So I go to Terrace today, hoping to pick up my 30GB iPod photo, that I ordered a month ago. After taking 10 minutes to even figure out I ordered the thing, the guy came back and told me that model was discontinued, and they only make 20GB or 40GB now, and asked me if I’d like to order one of those instead.
Now, I was already given the run-around as I was promised when I ordered (and paid for) it, the iPod would take 7 days to come in, and when it wasn’t there in 7 days, I phoned and was told it’s ETA was pushed back because of no stock anywhere to July 9th, which is today. I had also called there last week to make sure it was still on the way, at which time the clerk assured me I would have an iPod this weekend.
What gets me… is how hard was it for one of those guys to A) tell me on the phone when I called the last time that the model was discontinued and I wouldn’t be getting one, or B) tell me flat out at the beginning that they can’t replenish stock fast enough anywhere and I would be waiting for a month. I would have been totally understanding had they told me I would be waiting a month, but being told a week, and waiting a month for something that wasn’t ever coming anyways… sucks.
I was only going the CompuSMart route instead of ordering from somewhere else like Future Shop because they said it would only take a week, and I had the choice of using my debit card instead of having to use credit. Now I guess I’m stuck using credit and buying online anyways.
Good thing I wasn’t just going to Terrace to pick up the iPod, or I would have been more upset.
This is the type of thing that leads people to go elsewhere. Usually it leads them online. I often listen to people in retail complain about people who don’t “shop local” but frankly most local retail need a lesson in pulling thier heads out of thier asses when it comes to customer service.
I can understand that local businesses can’t afford to stock everything under the sun but when I can order stuff off the net cheaper and faster than a local store can order it in (as in your story) then all I’m left with is how they treat me as a customer. There are very few “local” businesses who know how to treat a customer right. For those precious few I am a very loyal customer.
We can’t bust heads like we used to, but we have our ways. One trick is to tell em stories that don’t go anywhere - like the time I caught the ferry over to Shelbyville. I needed a new heel for my shoe, so, I decided to go to Morganville, which is what they called Shelbyville in those days. So I tied an onion to my belt, which was the style at the time. Now, to take the ferry cost a nickel, and in those days, nickels had pictures of bumblebees on em. Give me five bees for a quarter, you’d say.
Now where were we? Oh yeah - the important thing was I had an onion on my belt, which was the style at the time. They didn’t have white onions because of the war. The only thing you could get was those big yellow ones…
[quote=“smartass”]So I go to Terrace today, hoping to pick up my 30GB iPod photo, that I ordered a month ago. After taking 10 minutes to even figure out I ordered the thing, the guy came back and told me that model was discontinued, and they only make 20GB or 40GB now, and asked me if I’d like to order one of those instead.
Now, I was already given the run-around as I was promised when I ordered (and paid for) it, the iPod would take 7 days to come in, and when it wasn’t there in 7 days, I phoned and was told it’s ETA was pushed back because of no stock anywhere to July 9th, which is today. I had also called there last week to make sure it was still on the way, at which time the clerk assured me I would have an iPod this weekend.
What gets me… is how hard was it for one of those guys to A) tell me on the phone when I called the last time that the model was discontinued and I wouldn’t be getting one, or B) tell me flat out at the beginning that they can’t replenish stock fast enough anywhere and I would be waiting for a month. I would have been totally understanding had they told me I would be waiting a month, but being told a week, and waiting a month for something that wasn’t ever coming anyways… sucks.
I was only going the CompuSMart route instead of ordering from somewhere else like Future Shop because they said it would only take a week, and I had the choice of using my debit card instead of having to use credit. Now I guess I’m stuck using credit and buying online anyways.
Good thing I wasn’t just going to Terrace to pick up the iPod, or I would have been more upset.[/quote]