Poor Advise From Best Buy

[jamesm007]

True story, if some of you have been following I just reviewed the Kodak Z612 and the Canon S3, for me the Kodak was better. I was in Best Buy today killing some time while my wife was down the street at a hotel for a family reunion on her side (I needed a break) while looking at the cameras some gentleman came up to the cameras and started looking the sales men asked him if he needed some help, he said he was looking for a zoom camera that takes good pics and did not give a price range. The salesmen told him the best could be had with DSLRs and worked his way down. The salesmen showed him the Panasonic saying it had the best IS in the business and the canon S5 then the Sony H9, completely passing up the Kodak Z712 the buyer even asked if their was anything else for a zoom camera and he said no. I could not take it any longer and proceded to interrupt the salesmen and tell the customer that that I had both the canon S3 and the Kodak z612 for a couple of weeks and that I felt he should spend his money on what he was looking for and what would make him happy but do not overlook the Kodak z712, that it takesl great pics. I believe something is amiss at Best Buy over Kodak. The sales men really believes what he is taught but something is not right.

 

[TTple]

It seems that all salesmen at Best Buy and Circuit city are trained to put down Kodak cameras. Whenever I mention them I get the smirk and the head shake.

 

[Loraine Arnold]

I have seen the same thing happen at a Best Buy near me. I have been tempted to leave a great 4x6 photo taken by my Kodak camera near the Kodak ones at Best Buy. Samples do a lot for influencing people to buy as then they can see the quality.

I went to Best Buy looking at the new Kodak AIO printers. I had an SD card with one of my photos on it. The salesman let me print it with one of the display models and it looked geat. I bought the Kodak printer. If I hadn't asked for that though I think he would have shown me the Canon ones first.
--
Loraine Arnold
Canon 20D, Kodak C875, Kodak Z712
http://www.lorainearnoldimages.com

 

[chiue]

that their camera are infact as good or even better that the competitors.

The general public believe that Canon, Sony, Pana, Nikon etc produces better camera than Kodak. And people go for the big names. In this regard, I would not really blamed on the saleman. They are here to make profit and sales. It will be much more easier to sell a Canon product than tring to convince a potential customer that Kodak should not be overlooked.

This is not an easy task, but Kodak will have to build up their name first like Canon did in camera. Then people will follow thru.

Like the 35mm films business. When people think of film they thing of Kodak Film. When they think of Slide, they think of Kodakchrome. When they think of B&W film, they think of Tri-X Pan.

chiue
880, 7590, 6440

 

[Digirame]

I think Kodak has been producing a lot of low-end digital cameras, so the perception is that all Kodak cameras are not as good. It sounds like the P880, Z612 and Z712IS are examples of fine high quality cameras. They need to build their reputation on quality and superior technological design...and then do extensive marketing....

 

[Atindra]

I agree 100% and more surprising thing is Kodak is marred by its cheap price!!!!

General mass think, that since kodaks are cheaper they are not good. But the reality is Kodak is better despite of cheap prices. about 10 years ago Kodak film cameras (simple point&shoot for common public) had very good reputation and very effective advt campaign in India but now I dont see any advt in favor of Kodak's new Digital models.
Atindra

 

[Ronak Gandhi]

Its not only some salesmen. Wherever there is some discussion on cameras, it is only about canon olympus and nikon. I don't know why people ignore Kodak. When I purchased the Z612, I was really getting critiques like, why the hell anybody would buy a Kodak. And the funny part is, even after seeing the photos they don't accept that my Kodak is outperforming their canon olympus and sony.

I am again getting same critiques as I have decided to go for the P880.
--
Ronak

 

[Atindra]

I was in same situation after buying DX6490 and in those days I was fortunate that photos from this camera shut the mouths of most critiques.
Did you get those Kodaks (P880 and Z612) in India or elsewhere?
Atindra

 

[james2k50]

Ronak,

No offense but you shouldn't let other people dictate your decisions. This is what I was told by someone else in this forum. I honestly did not realize how much I was relying on what other people think until I was told. It's easy for us to see the faults of other people besides our own. I think you know what I mean without me explaining.

If your camera is doing what you want then why not be happy with it? Every camera has its quirks and even the ones you pay a lot of money for.

