Customer Service Is Everything

Why is it so hard to find good customer service these days? Growing up, I remember hearing the phrase, "The customer is always right" and most businesses adhered to that mentality. Understand that I have worked retail in my past. I also have my own side business now. I am fully aware that the customer really isn't always right. As a matter of fact, the vast majority of the time, the customer is flat out wrong. But I still do my best to make the customer feel right, even if I know he is wrong. Unless it will adversely impact my bottom line, I have always tried to make the customer feel appreciated and know that I want their business.

On "black Friday", the big shopping day after Thanksgiving, I went in search of an mp3 player. Wal-Mart was sold out, so I then went to Circuit City. Big mistake. They did have them in stock, but they didn't have any on display for me to actually take a look at and put in my greedy little hands. I asked the dorky kid on the floor if I could see this thing before I bought it. He looks at the box and says, "No, it's factory sealed." What? Of course it's factory sealed, you moron, everything in this store is factory sealed! "Well, we can't open it." Sigh. Fine, get me a manager. I know the kid is only doing what he's been told, and I don't fault him for following the rules. Manager comes over and I explain the situation to him. I want to buy this thing, but I want to see it first and they don't have any on display.

Manager #1: "I'm sorry we don't have any on display, but it's in a sealed box, so I can't open it."
Me: "well, who can open one of these?"
Manager #1: "I can."
Me: "great, open this please"
Manager #1: "Oh, I can't do that."
Me: "but you just said you could"
Manager #1" "I misunderstood you then"

Excuse me? You have someone who wants to drop a quick $250 and all I want to do is SEE the thing first and you won't open the box? WHAT THE FUCK?
At this point, a second manager has stepped up and is listening in, and then chimes in.

Manager #2: "So what exactly is the problem here?"
Me: "I would like to purchase this mp3 player, but you don't have any of this model on display, and I would like to see it first. I would like you to open this one so I can actually see the product"
Manager #2: "Well, this is sealed."
Me: "Yes, I know this. That's how things come when they get shipped to you."
Manager #2: "Our company policy is that we can't open the product"
Me: "This is not a big deal, I only want to see what I"m buying first"
Manager #2: "Sir, you don't have to get upset about this. We just have to follow our company policy. And it says we can't open the boxes. If we open this, and you don't buy it, we have to charge a 15% restocking fee"
WHAT???
Me: "You opened product to put all these other items on display, didn't you?"
Manager #2: "Yes, but we had company approval to do that. Maybe Creative hasn't paid us to put this product on display."
Me: "Yes, but this is a new product, that is more expensive than anything you have out here, and I would like to have this, but I would like to actually see it first before I spend $250 on it."
Manager #2: "You can read the specifications on the box. If it meets your needs, I don't see why you would need to see it."
Me: "Would you buy a car without seeing it first?"
Manager #2: "No, but this isn't a car, now is it?"
Me: Dumbfounded stare. "You know something? You guys are definitely not the only store in town that has these in stock. I can take my money elsewhere since you obviously do not want to make a sale."
Manager #2: "Have a good day."

And I walk out shaking my head. As I stated earlier, I have worked retail before, and I do have my own side business. I really wish my business were so good and cash was flowing so freely to me that I could bear to watch $250 walk away from me merely because I didn't feel like showing a customer my product. I know of very few businesses that are able to turn their back on easy cash so readily.

I went then to Best Buy, who were very friendly and helpful, and even had one of the players on display that I could pick up and touch and play with and all that good stuff, but unfortunately were out of the player. Across the street from Best Buy was another Circuit City. I shuddered at the thought of walking in yet another one of those bastions of ineptitude. I went to lunch and chilled out for a while. I then said to myself, you know, maybe it was just one store of morons. And you've already held one in your hands, you really don't need to see one at this point. And if these guys are morons too, I can just order it online.

So, against my better judgment, I talked myself into going into the different Circuit City. They didn't have any on display, but they didn't have any mp3 players on display. I looked in the locked case and saw one in there. I called the sales guy over and he opened up the locked door and pulled out the box for me. I checked the little sticker on the front that said what color the thing was, and politely asked the guy, "are we sure this is the color of the player?" He said, "Let's find out." and proceeded to pop open the sacred FACTORY SEALED box take out the holy unit and hand it over to me to see for myself. My jaw hit the floor as I stared at the player, then at the sales guy, then at the player, then at the sales guy. So much for "corporate policy" about not opening a damned box.

Wrap it up, I'll take it. Boom, just like that, the store pocketed a quick $250, and I was on my way. Was that so hard?

~peace