You would think that companies would recognize that providing poor customer service consistently will ultimately drive them out of business, but clearly companies like Precision Time haven't learned their lesson.
Today I noticed that my watch battery had stopped working. Typically, I would visit Nordstrom to have the battery replaced, but I decided to look for something closer to my office so that I could stop on my lunch break. I searched online and found that there was a Precision Time inside the South Towne Mall that is relatively close. I noticed that they had been SLAMMED with their online review, but decided I would give them a shot anyway.
When I walked into the store there was one employee behind the counter. He was working with a customer that I could tell was very upset. I overheard her expressing frustration over the service that she had received. She mentioned that she had purchased a watch that was defective and the employee was telling her that it wasn't his fault. I felt like I was in a sleazy used car salesman's office.
I waited patiently for 25 minutes without even being acknowledged. A simple "I'll be right with you" would have been appreciated. During my 25 minute wait, another customer came in to pick up a watch at the time she had been told it would be finished. The employee mentioned that he hadn't gotten to it yet; no apology, and no timeframe as to when he would have it finished. The second customer looked frustrated and said she would be back after eating lunch.
Once the first upset customer left (without having her issue resolved), the employee came over to help me. He didn't offer an apology for my wait, but rather just asked what I needed, and acted as if I was a nuisance. I let him know I needed a new battery as well as to have a link taken out. He said, "Well, I have at least four watches in front of you". I asked how long the wait would be and was told it was 45 minutes, which wouldn't have been a problem at all, had he been friendly.
When I asked if I could be there when he sized the watch, he said that wouldn't be necessary. I wanted to be there because I wanted to make sure it was sized correctly. With everything that had happened in front of me with the other customers, I decided it would be best to shop somewhere else. When I said I might stop by another place, he walked away and showed complete indifference. Way to win customers over.
Needless to say, he lost a potential customer. I asked for his card thinking I would let the management team know how customers were being treated. Imagine my surprise when I learned HE was the "General Manager". At that point all of the online reviews made complete sense, if that is how the manager treats potential customers, how could you expect any more from the employees.
Lesson learned, online comments are very telling. I could have avoided this entire situation if I had listened to the warnings online.
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