What happened to good ol' fashioned customer service?

A lot of people buy online these days-and sometimes I don't blame them after my recent encounters with some "salesman".

I like to support my local retailers, and last year I bought a Playstation game that didn't work at all. So naturally I took it back and the man who had served me gave a look of derision and blamed my hardware for the problem. If I wasn't so timid I would've given him a mouthful-I've built computers from scratch and I know for a fact the hardware does not make a game unplayable. So with a snort and a mention of a sales promotion he gave me a replacement copy, and once I got home voila! the game worked. I had been a frequent visitor to this store and as much as I like the guy what what he doesn't know could fill a book and the moments I have questioned his knowledge he does that 'you know nothing' chuckle that drives me nuts.

Then there are those "helpful" salesman who hover about like a mosquito hoping that you'll look at an expensive item. I recently bought a new computer and as I was "inspecting" the model in store (i.e checking dxdiag to get the specs) a fellow customer was being gently nudged towards the higher priced models. I've seen it before-If you settle for a cheaper model the salesman will try to guilt you into buying a more expensive product with statements such as "well if you wanna settle for that then it's you choice" or my personal favorite "this is a good model but it doesn't offer the same functions as..." that last statement is rubbish.

Then there is the computer techs-I've seen techs charge $180 for a simple tuneup that I have done for $30 (sometimes it's gratis) and I offer advice at no extra charge. I find that most of my work comes from the elderly who have been conned by those who charge an exorbitant amount for a defrag-I'll give these people a defrag, a cleanup, and I will show them how to do it themselves so they aren't conned in the future.

I understand that commission and income plays a big role, but assisting a customer should be a priority. Many consumers rely on the expertise of salesmen and those potential customers should be pointed in the right direction, and those who look down the noses at customers or exploit them need to be reminded of the unwritten rule when it comes to consumerism.

And we all know what that rule is.

a reply to: Thecakeisalie

Those guys are usually pushed by thier bosses to sell the higher priced stuff.

And told if they can't do it then they will find some one that will.

I do get your point though, it does seem like a dying trend to just serve the customer and let them get what they want without getting pressured into getting something else.

Not all salesmen are like that.

I work in sales and am not pushy or high pressure. I demonstrate my product, ask questions and answer questions to the best of my ability. I don't lie to my customers and if I don't have the answer, I get it for them.

a reply to: Thecakeisalie

Bad salesman usually hate their job and it's a pain to meet one. For them it's often an 'in between' job. If it's really annoying, I ask them if they add a bad day: they always 'staight up' a bit

Society is dumb and ignorant, most people have zero morals, values or goals in this little box we are all crammed in (society)..

I work In sales, and every week I get appraised and thanked for my outstanding service to consumers.

We exist, we are out there, mixed in with bad apples..

Hope you enjoy your video game tho

a reply to: elevatedone

Don't get me wrong- I'm not accusing all salesman of these actions, I've met my fair share of good ones as well and I know some on a first name basis.

But those good folk are few and far between nowadays. For every salesman such as yourself there are ten who don't give a damn or aren't willing to go the nine yards, however those who are genuine will be rewarded with new or returning customers.

Word of mouth goes a long way if you do your job right. When people say "go see elevatedone, he'll know what you need" is the best recommendation you can get. However no one remembers someone who points at an expensive item and recommends that you buy it or looks down at you because you made your own decision.

a reply to: Thecakeisalie

What happened to good ol' fashioned customer service?

In my retail operation; I will not tolerate salesmen/women that don't understand that the customer is why we are in business and they deserve nothing less than the very best we have to offer in product and service.

That is why our client base is solid and we are thriving in a very competitive market.

a reply to: Thecakeisalie

Clearly some on this thread care but don't you think it is more of a general thing and not just sales?

The bank used to treat me like I had value, the credit card company the internet service, now they treat me like they could care less if they lose my business.

It is everything!

a reply to: Thecakeisalie

They moved it overseas to India. ...Here's my story. My wife and I bought a refrigerator from Sears and the delivery schedule got screwed up. I called Sears to complain and was connected to a customer service who had an Indian accent who could barely speak a word of English. All this lady could do is read a script and repeat it. I couldn't understand her and she couldn't understand nor solve my problem. I was so frustrated I called the Sears General Manager at our local store. He said he would take care of it and called customer service.

A half an hour later the manager called me back and was fuming mad. He was connected to the same customer representative . He couldn't get much accomplished and said he was going to complain to corporate. Because of the poor customer service I received, the manager deducted another 100 dollars off our refrigerator.

There was a day when customer service and quality products were a hallmark in America. The greed from American businesses for higher profits from low overseas wages has made quality goods and services a thing of the past.

