Tenerife Scams – Bullied into Buying
There are some reputable shops to buy quality electronics at a fair price. KriPlus in Las Chafiras and Media Markt in the north are good examples. If you are going to go shopping for electronics in Tenerife then first check out the prices of the items you are after in the websites of these two companies first. They will be selling at more or less the recommended retail price. If you are offered the same item at an outrageous discount by some cowboy in Los Cristianos you know you are buying a fake.
The tourism industry in Tenerife attracts not only those who would make a good living out of providing legitimate services to holidaymakers, it also attracts those who would grow as fat on Tenerife tourist scams as ticks on terriers.
It is not only naive first-time tourists that get taken in either. In his own words, “James”, describes himself and his wife as, “… not naive honeymooners. We are well travelled and experienced – not the sort of people you would expect to be hood-winked in Tenerife. If it can happen to us, it can happen to anyone.”
James’ experience, told in his own words below, is one that is shared by far too many other Tenerife visitors every single day.
Your best defence is not to be afraid to give offence
My wife and I were visiting Tenerife in January. On the second day of our holiday we visited the nearby shopping centre at San Eugenio. I had my camera with me (Canon EOS 400D) as per normal. As we approached Sherina Electronics, Centro Comercial San Eugenio, Local 33, Playa de Americas, X-1381968-J, Tenerife, a shopkeeper asked if he could have a look at my camera so I let him have a look and he invited us into the shop.
He wanted to show me the images on my camera in HD. Without my consent he called upon a second person to programme the memory card at first, then the camera itself and displayed the images on a standard TV. For doing this uncalled for task the assistant demanded in excess of 800€ which I refused to pay. He reduced the sum to 689€ which I still refused to pay. I asked for the programme to be removed but was informed this could not be done and was asked to pay 689€ or he would retain the camera. Reluctantly I paid by credit card.
Recognising I wasn’t happy the salesman immediately mentioned upgrading the camera in part-exchange for our existing one. He brought out a Canon EOS 550D then went into great detail about the benefits of the camera much of which I later learned was simply untrue. Every time I asked a question the assistant would confuse the issue and even offered my wife and I drinks to distract us from the point. After some considerable time we ended up paying 3140€ by credit card.
The assistant brought out a ‘grip’, charger and memory cards. Again, when we questioned the price he would delve into details about the functions of the bits and pieces and cause confusion and all the time spinning a whole load of yarn. He also showed us the price on the bottom of the packaging/box trying to convince us he was not over charging. These items cost us a further 986€ for which he asked if we could pay by cash. I refused and paid by credit card.
Prior to returning to the UK we found out that we could complain to the local European Consumer Office in Los Cristianos and got a form to complete. As we did not have much time left in Tenerife, we returned to the shop to sort things out. The shady assistant offered a full refund if I could purchase the same camera for less and have the camera in my possession at the lower price. I took him up on the offer. However, when we got near to the other shop where I had been given a much lower quote the assistant decided to chicken out.
He asked me to return at 7pm when the manager would be there but I asked that he meet me instead at 4pm. I received a telephone call saying could not make 4pm and had received an arrangement by fax. Upon returning to shop, I queried all the prices and was given an offer of 230€ or 780€ in “gifts”, plus the return of our old camera. Taking this all into account we still ended up paying 3/4 times over the odds.
Since contacting Canon UK I now know that my original camera could not have been programmed for HD imaging and that I had been hooked into the shop on a scam from the moment the first salesman spied my wife and I walking in the area with our camera on view. From the outset, the people in this shop used a sophisticated (and well practised) routine to confuse us into parting with our money on what amounted to little more than a cheap con trick.
Name and Shame
Many of the scams that are pulled daily in Tenerife rely on you being bullied or confused into parting with money. As James’s story illustrates, everything starts off very nicely but quickly escalates. His first mistake was letting the camera shop cowboy get his hands on his camera in the first place. It all went downhill very rapidly from that point.
Don’t be afraid to be rude. Tell pushy sales people to p*** off as soon as you start feeling pressured. But James was not pulled in by high pressure. The camera shop man approached him with a friendly manner and asked to see his camera. BOOM!
Information is key. The more Tenerife tourists that are armed with knowledge of this type of scummy operation, the fewer will get burned and the better off that will be for Tenerife’s reputation as a great holiday destination.
If this has happened to you, first go here for resources to help you: Ripped Off in Tenerife and then share your story so others know what and who to avoid.
Alleged Camera Shop Cowboys
We receive regular comments and emails from those who have been ripped off in Tenerife. Obviously we have no way of checking whether every one of the shops listed here are using heavy-handed or unfair tactics to sell second rate products.
It is entirely possible that one scummy cowboy came across this page by accident and decided to send numerous emails and comments over a number of years bad-mouthing his competitors. Possible but unlikely. So if after reading lal the cautionary tales on eTenerife you are still determined to buy that camera, steer clear of anything branded Yashica and take extra caution if dealing with any of these shops:
- TEAM Cash and Carry
- Dream Cash and Carry
- Goodwill S. C.
