Thursday, July 23, 2009

Customer Service...huh?

Lots of merchants are seeing some business income slide, they say it's because of the Internet.
Yes I will have to agree, the Internet has changed the way you purchase certain things, like books for one.
I go crazy and order up on Amazon and in a week or two the box arrives and all my books are there! Pretty easy, brainless, and they are cheaper than going to a bookstore and not finding the book you wanted anyway.

But there are things that you just can't buy via the net, stuff like shoes, OK yes you can buy shoes, and I have in the past, but I wind up sending more than half of them back, since my foot is Muy Ancho!

So, I trashed my slippers that I walk around in half the day by going and doing gardening and other stuff that they were not designed to do.

No problem, I'll just go down to the local shoe store, they will have what I want, worse case I'll drive a few more miles, or combine it with the next trip to the big berg.

Entering the store, I am amazed that there are not only two or three pairs, but about 6 pairs of possible prospects. Some in brown,s ome in tan....I wanted tan... looks cooler, temperature wise.

The next thing I hear is that someone will be with be shortly.

Ok, no problem. I am not in a hurry.

So, 5 minutes go by, then another 5, then a few more. Finally a sales man walk to within 8 ft of me and answers his cellphone.

Why people shout into their phones I will never understand....it's doesn't make the call go any further, but they still do.....

So now I hear his conversation, his problems with stock, some other issues, on and on...

Another 5 minutes go by and I feel that his phone call is much more important than someone hovering around wanting to purchase something in his store.

I start getting closer to the front door.

I don't happen to overhear him telling anyone that he has to go.......keeps on talking on the his cellphone.

Maybe he was talking to somebody special.....important who knows......

Another minute or two, I am starting my car, getting ready to go to another task on my to do list.

4 hours later, two pairs are ordered, I'll have them in a week or so.

And they wonder why they lose business......

7 comments:

Michael Dickson said...

You did the right thing. Furthermore, don´t ever go back to that store. Let them sink into the financial oblivion they richly deserve.

Calypso said...

Customer service diminishes with number.

I idealistically thought the computer would make customer service better (it certainly helped marketing).

My theory is there are now so many people that if a few go away many will keep coming - they don't seem to understand the law of diminishing return(ees).

I agree with Felipe - stay away let some other(s) fill your shoes in that store.

Nancy said...

I haven't been that pointedly ignored as that, but my pet peeve is you hardly ever get acknowledged.

It doesn't cost a thing to look at someone and say I'll be with you in just a minute, does it? Maybe even with a smile?

Tancho said...

One of my first jobs out of high school was sales. I rather enjoyed the customer contact, and actually was the top sales person on the floor.
It is all attitude of how to make the customer's experience rewarding for both the customer and the salesperson.
Too many people think it is an inconvenience to do either or both....I will never go back there again, you can bet!

Don Cuevas said...

I can't get shoe sizes that fit my fat feet in Michoacán. Maybe in Mexico City?

Saludos,
Don Cuevas

Tancho said...

Sr. Cuevas,
There is a place in DF that had the wide sizes last time I was there, It was called something like El Borsiguine....If I remember correctly, it was a few blocks away from the big plaza.

Leslie Harris said...

How very rude indeed! You did the right thing. We have experienced similar service here in Yahualica. But it wasn't cell phones that distracted the salesgirls. We were ignored because a bunch of boys were driving around in their borrowed SUV's with music blaring. I guess seeing who was driving the SUV's was more important than making a sale!

We left the store with no desire to return. A few days later, the owner of the store came to Hubby's shop to have something repaired. My hubby commented to the owner about what had happened. Long story short, the girls were replaced with older women!