A Kodak moment to write about (Jessops)

Member Name: johnnyho

Product:	Jessops
Date:	02/02/05 (969 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Friendly staff, Relatively knowledgeable staff, Price match

Disadvantages: None really

I had not really ever even thought about purchasing anything from Jessops, apart from maybe some prints from my old film camera. I had been looking to go digital for a while now, but as I am really a point-and-shoot type of user, all I wanted for a camera to be was very small, an optical zoom and with a decent photo quality.

I had searched far and low for one which suited me, and after visiting many stores and browsing the internet for what seemed like years, reading reviews and finding prices, I finally narrowed my search down to two cameras - the Pentax Optio S5i and the Casio Exilim EX-50. Both were 5 megapixel cameras with a decent optical zoom. I decided to go into my local Jessops store at home (Bournemouth) and looked at the two cameras. I still could not decide which camera I wanted, but decided at that point that I was definitely not going to by on the high street - I found both models on the net for at least £50 cheaper than what I found on the high street. I left home after my holiday and went back to study at university in London.

A few weeks later, I decided to give a friend of mine a call, as he always had much more knowledge than I did with cameras, to ask his opinion. He said that both of them are very similar, and that if they are also similarly priced, just to go for the one that looked the best! That’s when I told him that I was going to buy on the internet. He reminded me that he used to work at Jessops as a part-timer and that they price match many companies, even many internet companies. He said that I should bring evidence of the price I could find.

So off I went to my closest Jessops store (Tottenham Court Road) and tried to have a look at the two cameras. The Pentax was out of stock, but they had the Casio model. The sales assistant, although not completely knowledgeable, was friendly and helpful. Some things I asked him he could not really answer, but still it did not seem like he wanted to force me to buy the camera, he just gave me advice. But I told him I really wanted to compare the two cameras, so I could see for myself. I had a play around with the Casio, and then still really wanted to compare to the Pentax. He then suggested that I tried their larger store on New Oxford Street. So off I went.

The New Oxford Street store seemed very busy when I walked in, but was served almost immediately. The atmosphere of the store was nice. I asked to have a look at both the cameras - and shock horror - they had the Pentax in store but not the Casio!!! But they did offer me to have a look at the model up - the EX-55, which is basically exactly the same camera, but with a larger screen. The Casio still seemed a bit big to me - I wanted something really pocketable, and since the Pentax was slightly smaller, I decided to buy that one, after getting some friendly advice from the lovely sales assistant at the store.

It was at this point that I asked about their price matching scheme. To be honest, I wasn't expecting for them to match the price I had found on ebuyer.com, but I thought maybe they could come close. So I told her that the price I had found on the internet on ebuyer.com was £192.48. She had to check that this was OK with her manager, and seemed that she took her time, must have been at least 5 minutes! But eventually she appeared, and said that the price I said would not be possible for them to sell it. She offered me a price of £219.99, but I still said that I could get it for cheaper. She said, that she was sorry, but it was store policy that they did not match prices on eBay!!! So I told her that it was not eBay, and it was ebuyer.com. I said that I had proof, and took the printout of the price I got from the website. She then took this and went to ask her manager again. This also seemed to take a long time, but she then came back, and to my surprise, said, yes, we will match the price! I was ecstatic at this point, and could not believe that they actually matched the cheapest price I could find on the net. I would have cost me even more, as I would have had to pay shipping charges on ebuyer. I also had the camera in my hand that same day. It was also much better as she had already explained to me that they offer a 28 day money back scheme, as long as the software was not open or used.

Overall, my experience with Jessops has been a great one. I did not have any problems with them when asking to look at cameras, for advice in various stores or for price matching! They even put in the box a card to get me 25 free prints from my new digital camera in 7" by 5", which is my favourite size! This definitely topped off the experience. I would recommend anyone who is looking for a camera, no matter film, SLR, digital etc etc to have a look at Jessops. If you find a cheaper price anywhere, mail-order, high street or internet, then show them proof and they should price match for you. This is definitely one store that is still competitive, not just with other high street stores, but internet also.

Summary: