Was the customer right to complain? What would you have done?

Whiteknight

It would be better if the installation charge included the cost for a bracket, that way the store and sales people would be covered.
What would have happened if the customer had not discovered that the bracket was incorrect and the installation people turned up to install the tv discovered that the existing bracket was not suitable would they have just refused to fit it and left?

vyle

Whiteknight wrote: »

It would be better if the installation charge included the cost for a bracket, that way the store and sales people would be covered.
What would have happened if the customer had not discovered that the bracket was incorrect and the installation people turned up to install the tv discovered that the existing bracket was not suitable would they have just refused to fit it and left?

That IS what happened. The customer just assumed their bracket would be fine, the installers turned up and couldn't do anything so went away. They're going out to fix the new bracket.

The cost of the bracket isn't included in the installation because there are....five or six different brackets someone could potentially buy, and there are SOMETIMES people who have researched and bought their own special bracket they wanted.

Esqui

fabforty wrote: »

Some people will have done research, but many will not. I understand your frustration about the complaint but as the person with the knowledge - i.e. you, try to think of spoonfeeding the clueless customers (we are all dense about something - men buying underwear for girlfriends springs to mind ) as an essential part of your job and not an element to be endured. I remember buying my first laptop - thank God the sales assistant knew his stuff because I was totally clueless. Yes, I had to be spoonfed, but as a customer I expected nothing less. I did some reading beforehand but as a complete technophobe and most of it went over my head.

I think it's more the customers who think they are experts, when in fact they know very little that grate.

And vyle, do you expect anything less than failure from a TV installation service? "Wrong type of bracket", "wrong type of TV", "Didn't have the right tools", "TV was too heavy to lift", "Didn't have time". SIGH.

xocbc

From my memory of working in electrical retail, customers will complain, complain, complain and complain some more, even if they are 100% in the wrong. They complain because they can.

I used to have people complaining that they bought a PC to use the internet but we didn't tell them that they needed broadband installed etc...

As long as you know what you are talking about, stick to your guns, let them complain, at least you have the satisfaction of being right.

oldone_2

This site shows how awkward customers can be.

http://notalwaysright.com/

solodanceparty

I hate when managers don't back their staff up. They should have not gotten anything for free. They're the ones who didn't bother to measure. I hate retail.

Pound

vyle wrote: »

It's things like this that almost make me tempted to throw it all in and become a surly supermarket checkout person, because going the extra mile only ends up getting you nowhere .

OP, I can only assume you're new to working with the general public. Anyone who has much experience of this kind of work will have dozens of stories of insane and irrational customers like yours. Don't think you'd get away from it working at a supermarket checkout. I can guarantee you won't have to wait long before someone is yelling at you for not accepting a photocopy of a £20 note as payment.

If you really don't like this kind of thing, aim towards a career that doesn't involve dealing directly with the public. But stick it out unless you find another job or taking up studying.

DCFC79

vyle wrote: »

Last week, I sold a television to a customer. They were going to have the television on the wall, so I sold them a wall mounted installation and asked them if they needed a wall bracket.

them: We already have a bracket that the old tv was on.

me: what size/type of tv was it?

them: A flat one.

me: If your old tv was a different size, or didn't use VESA mounting holes, it may not be suitable.

them: We'll measure it when we get home and see.

So I left it at that.

Today, I find out that the customer rang up complaining that they couldn't have the TV installed because their existing bracket wasn't right and apparently that's my fault, so they've been given a wall bracket for their trouble.

Although my manager doesn't think I did anything wrong, she's advised me to essentially refuse to sell an installation without a bracket to avoid similar problems in the future, even if the customer says they have a wall bracket.

If you were in my position, what would you have done when they said they had a bracket? Would you have pushed the situation anyway, or take the customer at their word?

If you were the customer, would you have complained?

If you were the store, would you have given away freebies?

The customer even admitted that i'd asked them about a bracket....yet continued to shout incoherently when pressed on why they hadn't checked their bracket.

It's stuff like this that ruins my job. It seems I have to spoonfeed people who one would assume could do some research or think for themselves

I would have done the same as yourself, you asked the buyer if they needed a bracket and you was told no as they had 1 the old tv was on. Giving the freebie was a good idea but selling a tv without a bracket will surely have the wrong effect and turn possible customers away from the store but decisiosnare made by people higher up so do as required and let them see the profits fall. I wouldnt let it get to you though.

CAPMguy

rule number one, the customer is always right so yeah i would have done the same thing for sure!

Sharon87

CAPMguy wrote: »

rule number one, the customer is always right so yeah i would have done the same thing for sure!

Actually rule number 1 in my experience is the customer has no clue and not very bright (well most of the time! There are of course exceptions).

I've been in retail for 4-5 years now, mostly during college/uni time and customers think they complain about anything. I once had someone come into the shop saying their Britta filter was empty. They had no box, no receipt and expected it to be changed. I reckon this person was trying to get a free replacement for his Britta filter.

In the OPs situation I would have done the same thing. Although the manager does seem like a bit of a push over, if the store was at fault I could understand giving something free, but not when customers do something wrong. If a person gets kicked out of the cinema I work at for being loud, we don't refund them. But if someone complains about noisy people, they may get a refund or complimentary ticket.