You sir, are a moron. + Bonus

[cono1717]

So I kind of snapped, more the polite snap that happens when you want to throw their head into a wall multiple times, but before you do you realise that you're company might not approve of your methods. Yeah. That.

So I approached a customer to see if they wanted any help if our computing department.

Me:
SC1: Main Jerk
SC2: Kind of an SC but only because he still hangs round with SC1

Me: Did you need any help today?

SC1: This one please.

Me: Oh, you'd like to buy that, great, for what purposes are you going to be using the computer

SC1: (With that stupid smile that says Go on, let me mess with you) "What does that matter".

Me: (Having recognised the level of disrespect and sarcasm I mirror it) Well there's no software on these computers so if you said to me for example you wanted to do word processing I'd advise you consider a Microsoft Office Package that...

SC1: It has wordpad

Me:...Yes but that is not office at all, if someone sends you a word document you're pretty screwed

SC2: I won't need that I'm only surfing on it.

Me *Directly at SC1* Well you see this is the reason why we ask what you're doing on the computer so we can ascertain what software you may need.

SC1: I won't need any of it.

Me: Fine, I'll check the stock.

It turned out when genuinely didn't have any in, I returned told him and got this "Oh funny we could have had it a moment ago when we were asking for a free bag"

Me: "Actually, the person you were talking to never went to check the stock, they just told you that you couldn't have the free bag and you left it at that, I was over there watching"

SC: - Leaves.



---BONUS STORY---

This one is hilarious, proves that some people literally just want to complain.

Background of this is a customer had a TV delivered and our couriers f'd it up, majorly. So the customer phoned us and we took the hit for it. My manager asked the customer

"Ok what would you like me to do for you today?"

THAT IS LITERALLY A SILVER PLATTER - We had the power to do pretty much anything they wanted - because we could justify it to corporate (it was that big of a mess up)

She responded with "Don't you take that tone with me, I will be writing to your h/o" - Where she got a $25 voucher and a generic letter. (The $25 didn't even come from our stores pocket)....

She shot herself in the foot just to complain. Excellent.

[MoonCat]

SC2: I won't need that I'm only surfing on it.

Translation: Porn

[peoplesuck]

"Ok what would you like me to do for you today?"

This phrasing could reasonably be interpreted as unhelpful, or apathetic, especially in the context following a service error. [Something along the lines of "Yeah, what do you want me to do about it?"]. Perhaps a clearer turn of phrase could have been : "How can we make you whole/happy?"

When I've encountered service errors I judge a organization by they recompense they offer without prodding. [Who wants to get involved in a bid ask situation, which is by its nature confrontational].

Not saying the lady wasn't sucky, but she may not have been on the same page.

[South Texan]

Very good suggestion, Peoplesuck!

And the first guy? Porn. No question. Mooncat hit it on the nose.

[HYHYBT]

Honestly, I'd be pretty much in the "what does it matter?" department too, though I'd probably be polite enough not to say so. But then, I look to see what's included and what isn't, am willing to add what I need that's not already there myself... and realize that many people do neither of those and would wind up coming back to complain that it doesn't have what it never said it did.

(Now, if a product is specifically designed to disallow uses normally possible, such as an external hard drive specifically advertised as Mac compatible whose special, but worthless, backup or security software cannot be removed by formatting and blocks using it as a bootable drive, that needs to be mentioned on the label and yet isn't. In that case, I would have welcomed a knowledgeable salesperson asking what I wanted it for and telling me it was unsuitable.)

[emax4]

Honestly, I'd be pretty much in the "what does it matter?" department too, though I'd probably be polite enough not to say so. But then, I look to see what's included and what isn't, am willing to add what I need that's not already there myself... and realize that many people do neither of those and would wind up coming back to complain that it doesn't have what it never said it did.

(Now, if a product is specifically designed to disallow uses normally possible, such as an external hard drive specifically advertised as Mac compatible whose special, but worthless, backup or security software cannot be removed by formatting and blocks using it as a bootable drive, that needs to be mentioned on the label and yet isn't. In that case, I would have welcomed a knowledgeable salesperson asking what I wanted it for and telling me it was unsuitable.)

It's probably not so much as an upsell technique, but I'm sure salespeople have gotten clueless buyers who come back with their purchase ranting, "I WANTED TO DO VIDEO EDITING AND MUSIC PRODUCTION ON THIS WAL MART LAPTOP. WHY DID YOU SELL THIS TO ME?". So, to avoid that headache, they ask, "what will you be using it for?"

