Misleading Ads
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Chris and I had a recent bad experience with a retailer on their installment program. (I think Rhonda's ears must be red and sore from all the complaining I did to her)
Now, they have been advertising their installment program as having
"Maximum Credit up to 8X your salary"
"It's one-time pre-approved credit limit"
Besides that, they advertised (yes you can even see if off their webpage), additional perks like
"Hassle-free, one time approval"
"No need to reapply with subsequent purchases"
"No home ownership required"
"No minimum income needed"
"Up to 60 months to pay"
Since some months back, we bought our TV and entertainment system from them, and we were automatically added to their Ready Credit program and they even gave us a card for it.
Now, what does the average consumer understand from "One-time Pre-Approved Credit Limit"? We read it as pre-approved credit limit which we can use and pay on instalment basis, something like a credit card, but only with the store, and we do not need to have to face and deal with approvals on whether we can buy the product via instalment and go back another day to collect the item we want to purchase with the "No need to reapply with subsequent purchases"
Anyhow, the 2nd time we made a purchase, it was to buy the iPhoto and a digital camera. We thought we could collect the item immediately but the sales person advised that she needs approval from their credit officer before she can hand us the goods, as we were down late that day, we agreed to go back the next day to collect our items.
However, the sales person called back the next day telling me that she can't get it approved as "the credit officer cannot reach anyone at the office" I said that it is a Sunday, so how does she even expect to reach anyone. I said that what I understand is that this is supposed to make life easy for the consumer, and if this is the case, I should have paid with my credit card, which has 0% instalment ANYWAY and I earn points. To add insult to injury, the reason why the credit officer won't approve was because they had to check if Chris still had a job!
I understand if the company have to make periodic checks on the customer's financial standing but we bought this in slightly over 2 months and for our first purchase, we are paying much more per month than the required instalment amount. I really question the company's ad which they have been pushing and advertising so aggressively because they are advertising one thing, practising another. The company should have an understanding of a customer's payment history, and not inconvinencing the customer by having checks with every purchase.
If this Ready Credit Card given cannot act like a credit card, they might as well make customers reapply with every purchase since this is exactly what they are doing now, since we have to reproduce our IC again for the purchase.
What I find amazing is how the customer service (yes we wrote in a lengthy letter about their advertisements and the actual delivery) has no better explaination than a standard bureucractic reply that it is their SOP to check on all purchases, which really goes back to the point of "WHY ADVERTISE THAT IT IS HASSLE FREE AND A ONE TIME THING" if you are going to check EVERYTHING from scratch anyways, without taking into consideration the payment history and such!
Anyway, we won't be buying anything from this retail chain again. -
C*urts?
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What do you think?Originally posted by Deportivo:C*urts?
It's pretty obvious
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I had once trying to help a friend. She wanted to use my credit card to pay for an installment. Bcoz I wasnt there, the C*urts staffs actually asked me to go down personally to commit on the installment. I told them that I could actually give them my credit card number & my full name via the phone. That was what I did with Dell-computers (I bought three). After all, I am the one taking the risk. But the staffs insisted me going down presonally. To do what.... I dont know... I am thinking even thou if I made the trip personally & let them 'slot' my credit card.. they wouldn't bother to check on my signature with the one at the back. I dont know..maybe I am ignorant..
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yes it is.Originally posted by elindra:What do you think?
It's pretty obvious 
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Maybe they scared it is a stolen credit cardOriginally posted by moonstone:I had once trying to help a friend. She wanted to use my credit card to pay for an installment. Bcoz I wasnt there, the C*urts staffs actually asked me to go down personally to commit on the installment. I told them that I could actually give them my credit card number & my full name via the phone. That was what I did with Dell-computers (I bought three). After all, I am the one taking the risk. But the staffs insisted me going down presonally. To do what.... I dont know... I am thinking even thou if I made the trip personally & let them 'slot' my credit card.. they wouldn't bother to check on my signature with the one at the back. I dont know..maybe I am ignorant.. -
u shldnt be buying from that place at all. at least for cameras.
if u want, i can tell u a list of shops perpetually recommended by frequent buyers -
Ok pm me a listOriginally posted by bismarck:u shldnt be buying from that place at all. at least for cameras.
if u want, i can tell u a list of shops perpetually recommended by frequent buyers
Aiya it was an on the way by the way thingy for the camera
Since I didn't know what to buy for my dad for father's day
Lazy to shop around anyway.
To me, shopping around might save me some bucks but factor in the petrol and parking and time the price is the same liao, unless I go to the place straight. -
Well, you know the old rule-of-thumb: if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.
