To all you business owners out there, can you please teach your staff the friggin basics of business. If I am standing in your shop with cash in my hand and am willing to spend it, do not allow your friggin staff to answer the phone and talk to the person on the other end and leave me standing there , unless that person is going to be spending money immediately . I will simply walk out and take my money with me. It is friggin rude. Here is what you do, tell the person on the other end to stay on hold or get their number and ring them back. It’s that friggin simple.
April 13, 2011 · 11:07 am
They do that in hotels all the time and it is always when I get to the front of the line.
That happened to us at a nursery a few weeks ago but the attitude was what was the worst. They had sale signs up and I walked in and commented that there was a sale going on. Remember this is a country town about 20 km from here. I’ve done up and old property and am doing the garden too. He said nothing but kept on watching us. I’d been to the bank and as the daily limit is $500.00 that’s what I had on me. He snapped that the sale starts tomorrow and I’d better come back then. Well he didn’t know the two other people behind me were my brother and his wife. My brother let him have it… verbally only. We left never to return. The thing was he had lovely plants but lost the sale. I won’t go back and I hope his sale sucked because the next day it poured all day long. Karma?
I have, do, and will take my money elsewhere when this shit happens. I could make a list. I’m usually polite about it though. I usually say something like, “I’m sorry but your business has failed to meet my standards for appropriate interaction with me as I judge commercial interactions, and I will now take my hard earned cash to your nearest and best competitor. Please inform your manager, supervisor or immediate superior that you have lost my business due to your poor sales skills, and recommend to them that you should be more suitably trained for your tasks as a vendor. I am not vindictive or angry with your lack of skill, and it is possible that if your services again become desired by me in some form that I will return to attempt to obtain them, however; it is very unlikely.”
I remember years ago when I was working in retail my boss told the staff over and over again , the most valuable customer is the one with the money, all others are just potential.
One of my favorite shops always puts on their answering machine when they are busy leaving a cheerful message and the promise they will return the call as soon possible. When they do return my call they have already researched my query. So simple!
I completely agree with yo…
*ring ring ring*
Hang-on a minute, Loon…
You are correct in blaming business owners. I worked at GNC once and had to answer the phone even if I was helping a customer. I never understood the logic of this.
My God it happened again today. We went to the Old Mill for lunch and I ordered and paid for us and asked that a pot of tea for two come to the table after the meal. She forgot the tea so I asked her to just make one and to bring me a piece of the cake that they had on display. I went to pay for the cake and she charged me again for the tea which she’d already forgotten. When I told her I’d aleady paid for the tea she said “YOU DID?” The right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing. I’ve had to train this woman that you want tea and cake together not the tea first and ten minutes later the cake when the tea is cold or finished. People have no idea abot service anymore. My friends think I’m too fussy but I don’t think so. Coffee /tea and cake go together, simple as that.
Fussy? You are paying for product and service. It is basic business principles. Sheez, customer service in some cases is the only thing that differentiates businesses these days.
I know that and you know that but try telling them that. This was on Seinfeld last week. Elaine was being ignored completely and she told the sales person to put the phone down and serve her but after telling her off she walked out without buying the goods anyway. She went to another store up the road and purchased the shoes and came back to show the sales person that she lost a sale only to find out that the sales person was the owner of both stores. Lol. How bad would that be?
LOL