and then had confirmed by our helpdesk is......No we don't do it....or if the customer walking in with a magazine in hand or website printout, yes we do!!!
All of us at our branch would much rather help customers the best way we can, and ultimately do business. I can say hand on heart that I feel for our manager who wants to have full control and have the power to use discretion where needed feels the most pi**ed off with current procedure.
Way before I worked for the company, I shopped at Jessops. Jessops was traditionally a photographic retailer that catered for the photographers looking for that particular accessory/part not available elsewhere.... Jessops was also a company that never had a sale (no, they didn't) ....they never had a sale because they never needed one. Jessop prices used to be prices others 'price matched' to! (or went down to in their January sales)
Hey ho the world has changed, despite any number of complaints no high street retailer will EVER truely match website prices for a prolonged period...seriously, think about it...how could they? (some of the price matches we did were way below trade prices)
On the bright side, more and more customers are happier about taking photos and getting their prints......Due to the advent of quality digital media the number of folks opening their envelopes to reveal dissapointing prints is down dramatically.....
More and more people are becoming involved in picture taking...which is good
Which brings me to a GOOD thing about Jessops...the quality of the lab processing. (at our store and central lab atleast). Time and time again we see really badly processed or scratched negatives brought in for enlargements made. Poor quality prints abound from other high street labs. No we're not the cheapest for kiosk prints, but we've seen the competitions quality Colab,Tesco,Asda,Sainsburys,max spielmann in all cases either they don't handle materials with enough care or don't replenish chemicals as often as we do.....our lab manager works wonders!
I give an example from only a couple of weeks ago....
In walks customer (a fully grown male), asks to speak to manager.
I ask if I may help in any way, as the manager is currently with another customer.
No he wants to speak to the manager
Very well, I apologise for him having to wait as it looks like the manager might be a while....but I would see if I could shorten the delay for him....
I approached the manager to ask if the customer minded if I took over...as it happened, no, the other customer didn't mind. Great... manager free for the fully grown adult male stood at the D&P counter.....which is where it all happened!......
Que fully grown adult tantrum, the provebial throwing of the dummy out of the pram and teddy thrown in the corner. He'd got his prints but his negatives had been "stolen"!
A lengthy heated discussion from the 'customer' then storming out of the shop to phone head office.
In walks later revealed he'd used a kiosk to order his prints ie they were digital!...prints then thrown at us across the counter...picking one up from the floor I revealed the printed code on the back was not one we used ...Lab manager recognised it as one Sainsburys down the round use! HE'D NOT EVEN BEEN OUR CUSTOMER!!!!!!!! to top it off later we learnt that head office customer liason had sent vouchers to him too!!
Our customer liason are so keen to help customers to smooth over any issues they may have, they actually helped a 'non customer in this case......
So stop and think people....unlike Jessops, how many websites or other high street stores would give a flying damn about you AFTER you've bought from them??!...not many
Another (quicker) example from last friday (but it's happened more than once)
The autofocus doesn't work on my brand new D50!
Sorry to hear that madam, may I have a look at it for you
No, I want a replacement. I'm fed up with it
Ok, well, I'd like to help so I do need to look at the camera please madam
Here, take it and get me a replacement....NOW
That's ok madam, but your camera is fine, I'd pleased to tell you the camera's fine
No it's NOT!
Yes, it is madam, the switch here was set to MF which stands for manual focus, turn it to the position marked AF which stands for auto focus. Your cameras should focus now madam.. If you need any further help we'd be happy to help. Is your instruction manual in the box?
customer then snatches camera from my hands and stomps out of shop....no word, not even a thanks...still, never mind I'm happy with my life LOL
These folks are daily occurences in our shop. It's a challenge (which I do like from time to time) but rudeness is always difficult to swallow with a smile.
Please make your Jessops related complaints to headoffice, as we at the branches (I speak for myself only tho) are absolutely powerless to go outside the procedure....We try to help, but we are up against it. Head office I'm sure would be happy to see this thread. Ultimately, it is only concerns raised that lead to improvements made in the service we at Jessops offer.
We at our store go all out the help the customers, we enjoy what we do, but it does appear that from time to time some are beyond help, or just simply not willing to be helped
As a final few words.......Jessops Main managment which changed not so long ago previously headed Dixons. make of that what you will
.....I would personally not want Jessops as a company to turn into anything Dixons was!