Regards,
James (james2k50)

http://s203.photobucket.com/albums/aa246/james2k50/

Its not only some salesmen. Wherever there is some discussion on
cameras, it is only about canon olympus and nikon. I don't know why
people ignore Kodak. When I purchased the Z612, I was really getting
critiques like, why the hell anybody would buy a Kodak. And the funny
part is, even after seeing the photos they don't accept that my Kodak
is outperforming their canon olympus and sony.

I am again getting same critiques as I have decided to go for the P880.
--
Ronak

 

[Kenneth Margulies]

i think that Kodak has lost the battle, if not the war.

i have no indication that the company knows how to advertise their camera line, or even that they are interested.

i love my P880...but i view it is the last gasp in the attempt to make something that is a better value than what the competition offers. and Kodak let it die.
the experience at "best buy" is typical across the usa and indeed the world.
no salesman recommends a Kodak.
people ask for i-pods over the competition--they are better products.
nobody asks for kodak except an increasingly small number of fans.
and the company just drifts along.
btw--can anyone name the current adverstising theme for kodak cameras?
i remember the Paul Anka song and the great ads from the past.

who is Kodak's spokesperson? i have no idea. i know from researching what makes certain Kodak cameras unique--does their advertising get the message out to the consumer?...no.

my bet is they will be out of producing any consumer digital cameras in a few years.
i hope i am wrong.

 

[KALLIAS]

Sales men in this is stores are purely educated and informed so when someone ask them for a camera they drive him in to the “great names” I think this is normally, it is Kodak responsibility to educate them and inform them and finally train them into photography…. It is not so simple is not just an advertisement strategy this must be the spirit of the company for the next 50 years to inform all over the word that they make good if not the best cameras…

Is there anybody to tell me why all the sales persons in Crete Greece says no do not buy a Kodak buy a Canon – Minolta, Nikon etc… where is the Kodak in Greece I mean Kodak Near east inc, where I was working for a while before 13 years… Is it so difficult to organize in a big hotel in Athens a sort two days training for the sales persons…??? To inform them why P712 could be better than Fz7 or canon S3…???

--
pls copy&paste 'www.photo.net/photos/m.s'

 

[KALLIAS]

Forgot to say that there is a small secret, a global cold war between Kodak and resellers, Kodak is the one of the few if not the only one with an on line internet store, I remember when I bought a second battery for my P712, and looking for bag that the salesman (owner of the store), was a little hungry (a kind of), when I was demanding for prices according to the internet store.

For sure this is a strong pressure from Kodak, and all we have to respect this decision of the company….

--
pls copy&paste 'www.photo.net/photos/m.s'

 

[CookiePA]

I had an interesting experience last evening--the salesman at Office Max, of all places, was really pushing the Kodak Z712 over all the other models except the Canon S3, and his opinion was that for the price, the Kodak was the best choice.

What's really sad is that in the dawn of the digital camera age, Kodak had outstanding cameras, but they were pricey (first digital camera I ever used was a Kodak, but it was almost $1,000 for a P & S), and when the other players got into the market with lower-priced cameras, Kodak, as usual, gave up its advantage in camera know-how with its failure to understand & meet the market's needs. It then, as opposed to now, had the reputation of being overpriced. Now it appears they will have to overcome that issue. Kodak made/makes great products, for the most part, but their marketing and foresight have left much to be desired over the last 20 years. And their failure to listen to their people (the production workers told them the "disc" camera was poorly engineered, but engineering and management didn't want to hear it, thus that money-losing disaster--the issues with that little snapshot camera could possibly have been fixed if Kodak had listened).

 

[Tholek]

I LOVED the Disc camera. They were so well made. I still can't bring myself to get rid of them despite no film in existence now. I wish Kodak still made it. Even if just for a bit of nostalgia, I'd like to be able to use it again.

 

[CookiePA]

Kodak's R&D and it's marketing have been God-awful over the last 2 decades or longer. Every time they came out with a great idea, they either failed to fully develop it and let the competition grab the advantage, failed to develop a full range of products to satisfy the market, and/or failed to come up with a sound marketing strategy. E.g., they made great copiers--failed to market them properly; made the best of the digital cameras (the DCS line) way back at the beginning, then failed to develop an inexpensive consumer line, and on and on and on. Now that they are making high-quality, very competitively priced digitals, they cannot seem to get the word out. Their marketing sucks raw eggs, to say the least.

