Today, I had an opportunity to experience first hand the frustrations felt by the customer in the blog posting. Needing to purchase a part to repair my automobile, I went to a nationally known auto parts store. At first, it seemed that the experience was going to be uneventful. I asked the clerk for the part. He asked me a series of questions, as he looked up the part on the inventory computer system. Once he located the part, he told me he had one in stock and gave me the list price.
Hearing the list price I was at first a little shocked. I had bought a similar part a couple of years before and it was half the price. Hoping to find a lower priced part, I asked if he had something cheaper. He told me he didn't. Upon hearing this, I decided that I would check with a couple of other dealers in town before purchasing the part. Upon telling the clerk that I wanted to check around first, he looked at me and said in a very sarcastic voice, "Well, if you think that you can find this same part with a lifetime warranty somewhere else than good luck to you." Then he turned away and asked to help the next customer as I looked stunned.
After visiting the other auto parts dealers in town, I did indeed discover that the first dealer I visited had the cheaper price. However, rather than return to that business, I decided to purchase the part at the next cheaper supplier.
As I look back on the encounter, I can't help but wonder how many other customers were lost due to the attitude towards customer service shown by this young man? To have secured my business, all he would have had to say was, "If you don't find a cheaper price elsewhere, please be sure to return. Thank you for stopping in today." Funny how just a few words and an effort to make the customer feel important can go a long way to the success of a company or even a project. Something to keep in mind.