[Hawaiian Eskimo]

The main reason the "what are you going to be doing with it" question gets asked is to help determine what sort of specs the customer needs, which isn't always obvious to most computer shoppers (it requires somewhat detailed knowledge of current hardware models, and their capabilities). It helps prevent the "what do you mean it won't run *high-spec game/AutoCAD/etc*, I spent 400 dollars on this!" situation.

Of course, then you wind up with the guy that says he'll be doing "gaming" on it, you spec out a $1000 machine, and it turns out that his idea of "gaming" is "I play Mafia Wars occasionally, I guess".

Edit: Damn, beat me to it.

[cono1717]

This phrasing could reasonably be interpreted as unhelpful, or apathetic, especially in the context following a service error. [Something along the lines of "Yeah, what do you want me to do about it?"]. Perhaps a clearer turn of phrase could have been : "How can we make you whole/happy?"

When I've encountered service errors I judge a organization by they recompense they offer without prodding. [Who wants to get involved in a bid ask situation, which is by its nature confrontational].

Not saying the lady wasn't sucky, but she may not have been on the same page.

I only caught the back end of it but I do think it was phrased differently when given to the sc and accompanied by a massive apology so you could tell it wasnt attitude, you know providing your brain isn't a raisin like most of the customers we encounter.

[Bunny the Veggie Slayer]

The main reason the "what are you going to be doing with it" question gets asked is to help determine what sort of specs the customer needs, which isn't always obvious to most computer shoppers (it requires somewhat detailed knowledge of current hardware models, and their capabilities). It helps prevent the "what do you mean it won't run *high-spec game/AutoCAD/etc*, I spent 400 dollars on this!" situation.

Of course, then you wind up with the guy that says he'll be doing "gaming" on it, you spec out a $1000 machine, and it turns out that his idea of "gaming" is "I play Mafia Wars occasionally, I guess".

Edit: Damn, beat me to it.

^This (even the 'beat me to it)

When I worked part time I used to build PCs as a sideline. When people got in touch with me my first question was always "What are you going to use it for.". If it was just surfing and emails, or more often "I dunno", I'd point them towards a big box store and their laptops. I wasn't going to be able to undercut on price for really basic system. Plus I'd much rather [b]not[b] have to deal with their constant phone calls for problems they've made for them selves.

In other words: The fact your computers infested with virii and porn dialler (yes I started on them that days) and runs like an amputated tortoise through treacle is not a fault with the system.

[MoonCat]

Tone of voice is the thing you have to be careful with when asking "What do you want us to do for you?" Sometimes you have to ask that question in order to shortcut all their whinging and bitching, and make them get to the point. But you have to ask very politely.

As for the "what are you going to do with it?" question, when I bought my laptop I told the guy I knew nothing about computers so please start at the "computers for idiots" level. I told him I'd be writing on it, websurfing & emailing, no gaming and no techie stuff. It was kinda funny but I admitted I was pretty clueless beyond knowing how to turn it on and type on it.

[EricKei]

I told him I'd be writing on it, websurfing & emailing, no gaming and no techie stuff. It was kinda funny but I admitted I was pretty clueless beyond knowing how to turn it on and type on it.

Nothing wrong with that ^_^ Having that info really helps when trying to figure out exactly what kind of comp you need!

[ADeMartino]

This phrasing could reasonably be interpreted as unhelpful, or apathetic, especially in the context following a service error. [Something along the lines of "Yeah, what do you want me to do about it?"]. Perhaps a clearer turn of phrase could have been : "How can we make you whole/happy?"

When I've encountered service errors I judge a organization by they recompense they offer without prodding. [Who wants to get involved in a bid ask situation, which is by its nature confrontational].

Not saying the lady wasn't sucky, but she may not have been on the same page.

Believe it or not, the manager got exactly the result he wanted. As the OP mentioned, the customer could easily have racked up a substantially-costly 'fix' at the store's expense. Instead, the customer got a $25 gift card and generic letter.

If you look at it, the phrase, even when said neutrally, is deliberately ambiguous.
It is generically polite but phrased so that it could be misinterpreted easily by someone in a hostile mood. I'd be willing to be this is something that corporate requires him to do, and was probably crafted, word for word, by psychologists.

[Jester]

Whenever I have made a major purchase, be it a computer, a bicycle, a vehicle, or even a tv, I have explained to the salesperson just exactly what I am looking to do with the item in question, so that hopefully they can guide me in the right direction, or help me find what I am looking for.

What *I* use a bicycle for and what YOU use a bicycle for might be two different things. Hell, I use my two different bicycles for two different purposes. And what I and my roommates use our computers for are all different things as well, which is why we all have different setups.

Duh.