BAD Experience at SLS today

[Romulus]

Brought my swedish friend to get a camera from a camera shop this afternoon. After all the usual sales tactics, my friend insisted that he wanted the Ixus 860IS.

Shop assistant says ok.... then says, the set does NOT come with battery and a new battery is $55. This was ridiulous (and I know I can get 3rd party batteries cheaper) so I said that it was ok we can take it without battery.

He goes to the "back" to get it.

Reappears saying we have to wait about 2 hours for it to arrive from People's Park. So I say that if I don't get the camera that we closed the deal on, I'll make a report.

He then displays a vulgar sign to us as we leave - using BOTH hands.

I'll be making a report against the shop tomorrow morning.

What a disappointment that my Swedish friends' last experience in Singapore was that.

I am so very very very tempted to display the shop's name but I will let the authorities take over from there. PM me if you want to know.

Just to warn all the bros and sis around. Be very careful....

 

[Rashkae]

Eh. Bros and Sis' here are not silly enough to go buying in SLS anyway. It's a place well-known for cheating you, especially if you're there with an Ang Moh. Why did you even bring him there? You should just go to the shops we normally recommend.

 

[Astin]

U and yr friends were lucky, there were cases they gang up and beat up the customers...

 

[mystudio]

well. sorry to hear your bad experience but i doubt the authorities can do anything about it..

 

[zaren]

since there was no transaction, there is no solid evidence of cheating on their part. better to move on and avoid such shops in the future.

 

[blive]

Brought my swedish friend to get a camera from a camera shop this afternoon. After all the usual sales tactics, my friend insisted that he wanted the Ixus 860IS.

Shop assistant says ok.... then says, the set does NOT come with battery and a new battery is $55. This was ridiulous (and I know I can get 3rd party batteries cheaper) so I said that it was ok we can take it without battery.

He goes to the "back" to get it.

Reappears saying we have to wait about 2 hours for it to arrive from People's Park. So I say that if I don't get the camera that we closed the deal on, I'll make a report.

He then displays a vulgar sign to us as we leave - using BOTH hands.

I'll be making a report against the shop tomorrow morning.

What a disappointment that my Swedish friends' last experience in Singapore was that.

I am so very very very tempted to display the shop's name but I will let the authorities take over from there. PM me if you want to know.

Just to warn all the bros and sis around. Be very careful....

Why you so silly to bring your sweddish friend to SLS to buy camera? You should go to the regular reputable shops to buy. Its your fault for showing your swedish friend such an experience. Was the camera that much cheaper that it didn't warrant being sold as a complete set?

Anyway, there is no contract between you or your friend and the shop as there is no sales. So I don't think you can do much about it, except to avoid going there in future.

For your info, I only go to CP, Lords or MS colour and other recommended shops on clubsnap to make my photographic purchase...

 

[redstone]

U and yr friends were lucky, there were cases they gang up and beat up the customers...

Time to call police

 

[TMC]

this is called asking for it.

Reveal the name of the shop. There are only so many usual suspects there.

 

[calebk]

In the first place, SLS is not the place to go for camera shopping.

Secondly, you should already have suspected something when the salesperson said the camera does not come with a battery. Which idiot camera doesn't come with batteries? Canon gives a pair of batteries even for their AA-powered Powershot series cameras; Don't tell me you go to buy a car expecting them not to include the engine? To sell it to you without the battery is already cheating you - you shouldn't even agree to their terms, if they are as such.

 

[night86mare]

U and yr friends were lucky, there were cases they gang up and beat up the customers...

beat up, literally?

you gotta be kidding me, this is singapore.

ts - there are only a few shops which are reliable in sls, if you read here regularly you would have known that this is a very ridiculous place where you have to tread with extreme caution.

it is sad that such things exist in singapore, but they do, and unfortunately there isn't much you can do about it;majority of cases are to do with tourists who do not even know they have been taken for a ride.. and i think most locals would do well to stay away from it eventually.

