chrisrosenb
Member
- Joined
- Sep 1, 2007
- Messages
- 1,265
My wife & I are spending the weekend
When a salesmans great work gets flushed by bad customer service
- Thread starter chrisrosenb
- Start date
Kev
Member
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2011
- Messages
- 7,698
I've just left them some appropriate negative feedback ... no names ... I just felt compelled !!!
This sort of thing ticks me off big time.
Often a company can have great values and highly motivated staff, but one rotten apple can do more damage to the company than the organisation will ever realise.
I urge you to give them some very specific feedback - give them the opportunity to remediate the situation and discipline or remove the dysfunctional individual. If it's a company wide cultural issue ... your learning becomes complete anyway (you'll garner this from their response).
It's beyond my understanding why anyone would expect to be delighted with rudeness when they visit any retail concern, especially with the obvious anticipation they'll be parting with their hard earned money ... people that don't realise this have no place working in customer service roles (they belong in mines - radioactive mines would be my personal preference!)
Urrgghhhh.
Kev.
This sort of thing ticks me off big time.
Often a company can have great values and highly motivated staff, but one rotten apple can do more damage to the company than the organisation will ever realise.
I urge you to give them some very specific feedback - give them the opportunity to remediate the situation and discipline or remove the dysfunctional individual. If it's a company wide cultural issue ... your learning becomes complete anyway (you'll garner this from their response).
It's beyond my understanding why anyone would expect to be delighted with rudeness when they visit any retail concern, especially with the obvious anticipation they'll be parting with their hard earned money ... people that don't realise this have no place working in customer service roles (they belong in mines - radioactive mines would be my personal preference!)
Urrgghhhh.
Kev.
Chris
You made the right decision, but you might have considered speaking to the store manager about it as you left. Last night we went to a favorite restuarant, it had outside dining and the night was a bit cool. I asked the hostess to seat us near a heater. She took us over to a table without a heater. I said (I thought nicely) perhaps you didn't hear me, but I asked if we could sit near a heater. She snipped. "we will bring one over here for you".
I was a bit PO but didn't let it spoil my meal, but i did tell relate my experience to the head hostess when I left.
If customers don't tell businesses what is wrong, they will never know and have the chance to make things right.
Jay
You made the right decision, but you might have considered speaking to the store manager about it as you left. Last night we went to a favorite restuarant, it had outside dining and the night was a bit cool. I asked the hostess to seat us near a heater. She took us over to a table without a heater. I said (I thought nicely) perhaps you didn't hear me, but I asked if we could sit near a heater. She snipped. "we will bring one over here for you".
I was a bit PO but didn't let it spoil my meal, but i did tell relate my experience to the head hostess when I left.
If customers don't tell businesses what is wrong, they will never know and have the chance to make things right.
Jay
Brice Burrell
Member
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2007
- Messages
- 7,385
A few years back I saw an episode of Dirty Jobs where Mike was at a zoo. He was with a young man whose job it was to clean up all the animal poop out of all the cages. The young man commented that he had just gotten a promoted to this poop clean up detail. His former job was in customer services. That pretty much says it all about dealing with people for a living. I'm not making excuses, but I can certainly understand why these people can have a bad day from time to time.
Kev
Member
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2011
- Messages
- 7,698
Brice Burrell said:
That's terrible.
The majority of people are nice. Sure, if your job is dealing with complaints as a result of a problem - they may not be happy ... but leave them waiting on hold for 15 minutes and treat them poorly and you're inviting a bad interaction.
Both of the examples here have been where service should have been polite and positive ... applying to get an account to spend money and dining out.
If a person prefers dealing with animal excrement rather than talking to people - they've certainly made the correct career move. Promotion ... I doubt it - sounds more like a bitter reaction.
Not everyone is suited to facing the public - when you're given a job to provide service in exchange for getting paid to do it, politeness is not the thing you leave at home - no matter how the person you're dealing with behaves.
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2007
- Messages
- 13,126
Chris,
I am going to assume that the name of the warehouse club started with a C. If so, I can tell you whole heartedly and with absolute honesty that you experienced an anomaly of a magnitude that you should contact senior management and tell your experience. That organization will not tolerate such behavior.
I am not associated with nor ever have been with that company, but after being a member for 30 years I can tell you that in my experiences the interactions with employees have been far above the norm.
