It's Christmas, sometimes items are hard to find, I get that.
A guy calls in looking for an extremely popular 360 game, only he wants a used one. We have none in stock but as a courtesy we can see if other stores have any. I finally track one down in the western part of the state and let him know I will try and have it sent here.
Oftentimes we do this for customers, a store calls another about a game they don't have and the item is sent to the requesting store. The customer pays no additional charges for this service, not even shipping.
Anyway he was talking to a coworker so when I get on the phone with him I'm confused at first but eventually I figure out he assumed the game was being sent us even though we got another definitive answer on that.
So this guy demands to know where his game is. I put him on hold to call the other store. The person I talk to at the other store says they haven't had that game in stock for awhile even though our computer system indicated they did. This happens every so often. Games get mislabeled, misplaced or otherwise lost track of.
I go back to the guy with this news...
SC: Well did you ask for a manager?
Me: No sir, I'm not sure if that employee was the manager but she did investigate for me and told me they don't have the game.
SC: And you didn't ask any further? You didn't speak with the manager about it.
Me: No sir, if you want, I can call back and verify with the manager.
SC: Oh so now you're offering to do something you should have done in the first place. Do you realize how much further along in this call we'd be if you'd done that to begin with? Don't make it sound like you are being extra helpful, you're just making up for a mistake.
SC: Sir, I have no reason to believe the person I spoke with was lying, I didn't see an immediate need to speak to a manager, but I will call back and talk to one.
So I call the store back and it turns out the person I spoke with was the manager, so the situation is unchanged. I tell SC of this.
SC: So why would your manager have told me he was getting that game for me when <other store> never had any to begin with??
Me: I don't know sir, he might not have known right away they didn't have any. Our computers indicated they did.
SC: So what happens now, I mean how am I supposed to get my game?
Me: Well, they don't have it there, you can buy a new copy or I can try to find you a used one at a different store.
SC: But they were supposed to have one for me at THAT store! This is unacceptable! How could you people screw this up so bad??
Me: I apologize for the computer error sir, but we have no control over what happens at another store. If you like I can give you the number there and you can speak to the manager yourself.
SC: I damned well will! What's the number?
Me: XXX-XXXX
SC: Bunch of idiots... *click*
The thing is, most stores have a couple of new copies of the game in question and the price difference is only $6. It would be far less problematic for this guy to just buy a new copy. I know times are tough but is $6 really worth that much of a hassle?
Now that I ponder that more, I realize there are SCs out there who will go to outlandish lengths to save even the tiniest amount on something.
A guy calls in looking for an extremely popular 360 game, only he wants a used one. We have none in stock but as a courtesy we can see if other stores have any. I finally track one down in the western part of the state and let him know I will try and have it sent here.
Oftentimes we do this for customers, a store calls another about a game they don't have and the item is sent to the requesting store. The customer pays no additional charges for this service, not even shipping.
Anyway he was talking to a coworker so when I get on the phone with him I'm confused at first but eventually I figure out he assumed the game was being sent us even though we got another definitive answer on that.
So this guy demands to know where his game is. I put him on hold to call the other store. The person I talk to at the other store says they haven't had that game in stock for awhile even though our computer system indicated they did. This happens every so often. Games get mislabeled, misplaced or otherwise lost track of.
I go back to the guy with this news...
SC: Well did you ask for a manager?
Me: No sir, I'm not sure if that employee was the manager but she did investigate for me and told me they don't have the game.
SC: And you didn't ask any further? You didn't speak with the manager about it.
Me: No sir, if you want, I can call back and verify with the manager.
SC: Oh so now you're offering to do something you should have done in the first place. Do you realize how much further along in this call we'd be if you'd done that to begin with? Don't make it sound like you are being extra helpful, you're just making up for a mistake.
SC: Sir, I have no reason to believe the person I spoke with was lying, I didn't see an immediate need to speak to a manager, but I will call back and talk to one.
So I call the store back and it turns out the person I spoke with was the manager, so the situation is unchanged. I tell SC of this.
SC: So why would your manager have told me he was getting that game for me when <other store> never had any to begin with??
Me: I don't know sir, he might not have known right away they didn't have any. Our computers indicated they did.
SC: So what happens now, I mean how am I supposed to get my game?
Me: Well, they don't have it there, you can buy a new copy or I can try to find you a used one at a different store.
SC: But they were supposed to have one for me at THAT store! This is unacceptable! How could you people screw this up so bad??
Me: I apologize for the computer error sir, but we have no control over what happens at another store. If you like I can give you the number there and you can speak to the manager yourself.
SC: I damned well will! What's the number?
Me: XXX-XXXX
SC: Bunch of idiots... *click*
The thing is, most stores have a couple of new copies of the game in question and the price difference is only $6. It would be far less problematic for this guy to just buy a new copy. I know times are tough but is $6 really worth that much of a hassle?
Now that I ponder that more, I realize there are SCs out there who will go to outlandish lengths to save even the tiniest amount on something.
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