Throughout my working life, I've primarily worked in positions where I have been the primary customer contact. As a result, during my experiences as a consumer, my background has made me more forgiving when there are glitches, but also more sensitive when someone blatantly fargs up. I thought I'd start this thread for those who want to vent about some of the shtein consumer experiences we have day-to-day.
My first great big "farg You" goes out to a furniture saleswoman I dealt with this past weekend at the Bloomingdales in the Willow Grove Mall.
Since my kids are getting older and using the PC more for AIM, I got them a new PC that we can keep upstairs, so I can keep an eye on what they do, as well as keeping them off my porn-filled PC. As such, I was looking for a desk/computer armoire that both the wife & kids can use and that you can close up to hide everything. I was looking for a decent piece of furniture and not some Sauder piece, so I was prepared to spend $1000+.
I was at Bloomingdales for something else, when I thought I'd check out their furniture dept. The sales lady seemed nice enough at first, but when I told her that I was looking for a "computer armoire" she got that look on her face like Jodi Foster had when she got hit in the face with a hand full of semen in "Silence of the Lambs". She said very matter of factly that I'm "4 years too late, most people are using laptops by now". I mentioned that we have 3 laptops, so I'm pretty familiar with the concept. She followed up by telling me that "I should look at a nice table, since that is where she keeps her laptop". I couldn't even argue with that kind of logic, so I just turned my back on her & walked away.
Next time you're at that store, blow a snot bubble on leather recliners for me.
Quote from: Beermonkey on March 27, 2007, 09:54:47 PM....as well as keeping them off my porn-filled PC. ...
hal 1lla!
Quote from: Diomedes on March 27, 2007, 10:01:00 PM
Quote from: Beermonkey on March 27, 2007, 09:54:47 PM....as well as keeping them off my porn-filled PC. ...
hal 1lla!
Ever since my one kid accidently clicked on the bookmark for "Wickie's Teens", I have to bury my porn deep.
Customer service should be populated by intelligent people who are friendly and well compensated (let's be honest, most companies gain and lose their good name based on this and this alone). The sad truth is that most customer service representatives are ignorant, under-educated and under-paid dipshteins. Marketing and advertising cost a whole hell of a lot more than just paying qualified people to serve your customers.
Quote from: rjs246 on March 28, 2007, 12:09:07 AM
Customer service should be populated by intelligent people who are friendly and well compensated (let's be honest, most companies gain and lose their good name based on this and this alone). The sad truth is that most customer service representatives are ignorant, under-educated and under-paid dipshteins. Marketing and advertising cost a whole hell of a lot more than just paying qualified people to serve your customers.
Heck, most customer-services things that I've had to call don't even speak English.
Quote from: rjs246 on March 28, 2007, 12:09:07 AM
Customer service should be populated by intelligent people who are friendly and well compensated (let's be honest, most companies gain and lose their good name based on this and this alone). The sad truth is that most customer service representatives are ignorant, under-educated and under-paid dipshteins. Marketing and advertising cost a whole hell of a lot more than just paying qualified people to serve your customers.
The Credit Card company i work for used to operate very differently. Just to get an entry level job you needed to go thru a series of interviews usually 5, had to have a College degree or at least attending college. Now its whoever wants it.
with the corporatization of america and the explosion of box stores like best buy home depot and the rest customer service is not necessary anymore...a lot of people dont have choices to switch even if they wanted to and most idiots dont care anyway...if modells has something that you need youre gonna go there regardless
back in the day when you had neighborhood type johnsons all competeing for your dollar every customer count and therefore there was such a thing as customer service...not anymore...big retail business know that their employees could basically urinate on your leg and youd still come back next time you needed something and even if you didnt they could care less...theres plenty more sheep behind you
Bloomingdales?
Oh, girlfriend... we need to talk!
I could rant for hours on end about the crappy customer service that the local businesses practice around here (see my bar rant if you missed it) because businesses know around here know that with this being a military town that people are constantly coming and going so for every person they piss off and don't do business with, there's going to be 5 new people showing up who don't know better.
One other story I'll share though was when I was doing my car shopping last year for my Mustang. So I decided to first check with the local Ford dealer and when I showed up I was immediate greeted by a flock of salesmen....no surprise really. So I started talking with one guy and told him what I was looking for......a GT, manual with leather. So he immediately walks me over the the V6's, aka, Hoyda cars. So I reminded him that I wanted to look at a GT. So we go over to the GT's and the ones he's showing me are automatics and have cloth interior. So I asked him if he had any manuals w/leather and he said no. That would have been nice to know a few minutes earlier when I showed up and told him what I wanted. But I didn't get too pissed because I know that when it comes to sales you don't just turn a customer away even if you don't have exactly what they're looking for.