Please let someone know what happened. If it were your company you would want to know.
Peter
I am going to assume that the name of the warehouse club started with a C. If so, I can tell you whole heartedly and with absolute honesty that you experienced an anomaly of a magnitude that you should contact senior management and tell your experience. That organization will not tolerate such behavior.
I am not associated with nor ever have been with that company, but after being a member for 30 years I can tell you that in my experiences the interactions with employees have been far above the norm.
Please let someone know what happened. If it were your company you would want to know.
Peter
Sparktrician
Member
- Joined
- Dec 4, 2009
- Messages
- 4,607
I'm going to have to echo Peter's comment. I've had a membership with the "C" organization since it was the "P C" organization, and have never been treated like that. I rarely have had a need to interact with staff other than at the checkout registers, and have always been well treated. There was a greeter at one that was a treat to run into. His seemingly genuine comment seemed to be, "Hello, friend. How are you today?" Kev's comments regarding letting management know about your experience are right on track.
[smile]
[smile]
Many years ago I saw an episode of 60 Minutes that included a segment on people who work at an airline lost baggage counter. The people who work that job would surely feel that being moved to collecting zoo dung was a promotion. A highlight of that segment was when a service rep told how that one of the first things you learn is to wear a clip-on tie to work.
Seriously I always thought that a job dealing with the general public would be undesirable for certainly you will run into jerks on a regular basis.
When I run into good service I make an effort to let the rep know, and hope they are being recorded or watched when I compliment them.
Seriously I always thought that a job dealing with the general public would be undesirable for certainly you will run into jerks on a regular basis.
When I run into good service I make an effort to let the rep know, and hope they are being recorded or watched when I compliment them.
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2007
- Messages
- 1,671
yep you need to call the regional manager, not the store mgr but regional mgr.. and tell them how rep at show sent you over and then what happened at store I promise you this they will give you a free 1 year membership, or they should, nor required but will and to bad you don't have her or his name to take action on.
but most big box places are great, you always get a few bad apples in the bunch... so go for it..
at restaurants have top guy come over and explain the situation and they take action.
just yesterday told girl at bagel place to toast bagel dark .... she said oh should i run it through 2 times.. I said I don't know I just way it toasted dark like toast should be.. shire enough they brought it to me hardly toasted... took it back and yes they fixed it.
you need to take action !
but most big box places are great, you always get a few bad apples in the bunch... so go for it..
at restaurants have top guy come over and explain the situation and they take action.
just yesterday told girl at bagel place to toast bagel dark .... she said oh should i run it through 2 times.. I said I don't know I just way it toasted dark like toast should be.. shire enough they brought it to me hardly toasted... took it back and yes they fixed it.
you need to take action !
GreenGA
Member
- Joined
- Oct 11, 2007
- Messages
- 877
Interesting that we're on the subject, I think, about the "C" club.
Yesterday, JR and I visited the one in Mt. Laurel, NJ. Leaving aside my desire to rant about the "architects" of the location, as we approached the building, we walked over the sidewalk which was covered in ice left over from the freak snow storm the night before. The ice had been treated with some form of "ice melt", but the sidewalk was still completely covered.
Inside, after being cleared by the gatekeeper, we informed him of the situation outside and related that we saw an elderly woman almost fall down because of the ice. We suggested he let the store manager know so no one else would experience the same problem. He readily agreed. I hung around the area for about 10 minutes watching to see if the gatekeeper would pass along the concerns of a customer. The gatekeeper had a walkie talkie so there was not a situation of leaving the gates unprotected while he went in search of said manager...
Nothing, nada, zip... He never lifted a finger to contact the manager.
Once again, it only takes the actions, or inaction's, of a single employee to drastically alter, to the determent, one's opinion of a company.
Yesterday, JR and I visited the one in Mt. Laurel, NJ. Leaving aside my desire to rant about the "architects" of the location, as we approached the building, we walked over the sidewalk which was covered in ice left over from the freak snow storm the night before. The ice had been treated with some form of "ice melt", but the sidewalk was still completely covered.
Inside, after being cleared by the gatekeeper, we informed him of the situation outside and related that we saw an elderly woman almost fall down because of the ice. We suggested he let the store manager know so no one else would experience the same problem. He readily agreed. I hung around the area for about 10 minutes watching to see if the gatekeeper would pass along the concerns of a customer. The gatekeeper had a walkie talkie so there was not a situation of leaving the gates unprotected while he went in search of said manager...
