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Had a guy call the store today looking for the Compaq desktop PC we had on sale for $299. Of course, being the next to last day of the sale, we were out of them. However, they could still be ordered through staples.com. I tell him this. He takes the news better than I thought, but then inquired about having us set up the computer for him and transfer his data from his old PC to the new one. This is good because we need the Tech dollars.
He wanted to know how much that would cost.
Me: Well sir, I don't have the price sheet in front of me, but our Gold setup package includes all the services you wanted, and I believe it is $129.99. Hold on and I'll double check that. *put customer on hold and retrieves pricing chart.*
Me: Yes, it's $129.99.
SC: And what exactly does that get me?
Me: *lists all the services included in the Gold Package*
SC: And how long does that take?
Me: Up to 48 hours, depending on how much data you have to transfer and how many machines are in the queue at the time your computer arrives.
SC: And how much was that again?
Me: $129.99.
SC *suddenly furious* $130?!?!?! THAT'S WAY MORE THAN YOUR COMPETITORS CHARGE!!!!!!! WHERE DO YOU GET OFF CHARGING THAT MUCH!!?!?!?!?
Me: Actually sir, this package represents about $180 in labor, so right away you're saving $50, and I think you'll find that our prices are very competitive compared to--
SC: NO!!!! THEY'RE AT LEAST 30% HIGHER THAN EVERYONE ELSE!!!!!
Me: Sir, our primary competitors are Geek Squad and Firedog. If you compare our prices to theirs, I think you'll find them to be quite reasonable.
SC: NO THEY AREN'T!!!!! OPEN THE YELLOW PAGES, CALL 10 PEOPLE, AND THEY'LL ALL BE $75-85!!!!!!
Me:
Well sir, you aren't obligated to buy our services. If you feel they are too expensive, then you don't have to get them. That's fine.
SC:...............
Me:..............
SC: OK, this isn't me coming down on you......
Me: (Yes, yes it is, doucherocket........)
SC: But I don't understand where you get off charging $130 just to plug a cable from one computer to the other and let it sit there!!!!!
Me (at least he's not yelling as loud....): Sir, our package is a lot more sophisticated than that.
SC: What, you actually have a guy sitting there working on it?!?!?
My brain: Abort, retry, fail?
Me: Uh..........yeah.
SC: But all you have to do is connect a cable and let them sit!!!!
Me: No sir, it doesn't work that way. The package includes setup, configuration, and customization in addition to the data transfer, and even that is not quite that simple.
SC: But all that just goes over the cable!
Me: No sir, it doesn't. New PC configuration has to be done manually.
SC (yelling again): BUT THE COMPUTER COSTS ONLY $300!!!!!! THE OTHER GUYS CHARGE $75 TO DO THE SAME TO A $1700 COMPUTER!!!!!!
Me: Sir, it doesn't matter what the computer itself costs. The setup package consists entirely of labor, and that costs the same no matter how much you spend on the computer. And as I said, you're getting a $180 worth of services in that package.
SC: WELL WHAT WAS THAT $30 PACKAGE YOU TOLD ME ABOUT?!?!
Me: I'm sorry? There is no $30 setup package.
SC: WAY BACK WHEN YOU FIRST GOT ON THE PHONE, YOU SAID YOU THOUGHT IT WAS $30!!!!!!!!eleventy!!!
Me (finally starting to lose my patience): I said ONE thirty!!!!
SC: WHERE DO YOU GET OFF CHARGING $130 TO SET UP A $300 COMPUTER WHEN THE COMPETITION CHARGES $80 TO SET UP ONE THAT COSTS $70,000!!!?!?!?!?!?
Me *snap*: SIR, THE COST OF THE COMPUTER IS IRRELEVANT!!!! (yes, I told him his argument was irrelevant
) What you are paying for is LABOR, and the about of LABOR involved is the same regardless of how much the computer costs!!!!!!
SC: WHAT'S YOUR NAME?!?!?!
Me: Dave1982.
SC: OK, Dave1982, I'M COMING DOWN THERE RIGHT NOW AND WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT THIS FACE-TO-FACE!!!!! *click*
I warned my manager about it, and if anything he was even angrier than me.
MOD: If he's looking for free Tech, he can just keep looking 'cause there's no way I'm giving it to him!!!!!
Me: Yeah well, with any luck he'll come in when I'm on lunch.
MOD: He isn't coming in.
Thankfully, he turned out to be right; the guy never did come in (at least, not as of when I went home).
But damn.....what a fucktard.
1) I've looked into the prices that Geek Squad and FireDog charge, and our prices ARE competitive. We don't compete with mom-and-pop computer stores or the kid down the street who'll gladly fix your computer for gas money because he thinks it's fun.
2) While not being especially hard, it's a lot more complicated than plugging a cable and hitting a couple buttons.
3) this is a labor charge. It's the same no matter how much the computer costs.
and most importantly
4) Like I told him at the beginning of the call, if you don't like the price of the service, DON'T BUY IT!!! It's not like I was holding a gun to his head and forcing him to buy some over-priced service he didn't want or need. Nor had I offered the service to him. He ASKED for it. So don't act like I'm trying to stuff it down your throat.