 

[aeskywan]

For cameras, really best to stick to people like Cathay, John 3:16 and other shops in Funan.. SLS gets mixed reviews and often bad ones..... I only go there to get cheap memory cards and computer accessories... never never cameras.

Once I went to ask about MP3 player... wanted to kill the sales guy... kept telling me the player I asking about, outdated, may be pulled off production etc etc... Im like "dude.... just answer my question ,just tell me how much is it!!"

 

[yanyewkay]

IIRC, showing "the finger" is illegal in singapore.

any lawyers or law enforcement officers to correct me on this?

 

[ninelives]

hi Romulus, in the future please avoid SLS and lucky plaza. these 2 are the worst places to shop.

 

[yanyewkay]

also avoid shops found in sls that has branches in funan/PP. same pattern

 

[dOlBy]

Alamak! *paik* forehead....there are only 2 shops in SLS u can buy camera from either Alan Photo(but recently alot of negative feedback) or Orient Photo on 6th flr.

The rest are cheaters.

Why Why Why???? Why you go to Ah Beng & Ah Seng shops? You should have know better. *pengz*

 

[yanyewkay]

recently? you meant 'constantly' right?

 

[leejay]

I think all the three of you were in the wrong:

first, you and your friend:
you guys already agreed to buy, but you pulled back the moment he said you must wait for 2 hrs. You broke the agreement in the first place.
If you were him, you would be pissed off too.

second, the sales guy:
After the agreement, he went to get the goods. He couldn't find any in stock and will get the product for you.
Of course he must send people to fetch the goods. You think the goods will teleport there in two seconds? Where in the wrong is that?
Yes, you can say that he should check the computer and tell you earlier that he did not have stocks. But you also did not tell him earlier that you wouldn't buy if he did not have stocks. Am I correct?

The big wrong is that the guy got rude in the end. At most you can complain about this.

I think many people have biases against Sim Lim and its Ah Beng shops. I have worked in Sim Lim before and I had encountered customers that were worse than Ah Bengs.
Well, that was some ten odd years ago. Now I go there as a customer, be it consumer electronics or computer stuff. Their services are not bad and I have not encountered any problems.
I bought my 350D, my gf's Olympus and lenses, my CF cards, extra batteries, hi-fi, and mp3 there without any problems.

Don't always blame and accuse people this and that. Think about yourself for a bit. If you act machiam like a customer-is-king attitude, you won't get anything polite in return.
Yes, people will still serve you because a customer is always right. But deep down inside them they are also cursing you. Try to put yourself in other people's shoes next time.

 

[Jamesf]

Alamak! *paik* forehead....there are only 2 shops in SLS u can buy camera from either Alan Photo(but recently alot of negative feedback) or Orient Photo on 6th flr.

The rest are cheaters.

Why Why Why???? Why you go to Ah Beng & Ah Seng shops? You should have know better. *pengz*

Agreed. Even some sales guys in AP also didn't bother to entertain my inquiry about product. At then end bought from KL because of excellent service (Price also cheaper by 18-20%).

 

[Del_CtrlnoAlt]

first, you and your friend:
you guys already agreed to buy, but you pulled back the moment he said you must wait for 2 hrs. You broke the agreement in the first place.
If you were him, you would be pissed off too.

i think you are wrong...

if no stock, customers are free to go off, not cos customers are always right, but the offer is invalid by the offerer. not that the customer dun wan, its the shop dun have.

 

[Gunbucker]

There's a simple rule of thumb (or middle finger) when it comes to SLS...

AVOID THE FIRST THREE FLOORS LIKE THE FRIGGIN' PLAGUE!!!!!!!!!

I see the first three floors as Hell On Earth, where souls with poor karma (or streetwise) go and pay for their sins by getting intellectually insulted, cheated, abused by the demons (chau ah-bengs). No wonder Haw Par Villa closed down, coz there's a real Buyer's Hell right here! :bsmilie: