This isn't "Let's Make a Deal"

[Dave1982]

3 of 6 days in a row down and already I my urge to kill is getting dangerously high.

Who want's to play "Let's make a deal?"

Among MANY other things that made tempers short and suckiness abound today was an argument involving our office furniture guru, the MOD, José (dept lead and management trainee), and three customers. They were foreign, but I won't mention their specific ethnicity, though I'm sure you'll be able to guess it.

This argument was centered around the customers attempting to haggle us down from $300 for a piece of furniture......to $99.99.

And it wasn't even a matter of them wanting to use 10 bajillion coupons to do it, they just wanted s to arbitrarily mark the item down so they could get a better deal. Needless to say, Furniture Guru told them that wasn't possible, and needless to say, they argued about it and demanded to speak to a manager, and it just went downhill from there.

I think they ended up leaving without buying anything, but not before sparking ANOTHER argument, this time over a "While Supplies Last" offer no longer being valid because.....*gasp* the supplies of that item were gone.


And you're going to school for what, now?

SC: I have a question about printers.

Me: Ok. What is it?

SC: Yeah, the printer they have at my school prints really good, and the one I have at home prints really bad. Why?



I'll spare you the near-endless cajoling it took to pry more information out of him, but suffice it to say, he didn't know jack shit about printers or printing, yet claimed to be a graphic arts major.

Ultimately, it turned out he was trying to print digital pictures on plain bulk copy paper and didn't understand why they weren't coming out lab-quality. Somehow, I foresee a career in fast-food in this guy's future.....

(No offense to any fast-food CSers)


Who want's to play "Let's make a deal?" Part Deux

A different group of people from the above incident asked for two high-end HP laptops.

SC: They are $1049?

Me: After rebate, yes. The price at the register is $1099.

*brief argument amongst themselves in another language*

SC: How much for two?

Me *already knowing where this was going*: Twice the price of one.

*brief argument amongst themselves in another language*

SC: I'll just take one then.

And of course they didn't buy anything with it, and go no service plan. That really gripes my ass because for several weeks now I've been stuck in a rut and unable to get anything sales wise. And it's not even because f anythign I'm doing; very few people have been coming in to buy during my shifts, and the majority of those that have been have been the bargain-hunting cheapskates who won't buy anything to pad the sale even if you explain the benefits until you are blue in the face. It doesn't help that a CW has been selling circles around me in the meantime because he's been working the busier shifts.

(Yes, I've requested different shifts, but every one of those they've put me on has been a bust because it was DEAD that day )

At least I'm not on commission, though......


Are you blind? Or just plain STUPID??

SC: Where are you flash drives?

Me: *walks him over to where they are and points* Right here.

He proceeded to walk RIGHT PAST where I was standing, then looked around in frustrated bewilderment.

SC: Where are they!?!?

Me: Right HERE! *points forcefully at the flash drives*

SC: Oh.

Stupid is as stupid does...............


7 Months > 14 days

This particular grungy pile of low-end-of-the-gene-pool scum walked over to the end of the customer service desk where I happened to be (bypassing the line) and dumped a GPS unit and charger on the counter and demanded an explanation for why it was telling him it was getting a weak signal when "it didn't before."

I tried explaining that the signal strength varies depending on a variety of factors, but he claimed he wasn't doing anything different or going new places (where the signal might be weaker). He then demanded I fix it.

Me: Well sir, we don't have the ability to service these here, and we don't even sell this particular model any more. As the return policy is 14 days, you'll have to go through the manufacturer's warranty.

SC: Can't I just get a new one? I have the receipt *hands me a receipt dated 12/07*

Me: As I said sir, we don't sell this model anymore. It's been at least six months since I'd had any of these, and-

SC: Then I want to return it.

Me: Sir, the return policy is 14 days for electronics. You bought this more than seven months ago.

SC: Yeah, I got it around Christmas.

Me: That's longer than 14 days. You need to call the manufacturer.

SC: How am I supposed to do that?

Me: Call the number listed in the manual.

SC: But it says up there "EASY RETURNS"

Me: Yes it does, but the return period for this is still 14 days, as stated on your receipt *flips receipt over and shows him the relevant portion of the return policy*

SC: Well what am I supposed to do then?!

Me: Contact the manufacturer.

*Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. REPEAT!*


SC: I don't have the manual anymore, so how am I supposed to get in touch with them?!

Me: I can get you the phone number.

I did so, and he finally got the hell our of my hair.

And you know what the kicker was? HIS GPS WASN"T EVEN BROKEN!!!!!!! I turned it on and it was working perfectly. It picked up a signal without too much difficulty. So all this hassle was over NOTHING. And "weak signal" isn't the same as "no signal." Honestly, I have no idea what the hell he was on about.





Then there was the guy today who couldn't grasp the concept of paying a shipping charge for a special order. I guess in his mind, buying a box of pens should have been enough to garner free shipping.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Who want's to play "Let's make a deal?"

Among MANY other things that made tempers short and suckiness abound today was an argument involving our office furniture guru, the MOD, José (dept lead and management trainee), and three customers. They were foreign, but I won't mention their specific ethnicity, though I'm sure you'll be able to guess it.

This argument was centered around the customers attempting to haggle us down from $300 for a piece of furniture......to $99.99.

And it wasn't even a matter of them wanting to use 10 bajillion coupons to do it, they just wanted s to arbitrarily mark the item down so they could get a better deal. Needless to say, Furniture Guru told them that wasn't possible, and needless to say, they argued about it and demanded to speak to a manager, and it just went downhill from there.

I think they ended up leaving without buying anything, but not before sparking ANOTHER argument, this time over a "While Supplies Last" offer no longer being valid because.....*gasp* the supplies of that item were gone.

1. This is what happens when you've got all them "You too can haggle your way to great deal at stores!" on TV, in magazines, in newspapers, etc.

2. I suggestr keeping a big box of old stinky socks or some such worthless thing on hand for those people wanting to, ahem, make a deal. Just so you can see the look on their faces when they get zonked.

[marasbaras]

And of course they didn't buy anything with it, and go no service plan. That really gripes my ass ... bargain-hunting cheapskates who won't buy anything to pad the sale even if you explain the benefits until you are blue in the face.

Padding the sale is for your benefit, not ours.

[HawaiianShirts]

Dave, as usual, you have my sympathies. Co-workers and I were griping about hagglers today. We didn't come up with any new strategies for dealing with them, but we swapped a few good, frustrating stories.

I've had my fill of the customers who try to ask for bulk discounts on laptops that have a five-dollar margin if we're lucky. Every time I get them, now, my response is the same. When they ask, "How much for three," I ask them, "Are you really going to buy three?" Not a single one has answered that in the affirmative.

I think I've met some of your customers. Or, at least, their relatives.

SC: Can't I just get a new one? I have the receipt *hands me a receipt dated 12/07*

Me: As I said sir, we don't sell this model anymore. It's been at least six months since I'd had any of these, and-

SC: Then I want to return it.

<snip>

Me: Contact the manufacturer.

*Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. REPEAT!*


SC: I don't have the manual anymore, so how am I supposed to get in touch with them?!

Does it strike anyone else as odd that this guy still has his receipt after seven months but not his product owner's manual?

And why is it that people will always ask about warranties (those included with purchase as well available extended plans) when they buy a product but conveniently forget about it when said product has a problem, then bring it back to the store, only to whine that the manufacturer's warranty isn't good enough and the store should fix it right then and there?

[Big-box-retail-blues]

What, we're cheapskates because we don't buy your FUCKING WORTHLESS extended service plan? The Internet is littered with stories of people fucked by companies probably like yours who spent the extra hundreds of dollars and got nothing but grief for it.

Padding the sale is for YOUR benefit, not ours.

As long as you don't back in with a broke ass laptop wanting it fixed for free. I don't know who you've dealt with but I've never personally had any problems with any service warranty I've purchased and having worked retail for more than a decade now I buy service warranty on pretty much everything over 300 bucks.

Of course I wouldn't bitch and moan about something being broke and me having to pay to fix it if I didn't buy the service plan.

Of course it is profit, hell businesses are usually trying to actually make money. God forbid profit be a thing to strove for. Such a dirty word; profit.

My 50 inch plasma that I've had for three years quit working last week. The service guys came out - to MY house, checked it out and decided it would cost more to fix it than it was worth. I got a new 50 inch plasma, delivered, and all I had to do was buy another service plan. I didn't even have to do that but since the $349.99 I spent three years ago on said worthless warranty saved me a couple grand I had no problem purchasing another service plan.

Their benefit? How? The OP is not on commission. She receives no benefit. The store does but so do you if something happens to your laptop.



Edit to add. Of course the internet is loaded with stories of bad experiences. The people who have bad experiences always let someone know but rarely do we compliment someone who does their job well or the good service we receive.

[mischugenah]

Of course the internet is littered with those stories-- people very rarely bother announcing to the world when things actually work the way they're supposed to. (I mean, how often do people talk about particularly cool customers here?) I always get the extended service contract because electronics don't like me and tend to break down after 4-6 months in my presence, and I've never had any problem getting it fixed when they do so. And it's never cost me a penny extra.

[Mark Healey]

3 of 6 days in a row down and already I my urge to kill is getting dangerously high.

Who want's to play "Let's make a deal?"

Among MANY other things that made tempers short and suckiness abound today was an argument involving our office furniture guru, the MOD, José (dept lead and management trainee), and three customers. They were foreign, but I won't mention their specific ethnicity, though I'm sure you'll be able to guess it.

Actually, no. Most of the world has an "I better screw you before you scew me" attitude when dealing with strangers. The degree to which a country holds that attitude pretty much predicts how primitive their economy will be. The problem is when they move to more civilized countries they don't acculturate and drop that attitude. And if they come in large numbers or are particularly insular it can last for generations.

A great book about it is Trust by Francis Fukuyama.

[Automan Empire]

Ooooh, I hate the hagglers. This may be the norm in some cultures, but it is mildly rude and insulting in ours.