So I asked him if he knew if any other local dealers had what I was looking for and we go inside and he calls another dealer and they say that they have a manual GT. The other dealer was actually pretty close to my house, but was still about 20 miles away. So the salesman suggests that I go to the other dealer, test drive the car and then come back and tell him what I think. I told him there's no way in hell I was about to make a 40 mile round trip just to test drive a car....especially when I would then have to drive an additional 20 miles so I could go back home. I was waiting for him to do the right thing and offer to put me in a dealer car and drive me down there himself but his next proposal was even more rediculous. He then asked me if I wanted to drive one of the Mustangs they had on their lot down to the other dealer and exchange it for the one I wanted to test drive and then I could drive it back. I looked at this dude like he was on crack and asked him if he thought I was an employee and told him that I'm here to potentially buy a car, not swap cars from lot to lot.
So his final proposal was for me to just go to the other dealer, test drive the car and then give him a call if I wanted to do business. So I said fine, grabbed my coat and left. I had already made up my mind that if I decided to purchase this car that this guy was not going to get my commission. So I show up at the other dealer and one of the salesmen was already expecting me. So he showed me the car and it had everything I wanted. Price was good on it to so I told him I wanted to test drive it. He asked me to wait a minute and went back inside....I assumed to get the keys. He comes back out and told me that he had called back to the other dealership and told the salesman that I was ready to take it for a test drive but that the salesman said no and that he wasn't going to let me take it for a test drive without him being present. I said "Who the hell is that guy? I don't give a damn what he says. I'm not doing business with him, I'm doing business with you. If I like this car then you'll be the one getting the commission."
I couldn't believe the audacity that this guy had to think that he was in control of the situation and could dictate whether or not I was going to test drive a car when he wouldn't even get off his ass and go with me to look at it. Ultimately, I ended up buying my car from another dealership because the one that had the car I liked tried jacking me on the interest rates (said the best they could do was 14%. Ha!). But the sales service I received from the original salesman was complete crap. He didn't listen to what I wanted, immediately offered me something I didn't want and then expected me to do all the leg work for him when the car I wanted to look at was on another lot. Farg him.
(http://www.philaflava.com/forum/images/smiles/didntread4gd.gif)
^^^^
lmao
Quote from: ice grillin you on March 28, 2007, 08:50:01 AM
with the corporatization of america and the explosion of box stores like best buy home depot and the rest customer service is not necessary anymore...a lot of people dont have choices to switch even if they wanted to and most idiots dont care anyway...if modells has something that you need youre gonna go there regardless
back in the day when you had neighborhood type johnsons all competeing for your dollar every customer count and therefore there was such a thing as customer service...not anymore...big retail business know that their employees could basically urinate on your leg and youd still come back next time you needed something and even if you didnt they could care less...theres plenty more sheep behind you
When I bought my main PC about 2 years, I went to Best Buy first. When I started to browse around, I was asked right away if I needed help. I told him that I wanted to familiarize myself with what they have first, then I'll ask for help if I'm buying or have questions.
I spent about 1/2 hour comparing PC's & settled on the one I was going to buy. I sought out the salesman & asked if I he could ring me up. He told me that he's "with someone and that
I should have taken his help when he first asked me". Having the impulse control of a 6-year old, I started dropping the f word on him & started walking out of the store. By coincidence, they store manager was standing by the exit & asked if I found everything I needed. I told to tell that little fat bastich in the computer section to stick a computer up his ass, as I'm heading down the street to Circuit City to buy my computer.
ha
i had nightmare customer service from Direct TV. I'll post a copy of my letter to the bastich board members that i sent.
Quote from: Beermonkey on March 28, 2007, 10:39:47 AM
Quote from: ice grillin you on March 28, 2007, 08:50:01 AM
with the corporatization of america and the explosion of box stores like best buy home depot and the rest customer service is not necessary anymore...a lot of people dont have choices to switch even if they wanted to and most idiots dont care anyway...if modells has something that you need youre gonna go there regardless
back in the day when you had neighborhood type johnsons all competeing for your dollar every customer count and therefore there was such a thing as customer service...not anymore...big retail business know that their employees could basically urinate on your leg and youd still come back next time you needed something and even if you didnt they could care less...theres plenty more sheep behind you
When I bought my main PC about 2 years, I went to Best Buy first. When I started to browse around, I was asked right away if I needed help. I told him that I wanted to familiarize myself with what they have first, then I'll ask for help if I'm buying or have questions.
I spent about 1/2 hour comparing PC's & settled on the one I was going to buy. I sought out the salesman & asked if I he could ring me up. He told me that he's "with someone and that I should have taken his help when he first asked me". Having the impulse control of a 6-year old, I started dropping the f word on him & started walking out of the store. By coincidence, they store manager was standing by the exit & asked if I found everything I needed. I told to tell that little fat bastich in the computer section to stick a computer up his ass, as I'm heading down the street to Circuit City to buy my computer.
