RE: [Paddlewise] Paddle woes.

Hi Michael and All,

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
> [mailto:owner-paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net]On Behalf Of Michael Daly
>
>>>Michael Daly Wrote:
>
> >> I get to the store, track down the salesdroid and wait.

>>Rob Cookson wrote:
> >Maybe part of the problem you are having with service is related
> to the way
> >you interact with the sales/ customer service people.
>
> Well, you (and Bruce) may be assuming that my attitute toward the
> sales person
> preceded the event.  Rather, it followed.

Nope doesn't matter to me one way or the other.

>You see, the shop in
> question, which
> has a tremendous reputation (primarily among the WW crowd),
> prides itself in
> having staff that are paddlers as well as sales staff.  They sell
> high end and
> I expected a "high-end" result.  That perhaps colours my after-the-fact
> representation of the gent.

That's understandable.


>
> He wasn't apologetic.

He should have been.

.In fact, once the problem was discovered, he was
> generally non-communicative.  I was prompting him to respond to the
> situation.  I think it's a reasonable expentation that in such a
> situation,
> the sales staff should be proactive.

Yup, I agree, and stated that in my earlier post.


>
> Two mistakes were made - wrong product shipped (producer) and order
> not checked (retailer).  If it had been a shop down the street, I
> wouldn't have
> been so ticked off.  But I had to drive 300 km ( 180 miles )
> round trip.   He
> knew I had to come a long way; he should have been more careful.

The retailer only had control of the receiving and notification of the
paddle.  Their receiver should have checked that this was the proper product
before you were notified.


>
> Part of my frustration, in fact perhaps the larger part, comes
> from the fact
> that this isn't a one-off event, but rather another in a long
> string of events.
> Both Amie and I have had nothing but problems with _every_ big ticket
> purchase in the last year.

Unrelated to the staff member you were dealing with.  Not his problem.

>Service is history (and Amie and I are both
> in service industries, I as a computer consultant and she as a customer
> sales rep in a big company).  Spreadsheets show service as a cost, not
> a profit.  Hence in these greedy times, service goes.

Not in my part of the US.  Where things are competitive service is a big
deal.  When I was a retail buyer service definately influenced my purchases.
I definately sold on service, not on discount.

>
>
> > If you are unable to
> > get good service from this company, go mail order.  I'm sure
> there are lots
> > of folks on this list that would be happy to share names of
> good mail order
> > retailers with superior service.
> >
>
> But that means I can't support the local shops that provide for specialty
> sports.  I could have ordered it from the producer's web site.  I chose
> to deal with the (almost) local dealer.  I may need that guy in the future
> and want him around.

Do you really?  If they treat you as poorly as you say, they don't deserve
to prosper.  If you really want to help this retailer write them a detailed
letter explaining how poor you think the service is.  Help him improve or
help him fail either will benefit the consumer.  Helping him prosper when
providing shoddy service only harms the consumer.

>
> The demise of specialty shops has been accelerating in the last decade.
> There is now only _one_ high-end xc ski shop in Toronto (pop 3 million)
> and two in the 'burbs (both branches of one store).   One formerly good
> shop is now only into high-end sports fashion and the teenie-bopper sales
> staff are only good for taking the credit card.   What do you expect with
> the minimum wage approach to doing business.

Then don't do business with them.
>
> There are two shops downtown that sell kayaks and gear.  One has
> mediocre kayak selection, though their accessories are good.  The staff
> varies from good to indifferent and I don't recommend the place to
> novices.  The second had a big re-org a few years ago.  I used to
> paddle with and take lessons from their staff.  Those people are all gone
> now, working for outfitters or stores in other cities.  Now staff that
> replaced them are in the teenie-bopper min wage crowd.  They don't
> paddle and don't know the products as well as they should.  I no
> longer feel that they can provide good service.

Tell the manager, tell the owner.  Tell them why you used to buy there and
why you stopped.  When I was in retail I was all ears to this stuff.

>
> The big box stores are putting the small retailers out of
> business and forcing
> them to cut corners to compete.  They end up being no better and we all
> suffer.

Not exactly.  The consumers decide who stays and who goes.  Right now the
consumers are voting with their wallets and they are voting big box and
internet.

>
> Yesterday's episode was an "Oh no, more of the same" thing for
> me.  I'll agree
> that my post here was somewhat overdone.  My apologies.  I should have
> waited till today until posting (if at all).

The only part of your post I had a problem with was calling the staff
droids.  I wouldn't have been offended (and wasn't really offended anyway,
just had a point to make) if you had said that the sales person was rude or
unhelpful or whatever.  It was the dehumanizing element that bothered me.
It's very easy to justify unusual treatment of people once we have
dehumanized them.  I doubt you would have called the sales person a droid to
his or her face precisely because you would have been confronted with the
fact that you were addressing a human.  Anyway enough preaching from me.
Hope things work out with your paddle.

Rob Cookson

 "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety"
Benjamin Franklin



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