Beware buying cameras in the Canaries

1st April - 2002
By Ian Burley

Digital Photography Now sources indicate that hundreds of British tourists are being targeted by unscrupulous consumer electronics retailers in the Canary Islands. Buyers of digital cameras and camcorders, in particular, are reportedly being conned into paying inflated prices.

Reports indicate that the culprits are using the commercial likenesses of familiar UK store groups, like Dixons and, especially, Jessops, the largest photography retail chain in Britain.

The strategy of these fake establishments is to get you interested in a camera that is priced unbelievably low. You get to handle the demo model and when you decide to snap up the bargain, your payment is accepted, only for you to be disappointed when the sale person tells you the one and only example in stock of what you have paid for is faulty. It’s then that the sales person will try to get you pay more for something else that usually turns out to be massively over priced. The natural instinct to get your money back is met with dogged resistance from the shop…

Our advice is: avoid shops in the Canaries that appear to be branches of Dixons or Jessops; these UK companies deny that they have branches outside of the UK. Always pay by credit card. This affords much more protection than cash. If, after payment has been accepted, there is an attempt to fob you off, stand your ground and demand a full refund.

If you have experienced this kind of underhand sales tactic, either in the Canaries or anywhere else, for that matter, get in touch. All feedback will be treated in the strictest confidence – click here.
 

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