Greetings Readers
I was in the local bike store that is near my humble abode where I bought Lily - the new Mountain Bike.
I was in the store last night for a purpose. To pick out and buy a Mountain bike for my brother. The store was not busy and I was able to look at the Mountain Bikes without worrying about anyone hovering near or over me. Also, they know who I am so they really know not to bother me and I will bother them when, or if, I need help.
I was looking, but at the front counter there was a man talking loudly and obviously upset. I started to stop looking at the Mountain bikes and started to drift closer to what I perceived was/is a "pissed off" customer.
I felt sorry for the guy who is one of the few night store managers on duty who also assisted me a few weeks ago on buying my Mountain bike - Lily.
The conversation, which at this point was one sided. The customer was talking loudly and obviously upset with his membership. Specifically - his expired membership.
Meaning, that he was mad that no one told him that for the past two years when showing/giving his membership card no one told him that his membership was inactive. This was told by the customer to the store manager - almost verbatim.
That was that the whole tirade from the customer - in a nut shell.
Now, here is the real truth and believe me Readers it took a lot to "bite my tongue" and not get involved in this conversation, since I can see how the "woe is me" story is really fucked up. In a nut shell - Are you telling me that for two years this customer believed that his annual one year membership was active two years later? Get the fuck out of here!
Every member knows that the membership is annual - yearly. Also, in the membership it states that you must use your bonus points within 90 days of expiration.
Or was it 30 days? - sorry Readers I can not remember, but I can remember that I too was a victim of not cashing in my rewards points before the expiration date. This was years ago, but let me tell you Readers I do keep track of my points and when the annual membership is going to expire. Also, when my membership gets near the end I also get reminders that I need to renew or else I will lose my rewards points.
How is it the store's fault for perhaps you, the customer, not checking your account? Or perhaps not updating your email or mailing address for contact information. After all, you give all that information when you sign up. Is it the store's fault for you not buying anything in the last few months of the membership, therefore no one personally told you that your membership expires in a couple of months?
If so, then you might as well as indicate that when you take a shit you need someone to wipe your ass for you. Right?
Getting back to the event. I listened and watched this one sided conversation. Ever so close to expressing my dismay on this situation to the pissed off customer.
Wait though Readers. I have blogged about this before and I am no stranger to confrontation. I believe in the customer is almost right. Or perhaps customer satisfaction is what we are proud of. As so forth.
With that being said that night store manager had to listen and then had to get a resolution without making the customer more pissed off. He is in no position to get defensive. However, he is able to explain the view of how it is not the store/his fault for the customer's membership expiring two years later and then all of a sudden he wonders why he can not use his points. He talked to the customer and eventually they came to a resolution.
The customer got some rewards points, but not all that he said he was entitled to. The customer seemed okay, said thank you and never looked back when walking out the store into the night.
I looked at the Night manager smiled and told him what I just told you Readers. We talked about it a bit and then he Thanked me for not saying a thing. I said don't Thank me, I only know you from a couple of times and we are not buddies, but come on I was ready to get involved in the conversation. As I said to him, which I just blogged about - Did he really think that his membership was active for the past two years without him knowing that he has not paid the membership? We talked about this incident and the night manager did right.
Though - the question for myself is - Did I do right by being silent? If you think you know me then you know I could have been confrontational, especially when I see that the other person is just so one-sided and not open to possibilities. I did do right, but I think I may have said this in the past - I try to stick up for the little people. Yes, I agree that if I had spoken up I would have made the situation worse most likely. Yet, I may have made the customer think about what he was arguing about and take a second look. Perhaps. I guess we will never know.
Oh, by the way Readers, I like Lily so much that I have decided to purchase the same exact model for my Brother. And that is why I was in the store this past evening scouting and putting the bike on hold until the following day so I can pick up at that time
I was in the local bike store that is near my humble abode where I bought Lily - the new Mountain Bike.
I was in the store last night for a purpose. To pick out and buy a Mountain bike for my brother. The store was not busy and I was able to look at the Mountain Bikes without worrying about anyone hovering near or over me. Also, they know who I am so they really know not to bother me and I will bother them when, or if, I need help.
I was looking, but at the front counter there was a man talking loudly and obviously upset. I started to stop looking at the Mountain bikes and started to drift closer to what I perceived was/is a "pissed off" customer.
I felt sorry for the guy who is one of the few night store managers on duty who also assisted me a few weeks ago on buying my Mountain bike - Lily.
The conversation, which at this point was one sided. The customer was talking loudly and obviously upset with his membership. Specifically - his expired membership.
Meaning, that he was mad that no one told him that for the past two years when showing/giving his membership card no one told him that his membership was inactive. This was told by the customer to the store manager - almost verbatim.
That was that the whole tirade from the customer - in a nut shell.
Now, here is the real truth and believe me Readers it took a lot to "bite my tongue" and not get involved in this conversation, since I can see how the "woe is me" story is really fucked up. In a nut shell - Are you telling me that for two years this customer believed that his annual one year membership was active two years later? Get the fuck out of here!
Every member knows that the membership is annual - yearly. Also, in the membership it states that you must use your bonus points within 90 days of expiration.
Or was it 30 days? - sorry Readers I can not remember, but I can remember that I too was a victim of not cashing in my rewards points before the expiration date. This was years ago, but let me tell you Readers I do keep track of my points and when the annual membership is going to expire. Also, when my membership gets near the end I also get reminders that I need to renew or else I will lose my rewards points.
How is it the store's fault for perhaps you, the customer, not checking your account? Or perhaps not updating your email or mailing address for contact information. After all, you give all that information when you sign up. Is it the store's fault for you not buying anything in the last few months of the membership, therefore no one personally told you that your membership expires in a couple of months?
If so, then you might as well as indicate that when you take a shit you need someone to wipe your ass for you. Right?
Getting back to the event. I listened and watched this one sided conversation. Ever so close to expressing my dismay on this situation to the pissed off customer.
Wait though Readers. I have blogged about this before and I am no stranger to confrontation. I believe in the customer is almost right. Or perhaps customer satisfaction is what we are proud of. As so forth.
With that being said that night store manager had to listen and then had to get a resolution without making the customer more pissed off. He is in no position to get defensive. However, he is able to explain the view of how it is not the store/his fault for the customer's membership expiring two years later and then all of a sudden he wonders why he can not use his points. He talked to the customer and eventually they came to a resolution.
The customer got some rewards points, but not all that he said he was entitled to. The customer seemed okay, said thank you and never looked back when walking out the store into the night.
I looked at the Night manager smiled and told him what I just told you Readers. We talked about it a bit and then he Thanked me for not saying a thing. I said don't Thank me, I only know you from a couple of times and we are not buddies, but come on I was ready to get involved in the conversation. As I said to him, which I just blogged about - Did he really think that his membership was active for the past two years without him knowing that he has not paid the membership? We talked about this incident and the night manager did right.
Though - the question for myself is - Did I do right by being silent? If you think you know me then you know I could have been confrontational, especially when I see that the other person is just so one-sided and not open to possibilities. I did do right, but I think I may have said this in the past - I try to stick up for the little people. Yes, I agree that if I had spoken up I would have made the situation worse most likely. Yet, I may have made the customer think about what he was arguing about and take a second look. Perhaps. I guess we will never know.
Oh, by the way Readers, I like Lily so much that I have decided to purchase the same exact model for my Brother. And that is why I was in the store this past evening scouting and putting the bike on hold until the following day so I can pick up at that time
P.S. Readers - I finally got a picture of Lily and I.
Until the next time
Daryl Charley
The Fallen Athlete
Until the next time
Daryl Charley
The Fallen Athlete
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