What happened to good old fashioned customer service? Business owners stopped wanting to pay for it. They send it off shore to someone somewhere where they dont speak English or if it's here they hire kids out of school who don't know procedures or who consider the job a stepping stone and just don't care.
Company representatives who care about the business and care about a customer base costs money. Businesses get what they pay for. They send the job offshore or hire children to do it and loose customers because of poor service then they are constantly in need of creating a new customer base through expensive advertising instead of using funds to maintain the base they have and build upon that.
A crazy business model if you ask me. A good customer service rep is worth their weight in gold.

a reply to: AutumnWitch657

That's because customers buy the product from one store ten bucks cheaper than the guy paying for good customer support.

a reply to: Thecakeisalie

I feel your pain. A lot of sales people I've encountered have been rude. That, or uninformed about their products. I'm glad to hear that you got the game situation straightened out.

By the way, if the cake is a lie what about the cookies and the pie? I always wanted to ask you that. Your name really makes me laugh.

originally posted by: Thecakeisalie
A lot of people buy online these days-and sometimes I don't blame them after my recent encounters with some "salesman".

I like to support my local retailers, and last year I bought a Playstation game that didn't work at all. So naturally I took it back and the man who had served me gave a look of derision and blamed my hardware for the problem. If I wasn't so timid I would've given him a mouthful-I've built computers from scratch and I know for a fact the hardware does not make a game unplayable. So with a snort and a mention of a sales promotion he gave me a replacement copy, and once I got home voila! the game worked. I had been a frequent visitor to this store and as much as I like the guy what what he doesn't know could fill a book and the moments I have questioned his knowledge he does that 'you know nothing' chuckle that drives me nuts.

Then there are those "helpful" salesman who hover about like a mosquito hoping that you'll look at an expensive item. I recently bought a new computer and as I was "inspecting" the model in store (i.e checking dxdiag to get the specs) a fellow customer was being gently nudged towards the higher priced models. I've seen it before-If you settle for a cheaper model the salesman will try to guilt you into buying a more expensive product with statements such as "well if you wanna settle for that then it's you choice" or my personal favorite "this is a good model but it doesn't offer the same functions as..." that last statement is rubbish.

Then there is the computer techs-I've seen techs charge $180 for a simple tuneup that I have done for $30 (sometimes it's gratis) and I offer advice at no extra charge. I find that most of my work comes from the elderly who have been conned by those who charge an exorbitant amount for a defrag-I'll give these people a defrag, a cleanup, and I will show them how to do it themselves so they aren't conned in the future.

I understand that commission and income plays a big role, but assisting a customer should be a priority. Many consumers rely on the expertise of salesmen and those potential customers should be pointed in the right direction, and those who look down the noses at customers or exploit them need to be reminded of the unwritten rule when it comes to consumerism.

And we all know what that rule is.

For years as a kid, my dad would sell bikes he built by hand, or fixed in some way. Then he went on to working on building yachts and boats, including one of Andy William's early yachts as a late teen. Then the draft came. He took his Army draft card and went straight to the Air Force Recruiting office. He just got married and my birth mom was 6 months pregnant with me. He signed up for the AF because they weren't gone from families as long as the Army was. After he'd been in the AF for 23 year, he went into sales. Right now he works at Home Depot, Radio Shack, a limo-like driver from Jersey to NYC, an apartment manager for 2 doctors, (two different apartments), and two doctor office buildings.

When he's at Radio Shack and Home Depot, when he needs to make a sale, he doesn't force the issue. But if someone asks for help, he's very knowledgeable on the issues. (They are his two favorite stores!) LOL In the 70's, he built a TV by hand piece by piece, wire by wire. It took him 7 years to build it because every time us kids got into his bedroom we'd destroy his hard work by being kids and he'd have to fix it. But dang if that TV didn't last forever though. When he ended up buying the house a new TV, we used the old one he built for (large screen, BTW), for Nintendo, Sega, etc... games.

We joke my dad could sell refrigerators to Eskimos. He's addicted to sales as a buyer, and addicted to selling as a seller. I remember growing up him getting a $200 barbeque for free. It was broken and Montgomery Ward was throwing it out. Come to find out, it just needed a $15 part, which my dad sent away for, and received. Similar thing happened with a DVD player. That man managed to get our whole house carpeted for free because a local carpet company was throwing it into the dumpster behind the place. My dad asked what was wrong with the carpet, they said there was a spot on it. My dad asked if they would put it in his wagon. I'll be danged if they did just that! My dad did the carpeting himself with us kids helping. That's just how he is. As a seller, he's a very nice guy, he's your best friend, and he makes such a friend with you, that it's not uncommon for him to have barbeques with guys he's sold to years prior, months prior, it's just who he is. It's a shame there aren't more sellers like that anymore. Like the old days.

a reply to: Thecakeisalie

if you expect assistance don't complain about the assistance.

if you ask for it, ask nicely.

if someone offers you assistance, kiss their #ing ass you piece of #. Your money hardly pays for the product let alone the excuse for a wage they are paid. Get over yourself you aren't their god, the burgers you flipped all summer to buy that "game" paid .001% of his/hers minimum wage. He/she likely could care less what you buy. Many retail jobs are non commission especially those that sell games.

a reply to: Hijinx

Can that knee of yours jerk any higher?