LOLBest Buy need I say more?

Dancingweapon said:
Well that's great. My mother can just about browse QVC on her own (usually calling me in every 5 mins (Justin to attest to this...) to come fix something she thinks she's broke) she never browses the web on her own out of pure fear she'll break her laptop. "Evolution is free and easy" nice and ambiguous there. I'm sure my mother if she did get onto this website would automatically know "oh this must mean if the PS3 ever needs a firmware update (which I also didn't know exists until I became less ignorant somehow) at least it'll be for free!"
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My dad can barely get online to check his stocks. He has worked on our family's chicken farm and junk yard. He has no real reason to learn about computers until he decided to get into stocks. He doesn't know how to check the web. You know what he would do if he were buying a PS3? He would ask me about it. If someone was asking him for a $30 fee to upgrade it, he'd probably decline it then ask me later if he needed it. If your mom didn't check the website, then she could ask someone about what she needs for the thing. It's not a new idea about being an informed consumer. People used to read magazines and books to become informed about products before the internet.

Dancingweapon said:
And for the last time, people aren't being lazy. The majority of people have to scrape together enough money to even get their children a good xmas present in these times. They work over time when it's offered and save in advance when needed. It's almost opposite of lazy right now. They are just being exploited.

Not everyone is based on your family either. I know of cases where a surprise is actually a surprise sometimes. Sorry if I came off as a dick in this post.
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If you are scraping enough money to buy something like this, you better damn well know what you are buying and what the thing needs. I would think that someone who worked hard for their money would want to make sure that they aren't wasting it on extra things for something that they don't need.

No not everyone is based on my family but most people in the world who work hard don't want to waste their money.
 
It's not at all cool what they do. They take advantage where they can and if withholding certain information to cement more profit is their game, and the game being played by most big chains, then you can't be surprised by this.

But it's sooooo sneaky. It really is. I wouldn't expect most elders to do much research into an item such as this, just the same as I wouldn't expect most middle aged parents to, especially if they're not AT ALL tech savvy. My father still pieces together his pentium 1 comp and runs windows 95. I shit you not. I have come to points of near scolding him just to get him to listen to me, as he thinks he knows it all.

Yeah that's ignorance, but companies prey on them, and that's still distasteful.

I used to work for a fitness club as a bookkeeper. The manager tried the whole time I worked there to have me consider a promotion to sales. She wanted more snakes for a feed. They were driven strictly by commission. And 'tricked' many women into buying a $300-400 membership by fast talk and pressure. Almost intimidating for some women. Although it was the womens responsibility to read through the contract, the method in which the sales staff used was still on the shady side.
 
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Yea see this is kinda funny.

Companies will forever be looking at ways of profiting by whatever means is available to them. They can get super dirty too.

But they're not breaking any laws. It may not be right, but if someone will spend the money on the service, they'll keep offering it.

It's much like overpricing baby stuff, pet stuff. Who needs a $500 crate for a cat? Honestly. Any cat would be happy in a wooden box. BUT, people will spend that kind of money whether it be because they have some kind of sick love for their pet, or because they 'assumed' they needed it, or because the sales person pointed it out and didn't point out any more cost efficient crates.

It's sad, but it's true.
 
The only thing this thread needs now, is that picture of a Geek Squad receipt that is absolutely monstrous.
 
Lucki said:
The only thing this thread needs now, is that picture of a Geek Squad receipt that is absolutely monstrous.
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I called them once to inquire about having my system wiped and using MY software to reinstall my os. I have done this once before with the help of my brother, but I wouldn't be comfortable doing so on my own at this point.

$200 is what they said they'd charge me. Now I know better than that, that IS outrageous for what they'd be doing. So I said 'yeah not likely', thanked them for the info and hung up. I will be looking to have a tech savvy friend help me instead =)
 
So what I'm hearing is that the argument has gone from "do research before buying" to "Know someone with specialized knowledge and consult them". You know, because doing basic research before buying isn't going to provide you with the more obscure details that might come up when stores try to pull a fast one on you. Which rolls us right back to square one: wanting consumers to have knowledge that isn't common or easily obtainable to people who aren't already in the know.

Maybe I'm just old-fashioned but shouldn't the business have a responsibility to provide the customer with information they need to make an intelligent purchase? Or did good customer service go out of fashion?
 
CidBahamut said:
So what I'm hearing is that the argument has gone from "do research before buying" to "Know someone with specialized knowledge and consult them". You know, because doing basic research before buying isn't going to provide you with the more obscure details that might come up when stores try to pull a fast one on you. Which rolls us right back to square one: wanting consumers to have knowledge that isn't common or easily obtainable to people who aren't already in the know.

Maybe I'm just old-fashioned but shouldn't the business have a responsibility to provide the customer with information they need to make an intelligent purchase? Or did good customer service go out of fashion?
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Unfortunately most businesses don't care about the customer more than how they can get more money out of them. It is very sad. That's one reason why I don't work in sales.
 