I particularly hate when they wait until after prices have been discussed several times during the transaction, additional needed repairs meticulously explained and accounted for down to the penny, several times. When arriving to pick up the vehicle, they say something like, so where is my discount, or don't charge me the tax, or I'm a senior (or whatever) I get a discount, right? Nope, our prices are already competitively low, sir. Pay the price we agreed upon in advaance now, please.

[Dave1982]

Padding the sale is for your benefit, not ours.

OK. I shouldn't have put it quite that way, but as I said, I'm not on commission, so it's not as if there is a financial incentive for me here. However, I am tracked and held accountable for service plan sales.

What I should have said was "purchase a complete solution."

And no, you aren't a cheapskate JUST because you don't buy an allegedly worthless service plan. There's also a certain attitude that goes along with it. Anyone in a job like mine knows it. It's the difference between being frugal and being completely cheap.

And as far as service plans being "worthless," come back and tell me that when something really expensive you own fails and you don't have the plan. If they were truly worthless, they'd probably be illegal. Spare me the nonsense about that. I know better.

As long as you don't back in with a broke ass laptop wanting it fixed for free. I..........the $349.99 I spent three years ago on said worthless warranty saved me a couple grand I had no problem purchasing another service plan.

Their benefit? How? The OP is not on commission. She receives no benefit. The store does but so do you if something happens to your laptop.

Edit to add. Of course the internet is loaded with stories of bad experiences. The people who have bad experiences always let someone know but rarely do we compliment someone who does their job well or the good service we receive.

Well said, except I'm not a girl.

Actually, no. Most of the world has an "I better screw you before you scew me" attitude when dealing with strangers.

Well, yeah, but from what I understand, there's one in particular that is notorious for it. I just didn't want to come out and say it since it wasn't otherwise relevant.

[marasbaras]

I don't get how, in the US, some folks think that haggling is acceptable at most stores.

Sure, at the car lot, on a house, on many large ticket items ... the price and terms are negotiable.

On a laptop? No. Just bizarre.

Regarding worthless extended warranties: yes, the OP is not on commission. However, if their pay/job wasn't affected somehow, they wouldn't care about padding.

Padding DOES benefit the sales person. They get rated by it.

Frankly, it annoys me. Why should I pay $20 for a $2 cable?

[marasbaras]

Anyone in a job like mine knows it. It's the difference between being frugal and being completely cheap.

Makes sense.

Regarding those plans ... I have purchased them in the past. Had items fail and been completely shafted after getting the run-around. Including on my 36" Sony Wega where the power supply just blew after 18 months. It never got fixed because Sony stopped selling the spare part.

And, yes, people don't post about good service. But, go look at the sheer numbers of complaints out there. Serious complaints.

[Dave1982]

Padding DOES benefit the sales person. They get rated by it.

Frankly, it annoys me. Why should I pay $20 for a $2 cable?

I am only personally rated for selling service plans. Selling other stuff benefits the store as a whole, but not me personally (at least at Staples).

I wouldn't ask you to spend $20 for a $2 item; just whatever the marked price is. ANd to be fair, most cables are overpriced, but I can't really help that.

[Getoutofmylobby]

And you're going to school for what, now?

SC: I have a question about printers.

Me: Ok. What is it?

SC: Yeah, the printer they have at my school prints really good, and the one I have at home prints really bad. Why?



I'll spare you the near-endless cajoling it took to pry more information out of him, but suffice it to say, he didn't know jack shit about printers or printing, yet claimed to be a graphic arts major.

Ultimately, it turned out he was trying to print digital pictures on plain bulk copy paper and didn't understand why they weren't coming out lab-quality. Somehow, I foresee a career in fast-food in this guy's future.....

(No offense to any fast-food CSers)

And yet, what's really sad is this guy will probably land a graphic artist job anyway. After being at my office job for a year I'm amazed at the number of people with an "education" that have have hardly any skill or knowledge of even an interest in what they do.

[Big-box-retail-blues]

I am only personally rated for selling service plans. Selling other stuff benefits the store as a whole, but not me personally (at least at Staples).

I wouldn't ask you to spend $20 for a $2 item; just whatever the marked price is. ANd to be fair, most cables are overpriced, but I can't really help that.

Average laptop contains less than 1% margin or negative margin. The cable is almost pure margin. The store has to make margin in order to keep it's associates in jobs, do things like offer instant vs. mail-in rebates, and stay open.

Sorry for the gender mix-up. I was writing a letter to a friend when I responded and was stuck in the female pronoun. I thought I went back and made it all references neutral even though I assumed you were male from the user name.

I do know a girl named Dave though.

[rerant]

And of course they didn't buy anything with it, and go no service plan. That really gripes my ass because for several weeks now I've been stuck in a rut and unable to get anything sales wise. And it's not even because f anythign I'm doing; very few people have been coming in to buy during my shifts, and the majority of those that have been have been the bargain-hunting cheapskates who won't buy anything to pad the sale even if you explain the benefits until you are blue in the face. It doesn't help that a CW has been selling circles around me in the meantime because he's been working the busier shifts.

I have to admit that I'm one of these people. Not because I'm a cheapskate by nature, but rather that my situation often dictates I have to be one. That being never making more than a pittance.