- Buy & Fly
- Tip Top Regalos
- Media World
- DREAMZ
I have had an identical experience as J & A this January past also. The very same shop as well. The managers appointment always seems to be the day before you depart Tenerife, how convenient. What sticks in my throat is that I have visited them every year for the last seven or eight and to some extent began to trust them as being reasonable in pricing their products. They used to be named Atlanta before they became Sherina but will be changing their name again before long as they told me it was better for business. Whatever their new name is next, they are to be avoided like the plague. After ripping me off the manager even suggested I write to him if I had any problems with my vastly overpriced produdt. They even asked me to recommend them to all and sundry when I returned home, I think that is dreaming on their part.
I had the same experience in this shop and returned to Norway the 23 of march 2011. The day before I were in this shop with my wife and were fooled to pay 850 euro after an offer at 260. So, the system works. They also asked me when I should leave and when I told next day the activity increased and I ended up paying 855 euro, but I left the shop, took the shite with me and went directly to the police and told the whole story. They act imidieatley and while we were standing there they brought inn the Seller in iron. The next morning at 9 I was on the courthouse and after a hearing the judge asked me to call the bank and stop the transaction and close the Card I had used. I did, and the police and the Prosecutor has obvious worked on this case because today the money were returned into my account again.
Thanks to the effektive work from bot Police and Prosecutor!
So, even if you have paid, claim back money before you leave the shop and be sure there are some vitness. Then walk directly to the police and tell the whole Story
Gunvald Matheussen
me and my wife were ripped of in tenarife by a shop called team cash and carry in playa de las americas we were sold a camare worth £129 we paid 854 euros
We recently got pulled into Team Cash and carry they said they had a 50% discount sale on. We were discussing tobacco prices but very soon they produced a Sony Camcorder which they were obviously trying to get us to buy. We had seen this camera previously in another genuine shop for 190Euros. Team cash and carry offered it to us for only 19 Euros. But it had to be purchased on a credit card. Well I wasn’t going to give them my credit card details so the sale never went through. Were they going to add a nought I wonder. Obviously there was some scam going on. Dont trust them . If it seems too good to be true It generally is.
Just returned from Tenerife. My husband also got caught by TEAM Cash and Carry. Got sucked in by “Michael” who is so friendly and unassuming and does the initial softening up and then passes one on to the technical expert who talks fast, gets the money for the initial camcorder, then produces all those addons which the camera needs and advises that one would be better off buying this other camera Yashica Europe GD-369 P which he said was a hard drive camcorder. On the box it says Yashica Europe GD-369 P High Definition Hard Disk Camcorder. He bought this camcorder for which he bargained down to €266. Anyway it is not a hard drive camcorder and one can pick up a camcorder the same or better in Aldi or Lidl for much less. I do not know if Yoshica Europe exists as I cannot find them on internet. I did find on web that Yoshica company LTD were taken over by ceramics giant Kyocera in 1983.”In 2005 Kyocera halted production on all Contax, Yashica and other branded film and digital cameras “.
Hi there,
I’m a Researcher working for Objective Productions, which have made programmes such as ‘The Real Hustle’ and ‘Dirty Tricks of the Tradesmen’.
We’re in the initial stages of producing a new series that will focus on the crimes that affect tourists and I’d be interested in talking to anyone who feels they may have been the victim of a tourist scam whilst on holiday.
Please feel free to email me at anaisbaker@objectiveproductions.com or call me on 0207 202 2415.
Many thanks,
Anais
how these people from team cash carry las americas sleep at night when they swindle people of somuch money they are no better than crooks
Has anyone heard of or had dealings with “Tenerife Experts” as I had a call yesterday 26/04/12 re a refund of money from a previous fraud that we had lost money to a company called “Freedom Vacation” in Los Cristianos about 5 years ago??
Could this be another Scam in a subtil lead up to asking for more money before getting any refund (if any) on our initial loss.
Any info or past experience of dealing with Tenerife Experts would be appreciated asap.
David
Hi David,
I do not know them however their name appears in a page listing timeshare cold callers which is a dodgy practice according to the TATOC Timeshare Association.
Also David… you are right. There is such a thing as a ‘sucker’s list’. This is an old post but look about halfway down: Timeshare in Tenerife – Know Before You Go
CAUTION TENERIFE – scam. BUY FULL HD VIDEO CAMERA YASCHICA Europe DG 410 J 16 MGp. I filmed for 2 months. FAILED turn on. MASTER said: NO CAMERAS INSIDE HDD. ADDED IRON for weight loss. FALSE. € 300. DISPOSAL Out.
We were ripped off in Los Cristianos this month (may 9th 2012), bought a Fuji SL260 camera for 838 euros from Mega Galleries. We got home to find this camera is £220 here—-What a rip off—never going to Canaries again. This is 1st time we have been caught out in 20+ years of travelling.
We have just returned from Tenerife (28.9.12) after falling victim to these horrendous people. All the techniques mentioned in the first post – and after two hours of bullying we ended up paying 895 euros for around £30 worth of equipment. So… be warned … we went to Mega-Markt, X-3577580-E, CC Ocean Centre, Loc No5, Avda. Rafael Puig, S/N, Playa de las Americas, Adeje, Tenerife. They operate from a shop fronted by clothes and cameras on the beach front very close to Playa Bobo.
