New camera and retail store rant..NF sorta

[bigfish1965]

It is time to upgrade the old Canon S2 IS. A great camera but it was having some issues lately freezing up.

I wanted the S5 IS..same set up and I was familiar with it.

Future Shop finally put them on sale (I know the new S6 is coming out soon so the S5's have to go).

Future Shop listed them at $329.00 They were $500 when they first came out.

I checked online and my store had some in stock!

Off I go only to find out, no, they never got the shipment so they had none, but I could have a raincheck. A rain check on a model being phased out is not worth much. So I said nevermind I know that Best Buy will match your price.

I head on down the road to Best Buy and ask the guys in cameras if they price match cameras..Hey asked if I was looking for the S5 IS..I said, Yeah....he informed me that other Future Shop customers had already cleaned them out but he offered me the display model for $300. I didn't want that.

So I headed on to Walmart. They had the S5 and said they would price match any advertised price. I said its online at Future Shop.ca. The sales person said thats good enough. Walmart had them at $340 anyway so wasn't saving much.

They had to go to storage to get me one since all the ones on the floor were gone...there musta been a parade of people hunting down this camera.

When I go to the manager to get my price match thing, she said online flyers aren't good enough she needs something in her hand. I said so print the flyer its right on the front page of the Future Shop site. She said she could not do that but I was welcome to go across town to Future Shop, get a flyer and come back.

Obviously time and gas make that a futile move. So I told them I would pay the extra 20 bucks, but it would however be the very last time I ever set foot inside a walmart.

So to Walmart and Future Shop...shame. Shame on Future Shop for putting items on sale they do not have, shame on Walmart for being so stupid.

I will only be buying electronics ( and I buy at least $3,000 a year of it) at Best Buy. They were helpful, honest and friendly. Everone else was just inept. My other experiences there have been good, too. They have told me if they didn't know the answer to my question but would take me around the store to different people till we got an answer.

Stop hiring people for minimum wage..intangible losses are far greater than you can possibly imagine.

 

Now I hope I can get some fishing shots with this new camera cause the last one ws horribly jinxed.

[bucktail]

Have found Futureshop to be really bad with there online ads and stock.

If you don't get it right then your out of luck.

Sucks getting the run around like that, its like no one wants your money nowadays!

[mikeh]

hi Rick, send Tbayboy a pm , he had the same problem with the canon freezing and I think they said they would fix it.

[Wes Bender]

Hey Rick, were you getting the E18 error? That is a lens error. I haven't checked if it is covered by Canon yet. As of last year it wasn't covered. Mine is still under warranty so I am not worried. I will send it away when I have a window of being too busy for photography.

 

Check the canon site for recall. I just check the site for any recall on the A70 I bought moons ago. There was an issue with my CCD and guess what, they fixed it for free. It cost me shipping 1 way. Woohoo, because I loved that little camera.

 

FYI Best Buy and Future Shop are the same company. So if your tring to stick it to 'The Man' avoid Best Buy as well. If you just sticking it to the FS brand, then all the power to you. Your not alone. haha

[Reef Runner]

Hey Rick,

 

Sux about the run around. I got the same camera, bought last year around Christmas for $500. You'll love it!!!! An awsome camera, good reachargables at 2500NimH are essential. Very easy to use, the stereo sound recording and quality of video is great. Batteries go quick if you keep the AutoFocus on continuous, I use it as shoot only, you'll find the batteries last you forever. The built in flash is ok, but with the hotshoe, if you have external flashes pics look better. All around a quality electronic. Downside, the lens cap comes off easy, but I think that's a precaution as the lens elongates automatically as soon as put into picture mode. An oversized digital SLR bag makes for great storage.

 

Enjoy and looking forward to seeing some pics!

Edited September 23, 2008 by reefrunner

[Tie Twist]

"stop hiring people for minimum wage"

 

Maybe install hardwood floors while you are at it Walmart!

 

Price, Service, Quality. Typically, you can't have all three. Working so hard to save the $40 price match from Futureshop sort of implies that you would rather not have a $15 per hour employee who had a brain at Walmart if you had to pay for it (and you would). So you are after the price. When after the price, and shopping at Walmart, one should not expect university grads making $40K per year to be selling items off the shelf. I bet Henry's or one of those places would have all the help you need. They had all kinds of time for me there when I was spending $50. It was great. I expect Walmart to be a disaster any time I have to set foot in there. But at least they are cheap.

