Camera Shop Scams
January 10th, 2008 | 
Author: All too often we hear about people who have been conned by Lanzarote camera shops, into parting with their hard-earned cash for a camera or electrical goods that are either fake, below par, or mis-sold. A prime example is paying €300 for a MXJVC camera, that is actually available for about £15 on Ebay – and is nothing to do with JVC
Before making any kind of purchase of digital cameras, or electronic equipment etc, be sure to shop around for price and quality comparisons. If the shop you are in does not want to let you go, and is coercing you into buying their products – then get out of there quickly, as 9 times out of 10 they are up to no good.
The number of times we have seen people practically pulled into these shops from the street. British people are notoriously polite, and do not wish to offend. You’ll have to be tough with this one – and say “NO” firmly.
If however, it is too late, and you are not happy with your new purchase, or you feel that you have been dishonestly looked after, you DO have the right to make a formal complaint in writing on the premises of the business.
First of all, ask for the ”Claim book” or “Libro de Reclamación”. By law every establishment must have one on the premises.
2. Fill in the green and white copies in front of the shop keeper.
3. Keep all your receipts as proof of purchase – both the shop receipts and any credit card slips.
4. Submit the sheets to the Departamento de Consumo at the Cabildo Building in El Reducto, Arrecife, within one calendar month in order for them to take action. Your claim is only valid if you submit the sheet directly to the department of Consumer Protection in Arrecife.
Remember… bargains are usually good – but beware of something that seems TOO much of a bargain!
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56 Responses to “Camera Shop Scams”
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Long post I’m afraid.
My wife and I were in Costa Teguise Jan/Feb 2010 and were browsing in the shopping arcade opposite Los Zocos. A very friendly Asian man stopped us as we were passing by a camera shop and asked if I wanted to exchange the one I was carrying (a 15 year old 35mm SLR) as he would give me a good price. Despite my saying no my wife suggested that I had nothing to lose and so we went into his shop where we were subjected to the hard sell with 3 different people asking me questions and trying to show me various cameras. When I tried to leave they took hold of my arms and claimed I had promised to buy one of their cameras. Their attitude became threatening until I pointed to my wife who was stood in the doorway recording the scene and the conversation on her mobile phone after which they were suddenly very friendly and asked if I had enjoyed their little joke(!). We left the shop after I had shown them my English Police warrant card and asked for directions to the Guardia Civil station. We have had similar situations in Fuerteventura (same family I understand) and are veterans of Egypt, Turkey and Vietnam shops and markets. If you can, try and record what happens and threaten THEM that you will go to the Police and/or put the film on Youtube so that everyone will know.
Apart from that we thoroughly enjoyed our stay in CT and are planning to return in Jan 2011 for a month.
Good for you for taking precautions! We’d love to see that video. Any chance you could pop it onto YouTube and post a link? Of course if you’d rather not, then we’ll respect your privacy too.
Elle xx
Hi,
Nice to read that you could leave without buying. Close to the same thing happened to me at Playa De Las Americas, Tenerife. At a shop called Mickey Electronics at the beach I was more or less forced to buy. The “adventure” did cost me 90 euro. The same type of persons as yours. I was alone, so no evidence.
I will have to put those 90 euros on my learning account.
Conny
The recording was wiped I’m afraid (we decided to record parts of two acts at The Lighthouse – Gary Gibson as Elvis and Gazza – to show to friends when we returned to UK). However, as the mobile phone doesn’t allow much recording time we’ve invested in a digital camcorder (bought in UK) and will be taking that back with us – just in case! I know it’s a different subject but chatting to some of the bar owners/managers it appears that the all inclusive holidays are responsible for lower attendance at bars and restaurants. We always travel self catering, not only to give us variety but also to put something financial back into the local community. This is a terrific forum and we’ll be checking on it regularly till next Jan – can’t wait.
Never mind – and at the end of the day I’m happy that you have some happy memories to take home with you.
Yes all-inclusive has affected low attendance at a lot of places – although it’s not solely to blame.
Glad you like this site! If you fancy sharing some of your experiences in somewhere with a few Costa Teguise fans… then head over to http://www.canarynightlife.net/forum. It’s another one of our sites, and the link I have given you is direct into the forum. The main site is http://www.canarynightlife.com. Most of the posts are in the “General” section where quite a few play games – but I know for sure that we have a number of Costa Teguise visitors and residents that pop in regularly. Look out for people like Bob Cunningham, Ali, Jude, Mush, DrRobert, – to name just a few!
Elle xx
PS: Sorry guys – I’ll get back on topic now. x
Dreams in Benidorm!!! I got stung there too but my yashica hdv5mr30 actually works but the charger was lost and boy am I having a problem replacing so if anyone can help I would be grateful, Apart from paying over the odds for the damn thing I actually like it but could have saved a fortune if Id bought it in Lanzarote!