@ Nick,
We have also returned from Tenerife just yesterday.My husband and I were tricked into buying a a HD camera which I thought was a bargain at £25. Having paid the cash,we were lead inside the shop called Media World in las americas,the shop is located by the beach.We were to be shown how good the camera and how it works.To our surprise they brought up this Yashica Europe Full-HD X-8 Camera ,the guy was explaining how this other camera has better features and that his original price is £1850,he even showed us the Jessops catalogues to compare the price.They deducted the price to 850 euros,we inssisted that we didn’t have money and didn’t plan to buy a camera,the guy cut down the price to 450,then to 360.We tried to resist and it was going on and on till they come up with 300 euros plus the 25 euros i had already paid.My husband has been to Tenerife before and had always aware of the camera scums ,he is so distressed and too upset to speak ,he just cannot believe that he was scammed.I am too upset and will never visit Tenerife ever.Thanks to everyone for sharing,I hope they will be closed down.
me and my husband was in tenerife and was scammed name of shop is cbkamps in los cristianos right beside the beach thay sold us a small cameria and then intraduied us to a better one which cost us 100 10 euros we were going home the next day bewhere ripe of people got home cameria not working feel stuiped we were conned into it by these people thay even gave us s 2 year guarantee warrenty in on it hitech worldwide these people should be done the shop name is cb kamps e7652644 los cristianoes tenerife when i go back again am going right into the shop with the cameria and the details thay gave us but i dont know if this can be reported now maybe to late but if on holiday try stay clear iof these rip of people
My husband and i have were in Teneife in November.Bought an Yashica Europe i pad from a shop on the main streeet called vido sonic they have now changed their name to Panasonic Mast.They probely change their name every few months if they scam people like us. I should have gone to the police but we were going home the next day.They charged us 300euro for the i pad and we could have bought it for 150euro in another shop. A lot of the goods are feak goods so be warned keep your money to spend at home.We are never buying anything there again.I am trying to get in contect with the European Consumer office to report this scam.This is doing the shops in Tenerife a lot of harm.
we too were harrassed into buying a yashica europe after buying a samsung camcorder for 60 euros and taken into the shop given a can of beer each on xmas nite at buy and fly x-3502125-F C.C.Litoral de Fanabe Local 64 Playa De Fanabe -L.64 Adeje Tenerife just kept on and on and after reading about every body elses experiences we feel we were lucky to have only lost 210 euros for a cheap crappy cam corder we also got shown the jessop catalouge and we went to jessops here in bath but they didn’t have any in stock!!! suprise suprise never again!!!!
My friend and i visited Tenerife in june 2012 and was really tricked indto bying 2 videocameras. Every started out as all the other people are telling, very nice and then it started to be nasty and all the time trying to upgrade the videocamera to something better and if so you will get spec. extra thing for the camera as photo frame etc. I felt the sales men was “twisted” my arms and we both get afraid, because they did not let us go in a way. It all ended up we payed together 1654 Euro and we run out of the shop. this happened at Mdeia World, Nie x 3949294-x , Afda, Francisco Andrade Fumero 12, CC Troya, local 10C, Playas las Americas, 38660 Arona
I have just returned from costa Adije in Tenerife and 2hours before my transfer to the airport I was also scammed. I did not even want the equipment I was sold merely a 23 euro video recorder/camera as a holiday gift. I was very pressured and stressed as I did not want to miss my coach and extremely mortified that in the end I parted with £1,900.00!!!! I do not know how I will pay my bills this month or next month. I don’t know how these people sleep at night. I stayed in 2star accommodation because I was on a low budget and will now have to take out a loan to pay for my stupidity – and I thought Tenerife would be a lovely place to visit with lovely people. How wrong was i. I have travelled in Europe a lot and have never met such nasty nasty people. I wonder how they would feel if this had happened to their mother. The authorities need to do something.
Just returned from Tenerife last night (8th February 2013). Experienced the same bullying tactics from Asian shopkeepers called Mega-Markt, X-3679580-E, C.C.OCEAN CENTER, Loc.No.5, Avda.Rafael Puig, S/N Playa De Las Americas, Adeje – Tenerife. We were shown a price of £1290 GBP on a Jessops Catalogue. He was originally asking 489 euros and came down to 248 euros for a Yashica HD-348A camcorder. He then said it would need a new HD card priced at 436 euros, as the one that came in the NEW boxed pack would only last 10 minutes and will need charging up every few minutes. He also said it would need a more powerful battery than a standard battery, but when he could see I realised it was a scam, he turned nasty and threatened to throw me out of the shop. I asked if I could have my money back or return the item back to him, and he replied we’re not allowed to take back secondhand goods even though it was brand new in the box & never used. In total it cost approx. £300 which I feel very bitter about, because it spoilt my holiday experience in Tenerife and vow I will NEVER EVER return again. I am sure the Tenerife Tourist Board must be aware of these scams / con artists, but if they’re not careful it will reflect on the tourist trade. I will, of course, be contacting the Tenerife Tourist Board to let them know of what I have experienced. EVERYONE OUT THERE – PLEASE BE AWARE OF THESE ASIAN TACTICS AND NOT BE BULLIED OR INTIMIDATED BY THEM. GOOD LUCK !!!
We just returned from Tenerife and were just like you horrendously scammed or “robbed” in Mega-Markt, X3679580-E. C.C. OCEAN CENTER, Loc. no 5. Avda Rafael Puig. S/N Playa De Las Americas, Adeje, Tenerife. We bought a cheap video for 42 euros and then my husband was taken into the other shop and the guy told me that they were waiting for the guarantee. I went back to the hotel and my husband came back 3 hours later very chocked and upset. Somehow they managed to sell a camera + a small touchpad “for free” + all addons for 2475 euros!