Asshole.....
He wanted to know how much that would cost.
Me: Well sir, I don't have the price sheet in front of me, but our Gold setup package includes all the services you wanted, and I believe it is $129.99. Hold on and I'll double check that. *put customer on hold and retrieves pricing chart.*
Me: Yes, it's $129.99.
SC: And what exactly does that get me?
Me: *lists all the services included in the Gold Package*
SC: And how long does that take?
Me: Up to 48 hours, depending on how much data you have to transfer and how many machines are in the queue at the time your computer arrives.
SC: And how much was that again?
Me: $129.99.
SC *suddenly furious* $130?!?!?! THAT'S WAY MORE THAN YOUR COMPETITORS CHARGE!!!!!!! WHERE DO YOU GET OFF CHARGING THAT MUCH!!?!?!?!?
Me: Actually sir, this package represents about $180 in labor, so right away you're saving $50, and I think you'll find that our prices are very competitive compared to--
SC: NO!!!! THEY'RE AT LEAST 30% HIGHER THAN EVERYONE ELSE!!!!!
Me: Sir, our primary competitors are Geek Squad and Firedog. If you compare our prices to theirs, I think you'll find them to be quite reasonable.
SC: NO THEY AREN'T!!!!! OPEN THE YELLOW PAGES, CALL 10 PEOPLE, AND THEY'LL ALL BE $75-85!!!!!!
Me:
Well sir, you aren't obligated to buy our services. If you feel they are too expensive, then you don't have to get them. That's fine.SC:...............
Me:..............
SC: OK, this isn't me coming down on you......
Me: (Yes, yes it is, doucherocket........)
SC: But I don't understand where you get off charging $130 just to plug a cable from one computer to the other and let it sit there!!!!!
Me (at least he's not yelling as loud....): Sir, our package is a lot more sophisticated than that.
SC: What, you actually have a guy sitting there working on it?!?!?
My brain: Abort, retry, fail?
Me: Uh..........yeah.
SC: But all you have to do is connect a cable and let them sit!!!!
Me: No sir, it doesn't work that way. The package includes setup, configuration, and customization in addition to the data transfer, and even that is not quite that simple.
SC: But all that just goes over the cable!
Me: No sir, it doesn't. New PC configuration has to be done manually.
SC (yelling again): BUT THE COMPUTER COSTS ONLY $300!!!!!! THE OTHER GUYS CHARGE $75 TO DO THE SAME TO A $1700 COMPUTER!!!!!!
Me: Sir, it doesn't matter what the computer itself costs. The setup package consists entirely of labor, and that costs the same no matter how much you spend on the computer. And as I said, you're getting a $180 worth of services in that package.
SC: WELL WHAT WAS THAT $30 PACKAGE YOU TOLD ME ABOUT?!?!
Me: I'm sorry? There is no $30 setup package.
SC: WAY BACK WHEN YOU FIRST GOT ON THE PHONE, YOU SAID YOU THOUGHT IT WAS $30!!!!!!!!eleventy!!!
Me (finally starting to lose my patience): I said ONE thirty!!!!
SC: WHERE DO YOU GET OFF CHARGING $130 TO SET UP A $300 COMPUTER WHEN THE COMPETITION CHARGES $80 TO SET UP ONE THAT COSTS $70,000!!!?!?!?!?!?
Me *snap*: SIR, THE COST OF THE COMPUTER IS IRRELEVANT!!!! (yes, I told him his argument was irrelevant
) What you are paying for is LABOR, and the about of LABOR involved is the same regardless of how much the computer costs!!!!!!SC: WHAT'S YOUR NAME?!?!?!
Me: Dave1982.
SC: OK, Dave1982, I'M COMING DOWN THERE RIGHT NOW AND WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT THIS FACE-TO-FACE!!!!! *click*
I warned my manager about it, and if anything he was even angrier than me.
MOD: If he's looking for free Tech, he can just keep looking 'cause there's no way I'm giving it to him!!!!!
Me: Yeah well, with any luck he'll come in when I'm on lunch.
MOD: He isn't coming in.
Thankfully, he turned out to be right; the guy never did come in (at least, not as of when I went home).
But damn.....what a fucktard.
1) I've looked into the prices that Geek Squad and FireDog charge, and our prices ARE competitive. We don't compete with mom-and-pop computer stores or the kid down the street who'll gladly fix your computer for gas money because he thinks it's fun.
2) While not being especially hard, it's a lot more complicated than plugging a cable and hitting a couple buttons.
3) this is a labor charge. It's the same no matter how much the computer costs.
and most importantly
4) Like I told him at the beginning of the call, if you don't like the price of the service, DON'T BUY IT!!! It's not like I was holding a gun to his head and forcing him to buy some over-priced service he didn't want or need. Nor had I offered the service to him. He ASKED for it. So don't act like I'm trying to stuff it down your throat.
Asshole.....
rb
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