Can customers read?

[Jazz]

I really don't think so. Here's a case in point. We have a pre-order of a DVD that wasn't coming out till mid-March. The website and confirmation email say it's a pre-order. But I don't think customers really read that...it even says it's being released in March whatever date.

Case in point, I got this email at the end of February:

Today is Sunday the 25th of February and I still have not received my order. When I went to your website it states that it has not yet shipped. I am inquiring as to why? I am anxiously awaiting your reply. If I have not heard something by Wednesday I will have to cancel my order and take my business elsewhere.

I replied with:

Thank you for your email. Your order contains a pre-order which means it is ordered before it has been available to ship out. The order will ship out once the DVD becomes available. All orders that are ordered with the pre-order are shipped at the same time.

He replies with this on March 1st:

It has now been almost a month since I ordered these DVD's, when will my items be shipped? I would also like the shipping charge refunded to me due to the wait. No where on your page does it say that if you place and order with a Pre-Order that you will have to wait for the Pre-Order before your other items will be shipped. If I had known this I would have done two separate orders. Your immediate response is greatly anticipated.

I wish he would read the website. It says so. We even BOLDED the darn thing so they wouldn't miss it. I replied with pretty much the same answer except I mentioned if he went into our website, he would see the information in bold.

He replies with this second week of March (five days before the release):

It has now been over a month since I placed my order. I am furious at the waiting that I have been made to do. I want a phone number of someone to talk to about this matter. I want my money back. I also want a response ASAP.

I replied right away with the day of the order being shipped and if he would still like the products or a refund, repond to the email and we will process it right away.

We heard nothing from him until today:

I want my order cancelled IMMEDIATELY and my refund of $XXX NOW! I am very disappointed in the non-service that I received. I want my money back in my account by Friday April 6, 2007 or I will contact the authorities.

Honestly...the authorities are going to make me shake in my boots. Argh. I really don't know why I'm in this business, I want out so bad.

[spoiled_princess]

Our website is the same--important info is BOLDED in a DIFFERENT COLOR from the rest of the site, but they STILL don't read it.

You could have it ANIMATED, make it reach out and SLAP THEM IN THE FACE and they still wouldn't read it.....

[Demonoid Phenomenon]

Okay, that one HURT.
Exedrin needs a new kind of pain reliever for SC Headaches.

Then again, no.
It would have to be narcotic to be effective.

[greensinestro]

But, but, but.....you did not tell us whether or not this bastard gets his money back for his prepaid video that he ordered before the actual release date!

Honest to God, sometimes you can even point things like this out to customers, and they still refuse to accept what you tell them. I sometimes will pre-order an item, knowing full well I may have to wait weeks or even months before it's actual release in stores and for shipping purposes. They're right now taking pre-orders for the upcoming "Harry Potter" book, due out July 21, 2007. Now, do you think if I pre-order this book now, I should raise hell and complain to Amazon.com that I have to wait three months for it to arrive at my house? I think not!

[SuperB]

No, they cannot read. I say this with absolute certainty as my office door has "Private do not enter" in 5 languages, a large red sign stating that in English and a "Beware of Dog" on it as well. I also stack items in front of it to discourage people from attempting to even *think* the door is for their use. It is located next to (but recessed back from) the bathroom door which is clearly marked and artistically painted. It's more than noticable.

I'll give 3 guesses as to what most do. (you'll only need one)

[protege]

Honest to God, sometimes you can even point things like this out to customers, and they still refuse to accept what you tell them.

Exactly. People don't want to take the time to read things....and then bitch when it's not what they're expecting. The only way I could see the guy having a case...is if it *wasn't* mentioned on the site somewhere.

For example, I ordered a new wiring harness for the MG that I'm restoring. Rather than try to repair the original, I thought it would be easier to just replace it. I placed the order through the company's (rhymes with "Cross") website...but got curious when it wasn't being shipped, since it wasn't listed as out of stock, nor was there a warning about how it might take longer to get one. Soooooo I called them up, explained my concerns, and got an answer. Turns out, the company doesn't stock the harnesses, but makes them from scratch. That way, they can be sure it'll be correct for the car, since the MGB was in production from '62-80, and quite a few things changed during that time. Even though that was *not* mentioned anywhere, I didn't go off on them, nor did I complain about having to wait. They explained everything, and I was happy with that. I'm sure since I was so polite, they got the harness to me....about 2 weeks ahead of time!