He promised that we would get an upgrade for the tab, and he called us on February 16, the day before our return flight. Silly enough we went to see him and the same show started again. He had sold a totally useless camera and tricked us somehow with all distractions included (he bought back all that we had bought) to try a better Sony Handicam + a new Yashica Touchpad IV (again for free). After 3 frightful hours we ended up with with another 3000 euros. I am normally a very sensible person – a little bit bitchy sometimes – but I do have the feeling this guy was using hypnosis or something to confuse us. Happy holiday! We will not leave it, we will contact the European Consumer Center and write directly to the Gobierno de Canarias in Adeja. It’s really a shem that these people are allowed to keep on with this. We have also decided that never Tenerife again! We will keep you informed how our claims are working.
**Estimados Señores,*
Adquirido el 26/11/2012, YashicaEurope un Tablet, Android versión 5.0 ful HD
3D comprimido – Modelo HD-desde 7.029 hasta 4,211,853 – Made in China, na NTM DIGITAL.
Debido a un esfuerzo en la pantalla, el cristal de vino a romper el contacto
vidrio, he’re no responde a los toques.
Busqué aquí en Brasil, y son este tipo de vidrio (toque) de sobra.
Me gustaría estar informado, ¿cómo puedo hacer para que el cristal o
reemplazar la unidad.
Gracias por su atención y espero con ansias.,
Atentamente,
Federico Di Santi
OBS,: Compra realizada por Visa – Baco Santander. Na NTMDIGITAL, Calle San Juan, 2 – Puerto de La Cruz – Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Im a owner of a shop in Tenerife, in The north Puerto de la Cruz. I Agree with everyone of you guys, Indians don’t stop stealing money from people and pressuring and bulling every single client they think they have money. It is very important to go to a good shop, and shouldn’t be indians as all of them play the same game. Im a Canarian person Born here and lived all my life. The tactic is to put on the showcase ridiculous prices for people to come in and ask for it.. then they turn into selling you something different that is supposed to be much better for a little more money… and like that they do to everyone. The one exposed you will never be able to buy as they always have a reason… ( no guarantee, or maybe it’s just a demo, or simply they say they don’t have the box in the store). I Have had many clients complaining about the same thing… in The north this also happens but they don’t hit as hard as in the south.
My shop is Called. “Xclusive Technology” you can visit us on our fan page on facebook just by typing that in, we are against knockoffs, we like to explain and always honest to our clients, we have been 28 years in the market, and never ever had a problem like this… Be aware with the hotels.. they are the ones who make u go to these shops, they get big commissions….
All this shops are in the beach side. they are not genuine electronics shop. if you have or had any problem with them. dont waist time and go directly to Policia Nacional. they will get a full refund of your money. if you are in tenerife just from the hotel dial 091
i went costa adeje march 8th 2013. on the 10th went for a walk a long the prom stopped at omy cash n carry los americas can not believe i got conned into buying a 10 inch lap top also got bullied into buying a adapter which he said lap top would not work with out it i kept telling him i did not need it but as i had already paid for lap top they would not let me out of shop with out buying it, this i did, now i have got home lap top will not charge up can not get anything out of it at all.took it to a computer shop they said there is nothing in it at all,and to add insult to injury the adapter when i put it in to my computer at shows a pic of shop and owner i have took advice on this they said they have had the adapter in a phone and took a picture, we are going back to tenerife in september, can any one advise me if i took it back and went to police would any thing happen towards getting my money back, i work hard for my money and feel really upset.
i sympathize with all of you who have been conned, but if you reflect back on the situation, you all have been lured into buying something cheap at first and then tricked into buying something more expensive. the lesson to be learnt here is that if it sounds too good to be true, it maybe is…
if you´re expecting to get a sony/panasonic camcorder for 19/29€ then you´re the one to blame. its like someone offering you a brand new mercedes for a 1000€, if you believe it, then you´re to blame.
like they say, forget the loss, don´t forget the lesson.
I was also Cheated Yesterday on the shop
MEGA MARKT
C.C OCEAN CENTER, LOCAL n. – 5
Avd. Rafael PUIG, s/n, Playa de las Americas,
38660 – ADEJE – Tenerife
On monday I will go to the Police. My history is the same as writing above.
I tested the camera Yashica 348 Video and Photo Camcoder yesterday evening. Tha quality of the picture and the photos was bad.
We were lured in to be shown a polarising filter and the guy couldn’t keep his fingers off my camera, he wanted to attach it to a TV screen but it looked like he was planning on putting it on a low shelf behind the counter and I didn’t fancy him stealing my lens and replacing it with a plastic one so I would not let go, after a couple of minutes his true character came out and he started hurling foul mouthed abuse at me and I walked out, from reading the stories above I think a plastic lens would have been the least of my problems. Phew !
