Shopping Discussion

Be careful with Futureshop sales people

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  • Jul 15th, 2010 12:48 pm
Newbie
Jul 12, 2010
3 posts
1 upvote

Be careful with Futureshop sales people

I was at the Terra Losa Futureshop in Edmonton last night. We were interested in buying a camera and the salesperson was trying to sell us this Canon that she claimed was $100 off. I have seen her working in the camera section before so she should know her stuff. I went home and checked and turns out it was only on sale for $20 off.

I hate it when so called "Product Experts" (Futureshop term) behave in this manner. Perhaps it was just an honest mistake but...
20 replies
Deal Addict
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Jan 17, 2006
3400 posts
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your lack of research is to blame. None of this so called "product experts" are really expert at all. Most of them are hired for the summer to prepare for the back-to-school season.

I had this one guy try to tell me a DSLR I tested his knowledge but it was clear he know nothing about any of those cameras. Other then the whole line "this is better b/c it cost more and they all do 1080p videos" *not true, nikon only does 720p. I gave him 4 opportunities to admit that he's wrong or he'll go find out. Until I got fed up and told him she was wrong about all the features that he just mentioned that she was trying to BSing and I was giving him a chance to quit whileshe was already too deep in the $hithole.

Sales: Hi my name is _____ can I help you w/ this camera, I am aware of all its features?

ME: How long can I record HD videos for this camera? (Nikon D90)

Sales: Depends on the memory stick the more gigabit the longer the video.

ME: So you're telling me that if i was going to get a 32GB memory stick, I can records continuous HD videos WITHOUT the camera automatically stopping?

Sales: Yes, if you were going to pick a 32GB memory stick you can record continuously at 1080p.

Me: You sure about that?

Sales: Yes, I guarantee it! I have this camera myself.

Me: *smirk* Well care to explain why you said this specific model does 1080p videos, while the "Movie Settings" shows 1280x720? And if you were a expert, you should have known that this nikon on does only 5mins of HD video.

At this point he was speechless and just walks away. =P :lol:

Always do your hmwk first before getting a second opinion because they could be wrong and try to BS there way through the sale.
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Deal Fanatic
Feb 26, 2008
5135 posts
55 upvotes
I went to buy a tv at futureshop at was told that all the tv that is $700 are just as good, but the brand name ones are better.

Gee, that's great.
I bought a tv there,but only when i came back from doing actual research.

Also for cell phones, they are not always organized properly and supposedly the salespeople have to mention rogers more than other brands :lol:

The Souce is just as bad.
I went there to get a mouse cuz it is beside my house and was sold a corded mouse.
Fine.

I get home, open the package and it was a serial mouse from like 10 years ago.
my pc has no plug for this.
I could not tell from the package it was such an old product.
this was a few months ago
Newbie
Nov 24, 2006
99 posts
106 upvotes
Bottom line, take anything any retail salesperson says with a grain of salt.

You guys have to remember that the vast majority of these so-called "product experts" are university students and otherwise unqualified employees making minimum wage and dependent on sales commissions to scrape by.

If you really expect these types of people to "know their stuff", you're expecting way too much. Sure, you occasionally get the one sales guy who really is passionate and knowledgeable about what they're selling, but in most cases these people are not interested in providing you with the truth - they're trying to make a sale, and they will use any means necessary to make one. Don't waste your time arguing with them or trying to prove them wrong - they are not interested.

That's not necessarily their fault - it's the nature of the business. If you don't sell the products and the Product Service Plan at FS, no matter how passionate about you are about your department, you're going to get fired.

I'm certainly not trying to empathize with the salesperson, but going into stores like Future Shop and expecting a quality sales experience guarantees that you are going to be disappointed at some point.

Do your own research, read up on your options, and don't go in with expectations when you step in to the store - I guarantee you you're going to save yourself a lot of headache and trouble.
Deal Guru
User avatar
Mar 12, 2005
11679 posts
3489 upvotes
Victoria
regular prices are arbitrary anyways. half the time companies jack them up to make their sales look better.

when you're buying stuff you should be looking at how much your paying for it, and whether or not its a good price, to what other people are paying for the same product.

I'd rather buy it for 199.99 (reg 219.99) then the next week when it might be 249.99 (reg 349.99).

No one really pays full price for anything do they? What matters is what your shelling out of your pocket. The advertising is meaningless.
Member
Nov 4, 2008
411 posts
21 upvotes
Toronto
darkprince wrote: I had this one guy try to tell me a DSLR I tested his knowledge but it was clear he know nothing about any of those cameras. Other then the whole line "this is better b/c it cost more and they all do 1080p videos" *not true, nikon only does 720p. I gave him 4 opportunities to admit that he's wrong or he'll go find out. Until I got fed up and told him she was wrong about all the features that he just mentioned that she was trying to BSing and I was giving him a chance to quit whileshe was already too deep in the $hithole.
Okay I know I am from Toronto, and should really be used to this, but really was it a he or a she, or was it a heshe, or were there two of them?
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Mar 8, 2010
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Rockyman999 wrote: I was at the Terra Losa Futureshop in Edmonton last night. We were interested in buying a camera and the salesperson was trying to sell us this Canon that she claimed was $100 off. I have seen her working in the camera section before so she should know her stuff. I went home and checked and turns out it was only on sale for $20 off.

I hate it when so called "Product Experts" (Futureshop term) behave in this manner. Perhaps it was just an honest mistake but...
Cool story bro. Did you just figure this out last night?