[Imogene]

Sounds like the guy I had in the store probably my second year working there... Chesterfield (surprised? Not me. MOST of my memories come from working at Chesterfield, cause I worked there longest)

Anyway, one day, I wander up to some guy who's perusing our boxsets as though he were a drowning man and they were air supplies. (Ah ha! You'll notice I didn't say 'Air Supply'!)
RJ: "May I help you sir?"
SC: "Yes, your website says you have James Bond boxsets."
RJ: *blink, blink* "No, sir, we do not, all the James Bond movies are unavailable, except for... 'Never Say Never Again' (I think)."
SC: "Your website says you have them in stock."
RJ: *to self* "That's damned impressive, our in store inventory isn't able to tell us what we have 'IN STOCK', only what can and can't be ordered." *out loud* "I'll go check around, but I haven't heard anything about a boxset..." *I run over and ask three different managers about the possibility of a James Bond boxset, all three point out that the only James Bond available is Never Say Never Again. No big surprise there. I return to said moron* "No, sir, three managers all said the same thing. There is no boxset of James Bond currently available."
SC: "Well, then, I'll just browse a bit, since you're incapable of doing your job."
RJ: *needle skips black, goes straight into red* "Alright, Jackass. I'm one of the best workers here. I can point you at absolutely any movie we have in stock, excluding the mature section. I can tell you how many we have of any movie in the store. I can lead you to any movie you could pick off the top of your head without stopping at the database. I might double check with a coworker for an extremely obscure title, or perhaps the horror movies, but I know this damn store inside and out. If four different people all said exactly the same thing, it don't exist!"

Two weeks later, our Reservation sheet had three different James Bond sets for preorder. In four months.

[ArenaBoy]

Customers read? Come on everything turns into Swahili or "disappears" on them. The day EVERY SINGLE customer reads a sign and claims to not see will be considered a religious holiday for us service workers.

[i4wolves]

I would love it if he would call the authorities. It would be funny to see what he would tell them.

[DesignFox]

People like that, make me cry for the species. (and sure do give me a headache)

[Kitten in the box]

A vast majority of the customers simply WILL NOT read. We get that at our job also. For example, if we have a sale sign up someone will ask if its on sale for such and such price and if thats what it says. Seriously. We even one customer ask the ingrediants in surgar and ask if its sweet. (he did this while "reading" the package of surgar...no he wasn't illiterate either.) Uh...yeah? Its sugar...its supposed to be sweet...

[reformedwaitress]

Was he upset he hadn't received his PRE-order yet was was upset he hadn't received the other stuff he ordered with it -- that WAS in stock? I've never heard of somewhere holding in stock items until a pre-order is ready unless specifically requested. I know when I pre-ordered a book from an online place and ordered a number of other things at the same time, I got the other stuff in one package and the pre-order on it's own.

Not saying that he wasn't sucky, cause he was, but I'm sometimes bad about reading everything and maybe he was expecting everything but the preorder in a normal ship time

[NightAngel]

Read? Customers? I also believe in Unicorns...

I had some idiots who rented out a PS2 Madden game the first day it was released. They brought it back about a month later (just a little late) and demanded a refund of their rental fee because they "didn't like it". They had also put an old PS1 BMX game in the case instead of the Madden game.

I refused the refund of course. They got angry- started yelling and cussing and I tossed them out on their ears. Pretty soon the police arrived- they had gone outside and flagged down a patrol car. Needless to say the police did not arrest me but they chewed the game returners a new one for stopping them.

It took about another 2 months but we did finally get the Madden game back and the actual account owner paid the approximately $50.00 owed.

[Sofar]

Remember, if they didn't read the first time they aren't going to read the second time, or third time, or fourth time.

[CrazedClerk]

"Hello police?

I want to report a store for following their policy! I want my damned money back!"