On the first day of our holiday in Tenerife while out for a walk my husband was stopped by a man working for EUROPE CASH AND CARRY and we were encouraged to come in to their shop to see the “GREAT OFFERS” on cameras. First we were shown a sony camera come video recorder that they were selling for E40.This man then introduced us to another man who job was to educate us on the use of the camera. Before we knew what was happening another man was involved in the sale and we were introduced to another camera and were told that this was a better buy as it had all extras built in. This camera a toshiba camileo s 30 top of the range according to them retailing at E 1700 in Ireland but they would sell it to us for E415.To prove this the man actually showed us the camera and price on his phone. How ever on return home when we looked up the price of the camera it was being sold for E129.After buying the camera we were then told that for to be of any use we needed to purchase hard drives also. Before we knew what was happening we had a bill of E 1167 on top of the 415. Seeing our reluctance the boss produced a Yashica europe touch pad 6 3D tablet which he claimed was worth E 800 and he would give this to us free for good publicity. What a laugh crooks supreme. He also threw in in his so called “PREMIUM PACKAGE” an extra battery for the camera a case for the camera and a reader for the tablet.In total we had spent E1582.Before leaving the shop these crooks had the cheek to warn us of other shop owners that would try to con us in to buying their products.WHAT FOOLS WERE WE!!!!!!
Both our children were looking for I phones 4 s and these crooks told us they were selling them for E 65. The day we were leaving we went back to buy these and before we knew what was happening they had us buying a so called HD full definition lens for the camera. Again we were told that it was retailing in Ireland for E1785 but they would sell it to us for E852. We did not need to pay for it there and then they would take the money from our account in January.and the fools we ere went with this. On return home on checking our account it look as though they put the transaction through as we left the shop.
Total loss to these crooks E2434.How innocent were we and what fools we were. Lovely place for a holiday but be warned of the crooks.How they can sleep at night is beyond me.THEY WOULD SELL OIL TO THE ARABS
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
I was conned into buying a Yashica camcorder which are fakes paying 345 euros. I have since claimed the money back from my credit card company. At first they refused saying it was not their problem, but after “reminding” them of Section 75 or the Consumer Credit Act 1974 they coughed up. If you have been conned and paid by credit card CLAIM IT BACK !! The credit card company is jointly responable.
I was conned into buying a Yashica camcorder which was a fake paying 345 euros. I have since claimed the money back from my credit card company. At first they refused saying it was not their problem, but after “reminding” them of Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act they coughed up. If you,ve been ripped-off and paid by credit card CLAIM IT BACK !!! Credit card companies are jointly responsible.
Hi, Just back from Tenerife, where i was conned also. I went into OMKAR electronics in the Santiago shopping centre and dealt with Andy. I was looking for a Nikon camera speific model, but immediately he went to a glass cage and the Yashica Europe camera came out. Price on box was 400e odd. He was selling it for 145e and sold it to me finally for 100e. I had to go back to the shop because the user manual was in Spanish and i could not understand it. He fobbed me off by looking and just putting same manual in spanish in box. I asked for the guarantee to be stamped. Hejust stamped it with International Guarantee 2 years, but conveniently no name ofwhere it was bought or no receipt either.
Tonight i went on the internet to try to contact Yashica to see if i could get an english version of the manual, as i am taking the photos, but cannot find them when i go to look for them. Anyone who has any adivice, i would be glad to hear. I cant believe i have been scammed. There seems to be no such place as Yashica Europe.
So moral of story anyone who goes to Tenerife beware Omkar Electronics, and they are all Indians working there, and they are as sweet as nuts.
I had also bought a tablet there on a previous trip.
All u Tourist BEWARE,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,its so easy to be taken in by their pursuasive chat and quick talk. They bombard u.
I have a camera now with photos i have taken on it and cannot find. I cannot find. Any advice v welcome. Thanks
Dear fellow travellers,
My husband and I have the same problem. Just back from Tenerife where they tricked us to buy a Yashica HDV-X8 for 625,00 euro. We also feel very very stupid!!! We paid using our credit card. Is there something we can do to stop the payment? Thanks for your help!
Same thing in Gran Canaria, I just experienced the scam at JS Souvenirs Electronic in Puerto Rico. These guys are very skilled – impressive and disgusting sales technique. I am here for another few weeks and will make them eat my shit. Ha!
i have been took for 2150 euros from a place called europa cash and carry its on the walk from peurta colon towards los christianos.usually there are 4 or 5 foreign men outside waiting to shake your hand and hopingly to get you inside the shop.it happened to me as i like gadgets.to cut a long story short what i recieved was a camera,i pad,keyboard case,and a router,all for 2150 euros,the items i have had valued at currys and they are worth approx 400 -450 euros.they have a currys book with false prices.for example a hard drive card 8gb that goes in a camera they charged 445 euros.the same card in currys at any currys in england costs no morec than 11 euros,the names of the 2 men are VICTOR AND ROCKY very nice charming men,they offer you a beer or coffee while selling you the items,and all the cameras and i pads are called YASHICA,THEY TELL YOU THAT IF ANYTHING GOES WRONG WITH YOUR ITEMS TAKE THEM TO CURRYS WITH THIS PHONEY INSURANCE PAPER WITH A NUMBER,ITS NOT WORTH A PENNY,I HAVE RESERCHED AS FAR AS I CAN GO FOR THE TIME BEING.MADE COPIES OF ALL CURRYS PROPPER PRICES OF THE ITEMS I BOUGHT AND NEXT YEAR I AM GOING BACK TO CONFRONT THEM AND HOPE TO GET MY MONEY BACK.IF NOT I SHALL GO TO LOS CHRISTIANOS AUTHORITIES.AFTER ALL THIS IT IS MY OWN FAULT I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER BUT IT HAPPENS.PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM THESE CRIMINALS.HOPINGLY THE AUTHORITIES ARE GONING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THESE PEOPLE AS ITS SPOILING THE TENERIFE RESORT FOR TURISTS.