If you would have just bought a laptop, you could have avoided this problem as well as your problem at Bloomingdale's.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who acts like a bitch in stores when an associate shows the tiniest shred of reluctance in helping me immediately.
I don't like to be bothered by customer service reps at all. Even the helpful ones can suck it. I go to the stores and try the things out, then I make most purchases online.
Ha. I do the same thing, Wing. I bought a watch like that once. I went to a jewelry store and spent about a 1/2 hour trying on every model I liked. The girl behind the counter gave me pamphlets and booklets and went over all the different features of each model with me.
She couldn't have been more pleasant and helpful. I decided on the one I wanted, left the store, went home and bought it off a dealer on the internet and ended up saving about 40% over what I would have paid in the store.
That's the kind of shtein you end up doing time in purgatory over, though... :-D
pretty much every corporate place is full on idiots and or indian idiots who you can't understand. not only is it frustrating enough to be calling about a problem your having, but having someone who barely speaks english try and explain it to you. uh i have nothing against indian people but for the times i had to deal with them over the phone i felt like beating one to a bloody pulp. more jobs wasted to outsource
Quote from: Seabiscuit36 on March 28, 2007, 10:45:33 AM
i had nightmare customer service from Direct TV. I'll post a copy of my letter to the bastich board members that i sent.
Ha! Yes, their customer relations suck assballnuts.
Quote from: mussa on March 28, 2007, 11:11:34 AMmore jobs wasted to outsource
more jobs lost to the sick cultural worship of profit profit profit for the rich rich rich
Quote from: Diomedes on March 28, 2007, 11:34:01 AM
Quote from: mussa on March 28, 2007, 11:11:34 AMmore jobs wasted to outsource
more jobs lost to the sick cultural worship of profit profit profit for the rich rich rich
That, or progress...
I'd rather have the "big corporate monsters" ship jobs to Vietnam so that those countries, which severely need capital, can build up an infrastructure and, in turn, raise their standard living. The possibility to run a profit brings corporations to 3rd world countries. As profit margins for the corporations that are in those nations increase, more corporations, seeing the increase profit margins, set up shop in those countries and start bidding up the price of labor in order to secure an adequate workforce. That competition also diminishes the profit margins. Moreover, the presence of those corporations helps build human capital in that country's workforce for professions later on. So that getting paid 20 cents a day in a factory is much more beneficial for someone then spending a day rummaging through garbage. Investment in 3rd world countries = good.
Plus, corporations take advantage of economies of scale, which lower transaction costs per unit by spreading out costs over countless transactions. I like my cheap, good quality, products thank you very much. Sure, some corporations do shady things, but from an economic perspective they do more harm than good. I don't have much sympathy for someone who feels "entitled" to be paid an above-market wage (through unions that extort businesses) for menial work and then have the audacity to complain about it when Hung Pow in Vietnam can do just as quality work for a fraction of the cost.
Anyways, I don't care much for customer service. I actually rather steer clear of most sales persons because they constantly try to throw in some piece of junk you don't want. I do my research on the internet and usually purchase a lot of my "higher-end" products from the internet. Furniture could be different. But, overall, with the advent of the accessibility of the internet and the information contained on it, I rather just get what I need and go then be harassed to buy something else.
kill yourself
3/29 - When I do get around to buying that big-screen high-def TV, I definitely won't be buying it at Circuit City. It fired sales workers making less than $12 an hour, calling them "overpaid," while its CEO rakes in millions in salary, bonuses, and stock awards. According to today's Washington Post, the Richmond-based electronics retailer fired 3,400 employees in stores across the country yesterday, saying they were making too much money and would be replaced by new hires willing to work for less. The company gave the dismissed workers severance pay and told them that after 10 weeks they were free to apply for any openings. Employees reached by a reporter said they were notified yesterday morning and told to leave immediately. Steven Rash, 24, said he was one of 11 workers fired at a Circuit City in Asheville, NC. He said he earned $11.59 an hour and worked from 15 to 20 hours a week. He received four weeks of severance pay. Meanwhile, Circuit City chief executive Philip Schoonover received a salary of $716,346, along with a $704,700 bonus last year. He also has long-term compensation of $3 million in stock awards and $340,000 in underlying options, according to company filings. Hey Phil, just try to live on a wage of less than $12 an hour, you cheap bastich.....
Quote from: Beermonkey on March 28, 2007, 10:39:47 AM
When I bought my main PC about 2 years, I went to Best Buy first. When I started to browse around, I was asked right away if I needed help. I told him that I wanted to familiarize myself with what they have first, then I'll ask for help if I'm buying or have questions.
