Originally Posted by Ranger
I don't agree with your reperestation of what happened. Perhaps you are wrong because..............you weren't there. FWIW, bike shops are not the only places on earth that are busy. I personally oversee hundreds of accounts as a Service Manager. I deal with peoples complaints all day long so I know a little about being on the Service Rep side.
I also know that they were busy. I mentioned that. I fully respected that by being polite, patient and quiet. I didn't do any complaining or any of that. I just patiently waited and road bikes. My real issue is that the price wasn't honored and i was inconvenienced. You see, being a Service Manager, i know that you can't treat everyone with the same tactics.
If you have an account that spends 100,000 a year with you than you give them more prompt attention than an account that spends $1,000. This only applies when time is limited, othewise they are treated equally. You see, the goal in business is to make money. It really is a business, not kindergarten. I do feel like maybe I shouldn't have been ignored as much as i was. I was the only person in the shop looking at new bikes. Everyone else was there for repairs, etc. and they got there AFTER me.
The point is that they don't OWE me anything. I don't OWE them anything. A business dealing is a mutual relationship. I want your product and services vs. you want my money. They didn't deliver what i wanted so i left. Good Riddance.
Fortunately, like most things, it will be better in the end. I called another shop this morning and he is $100 cheaper any way. Plus the guy actually rides and cares about bikes. I did call Dave at this place back this morning and calmly explained my unhappiness. He offered to reduce the price of the bike and apologized all over himself.
I thanked him for his apology and told him i would not be interested in doing business with them. Rev, i sense a real anger towards your customers. Trust me, i know how that can happen, as it does to me as well from time to time.
I do think you need to work it out because it can't be good for business.
I think you just proved Chuck's point....
Funny, no one else that published responses were there either, but you did not take them to task for thier responses...maybe because they agreed with you...
Actually, in my shop, everyone gets treated with the same tactics. Respect the customer, help them in the order they come in, make sure they get the proper items, and charge them the same prices. And be smart enough to know who the brain suckers are and cut them loose to help the real customers.
In your own words, maybe they were doing exactly like you do. Maybe those people that were picking up repairs have spent $10,000 with the shop last year, and were picking up their tune ups. Time was limited, and they made a judgement call. So if they had spent more than you, you know how YOUR customers feel when you drop them like a hot potato when Johnny Bigbucks shows up. Feels good, huh?
You're right, you don't owe each other anything. You wanted a better price, they wanted proof. That does not sound unreasonable.
So there is someone that you found it $100 cheaper any way. You claim that he is much better than anyway because "he rides and his son rides for Fisher". And it is a shop in a town near you. Why didn't you go there first anyway? Sounds like Dave gave you a lot of time, information, and help. It sounds like there was a slip up at the end because YOU didn't bring in the quote. (If you are a customer service rep, and have been doing it for any length of time, you should know that people will try to get away with things every chance they get. I am sure that if you quote customers prices, you either write it down with thier names and dates, and have some guidelines (how long your quote is valid, etc.), or require that your customer bring back proof of a price you scribbled down on a sheet of paper.) It even sounds like he went the extra yard, upon realizing that there was a miscommunication, to offer you a better deal. But you are going to prove something to him... to be absolutly honest with yourself and us, you took time out of your day and Daves to call him, not to work things out, but to whine and complain and rub his nose in it knowing you are buying your bike elsewhere. Great, you got over on him....feel like a man's man now?
BY the way, where are you located that the choices are so poor? And what business are you a customer service rep for? I like to know what point of references people are using when they beat up on others...