We were caught out yesterday 05/11/2013 in this same scam. We ended up buying a camera that we didn’t even want just to get out of the place. This was in Torviscas
at the beach in a place called Spark Cash and Carry. We are both pensioners and this has certainly spoilt our holiday in Tenerife
We have just returned from Santiago, Tenerife where we have been ripped off for nearly £3000. Camera and Yashica tablet. Camera switched in package from a Sony to a Yashica and charged nearly£1700 for the HD cards to go with theses we are both pensioners and bought these for grandchildren. Tablet doesn’t work properly since getting home and we’ve lost our pics that were on Sony camera. We need help in trying to get our money back.
Vi kom just hem från Teneriffa efter en mardröms vecka. Vi blev inlurade i en butik som heter Tenerife Store Avd. Francisko Andrade Fumera i Las America. En kille ville se vår kamera o erbjöd oss en nyare för 20 euro. Sen var karusellen igång. En ännu bättre filmkamera presenterades och det kändes Ok men sen behövdes det minneskort X 2 á 2249 euro. Under tiden blev vi serverade varsin Fanta (efteråt undrade vi om den var preparerad med nått)Tre killar avlöste varandra o pratade o visade. Vi skulle inte behöva betala förrän om tre månader. The boss dök upp och erbjöd oss gratis en vecka på ett av hans hotell med eget spa och flera gånger sa han att han, brodern o pappan ägde många affärer o hotell på Teneriffa. Fick inga kvitton eller grejer med oss utan de skulle hämtas dan före hemresan. på kvällen började vi fundera hur det hade gått till för vi är inte lättlurade i vanliga fall. Ringde vår bank som meddelade att pengarna var reserverade och de kunde inte göra något för att hjälpa oss. Vi spärrade korten vilket medförde ett snålande resten av veckan. När vi hämtade våra prylar så fick vi inte några papper eller kvitton för de hade dom redan skickat med posten hem p.g.a tullen. Vi förväntas oss inga papper. Vi tordes inte anmäla detta till den lokala polisen för butiken visste var vi bodde o rumsnummer och the boss hade förtydligat för oss att han ägde i stort sett hela kedjan. Så med andra ord KÖP ALDRIG KAPITALVAROR UTOMLANDS
Europe cash and carry Playa de las Americas – same scam as everyone else, cheap Sony promised, ‘expert’ then appears ecplaining that we need a Toshiba hd with built in hard drive for 280 euros. We resisted and asked for original deal. ‘Son’ of the owner appears and offers reduced price of the Toshiba to 140 euros and we bought it.
Not a hard dtive model of course and we could have bought it for $69 on Amazon.
wanted to go back for a ‘discusion’ with the thriving scum but was persuaded not to by my wife.
Never trust asians in Tenerife!
I warn you for MAATA RANI in Playa de las Americas, nearby Hard Rock Cafe. Sold me Yashica Ultra HD 8K Optical and Yashica Macro Objective, useless stuff. The Indian fraud me with wrong settings an my own cam, to show me the great stuff from him. I’m so furious. Never again tenerife. Hope the police stop this fuck indian scammer.
On Wednesday 2nd October 2013 I made purchases from a Tenerife Store Registration number NIF X 3502125-F. CC Troya – Local 10A, Avd San Francisco Andrade Fumero, Playa de Las Americas 38600 Arona Tenerife.
We were persuaded into the store by Vicky (a man) on a special offer of a Sony Camcorder and we bought this for €25 and then a further €20 for a larger recording space. We paid cash but were then told by a man called Rocky that this Sony camera was reaching then end of its shelf life because the demand was now for high definition cameras.
He produced a Currys’ catalogue (that I know now was a fake) and showed us a Yashica HD 348A video cam which in the catalogue costs around £750 but they had the same one in stock that because of taxes and their enormous buying power would cost much less. We were assured that this item carried with it a UK warranty that was valid in Currys, Argos and Boots and if we bought it they would register the item with the UK retailers. We bought the item for €300 and paid with credit card and were then told that the present hard drive would only record around 20 minutes and the battery life was only an hour or less so to be really effective we would need to buy much larger hard drive and they kept insisting that this should not be confused with a memory card.
Then they called David who was the owner who would have to sign and register the guarantee. He then started his sales patter as to the other items that could be synchronised with the camcorder and were essential in the long term – these were the larger hard drive (and again the Currys catalogue appeared – these were a hard drive with 240 minutes recording time, a memory stick for storage of all recordings from the camcorder, a long-life battery, a Click onica Movie Tablet and a Yashica Touchpad all with UK guarantees and in the Currys fake catalogue in UK would total £2,700 but I could buy from them for €1,448.
I then paid this amount with my credit card and was told that they would synchronise all of the items overnight and I could collect them next morning at 1030 but that the bill of sale and the guarantees would take four days to come through since these were registered on line with Currys, Argos and Boots so that I would be adequately protected back home. They would email these to me and they attached my card with contact details to the bills of sale.
When we did not receive these by Tuesday 8th October we went back to the store and talked with Vicky and Rocky to be told that the reason that we had h not received these was that the UK providers had not got back to them and they would sort it out that afternoon and Rocky would hand-deliver these to our hotel by next day. When these were not forthcoming I telephoned the shop and was told Rocky was on lunch and would call me back which did not happen.