I spent about 1/2 hour comparing PC's & settled on the one I was going to buy. I sought out the salesman & asked if I he could ring me up. He told me that he's "with someone and that I should have taken his help when he first asked me". Having the impulse control of a 6-year old, I started dropping the f word on him & started walking out of the store. By coincidence, they store manager was standing by the exit & asked if I found everything I needed. I told to tell that little fat bastich in the computer section to stick a computer up his ass, as I'm heading down the street to Circuit City to buy my computer.
if you really needed info on computers and how much to spend and where to buy, you should have first gone to the experts at CF. no bullshtein, just first-hand knowledge and plenty of good (and crappy) experiences.
you shouldn't have to go through the hassle of dealing with $12/hr (and occasionally inexperienced) clerks...and then feeling the need to shove a 17" monitor up their ass. (save your stress for Dallas fans >:D)
Quote from: dis12 on March 29, 2007, 11:00:24 AM
if you really needed info on computers and how much to spend and where to buy, you should have first gone to the experts at CF. no bullshtein, just first-hand knowledge and plenty of good (and crappy) experiences.
you shouldn't have to go through the hassle of dealing with $12/hr (and occasionally inexperienced) clerks...and then feeling the need to shove a 17" monitor up their ass. (save your stress for Dallas fans >:D)
Last time I took any advice from people on CF/EMB, I ended up renting "Dude, Where's My Car?". Never frigging again.
I almost never solicite any advice from salespeople, and never bought anything based on a sales person's input. I can be outright prick to them if they keep bugging me & I don't like them.
On positive note, these two businesses get 5 gold beermonkey stars from me for exceptional customer interactions this week:
Home Depot, Warrington - Peggy in the kitchen design dept.
Oskar Huber Furniture, Southampton - unknown saleswoman. patient, respectful, asked the right questions & met my needs.
While this Circuit City crap seems outwardly harsh, it's simply the business. Brick-and-mortar retail stores are getting clobbered my online stores on price due to lack of overhead. They try to make a value-add sell to consumers, but people aren't seeing much value truly added, so they continue to search for the lowest price online.
Quote from: Beermonkey on March 29, 2007, 11:28:40 AM
Home Depot, Warrington - Peggy in the kitchen design dept.
I know the guy in charge of "loss prevention" (security) at that exact store.
He'll wreck your shtein if you try to steal from there.
Quote from: FastFreddie on March 29, 2007, 11:33:00 AM
Quote from: Beermonkey on March 29, 2007, 11:28:40 AM
Home Depot, Warrington - Peggy in the kitchen design dept.
I know the guy in charge of "loss prevention" (security) at that exact store.
He'll wreck your shtein if you try to steal from there.
great! you distract him, and we'll rob the place blind. we'll use beermonkey's van.
Quote from: Beermonkey on March 29, 2007, 11:28:40 AMHome Depot, Warrington - Peggy in the kitchen design dept.
Oskar Huber Furniture, Southampton - unknown saleswoman. patient, respectful, asked the right questions & met my needs.
Did you at least wear a condom?
Quote from: Susquehanna Birder on March 29, 2007, 01:30:52 PM
Quote from: Beermonkey on March 29, 2007, 11:28:40 AMHome Depot, Warrington - Peggy in the kitchen design dept.
Oskar Huber Furniture, Southampton - unknown saleswoman. patient, respectful, asked the right questions & met my needs.
Did you at least wear a condom?
I didn't but Home Depot should based on what the cabinets will cost. Maybe they could spit on it first too.
so i killed some dude at best buy today. it was awesome.
Quote from: phattymatty on March 29, 2007, 03:03:42 PM
so i killed some dude at best buy today. it was awesome.
are teh police after ya?
Quote from: phattymatty on March 29, 2007, 03:03:42 PM
so i killed some dude at best buy today. it was awesome.
With a trident?
Quote from: Beermonkey on March 29, 2007, 11:28:40 AMLast time I took any advice from people on CF/EMB, I ended up renting "Dude, Where's My Car?".
New :CF slogan?
Anyone who goes to the EMB without being paid should not have their advice taken. Especially if they come here, too.
My dad tried starting a new business 5 years ago and had a kickass idea. Unfortunately his partner was a fleshpop so it didnt work out.
Anyways, they had most of their products done. It was some software for lower level businesses. One of the programs didnt work well on some screen resolution. He went to Radiosack and the conversation was somewhere along the lines of "How can I fix a program to appear better with a set number of pixels?" and the person responded with "change the number of pixels." "...That's not the point. It works fine on other resolutions. How do I fix it with the same number of pixels?" and the golden response was "We dont sell pixels."
It's not good practice to ask programming advice from Radio Shack salespeople.
I wasn't already aware of that, Sus.
Apparently that idea was lost on others.