 

Seriously. you meet someone at a party and ask what they do. They answer that they work at the local Walmart (as a manager or otherwise). What do you think. "Hell they must have really excelled to pass the interview process to land that job). Or do you think "I'm glad I don't have to answer I work at Walmart, whenever I get asked by a stranger".

 

Anyone going to Walmart looking for ANYTHING but the lowest price possible is misguided and bound to be disappointed. It's a time for lowered expectations, and it should not be a shock. I'm not against them per se (was just in there buying stuf yesterday), but it's funny to tak ethe time complaining about cutomer service at Walmart. An not setting foot in there because they wouldn't accept the online thing. We all know you need them more than they need you!

 

You'll be back!

[Bly]

Bummer about the service Rick.

 

In regards to no longer doing business with Future Shop

 

The Best Buy Canada subsidiary operates most stores under the Future Shop label. They also operate/ own Geek Squad, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales.

[Marko]

Sorry to hear about the hassle they put you through. You would think these days they would try to do everything they can to actually sell you the product but that does not seem to be the case here. Couple of years back i was looking to buy a brand new comp, went to Future shop with about a 1000 in my pocket and just stood there in the computer isle for about 20 minutes. After realizing that nobody was approaching me to offer some help I just walked out and bought a comp at Canada computers for about 400 bucks.

Crazy stories like that make you wonder a lot

[BillM]

If you are going to ask for a pricematch, you might wanna have something in print Why not print the FutureShop.ca mainpage off which shows the price. Did you expect Walmart to go online and look it up themselves?

 

I'm not trying to be an ass, but I would have told you the same thing if someone asked me to pricematch something without a hardcopy.

[TennesseeGuy]

The bottom line is that you got a great deal on a great camera. Good for you.

[TennesseeGuy]

.................and it calls for a drink. I'm having mine. My second. and that's all for now.

 

Your turn.

[danc]

I will only be buying electronics ( and I buy at least $3,000 a year of it) at Best Buy.

 

As others have stated, Best Buy and FS are the same company.

 

I had a similar run around several years ago Rick. Very similar in fact. I know where you're coming from.

[Roy]

Y'know.... I reckon that if a company wants to price match, it means that they would have been selling the product for more in the first place. Why then would you not buy the product from the company who had the best price in the first place? Am I missing something?

[mikethespike]

sorry to hear about your experience, i can assure you tho, that s5is is 1 sweet camera. i've had mine almost a year now and i've enjoyed using it whenever i can. i think i got mine when it was $ 339 at canadacomputers. it came with a free 1gb card which is not much. i got a 4gb sdhc card for it and wished i got the 8gb instead since i don't want to keep transfering pix over a lot.

[Beats]

FYI Best Buy and Future Shop are the same company. So if your tring to stick it to 'The Man' avoid Best Buy as well. If you just sticking it to the FS brand, then all the power to you. Your not alone. haha

 

I'm always amazed that so many ppl have never figured this out. It's fairly well known. Must be great to play price wars with yourself and always win.

[bigfish1965]

"stop hiring people for minimum wage"

 

Maybe install hardwood floors while you are at it Walmart!

 

Price, Service, Quality. Typically, you can't have all three. Working so hard to save the $40 price match from Futureshop sort of implies that you would rather not have a $15 per hour employee who had a brain at Walmart if you had to pay for it (and you would). So you are after the price. When after the price, and shopping at Walmart, one should not expect university grads making $40K per year to be selling items off the shelf. I bet Henry's or one of those places would have all the help you need. They had all kinds of time for me there when I was spending $50. It was great. I expect Walmart to be a disaster any time I have to set foot in there. But at least they are cheap.

 

Seriously. you meet someone at a party and ask what they do. They answer that they work at the local Walmart (as a manager or otherwise). What do you think. "Hell they must have really excelled to pass the interview process to land that job). Or do you think "I'm glad I don't have to answer I work at Walmart, whenever I get asked by a stranger".