Nothing, nada, zip... He never lifted a finger to contact the manager.
Once again, it only takes the actions, or inaction's, of a single employee to drastically alter, to the determent, one's opinion of a company.
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2007
- Messages
- 1,671
The funniest thing to do at these places is after you pay you are supposed to stop again at the exit door to check receipt. Not me. I just keep going and make them follow me a bit. It's great and funny try it every time!!
Costco - there I said it - actually is a pretty good place to work. They pay well, and offer decent benefits. Not sure about Sam's in that regard. No affiliation other than being a member for 20+ years and casually knowing a few people I've spoken to who work there.
There's a bad one in every bunch, and just the last time I was in Costco, I was about to get my back up, as I saw the girl assisting the cashier rumaging thru my buggy amond the items that I did not put on the belt. This imo is looking for things you are trying to steal and I really get upset when things like that happen. It only happens at Costco.
The girl noticed the look on my face, and started to explain it was so I was not delayed inadvertently when going thru the final delousing station if someting was missed. I told her balderdash, and how them doing that made me uncomfortable and that they should hire store detectives and use other non-intrusive and not highly visible means to thwart store theft like other retailers do.
She goes on to say how they do this with everybody. I again say balderdash, as it is whenever they feel like it, and if somebody who I happen to know as a client was visiting Costco and saw from afar my buggy being searched, they may misconstrue what was going on, and subsequently I could lose a client and never even know why. I told her that if she tried to or wanted to open factory sealed items for further inspection, she needs to call over a manager before doing so. She said they would never do that. I said it happened to me a few times before, the last time being about 5 years prior with a glue sealed carboard box twin jug pack of vinegar. I also described which cashier had done this, and wondered if she was no longer working there as I hadn't seen her in a long time, and since that day how I would never get in her lineup. The two employees looked at each other, said they knew exactly who I was talking about with a look of "oh! her" and advised that she had retired. Now they both felt sorry for me, and we all started to get chummier talking further.
While I shop at Costco for the savings, I certainly don't shop there for the high level of customer comforts. Showing your card at the front door is no more than a reminder of being part of a Club than to stop people from shopping who are not members.
Kreg mentions just scooting out the door rather thn stopping for the delousing station. That's nothing, a fellow I know - not a friend, a jerk really - has not renewed his membership in over five years. All he gets apparently at the check-out is asked to go to the member services counter to do so, but he never does. What I didn't know until recently, was what those membership fees represented to their bottom line. This is from their own Costco magazine as reprinted in the Globe and Mail newspaper here in Canada:
Costco’s goal is to price products roughly 14 to 15 per cent above cost a margin that’s then almost entirely eaten up by selling costs. Indeed, in the company’s first fiscal quarter, membership fees of $447-million made up the bulk of the company’s $543-million in operating profit. (Costco’s operating margin is 2.5 per cent, and its net profit margin is 1.5 per cent.)
There's a bad one in every bunch, and just the last time I was in Costco, I was about to get my back up, as I saw the girl assisting the cashier rumaging thru my buggy amond the items that I did not put on the belt. This imo is looking for things you are trying to steal and I really get upset when things like that happen. It only happens at Costco.
The girl noticed the look on my face, and started to explain it was so I was not delayed inadvertently when going thru the final delousing station if someting was missed. I told her balderdash, and how them doing that made me uncomfortable and that they should hire store detectives and use other non-intrusive and not highly visible means to thwart store theft like other retailers do.
She goes on to say how they do this with everybody. I again say balderdash, as it is whenever they feel like it, and if somebody who I happen to know as a client was visiting Costco and saw from afar my buggy being searched, they may misconstrue what was going on, and subsequently I could lose a client and never even know why. I told her that if she tried to or wanted to open factory sealed items for further inspection, she needs to call over a manager before doing so. She said they would never do that. I said it happened to me a few times before, the last time being about 5 years prior with a glue sealed carboard box twin jug pack of vinegar. I also described which cashier had done this, and wondered if she was no longer working there as I hadn't seen her in a long time, and since that day how I would never get in her lineup. The two employees looked at each other, said they knew exactly who I was talking about with a look of "oh! her" and advised that she had retired. Now they both felt sorry for me, and we all started to get chummier talking further.