They also got into some product lines that weren't their core businesses, and floundered. They are a shadow of what was once a great company. I used to live in Rochester, and it is so frustrating to see this company now--their largest plant is now totally gone--sold. It is very sad.

 

[Kenneth Margulies]

they don't even know how to market what they own.

imagine a "kodachrome" setting on their cameras that would give those bright colors.
well known copyrighted term...and they ignore it.
i am convinced the marketing team needs to be replaced.
i could do a better job.

Kodak's R&D and it's marketing have been God-awful over the last 2
decades or longer. Every time they came out with a great idea, they
either failed to fully develop it and let the competition grab the
advantage, failed to develop a full range of products to satisfy the
market, and/or failed to come up with a sound marketing strategy.
E.g., they made great copiers--failed to market them properly; made
the best of the digital cameras (the DCS line) way back at the
beginning, then failed to develop an inexpensive consumer line, and
on and on and on. Now that they are making high-quality, very
competitively priced digitals, they cannot seem to get the word out.
Their marketing sucks raw eggs, to say the least.

They also got into some product lines that weren't their core
businesses, and floundered. They are a shadow of what was once a
great company. I used to live in Rochester, and it is so frustrating
to see this company now--their largest plant is now totally
gone--sold. It is very sad.

 

[CookiePA]

I hear you! I'm in marketing, and know I could do a better job myself! I don't know anymore who their agency is, but they should be fired yesterday, if not sooner! I think they were using some out-of-town, hotshot agency when there are agencies right in Rochester who are dynamite!

i could do a better job.>

 

[Polish Sumgai]

The last camera I purchased was a Canon SD450 and was ready to buy an S3 to replace it. A good friend on another forum told me about a Kodak he had ( my camera before the SD450 was a Kodak ) so I started to look at them. Going to a couple store close by and playing with the S3 and the Z612 I decided on the Z612. I purchased it from Kodak direct - a refurbished one for $174. Can't wait to start using it.

Kodak really needs to educate both salespeople and the consumer on their camera. I know Canon has reps that call on BestBuy on a regular basis and I am sure they have some influence on the salespeople by educating them on Canon DC's. I don't know what Kodak does on a 1 to 1 basis with sales people, but whatever it is they need to improve on it.

 

[jamesm007]

I bought the Kodak Z710 just as an impulse purchase I had been wanting a new camera and it was around by birthday and I had some cash to burn so I decided just to stop at the store and buy a new camera spending around $200 - $250. I picked Kodak because my last camera that I still own is a Kodak DC5000 all weather camera that I paid $600 for, it has been a tank and can handle any weather or as rated my Kodak dropped 3' onto concrete without affecting its picture taking ability. The DC5000 also took nice pics. I also was aware of the Kodak color that is a little punchy or whatever and I like that in my colors. So it was the old name that I knew and trusted and I bought the Z710, 7mp 12x zoom, nice looking like a little DSLR. Went home and then did the research. Things started to look bad for the Z710 after I read the reviews especially compared to the Z612 that I saw also but passed up on thinking it was an older model. I decided to take the camera back and get the Z612 the reviews where good for it and although I did not like losing a meg of resolution the optical IS made up for it.

Now if I had done the research I can guarantee you I would not have bought from Kodak, I would have gotten the Canon S3 based on cnets report.

 

[SheltieDog]

I wonder what Best Buy thinks of the Pana FZ18?

My wife has the Z612 and it is a nice little camera, but it does have some "features" that I don't care for. I have been wanting a new zoom camera to replace my DX7590 and be a nice compliment to my DSLR. I almost pulled the trigger on a Z712 the other day, after the latest price decrease. But I just can't do it! I can't see "settling" for a new camera that may not be better than the DX7590. I am sticking with my old reliable DX7590 until a new super zoom camera comes out that has the features that I want!

The S3 IS is nice........not sure if the S5 IS would be nicer. I need to check out the Sony H9 and Canon S5 IS in person. But now, I also need to wait until I can learn more about the Panasonic FZ18.