What ever happened to . . .
. . . the customer always being right. I had a bad experience tonight with a gentleman at a major electronic chain. My family puchases nearly everything from this electronic superstore and we almost always purchase the extended warranty. I know many people have varying opinions about extended warranties, but I stand by them for most of our appliances and electronics. We have gotten more than our money's worth on most occassions. Maybe we are accident prone, or simple unlucky, but we do tend to use them well.
Which brings us to tonight. We got a call that a camera I took in from repair was not able to be repaired and they would replace it with a comparable model. Trying to get the department to do that was another matter. I was given flack and I asked to speak with a manager. The "Customer Experience Manager" came over and began giving me information that I knew was incorrect. I asked him to show me in the paperwork where it said that, and he refused. To make a very long story short he called me a child, stuck his tongue out and walked away from me. I was calm yet quietly assertive. Trust me, I wanted to rip his heart out of his ribcage, but I was nice until the tongue came out. You simply catch more flies with honey when you really want something. I was not asking for anything more than I was owed by the service agreement that I purchased. I deserved none of his nastiness. I returned to get the paperwork I needed from the "tech guys" and one of them came around the counter and called the guy a "prick". My daughter informed him that "That man was mean to my mommy!"
How does someone like this get a job in that part of the store hierarchy? Shouldn't you possess some ability to handle issues and solve problems and make customers feel as though you truly care about their business. The sad part is that he said he had been there for 7 years. Wow, they need some better training in that area. Fortunately, I traveled across town to the other store, received fabulous service, didn't have to fight for what I was owed and went home happy and smiling with a brand new camera.
I wonder what ever happened to putting the customer needs and desires first. What happened to providing a loyal customer with positive service that meets their needs and causes them to return. It's unfortunate that that portion of our society has disappeared.
Which brings us to tonight. We got a call that a camera I took in from repair was not able to be repaired and they would replace it with a comparable model. Trying to get the department to do that was another matter. I was given flack and I asked to speak with a manager. The "Customer Experience Manager" came over and began giving me information that I knew was incorrect. I asked him to show me in the paperwork where it said that, and he refused. To make a very long story short he called me a child, stuck his tongue out and walked away from me. I was calm yet quietly assertive. Trust me, I wanted to rip his heart out of his ribcage, but I was nice until the tongue came out. You simply catch more flies with honey when you really want something. I was not asking for anything more than I was owed by the service agreement that I purchased. I deserved none of his nastiness. I returned to get the paperwork I needed from the "tech guys" and one of them came around the counter and called the guy a "prick". My daughter informed him that "That man was mean to my mommy!"
How does someone like this get a job in that part of the store hierarchy? Shouldn't you possess some ability to handle issues and solve problems and make customers feel as though you truly care about their business. The sad part is that he said he had been there for 7 years. Wow, they need some better training in that area. Fortunately, I traveled across town to the other store, received fabulous service, didn't have to fight for what I was owed and went home happy and smiling with a brand new camera.
I wonder what ever happened to putting the customer needs and desires first. What happened to providing a loyal customer with positive service that meets their needs and causes them to return. It's unfortunate that that portion of our society has disappeared.
posted by Sheri at 11:43 PM
<< Home