SC or bad employee?????? you tell me

[Emrld]

So I went to plug my cell phone into the car charger that I was given when I bought my phone like 3 months ago. Big suprise they had given me the wrong charger.

So I went past the store to trade it out.
Employee offers to help and of course his first question was when had I bought the phone. Of course this in not something I memorized and I suggested he look it up by my cell number.
And then I just stand there - no communication from him.
He and the co-worker on his left were making comments about the game showing on the ESPN screen in the store.
So I look at him at flat out ask . . ."Are you going to help me or watch a basketball game?"
He gets this shocked and then death glare look at me.
He says "I am trying to help you but the system is being slow in pulling up the correct screen."
I say "Oh, I wasn't sure what was going on"
then dead silence
finally he asks for my number
dead silence again . . .I don't even know for sure what is going on... he says he will be right back . . . steps to the back .. comes back . . .hands me a recipt to sign . . .I look at it to learn that I am not being charged anything.
I have the wrong cord in my hand and he reaches for it - still not commenting on anything at this point . . .
he hands me the new in package cord - still no talking to me
I ask if he has a way for me to open the package. He gets a pair of siscors and opens it for me and says "here"
I say "Thank you" and leave.

Am I wrong to be pissed?
True I was kinda rude with how I commented on watching the game . . .but I didn't know what was going on. . .that he was waiting on the computer . . .I was just left standing there.

[ta2ooed1]

I'd say he was a bad employee for not letting you know what was going on, I would have questioned it too.

[marty]

Yeah. I'd say he was being sucky. When the computers are going slow, we always say something like, "Sorry, it'll be a minute, our computers are going slow again." His customer service skills seemed..okay, well, not there.

[Pixagi]

No, he should have told you what he was doing. I ALWAYS tell the customers what I'm doing on the comp, or at least let them know I'm doing SOMETHING so they know that I AM working on helping them and not just standing there. It's a courtesy to the customer and saves me a lot of nasty looks.

[LifeCarnie]

I'd say he was a bad employee for not letting you know what was going on, I would have questioned it too.

*DING, DING, DING, DING*

Winner!!!

One of the basic keys to keeping a customer happy, is keeping a customer informed.

This sounds like someone jaded from working retail. Time for him to find a new job, since you can't do that type of work very well when you have the personality of an artichoke!


The least he could have done is say something like "It'll be just a moment, I'm waiting on our database/server/modem/service provider to respond."

[chainedbarista]

he was being a bad employee, for not only leaving you uninformed, but behaving in an unprofessional manner.

when you needed service, his focus should have been you, not the tv.

[Sliceanddice]

he was sucky, i would have said one moment ma'am/sir my computer is kind of slow

[rerant]

So I look at him at flat out ask . . ."Are you going to help me or watch a basketball game?"

I guess I'm the devil's advocate here, because I think that question, depending on tone, could be seen as rude.
But again it would depend on tone.
I know for me when things are going slow with my systems at work it sometimes slips my mind to tell the customers. That could have been the case here, and your question could have made him see you as an SC, which caused his behaviour after the fact.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Count me as firmly is the "sucky employee" camp.

If I were asking for help with my phone, and the employee wasn't telling me anything or doing anything except commenting on a basketball game playing in the background, I might ask the same question the OP did. I fail to see how it makes you a SC to ask that an employee do their job when it appears they aren't doing it.

Just like if I were to ask a clerk for help who happened to just be standing around talking to a friend or coworker. I shouldn't be made to feel like an interruption of his/her social time. That employee is there to help me.

Had the employee explained what he was doing and that it might take some time, I would be more understanding. Because computers don't always move as fast as you want them to.

[donruss]

Sucky employee, no doubt about it.

[tropicsgoddess]

The employee was the sucky one, no doubt. He should've focused on you instead of the game and he also should've communicated to you what was going on and what he was doing.

[powerboy]

All I have to say is sucky employee. he should have mentioned what was going on, instead of commenting on the basket ball game. I would have mentioned something also.

[Gravekeeper]

Yep, suck employee. One of the big things at my company is always always ALWAYS tell the customer what you're doing. Especially if its going to result in dead air for a minute while you work. Which is what he did to you, "dead air". -.-

[PepperElf]

sucky employee. first thing he should have said was that it was sluggish.
then if he really wanted to see the game, he should have said something to you first like, asking your opinion on whatever team.

but if you showed no interest, then he shoul drop it.

[Becks]

Bad employee.

He should've kept you informed.