Since Wednesday was our last day we went back to the shop on Wednesday night and talked with another man whom we had not met before Alexander who told me Vicky, Rocky or David were not available. I told him that when I got home I would complain to my credit card company about this non-compliance and the lack of documentation. This seemed to cause concern and brought urgency to his response. He immediately telephoned Vicky and David who came to the store and assured my wife and I that the registrations were taking longer than first envisaged and that I would definitely receive these by email early next week. David pointed to their registration certificate in the store as official dealers and that since all of the items carried a ‘CE’ mark that they were genuine so there was no need for any concern. I have photographs of the store in question that I can email you.
We arrived home with these items on 10th October and started to try and use them. I checked with Currys to be told that the catalogue did not represent them and was a fake and that the goods would not be covered by any guarantees in the UK and that they were more than likely worth a fraction of what I paid for them.
I unpacked the items and find that the touch-pad that is necessary to use the tablet does not work properly with all of the keys on the left hand side of the board refusing to operate which makes both the tablet and touch pad unusable. I visited by local Currys Store and spoke with the team leader and their technical expert who both assured me that these were not brand names was either stocked or sold by Currys and that no warranty would be forthcoming from Currys in the event of any problems. They also examined the ‘hard drive’ that I bought as an extra and assured me this was a standard memory card. On inspection they concluded that the goods were of very poor quality and that the claims made in the shop were manifestly untrue.
Fortunately when I took this case to my credit card company who requested specialist reports on the equipment which we supplied and we got a full refund. The lesson from this is that you go on holiday to relax and not to shop and if anything seems too good to be true it usually is. When buying equipment of this nature restrict yourself to buying where you can easily return to and eyeball the seller!
YASHICA EOROPE EQUIPMENT IS NOT SOLD BY CURRYS PCWORLD OR ANY OTHER UK STORE.THEY ARE NOT GUARANTEED BY ANY OF THE ABOVE STORES,’SPARK CASH AND CARRY’ OF TORVISCAS AND LAS AMERICAS ARE THE BIGGEST ROGUES ON TENERIFE.THEY WILL RIP YOU OFF .MY PARTNER AND I HAD OUR BANK ACCOUNTS EMPTIED BY THEM.AVOID THEIR STORES LIKE THE PLAGUE.THEY ARE THE BIGGEST ROGUES UNDER THE SUN.
From what I experienced having some 8,900 pound taken from our accounts for cheap copies made in PRC I think I have been very moderate.
We was also targeted by a shop there. It was some people from India. They were all scammers.
They sold my son a Panasonic camera but it was a Pentasonic that was not worth any thing at all. I went to the shop ready to have a verbal fight with them the next day. I didn’t get my money back but I almost ended up inn an fight with the store owner. The only reason I did not knock him out is because it was my vacation with my familie and I didn’t want to spend that in jail.
Don’t ever trust an Indian shop owner, they will take your money and smile all the way to the bank!
WE HAVE JUST RETURNED FROM TENERIFE AND THESE SCAMS ARE STILL GOING ON DOWN ON THE SEA FRONT IN LOS CHRISTIANOS AND AMERICAS WENT IN TO BUY SOME CIGS AND HOW I WAS CAUGHT INTO BUYING A TABLET FOR 49 EUROS IS BEYOND ME ,BUT REALISING IT WAS RUBBISH I UP GRADED TOO ONE COSTING 150 EUROS THEY ARE VERY GOOD THESE INDIANS AT THE THINGS THEY DO WHY WAS I EVEN LOOKING AT THIS RUBBISH REALLY JUST GOT CAUGHT IN THE MOMENT EVEN FELL FOR THEIR TAX FREE PAPER WE NEEDED TO GET IT OUT OF THE COUNTRY BUT WE WOULD HAVE TO COME BACK TOMMOROW AND PICK IT UP IN THE MEAN TIME HE WOULD HAVE IT PUT IN ENGLISH FOR US TOTALLY FORGETING THAT IN SETTINGS YOU CAN CHANGE IT YOURSELF THE NEXT DAY THEY EVEN COME AND PICKED US UP FROM OUR HOTEL WE NEW IT WASNT RIGHT BUT WE STILL WENT WITH THEM ALL I CAN SAY IS IM GLAD THEY DIDNT GET ANY MORE OUT OF ME AFTER READING THESE REVIEWS AND PROBABLEY I WONT BE THE LAST ONE TO BE SCAMMED THEY ARE MENACING AND FRIGHTENING WHEN YOU WONT BUY MORE THEY SHOULD BE SHUT DOWN
August 2015
As we approached Sherina Electronics, Centro Comercial San Eugenio, Local 33, Playa de Americas, X-1381968-J, Tenerife, the shop assistant asked me what kind of camara I had ? I was interested in a 70-300 lense to which I purchased for 188€ . He then perpersuaded me the Tamron equivalent was a better quality and had a macro option to which I agreed to pay an additional 144 € . On returning home to england the next day checking prices I found the nikon costs £299 the tamron only £89 on Amazon. I was conned big style. Iwill not be going back again and will do my home work in future before making a similar purchase
1st October 2015 I have just been scammed in Playa de las Americas Tenerife the shop name is Paradise Selection CC Bouganville LOC 29-32 38670 Adeje . They told me lots of lies and the goods I came away with are worthless They took nearly £3000 from my credit card . I admit I was gullible , vulnerable and lacked the knowledge of technology . They tell you that PC World or Currys will uphold a guarantee for two years which is a complete lie. They told me the money would not be taken out of my account until 2020 , how stupid am I for taking these people on trust , I feel really emotional and it has ruined my holiday , the problem is that I am not a stupid Woman and they have taken my dignity and I feel worthless and helpless to do anything about it .