Most salespeople nowadays don't know their products from a hole in the ground because for a lot of them the job is just temporary or they more from company to company a lot.

I remember I was at a car dealer once and the salesman didn't even know what engine size the car that I was interested in had. Another guy at a different dealership didn't know what the finance rates were, his excuse: "I've only been here 2 months."
RFD OT: Serious answers to stupid questions.
RFD Definition of 'troll': Someone whose opinion you don't like.
Deal Addict
Apr 13, 2006
4384 posts
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Rockyman999 wrote: I was at the Terra Losa Futureshop in Edmonton last night. We were interested in buying a camera and the salesperson was trying to sell us this Canon that she claimed was $100 off. I have seen her working in the camera section before so she should know her stuff. I went home and checked and turns out it was only on sale for $20 off.

I hate it when so called "Product Experts" (Futureshop term) behave in this manner. Perhaps it was just an honest mistake but...
wait............. how does providing the wrong price make her less of a product expert (not saying she was one from the beginning...)? Perhaps the sales price was not updated online, perhaps it just changed from a different sale, perhaps she was giving you an awesome deal - which by the way you passed up

if she had told you that the camera baked bread then yes that makes her less of a product expert but on the price? really?
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Oct 30, 2009
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sacabeans wrote: Okay I know I am from Toronto, and should really be used to this, but really was it a he or a she, or was it a heshe, or were there two of them?
:lol:
Deal Fanatic
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Jul 15, 2005
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Toronto
sacabeans wrote: Okay I know I am from Toronto, and should really be used to this, but really was it a he or a she, or was it a heshe, or were there two of them?
seems his story is more full of holes then the salesperson's knowledge
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Sep 9, 2005
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darkprince wrote: Sales: Hi my name is _____ can I help you w/ this camera, I am aware of all its features?

ME: How long can I record HD videos for this camera? (Nikon D90)

Sales: Depends on the memory stick the more gigabit the longer the video.

ME: So you're telling me that if i was going to get a 32GB memory stick, I can records continuous HD videos WITHOUT the camera automatically stopping?

Sales: Yes, if you were going to pick a 32GB memory stick you can record continuously at 1080p.

Me: You sure about that?

Sales: Yes, I guarantee it! I have this camera myself.

Me: *smirk* Well care to explain why you said this specific model does 1080p videos, while the "Movie Settings" shows 1280x720? And if you were a expert, you should have known that this nikon on does only 5mins of HD video.

At this point he was speechless and just walks away. =P :lol:
Trying to compensate for anything there, darkprince?

Picking on retail employees to feel better for yourself... What a sad story...
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Jr. Member
Jul 9, 2008
110 posts
14 upvotes
Langley
ipxxx wrote: wait............. how does providing the wrong price make her less of a product expert (not saying she was one from the beginning...)? Perhaps the sales price was not updated online, perhaps it just changed from a different sale, perhaps she was giving you an awesome deal - which by the way you passed up

if she had told you that the camera baked bread then yes that makes her less of a product expert but on the price? really?


If she had done that for me, and I knew it was a way better deal, I would taken the item and told the wife "start the car" lol... :)
Deal Addict
Sep 23, 2005
1528 posts
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Burnaby
FrogPrince wrote: Another guy at a different dealership didn't know what the finance rates were, his excuse: "I've only been here 2 months."
To be fair to the salesperson, floor staff at dealerships of any significant size are not given privy to finance rates and are generally told by management to avoid any discussion of rates. This is because the dealerships get commissions on financing they arrange and will always try to slam-dunk the customer into the most lucrative (for them) financing.
Member
Jun 9, 2003
359 posts
5 upvotes
My favourite while buying a Sony camcorder with hard disk recording. The FS employee tried to sell me on the extended warranty plan. Told me it included cleaning of all the tape mechanism. I told him there is a hard drive, no tapes. He countered that they will take out the hard drive and clean it :)
Newbie
Jul 12, 2010
3 posts
1 upvote
I always do lots of research before buying anything. I have a D90 and a D50 but my wife wanted a compact. I wasn't up on my prices for compacts which is why I checked when I got home without buying first. I typically don't believe salespeople either. I just thought that this time it was worth posting a warning about Futureshop since she got the amount so wrong.
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Nov 10, 2003
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Hampton
Rockyman999 wrote: I always do lots of research before buying anything. I have a D90 and a D50 but my wife wanted a compact. I wasn't up on my prices for compacts which is why I checked when I got home without buying first. I typically don't believe salespeople either. I just thought that this time it was worth posting a warning about Futureshop since she got the amount so wrong.
If you take a look around here you will find a lot worse stories. Telling folks here not to trust FS salespeople is like telling voters that politicians lie - we all know it's true but there are still plenty of people who fall for it
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Jan 17, 2006
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eightyeight wrote: Trying to compensate for anything there, darkprince?

Picking on retail employees to feel better for yourself... What a sad story...
Haha I am pretty sure he lied to a lot other customers. It wasn't his hour when he tried to play me like a fool and I handed him his ass. :lol:
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Oct 1, 2008
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I think the lesson to be learned here is to always do your own product research.

The ONLY questions you should ever trust to the salespeople are "is this one in stock?" and "how much is it?"

Remember that salespeople have to deal with all kinds of people, from the dumbest of the dumb to the know-it-alls, and one of the skills they need to master is how to explain the concepts to you at the level that you require. They should be able to talk tech with you if you're familiar with the terms, and should also be able to talk in baby terms if you're not. This of course doesn't excuse outright ignorance or lies.

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