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Couple rants from the computer store here.
Parking
Little background first. My store is in a strip mall and sits between a Yoga studio and a Tai Chi studio. There is also a ladies gym further down the strip. In the past, these had been problems, with people parking in front of our store and going in for their several hour long classes. Then we put up a big sign up in front of the store saying that parking was for our customers only. This mostly cut down the problems. Mostly.
We still get the occasional person, most often for yoga, and most often on Saturday mornings, as their classes start before the shop is open. But that is another rant. What is really infuriating me at the moment is the customers for the tailor shop that is a few doors down. Often, they will park in front of our shop and go in to either drop off or pick up their clothes. They are usually less then 10 minutes. However, they are ignoring a big sign, taking up our parking, and not coming into our shop, all on the "it's okay, I'll only be a minute." It's not okay. What if one of my customers comes and needs to park there. (Many of our customers are elderly, and often need to bring in equipment).
I am trying to get my boss to keep a towing company on speed-dial, but as of yet, it hasn't happened. We'll see though.
I'll call you when it's ready
The other infuriating thing that happens here is when people just stop by to see if their stuff is done, after I've told them explicitly that I will call them when it is ready/I need to know something from them. This is especially bad when I don't have it done, have not called them, they have driven out from one of the farming communities on the outskirts of town, and they get mad at me for not calling them and telling them not to come out. (This actually happened once. The lady involved has a tendency to do this, but, fortunately, is a good customer otherwise.)
The reason that I bring this up is because of what happened yesterday (Saturday). On Saturdays, we open at 10, and I was running a little late, so I didn't actually get to the store to open up until about 9:58. I had unlocked the door, and was making my way to the back, checking to see what the boss had left for me to work on, when the door chimed, indicating that someone had come in. Keep in mind that at this point, the store lights were off, and the closed sign was up in the window. They may have seen me moving around inside, but it should have been obvious that I was not ready to open yet. (At this point, it may have been about 10:02, so enough margin of error for clocks to be set wrong.) That was the first sign.
They brought a computer in with the coupon that we've been putting out lately. The coupon is good for a computer cleaning and analysis (Virus/Spyware Scan and Hardware Diagnostics.) On a good day, this will probably take about 3-4 hours to get done properly. So, she asks me when I think it will be ready. I tell her probably not until Monday. (We're closed Sunday). She comes back to me with she had talked to the boss the day before, and he said that it would take a couple hours. (I haven't talked to him yet, but he knows better than this.) At this point I'm taken somewhat aback, so I stammer out a bit of an explanation, including, "it depends on what exactly is wrong with it", and ending with "I'll call you once I know something."
The story can't end here, of course. On Saturday, we're open until 2. I use that time to run the diagnostics and the virus scan. At about 20 past one, she stops in. At that point its not ready (as evidenced by the fact that I hadn't called), but it is going smoothly, so I tell her to come back in half an hour. Fortunately, I get it done by then, and manage to sell her on a ram upgrade, so its not a total loss.
What I'm thinking to propose to the boss here, is a policy of if you show up before we call you, it will be at least another hour before its finished. It doesn't matter if the computer is done, and I'm picking up the phone to call you when you walk in the door, it will be another hour, and I'll call you when its ready.
Parking
Little background first. My store is in a strip mall and sits between a Yoga studio and a Tai Chi studio. There is also a ladies gym further down the strip. In the past, these had been problems, with people parking in front of our store and going in for their several hour long classes. Then we put up a big sign up in front of the store saying that parking was for our customers only. This mostly cut down the problems. Mostly.
We still get the occasional person, most often for yoga, and most often on Saturday mornings, as their classes start before the shop is open. But that is another rant. What is really infuriating me at the moment is the customers for the tailor shop that is a few doors down. Often, they will park in front of our shop and go in to either drop off or pick up their clothes. They are usually less then 10 minutes. However, they are ignoring a big sign, taking up our parking, and not coming into our shop, all on the "it's okay, I'll only be a minute." It's not okay. What if one of my customers comes and needs to park there. (Many of our customers are elderly, and often need to bring in equipment).
I am trying to get my boss to keep a towing company on speed-dial, but as of yet, it hasn't happened. We'll see though.
I'll call you when it's ready
The other infuriating thing that happens here is when people just stop by to see if their stuff is done, after I've told them explicitly that I will call them when it is ready/I need to know something from them. This is especially bad when I don't have it done, have not called them, they have driven out from one of the farming communities on the outskirts of town, and they get mad at me for not calling them and telling them not to come out. (This actually happened once. The lady involved has a tendency to do this, but, fortunately, is a good customer otherwise.)
The reason that I bring this up is because of what happened yesterday (Saturday). On Saturdays, we open at 10, and I was running a little late, so I didn't actually get to the store to open up until about 9:58. I had unlocked the door, and was making my way to the back, checking to see what the boss had left for me to work on, when the door chimed, indicating that someone had come in. Keep in mind that at this point, the store lights were off, and the closed sign was up in the window. They may have seen me moving around inside, but it should have been obvious that I was not ready to open yet. (At this point, it may have been about 10:02, so enough margin of error for clocks to be set wrong.) That was the first sign.
They brought a computer in with the coupon that we've been putting out lately. The coupon is good for a computer cleaning and analysis (Virus/Spyware Scan and Hardware Diagnostics.) On a good day, this will probably take about 3-4 hours to get done properly. So, she asks me when I think it will be ready. I tell her probably not until Monday. (We're closed Sunday). She comes back to me with she had talked to the boss the day before, and he said that it would take a couple hours. (I haven't talked to him yet, but he knows better than this.) At this point I'm taken somewhat aback, so I stammer out a bit of an explanation, including, "it depends on what exactly is wrong with it", and ending with "I'll call you once I know something."
The story can't end here, of course. On Saturday, we're open until 2. I use that time to run the diagnostics and the virus scan. At about 20 past one, she stops in. At that point its not ready (as evidenced by the fact that I hadn't called), but it is going smoothly, so I tell her to come back in half an hour. Fortunately, I get it done by then, and manage to sell her on a ram upgrade, so its not a total loss.
What I'm thinking to propose to the boss here, is a policy of if you show up before we call you, it will be at least another hour before its finished. It doesn't matter if the computer is done, and I'm picking up the phone to call you when you walk in the door, it will be another hour, and I'll call you when its ready.
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