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decided to share this for the benefit of everyone
cathay photo( 1 at peninsular plaza, 1 at marina sq-metro there)
paris silk (unknown, AMK?)
alan photo (at sim lim sq lvl 1, some like this place some hate it.)
john 3:18(funan lvl 4 ?. maybe slightly more expensive but heard service is good)
cant remember more offhand. just dont go to other shops in lucky plaza, far east and other shops in SLS, unless u happen to be a carrot, tourist or too rich
1 thing to note is that, if u find the prices in 1 of the shops abv being abit more expensive it's because they do provide excellent advice and after sales service. eg john 3:18(the chinese guy is the boss) -
Ehhh, I think it's an individual thing, biz. I've been going to the same guy in Far East for ages, and between my old man and myself we've bought enough gear from him to put his kids through college overseas. The net result is that I get a volume discount from the guy, and he knows me well enough to tell me bluntly if a certain product sucks, instead of pushing it like the distributor wants him to.
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well. thats what others most ppl who bought volumes and tourists think.Originally posted by Gedanken:Ehhh, I think it's an individual thing, biz. I've been going to the same guy in Far East for ages, and between my old man and myself we've bought enough gear from him to put his kids through college overseas. The net result is that I get a volume discount from the guy, and he knows me well enough to tell me bluntly if a certain product sucks, instead of pushing it like the distributor wants him to. -
i think paris silk is at holland village?Originally posted by bismarck:decided to share this for the benefit of everyone
cathay photo( 1 at peninsular plaza, 1 at marina sq-metro there)
paris silk (unknown, AMK?)
alan photo (at sim lim sq lvl 1, some like this place some hate it.)
john 3:18(funan lvl 4 ?. maybe slightly more expensive but heard service is good)
cant remember more offhand. just dont go to other shops in lucky plaza, far east and other shops in SLS, unless u happen to be a carrot, tourist or too rich
1 thing to note is that, if u find the prices in 1 of the shops abv being abit more expensive it's because they do provide excellent advice and after sales service. eg john 3:18(the chinese guy is the boss) -
if so, then there's another shop at AMK.Originally posted by Estee:i think paris silk is at holland village?
i nvr go to PS before. so i dunno where is it -
I guess it is good to ask around... to find out where is good to buy what.. what is good to buy where.. etc etc..
personally.. never bought anything from c*urts b4.. service so so price ex..
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The one in AMK is the one in the same building as the S-11 in AMK central near jubilee cinema.
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That would be MS Color, at the round shop next to S-11, which's next to Jubilee...Originally posted by ShrodingersCat:The one in AMK is the one in the same building as the S-11 in AMK central near jubilee cinema.
Anyway, here's a link: http://www.mscolor.com.sg/
You can actually enquire from the website a quotation for your camera and...
The service down there is pretty good too, even if you don't buy. Pricewise, it should be one of the cheapest around but you should always try bargaining down, or getting some extra accessories with the camera.
Hope this is useful...
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talkin' about cams, hey, ED, got your cam yet?
we may be going to the zoo again..
this time, maybe you go be official photog while i go eat ice cream and look around -
Nope, didn't get it afterall... heh...Originally posted by the Bear:talkin' about cams, hey, ED, got your cam yet?
we may be going to the zoo again..
this time, maybe you go be official photog while i go eat ice cream and look around
You cannot go eat ice cream and look around then...
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I was going to suggest that the Bear pass his camera to you on that day so you could take the photos. ... ... ...Originally posted by EricDraven:Nope, didn't get it afterall... heh...
You cannot go eat ice cream and look around then...
Then, I remembered that when we visited the zoo previously, you took lots of shots of backsides... animal backsides, people backsides... I remember Bear looking through the photos you took and asking you, 'What's this fixation with backsides?!'
Soooo... nope, don't think we want to see yet more backside photos on this outing! -
Yet another Club 30 topic gone out of point
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Originally posted by elindra:Yet another Club 30 topic gone out of point
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Buy your cameras from Cathay Photo at Peninsula Plaza, The Camera Workshop at Peninsula Shopping Centre, John 3:16 at Funan,Alan Photo at Funan and MS Color in AMK.Originally posted by bismarck:u shldnt be buying from that place at all. at least for cameras.
if u want, i can tell u a list of shops perpetually recommended by frequent buyers
I've bought my cam stuff from CP and Alan Photo and they give good and fair quotes. -
John 3:16 are nice chaps.My friend and I even borrowed their power for a while to transfer our photoshoot pics onto our iBooks.Originally posted by bismarck:decided to share this for the benefit of everyone
cathay photo( 1 at peninsular plaza, 1 at marina sq-metro there)
paris silk (unknown, AMK?)
alan photo (at sim lim sq lvl 1, some like this place some hate it.)
john 3:18(funan lvl 4 ?. maybe slightly more expensive but heard service is good)
cant remember more offhand. just dont go to other shops in lucky plaza, far east and other shops in SLS, unless u happen to be a carrot, tourist or too rich
1 thing to note is that, if u find the prices in 1 of the shops abv being abit more expensive it's because they do provide excellent advice and after sales service. eg john 3:18(the chinese guy is the boss)
A lil more steep but their friendliness and honesty shines through. -
duplicated.