CidBahamut said:
Maybe I'm just old-fashioned but shouldn't the business have a responsibility to provide the customer with information they need to make an intelligent purchase? Or did good customer service go out of fashion?
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Technically, they did. "Without updating the firmware on the PS3, you may not be able to play some games. We will do that for you for $30." GS informed them of an issue, and offered them a solution
 
CidBahamut said:
Maybe I'm just old-fashioned but shouldn't the business have a responsibility to provide the customer with information they need to make an intelligent purchase? Or did good customer service go out of fashion?
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Tristam is right! This thread is hilarious! Old fashioned? Has there EVER been a period of time where entrepreneurs weren't trying to get one over on the consumers?? Dude, lay off the Green Acres reruns LOL
 
Tristam Green said:
the argument has not gone from one to the other. asking someone knowledgeable in the matter is a form of research. jesus christ man, i'd love to see some of your impulse buys.
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Corduroy pants from a thrift store. Comfiest pants I've ever owned.
You're expecting too much from consumers.

Lucki said:
Technically, they did. "Without updating the firmware on the PS3, you may not be able to play some games. We will do that for you for $30." GS informed them of an issue, and offered them a solution
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I said "intelligent purchase". That's not good customer service. Good customer service is when the sales associate then proceeds to tell them it's trivially easy and the customer can do it themselves it about five minutes, but if that's too much of a hassle the store can do it for them for a fee.
 
And I'm still of the opinion that the store employees have a responsibility to educate the consumer to the best of their ability.

What you call good customer service, I call pushing the sale. These are two very different things TG.
 
I gotta admit, I laughed at what you call good customer service. I call that poor business management. You take a sale that turns little profit, and almost double it per sale? That's a sound business strategy. Well to a capitalistic economy; one that drives the whole world economy. These business practices are necessary in todays world. To halt the business practices you dislike with your socialistic point of view would cripple the world economy and destroy the world.

Time to chill out Kefka.
 
Ooh, tossing loaded buzzwords around. Real classy.

Dicking your customers over, yeah that's a brilliant plan for customer retention. Quality service is what brings folks back.

It's why I shop at Microcenter instead of BestBuy. Folks at Microcenter know their stuff really well and actually go out of their way to find you better deals on stuff in the store. True story.
 
I don't even shop at best buy. I search around the web for the best deals and build/do everything myself. I don't even need to throw out loaded buzzwords man lol You expect the unreasonable in the social and economic setting you live in. If this disgusts you, move to another country. America isn't the one for you lol
 
CidBahamut said:
I said "intelligent purchase". That's not good customer service. Good customer service is when the sales associate then proceeds to tell them it's trivially easy and the customer can do it themselves it about five minutes, but if that's too much of a hassle the store can do it for them for a fee.
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If the consumer is getting duped into spending that money, they didn't make an intelligent purchase. If they did, they would have found out that they didn't need to spend that money, that they could have done that themselves.
 
CidBahamut said:
Dicking your customers over, yeah that's a brilliant plan for customer retention. Quality service is what brings folks back.
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Actually, it's low prices, variety and convenience that brings customers back.

But mostly convenience.
 
Kotsu said:
I don't even shop at best buy. I search around the web for the best deals and build/do everything myself. I don't even need to throw out loaded buzzwords man lol You expect the unreasonable in the social and economic setting you live in. If this disgusts you, move to another country. America isn't the one for you lol
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Fuck you, it's my country and if I'm displeased I'm not going to leave, I'm going to do what I can to change it to be an even better place.

Why shouldn't we be able to get knowledgeable salespeople helping us in retail? Why is ripping people off a necessity? Dishonest business practices are now required to maintain profit margins? You think we as consumers are supposed to be ok with that?

No. That's not acceptable.

But then I suppose you've never had the pleasure of shopping in a store that isn't an impersonal corporate behemoth. When the employees make a sincere effort to help the customer it makes all the difference in the world, and I'll gladly pay a little extra to get that instead of shopping at a store that tries to swindle me at every turn.
 
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I've shopped at smaller stores (Mom&Pop type computer stores), and to be honest, they weren't much better at customer service than Best Buy. They also didn't have the selection, and I wasn't going to wait until they got the part shipped to them that I wanted.

Convenience brings people back.
 
CidBahamut said:
But then I suppose you've never had the pleasure of shopping in a store that isn't an impersonal corporate behemoth. When the employees make a sincere effort to help the customer it makes all the difference in the world, and I'll gladly pay a little extra to get that instead of shopping at a store that tries to swindle me at every turn.
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I have and it really does make all the difference in the world. Problem is it's not necessary. And people will continue to shop at these huge fucking chains that are impersonal and where staff are encouraged to upsell giving as little info as possible if "that's what it takes".

I tend to go back to the mom and pop stores where Joe Blow from up the street gives you all the latest on whatever products or services you're looking for. I like Joe Blow.

*after reading Luckis most recent, if mom & pops don't have what you're looking for, at least they've informed you and you can now walk into the chain more confident in a purchase. Not as likely to get duped.

I see where Cid is coming from and I do agree to a degree. I've always been the CSR that thoroughly informed my clients AS WELL AS potential clients that I have yet to win over. That's what I'm built of though, and as much as I wanted to make the sale*, I found being well informed, and upfront would often win over the client if not today than possibly tomorrow.
 
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