"Explanation Fee" for tyre-kickers...

[Poisson Du Jour]

This is just bizarre. Pity it has to happen here in Australia. A fee is charged by the salesperson to bring a camera out for perusal. Ha!
But who in their right mind would shop for a camera at JB Hi-Fi??

[wotalegend]

If I were asked to pay a $30 "explanation fee" I would want to be absolutely certain that the person giving advice is knowledgeable, experienced in photography, 100% correct, and not giving biased comment based on the amount of mark-up the store expects and/or commission the salesperson expects to receive on each brand. I am not at all confident that I could find such a person behind the counter of even the dedicated camera shops, e.g. Teds, so the chance of finding such a person in the likes of JB Hi-Fi is about as good as finding a snow flake in Hell.

[Rick A]

Given the circumstances, who could blame them.

[tomalophicon]

Again customers are treated like crooks. No wonder we don't want to buy retail.

[Poisson Du Jour]

^ The crux of the matter is best summed up in the post by wotalegend and I agree with it entirely.

[tomalophicon]

Ha? So if you get a knowledgable, unbiased review of the camera you're happy to pay them 2 hours' wages for it?

This, IMO, will drive more people to the internet. And those disgruntled won't shop at JBHIFI's 'grey' webstore.

[Sirius Glass]

When I sold cameras while I was in college, I would spend a half hour to an hour and a half selling a camera to have the customer drive across town and buy it elsewhere to save $2. Then they would come back for help because they did not understand the directions.

[Poisson Du Jour]

Ha? So if you get a knowledgable, unbiased review of the camera you're happy to pay them 2 hours' wages for it?

This, IMO, will drive more people to the internet. And those disgruntled won't shop at JBHIFI's 'grey' webstore.

That's right. Should we be expecting Harvey Norman to introduce a "pestilence fee", to make a quick buck on the sideline? What else could turn you away?

I buy all of my gear from the web, as I know many on APUG do. That's why retail in Australia is carping, wanting the GST threshold raised to curb shoppers' relentless pursuit of goods online — now valued in the billions. For me, when and if I can help it, no money is spent locally on film, cameras, lenses, filters, etc. E6 and printing is the only stuff I actively organise, travel for, oversee production and pay for it. Retail stores lost their grip and focus years ago, but some good ones do exist: Melbourne APUGers will know who I mean. It is now consumer-driven, "the next best thing" and "must have" at any price. The mentioned Ted's in this thread was once a top-notch store with a serious professional outlet upstairs run by seriously professional photographers. Along came a digital and the game changed: it's now a bag place: bags, pouches, gimmicks and gizmos. The hard-sell approach by JB HiFi often results in being swamped with useless information, but they have, according to my niece, beaten the pants off a competitor when she haggled for a better price for a Nikon (can't recall the model). She was told to go there because my sister and her hubby are shareholders in JB HiFi (!). Thankfully, Michaels, a very long established cameras bolthole close by, still looks after film photographers and passionately endeavours to source film cameras, even if the young guns there need some steering back on course with conversations that sometimes drift: "...you might be very impressed by the results from digital compared to that..." (pointing dismissively to my Pentax 67!). I reckon here on APUG beginners would get much better, honest, truthful and grounded advice than walking into a retail outlet and expecting to invoke the power of Hades in a few precious minutes.

[JBrunner]

If this becomes a trend, can I start charging people who bug me a nuisance fee?

[RoNinHeart]

If this becomes a trend, can I start charging people who bug me a nuisance fee?

I used to advocate for a P.I.N. fee where I used to work. (Pain In Neck)