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Disappointing customer service at bass dealer


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I’m not going to name and shame. I’ve sent my thoughts direct via email, but I had a perfectly awful experience at a specialist Bass dealer today. I don’t for one moment think this is necessarily representative, indeed I hope it isn’t! 

I was on business in the area, and as I am in the market for a new amp head, I thought ‘what better opportunity?’. I drove there, parked up and walked in.

Ignored. For quite a period. When a young fella came into the sales area he was - how shall I put it? - apathetic. In fairness he was never unpleasant or rude, just disinterested. I told him my interest, but getting info out of him was like pulling teeth. I asked about the relative merits of different products, but got non- commital replies.

Asked about used, told they had a head I was interested in, asked about its age and condition, just told ‘its in very good condition’. No effort made to bring it out or show it to me. At the price quoted if it really had been that good I’d have purchased then and there. 

No offer of demonstration. 

No feeling that my presence, let alone my business was valued.

No incentive for me to buy. 

I left with a wallet full of cash that they could have taken off me.

I have to say the whole experience was most disheartening. And someone else will get my business.

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12 minutes ago, fleabag said:

I think you only think you know who he's talking about, and i think he's not talking about the same shop as you think he's talking about

You're right, it's not the first one I was thinking about thinking about but the second one that I had first had second thoughts about thinking about that I was then thinking about.

Edited by EBS_freak
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3 minutes ago, Machines said:

Perhaps i'm thick skinned, but I wouldn't let this experience let me cut off my nose to spite my face, and not get the product I wanted at the right price.

+1

In this situation I would lead the process. Tell them what I want and get them to do it. 

I also don't care for "naming and shaming". My experience of "young fellas" working in music shops goes back to the 60's, and it seems that the personality type that shouldn't be let loose in a music shop as an assistant still exists!

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With regards to specialist shops, I'm prepared to cut them a bit of slack... lets face it, it must be boring looking at bass guitars all day... once the novelty has worn off. And lets face it, we'd all be beaching if these shops closed down.

Next time go in there and tell them what you want there and then. And once when the deal is done, tell them how diabolically stinky poo the experience was.

Edited by EBS_freak
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Sounds like the kid, like many, needs to learn the first lesson of working:  "No matter how cr@p a job is, work at it every day, as if it's the best job in the world." 

@chris_b is right. He's got a lot to learn, but it's not his fault. Maybe it's the only job he can get and couldn't give a monkey's about bass.

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12 minutes ago, EBS_freak said:

Next time go in there and tell them what you want there and then. And once when the deal is done, tell them how diabolically stinky poo the experience was.

If they cared a lot, it wouldn't happen to start with. Lots of people getting butthurt feelings over something mundane.

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21 minutes ago, Machines said:

If they cared a lot, it wouldn't happen to start with. Lots of people getting butthurt feelings over something mundane.

This is why I tend to do all my shopping online. The less I have to interact with people, the better. I was in Sheffield at a café - took me 15 minutes to get through the checkout. Cold chips. Today... been at a coffee shop... first time getting through the till, 20 minutes. Second, 7. Both times there was 2 or less people in front of me in the queue.

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I was in a well know city built heavily around Roman plumbing at the other end of my county the other day to visit my mother. While we were in town my wife and mother were looking in a shop and I sloped off to see their guitar shop. I got there and noticed the basses were now at ground level, and the staff were also all at that level, and decided I wasn't feeling up to that level of patronisation so I didn't bother!

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1 hour ago, EBS_freak said:

This is why I tend to do all my shopping online. The less I have to interact with people, the better. I was in Sheffield at a café - took me 15 minutes to get through the checkout. Cold chips. Today... been at a coffee shop... first time getting through the till, 20 minutes. Second, 7. Both times there was 2 or less people in front of me in the queue.

This and especially it seems as you get older. I'm no spring chicken but I'm not bald, I've still got me own teef etc and still fairly trim but I find a certain attitude rises up towards me when I enter a music shop, along the lines of..... ha ha look at that old guy, who's he think he is? etc etc.  Can make one feel quite uncomfortable. 

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I have no problem with a sales person saying 'can I help you?' (although almost invariably it invites 'no thank you'!). My usual response is then, I'll browse for a bit and shout if I have any questions.

As a total contrast I offer the following tale: 

I took my youngest into London for a day, towards the afternoon we found ourselves in Denmark street, yes, in the cellar shop that is Wunjo Guitars Bass shop. On that occasion I was approached by a young sales assistant and I can't praise him and his manner, his interest and his helpfulness enough. He was polite, keen and above all a good salesman! (It's my profession, and you know when you are being sold to and there is a certain pleasure in seeing someone work your own craft on you and get a result!)

Guess what? I bought something!!!! I went home with a nice minty pre-owned bass that I never intended to buy! Two year warranty, and he walked me down the road to their guitar tech workshop and got them to fine tune the setup for free. And before you ask the price was reasonable, and he accepted my negotiation!

A certain professed specialist shop could learn lessons....

Edited by disgrace of bass
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2 hours ago, EBS_freak said:

With regards to specialist shops, I'm prepared to cut them a bit of slack... lets face it, it must be boring looking at bass guitars all day... once the novelty has worn off. And lets face it, we'd all be beaching if these shops closed down.

Next time go in there and tell them what you want there and then. And once when the deal is done, tell them how diabolically stinky poo the experience was.

I’d sort of agree, but in my experience, specialist shops worth their salt are staffed by passionate enthusiasts.

I think I should clarify - the ‘young fella’ is not temporary staff, I’ve seen him there on previous occasions. He’s just a lot younger than me! He may well have had an off day, but the art of selling is to get past your personal woes and project a positive image to the customer and make them feel like you really want them to buy your product...probably one reason why I seldom shop for electronics in Curry’s/PC World!

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3 hours ago, Machines said:

Perhaps i'm thick skinned, but I wouldn't let this experience let me cut off my nose to spite my face, and not get the product I wanted at the right price.

But I was so disenchanted I begrudged them my money...it wasn’t as if the price was better than elsewhere. I can think of other shops who I could give my custom to and feel good about giving them my cash.

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3 hours ago, EBS_freak said:

With regards to specialist shops, I'm prepared to cut them a bit of slack... lets face it, it must be boring looking at bass guitars all day... once the novelty has worn off. And lets face it, we'd all be beaching if these shops closed down.

I must admit that I am not - a lot of music shops that shut down deserved to shut down. Most music shops you go into these days are better than they were when I was young. It is rare you get the same level of contempt and inconvenience in shops than you used to get.

All a bricks and mortar shop has these days is service - guitars are made very well these days and a lot more consistent so online purchases are an option. If I try a bass in a shop that I want and I like it, I will get it in that shop if I get at least a basic level of service.

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To be fair, it must be a horrible job working in a guitar shop. Went into the local emporium the other day to find four jibber-jabbering teenage Italian tourists gaggled round their mate who was playing ham-fisted metal licks at earsplitting volume on a £1500 Fender. 

The sales guy was stood behind his counter, rigidly immobile from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. The only thing that betrayed his utter dismay was a wildly twitching left eyelid. 

Sensing an imminent and possibly catastrophic customer service failure I made my excuses and left.

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