 

Anyone going to Walmart looking for ANYTHING but the lowest price possible is misguided and bound to be disappointed. It's a time for lowered expectations, and it should not be a shock. I'm not against them per se (was just in there buying stuf yesterday), but it's funny to tak ethe time complaining about cutomer service at Walmart. An not setting foot in there because they wouldn't accept the online thing. We all know you need them more than they need you!

 

You'll be back!

I wasn't going around to save 40 bucks. I was just trying to buy the thing. FS started the mess by putting an item on sale that they didn't have instock, so it was a matter of "now that I'm out shopping i will go find one".

I don't have a Henry's or smaller camera store in my area..big box stores pushed them all out. Walmart goofed by agreeing to a price then balking at the last minute. I was buying it either way. But to make a deal then back out says all I need to know.

And I need Walmart?? Hardly. They are done.

 

Now that I know FS and BB are the same thing (should have suspected that) gonna have to find another option.

[kentooley]

Crappy Tire doe's it all the time!! It seems almost every time I need something in their flyer, it's sold out! Last time it was a rice cooker...got there at 8am and none to be had. I took the display model to the cashier(no box or paperwork,and told her someone on the floor said it was ok. Big deal...it was only 10 bucks I think.) It's a way to get you in the store and then spend you're hard earned money on something else. I think it's perfectly legal if that display model is still there.

[Rich]

Not really Future Shop's fault that the shipment never came.

 

I hate that, when we have meat on sale and people whine and complain to ME when the stupid truck driver's don't bring us what we ordered a WEEK in advance. I try to explain that to them as nicely as possible how we're just as PO'd as they are because we have to hear about it from customers all day, some people just can't be pleased. Ya know what, go to a butcher shop and get it then and see how much you pay. For now just take my gawd dang rain check. GRRRRR

 

Okay, not related, but in the same way it is.

 

Anyway, glad you finally got your camera at least. lol

[bbog]

You gotta learn to play the game. FS and BB are the same but have different sales. Each will price match the other and give an additional 10% of the difference. SO.... when you find a sale item in one flyer go to the other store. 1. It will more likely be in stock and 2. It will be cheaper than the sale price.

 

As for CTC. Some stores are good and others not. When you figure out which then getting the sale items is not a problem.

[bigugli]

I gave up on the big box electronics stores. I find most of the staff as useful as teets on a chicken. It's like buying tackle at CTC or Walmart. If you're really lucky the staff in sporting goods might know a little about hockey. Other than that you are SOL. On top of that, the pricing at a big box is not always cheaper.

[mikeh]

QUOTE'You gotta learn to play the game. FS and BB are the same but have different sales. Each will price match the other and give an additional 10% of the difference. SO.... when you find a sale item in one flyer go to the other store. 1. It will more likely be in stock and 2. It will be cheaper than the sale price.QUOTE'

 

 

thanks for the tip,great idea to save a few more dollars.

[ctdd2006]

watch for CTC and their "regional" pricing. Here in Elliot Lake because we have a small store our prices (in the flyers too!) are up to 15% higher here than let's say Sudbury (1.5 hrs away) or even Espanola 1hour away and a town a third of our size! That drives me nuts!

 

Crazy thing is if I bring in an on-line flyer from a CTC in a different postal code my store will match the price but I have to bring in the printed version of the flyer!

[wuchikubo]

Sorry to hear about the runabout that FS and WM played on you.

 

I had a similar incident earlier this year when I went in for an Apple wireless keyboard and then was given the run around by FS saying the price I found by a shop down the road was not an "authorized dealer" but a "distributor". Needless to say I went down the road a 5 min trip to SIG electronics and paid about 60% of what FS was having on sale.

 

Glad to hear you got your camera though.

[TennesseeGuy]

Most of my purchases are made on-line and a brown truck delivers them.

 

My blood pressure is usually around 132 over 67. Pretty good for an overweight geezer.

[BillM]

watch for CTC and their "regional" pricing. Here in Elliot Lake because we have a small store our prices (in the flyers too!) are up to 15% higher here than let's say Sudbury (1.5 hrs away) or even Espanola 1hour away and a town a third of our size! That drives me nuts!

 

Crazy thing is if I bring in an on-line flyer from a CTC in a different postal code my store will match the price but I have to bring in the printed version of the flyer!

 

 

All they have to do it look it up in the system under a different store number. It's funny you have to bring in a flyer!!!