Invisible customer

[chicken77]

I am just finishing up a build that has been going on for far to long. During this build I have frequented a parts store quite often and it seems as though I have become invisible.... There are usually atleast two people behind the counter and most of the time three. I am not saying that everything must be dropped and my needs attended to at that very moment, but a simple "Hi, we'll be right with you" would go a long way. I can enter the store, walk to the counter and be ignored for minutes on end, 5 to even 10 minutes, while phones are being answered and internet orders filled! I was always taught flesh before phone. I took a buddy to this particular store and we were ignored for several minutes, we were the only customers in the store and standing at the counter while three employees surfed the internet and chatted, finaly one of the employees managed to drag himself away from his important morning B.S. session long enough to help us spend over $300. I have literally spent thousands of dollars over the years at this store. I do not have to shop at this store, I can buy most of the items I need online. I like going into the store and putting my hands on the items I am buying before I purchase them. Is it so wrong of me to expect to be welcomed into stores and have helpful people answer my questions with a helpful attitude? This is just a rant from a customer being forced to shop online to get prompt but faceless, soulless service. What gets me is the fact that this is a local business that I believe needs the walk-in customer, hence the show room and people behind the counter.

 

[sixstringsteve]

I hear you. I have the same experience at.my local parts store. Maybe send.this info in a letter and.give.it to The owner or manager

 

[rholbrook]

Let the owner know that you are taking your business somewhere else

 

[jeep-N-montero]

As I read that it brought to mind a very similar experience at likely the same store, now I mostly shop online or ksl and find vendors who substantially beat the prices of that store. But I did have a good experience with Fat Bob's in Ogden and I let them know it, this lead to a discussion about said previous store and they hear the same feedback from a lot of folks. Interesting how a simple purchase of a single shock led to a 20 minute chat about a few trails, they even ignored a ringing phone to help me out. To top off a good experience, they even beat the best online price I found. Their business practices are good enough that they just opened a second location. So there are still a few good shops around who care.

 

[Crinco]

Thats very frustrating to look at from both sides. As a business owner, I hate to hear stories like that, but whats worse is hearing it has been going on for too long. The sooner an issue like that is resolved, the happier everyone will be. I really enjoy seeing the look on my customers faces when they get great customer service, there just isnt any reason for us to want a customer to unhappy with us. Seeing the look of a customer who doesnt want to come back... makes me wonder how I will pay my bills.
I say, give the owner a chance to make it right before you give up on him. If nothing changes, there are a LOT of places to buy parts and several vendors on here who have paid money to be our first choice, maybe see if these guys can get you what your looking for. Good luck

 

[MikeGyver]

Seriously report it. The owner/store manager isn't going to let a few wanker employees ruin their store's integrity.

 

[chicken77]

I have contacted the company via e-mail and made them aware of my concerns. I hope it gets to the right people and not deleted by a front desk employee lol.

 

[gijohn40]

I once had a similar experience and I emailed the manager and stated that due to the stores lack of customer service I was taking my money elsewhere... I got a reply from someone stating that was my right as a consumer and wished me best of luck.... so sometimes its a practice that is taught by the management to the employees through the "Lead by example"
theory!

But still I would let the management know and if possible get the names of the people that are doing the damage... the more info you can provide them the better your story will look.

 

[STAG]

I have a list of several companies that I won't ever use again because of poor customer service. ;
Cutler's in Orem, Dwayne's Auto Wrecking in Lindon, and BRTech in Evanston are some of the ones on that list.

 

[Chevycrew]

I was the buddy that went along... It seemed as tho the counter person was only interested in taking and filling the order. This doesn't help when you have product questions. Hopefully the owner will get in touch and remedy the situation.

I guess for now, its back to doing my own research and ordering online.

 

[rholbrook]

Take a hot girl with you next time

 

[STAG]

Then you'll become really invisible as she will be all they see

 

[skippy]

What is the name of the alleged store? PM me if you dont want to post it public

 

[mbryson]

What is the name of the alleged store? PM me if you dont want to post it public

Curious about that myself

 

[benjy]

Unfortunately this seems to be the trend with hourly employees...

 

[iamsparticus]

i would like to know the store too. I go to napa 20 times a week and i know everyone there personal and im greeted with a hows it going before i even approach the counter, ogden napa is the best parts store i have been to hands down, but i have had teh ignore treatment at oriellys and autozone before one of the reasons i dont go there

 

[ID Bronco]

I think it's great that you let the management know, but if it is as severe and frequent as you described I wonder , Where the heck is the owner? Is he never there? This kind of garbage isn't isolated if its to this extent.

Hats off to you for giving them another chance. I was once a Les Schwab tire boy. (I don't care for them personally) but I did learn that the "come runnin'" attitude was much more important than I thought it was at the time. It's not just a cheesey gimmik if the attitude is constant and genuine. This is how I feel business should be run. If a customer walks, the owner loses money. It's that simple.

 

[Kevin B.]

I think it's great that you let the management know, but if it is as severe and frequent as you described I wonder , Where the heck is the owner? Is he never there? This kind of garbage isn't isolated if its to this extent.

Hats off to you for giving them another chance. I was once a Les Schwab tire boy. (I don't care for them personally) but I did learn that the "come runnin'" attitude was much more important than I thought it was at the time. It's not just a cheesey gimmik if the attitude is constant and genuine. This is how I feel business should be run. If a customer walks, the owner loses money. It's that simple.

Back in the day, I never went anywhere but Les Schwab because I could count on a guy coming running out of the garage before I could get out of the car. You could stand in the waiting room and watch them at work in their bays and they were always running, and always cheerful. I was stoked when they expanded to Utah, and very disappointed to find out that Les's business model didn't expand with them. I go to wherever is closest, now.

 

[N-Smooth]

I've worked in customer service for like 14 years and I try to give people slack because we all have bad days. If a company has bad customer service but good location, prices and availability- I just deal with it. There are a number of places that I still frequent because the pros outweigh the cons. Get yourself ready for bad service while you're driving there... that helps

 

[jeep-N-montero]

I think it's great that you let the management know, but if it is as severe and frequent as you described I wonder , Where the heck is the owner? Is he never there? This kind of garbage isn't isolated if its to this extent.

The owner or manager is likely in China trying to outsource even more of their product line....just a thought.