Good news abounds. It
seems as though the economy is actually so good that merchants don’t care to
keep loyal customers coming back.
Sears is one of those select chain stores that feel they are
doing so well they can push people away.
Some years ago, I bought a leaf blower at Sears and it needed
repair. I insisted it was under warranty
but, it was not – by three weeks; I know because the sales clerk looked it up
on his computer and told me so. Not long
ago, I visited that same Sears store hoping to buy a new head for my gas string
trimmer. The sales clerk asked me for
the product number which I did not know.
He refused to talk to me because I didn’t have “that pesky eight-digit
number.” I contest he could’ve looked it
up but, he didn’t have time. They lost
another customer but, who cares?
The Home Depot clearly hires personnel from Sears because
their store personnel aren’t much better at customer interaction. This big box store hires people who shouldn’t
be anywhere near customers – whether they are taking their medications or not –
because they are not only hapless, they are combative. With no clue as to how customers are supposed
to be treated, these dolts in orange aprons think they are doing me the big favor. They are wrong.
Lowe’s, The Home Depot’s largest competitor, isn’t much
better. Their clerks like to think they
do not have to help you when you need assistance finding something. A recent 20-minute wait to ask a simple
question went unaddressed, with me leaving over $5000 in materials behind in
carts and on dollies. The store “manager”
was unapologetic, and is now stuck with a fairly large lost sale. And, another lost customer can be notched on
their wooden rulers.
Tractor Supply Company likely wrote the employee manuals for
Lowes’, The Home Depot, and Sears. I
ordered a flashlight and patiently awaited its arrival. After the two-week waiting period, I visited
the store to which it was being sent, to no avail. No one knew what I was talking about. Amen.
I haven’t been back since.
Banks are not exempt from being indifferent to its
customers. Bank of America is a fine
example of a business that thinks people are stupid. I called to ask a question but, no one was
available to answer the phone so, I left a detailed message and requested a
call back. Four years later, I don’t
believe that call is coming – it doesn’t matter, though, since I am no longer a
customer. When asked why we were
removing our cash from their bank, I explained the un-returned phone call. The representative explained that bank
personnel were too busy helping in-lobby customers, although we had to wait for
the rep to get off the phone.
Then there is Cheaper Than Dirt. This company, much like others that
advertise, needs customers to exist. Here’s your freebie from www.easternshorefishandgame.com: if you can’t keep merchandise on hand, you don’t advertise to sell
more. Cheaper Than Dirt regularly
sends out a flyer advertising their goods.
I selected two items and ordered them.
They never arrived. A call to
Cheaper Than Dirt HQ suggested the idea that phone personnel were sleeping with
the boss as that would be the only reason they had jobs. Several attempts to rectify this mess by me went
unaddressed until months later when someone’s secretary felt compelled to call
me about my service experience. She got
an earful and apologized to me for ten-minutes until I told her that Cheaper
Than Dirt had their chance and blew it.
I further detailed how my gun club would be notified of my horror story,
too. Unfortunately, it was too little,
too late, for me.
The bottom line in all this is businesses exist to sell
products and provide services to the unwashed masses. If they want to continue doing so, they need
to treat me and others with respect and as though my money is as green as
everyone else’s. They also need to
realize that if they don’t cater to me, I can go elsewhere and often do. They need me more than I need them.