While I shop at Costco for the savings, I certainly don't shop there for the high level of customer comforts. Showing your card at the front door is no more than a reminder of being part of a Club than to stop people from shopping who are not members.
Kreg mentions just scooting out the door rather thn stopping for the delousing station. That's nothing, a fellow I know - not a friend, a jerk really - has not renewed his membership in over five years. All he gets apparently at the check-out is asked to go to the member services counter to do so, but he never does. What I didn't know until recently, was what those membership fees represented to their bottom line. This is from their own Costco magazine as reprinted in the Globe and Mail newspaper here in Canada:
Costco’s goal is to price products roughly 14 to 15 per cent above cost a margin that’s then almost entirely eaten up by selling costs. Indeed, in the company’s first fiscal quarter, membership fees of $447-million made up the bulk of the company’s $543-million in operating profit. (Costco’s operating margin is 2.5 per cent, and its net profit margin is 1.5 per cent.)
Chris Rosenberger said:
Chris, you can obviously do whatever you want, but I think you're overreacting... Based on personal experience, and the other comments here, your experience is *FAR* from the norm. It's completely unrealistic to expect to have a long-term relationship of any kind and not have ANYTHING go wrong. If you got a DOA Festool product, would you suddenly abandon Festool? No (I assume), because you know that's not the normal experience. If you went to Best Buy and got hounded by the sales people about purchasing warranties/cable/3rd party products/cables/etc. to the point that it annoyed the hell out of you would you not go back? Yes, because that IS the normal experience at Best Buy these days.
I deal with vendors day-in-day-out who swear there is nothing wrong with their software, and also those who will say "oh, let me look into that." Maybe you took the person's tone wrong (maybe you didn't), but would you want a client to give you a second chance if somehow you rubbed them the wrong way but knew you had a long track record of success and customer service?
Talk to the regional manager. If you don't accept the freebies, you can't become "one of those people". You're really missing out... they really are much better than Sam's (I assume... I haven't been to Sam's in over a decade, but I think I did just get the grime off from that trip last week [tongue])
harry_ said:
Is there any other place that does this?
Maybe Sam's Club if any, but they're a carbon copy of Costco anyways, just different banner and knowing WalMart, they probably only pay them minimum wage compared to Costco. I can't recall when there was a Sam's club near me, since then Sam's has closed all its Canada locations, whether they did it as well.
It's so undignified. I have never seen anyone sent back based on this scrutiny at the door, nor have I seen Kreg, or anybody else for that matter, blow through their delousing station. I think I'd need a shot of courage prior to do it myself. [wink]
No it's not just Sam's/Walmart or Costco.
I know the poor sot at the door is just trying to do what I'm sure is a thankless job, but it ticks me off.
The last time I was there the lady actually saw me at the checkout scanning my 40# bag of dog food, I know she did. Now she wants me to take it down off my shoulder to show her my receipt?! Pffffft!
Call me what you want, I'm with Kreg on this one!
I know the poor sot at the door is just trying to do what I'm sure is a thankless job, but it ticks me off.
The last time I was there the lady actually saw me at the checkout scanning my 40# bag of dog food, I know she did. Now she wants me to take it down off my shoulder to show her my receipt?! Pffffft!
Call me what you want, I'm with Kreg on this one!
atomicmike
Member
- Joined
- Apr 29, 2010
- Messages
- 190
In defense of the receipt-checking... I was making a rather large purchase some time ago, and one of the items had been rung up twice. The employee checking receipts at the door caught it, saving me a trip back and a lot of hassle. I'll admit that I do still find the process annoying at times, especially when there's a long line and the people in front of me aren't paying attention.
The real reason the warehouse clubs do it, though, is to prevent shoplifting. By asking for membership cards at the entrance and checking receipts at the exit, they are able to reduce shrinkage from the retail standard of 2% to around 0.2%.
- Mike
The real reason the warehouse clubs do it, though, is to prevent shoplifting. By asking for membership cards at the entrance and checking receipts at the exit, they are able to reduce shrinkage from the retail standard of 2% to around 0.2%.
- Mike
I learned in a course I took a few decades back that in some retail settings 50% of theft is done my employees. Having worked as a student and young adult in a grocery store, I was not surprised when I heard this as I witnessed on numerous occasions employees stealing around me.