Please be warned do not go into any of these shops or be lured with compliments drinks and meals as they only want to take as much money as possible from you .
Wir waren im November 2015 in Teneriffa, Puerto de la Cruz. Ich habe ähnliche Erfahrungen gemacht wie verschiedene andere auch. In dem Fotofachgeschäft in Puerto de la Cruz, in der Straße, wo Quintanta – San Telmo zusammenstoßen, wurde ich opfer eines Betruges, worüber ich das Tourismusbüro informiert habe. Der Ablauf ist gewesen, wie sie in den vorstehenden Artikeln geschildert wurden. Wortreich wurde ich in das “Fotofachgeschäft” gelockt und ebenso wortreich und geschickt hat er mir einen Filter für eine Kompaktkamera für 89,00 € verkauft.
Nachdenklich bin ich später geworden und habe zuhause in einem seriösen Fotofachgeschäft nachgefragt nach einem Filter für diese Kompaktkamera. Mir wurde erklärt, dass es für Kompaktkameras keine Filter gibt, da man sie nicht aufschrauben kann. Von aufkleben war ihnen nichts bekannt.
Not just Tenerife, but Lanzarote as well. Playa Blanca to be precise. I was sold a Clickonica Exclusive optical lens, which is just rubbish.
Just back from Tenerife and really should have known better than be drawn in by con artists from Paradise Selections. I was looking at clothes racks at a shop (no name displayed above it) along sea walk below Bourganville Hotel, Las Americas – between D-Looks and a Pharmacia and was approached by a young tall Asian named Tony asking if I was interested in viewing football matches on a Samsung tablet (only 39 euros) The picture was very clear and I was told I would be able to view that night with wi-fi in my hotel. Paid the money then another man came to show me how to use the tablet and said that Tony was wrong and an app at 10 euros was needed, and why not buy a package of apps etc taking the total to 99 euros. So okay I paid the rest, but then talked into another model which will be easier to connect to computer back home. My wife and I are in our 70’s and although use technology can be easily blinded by science. Anyway then they have to send the tablet to their workshop for Spanish to be removed and English installed – which is ridiculous, but they have our cash. As soon as we were able we looked at “ripped off in Tenerife” on internet and of course Paradise Selections and many more are listed with similar scams going back years, with some people taken for large amounts and card fraud. I did email the Tenerife Consumer people (OMIC) at macuqc@adeje.es and sent them a copy of our receipt and a phone number 604300149 that Paradise had tried to contact us when we missed an appointment with them. We returned to the shop with two friends accompanying us as several Asians seem to appear at the first sign of any disagreement and we made it clear we would not be staying and would not be paying for any additional items and that we were not entirely happy with our deal. We took the tablet, with the guarantee stamp and left. Days later we had an email from mariarv@adeje.es (OMIC) saying she had phoned Paradise Selections and that if we took the tablet back they would give us back our money. However we were flying home next morning and wanted a pleasant last evening not confrontation. We didn’t expect the tablet to be brilliant for that price but we could have easily been coaxed into parting with more and more cash for add ons etc. At least OMIC took action on this occasion, so it is worth making a complaint.
I cannot belive that these scams have been goin on years WHY ! TENERIFE WAS MY FAVORITE PLACE NOT SURE IF I WILL EVER GO BACK IT MAKES ME FEEL SICK
I am in Tenerife for over a month now. I really wonder how come these Indian stores among the beach line, spreading all the way from Cristianos Adeje are allowed to function ? Who allows them to function and rip-off people ? How about the africans (more than 200) stopping you in almost intimidating way offering you weed, coke and all that crap ?
I will not be coming here back for sure.
Tenerife is now just slowly loosing its tourism
The tech store in particular that ripped me off was AMAZING in Las Americas. The Indian man sold me a tripod for 180eur. Only later I found out the same tripod is for sale at 29.99 eur all over the internet
CASH CONVERSION FRAUD
Another scam that goes completely unpunished is that of realtors who get a hefty commission for steering vacation home buyers to unscrupulous “Currency Specialists” on the promise of “great rates,” which turn out to be the complete opposite.
My wife and I were recently cheated out of over $10,000 by the firm of FirstRateFX, pushed on us by Wady Properties by lies and daily phone and email harassment. Instead of saving 4% over bank rates in Tenerife as promised, we paid far more in fees than any Tenerife bank had quoted us. Only the influence of a local lawyer, who does millions in business with the parent company of First Rate FX, was able to prevail upon them to obtain a partial refund. Almost half of the $10.000, however, had already been paid to Wady Properties as a commission for their “referral,” and supposedly could not be recovered.
I can not believe all you fools fall for THEESE scams!!!!
Enjoy the holiday ,yes buy the cigs / alcohol. ( they are cheaper in the Spanish supermarkets) by the way.
If everyone did this they will sharp be out of buisiness.
I’m of Indian origin , been to los Christina’s with family tried to con me also !!!
Long storey short loads of verbal abuse but do you know what who cares!!!!
Please don’t let any bad experiences reflect the Tenerife holiday.