And you called us WHY?

[Mytical]

Oh I forgot what site I was on for a sec. Note : Some small details will be changed because of NDA, etc.. *ahem* for all purposes lets go on the theory this was um several weeks ago...yeah.

What part of "It is the manufacturer's mistake" is not clear?


M *thinking did not say*I don't think you heard me the fifth billion time I repeated myself to you. *actually said* Everybody that received your "My little smurfy doll" also did not have the "My little pony CD" included. Every single one.

SC - "Yes, but it was supposed to, said right on your website "Smurfsandpony.com".

M - "Yes, because that is what we were told, the manufacturer messed up..they need to fix this."

SC - "So what is a customer like me to do? I spend several hundred dollars, and just get the run around?"

M - *thinking, not saying* Contact the manufacturer and yell at them??? Saying "I understand your frustration, but nothing we can do." *thinking, but not saying* As I've said what now? A trillion times, or it feels like it*

SC - "They said it was your problem to fix"

M - *thinking* maybe because they didn't want to deal with you? Saying "There really is nothing else I can do, do you want a supervisor?"

SC - "No I just think it is horrible that you keep bouncing me around like that."

M - *thinking* No..the Manufacturer did, we just sold the shrink wrapped item, had no clue that one part was missing..because you know..they messed up. "I am sorry you got the run around..anything else I can do for you today?"

SC - You can go <will pause the story here for obvious reasons> *click* ((This involved me being much more limber then possible, and inserting things where nothing should ever be inserted))

Yay my first sucky customer! Wait..is that a good thing?

Edit : I guess she wanted me to reach into the 'magical backroom' pull out the item, and teleport it to her over the phone...

Edit two :BTW she was offered the chance to return the item, with receipt to the nearest "Smurfandpony.Com" store...to get a replacement with the item that was missing. That was not good enough either.

[Nemesis44UK]

Unreal. Getting so bent out of shape because of that? The manufacturer should have taken ownage of the situation, so that you wouldn't be left with a venting SC.

I hate people, I really do.

[lordlundar]

I empathize with the customer, really. I was in this situation a number of years back with the Xbox 360 when it was still a new system and still had that ridiculous problem rate. Microsoft wanted to be the go to system that holiday season and paid a boatload to do so. They paid for premium advertising and display space, and even sent us special t-shirts to wear during work. They also sent the stores tons of systems to sell. I mean that literally. The store I was at was sent over the course of several shipments a thousand systems on skids weighing close to a couple of tons each. And each one was a promo unit with a game included in each unit, packaged in by Microsoft itself.

Remember how I said this was when the system was new and had the absurdly high problem rate? Not just the infamous Red Ring of Death, but also scratching disks. As well, apparently Microsoft's customer service reps were being told to seek out any excuse to refuse a free repair or compensation (one even told a customer that the reason the system shorted out was because it was plugged into a filtered power bar as opposed to a wall socket) and stores being directed to inform the customer to contact Microsoft's customer support for problem systems and in store replacement is not to be done unless all other options are exhausted. So queue the following:

1. Customer comes in with a problem system, wants a new disk and the system repaired.
2. Store CSR informs them to contact Microsoft Customer Support for such help, customer leaves.
3. Customer comes back an hour later in less than happy mood making same request.
4. Store CSR repeats earlier message.
5. Customer informs CSR that MS CSR told them it's not their fault, no repair or replacement is coming and the store must compensate.
6. Store CSR calls MS CS, gets told the same thing.
7. Store CSR calls Manager or myself, manager or myself authorizes replacement.
8. Lather, rinse, repeat several times a day.

After the promo ended, it was determined that at least a third of the systems sent out had to be replaced, and a number of times we didn't have another promo unit to replace with or the customer wanted a non-promo unit (after the third swap out for the same issue, I don't blame them) so we had to use store stock of the purchasable copies of the game to resolve the issue. That promo cost us insane amounts of money and I'm pretty sure it cost MS more. The only thing preventing me from throttling the Microsoft Store rep when he visited was the fact that he was just as pissed off about it as we were (he was told the same that we were, that MS would handle the replacement/repair and NOT the store). He even confirmed it with his bosses in front of me (and I spoke with them myself in fact) that the MS CSR was in the wrong. Guess the message never got to them.

[Mytical]

Absolutely lordlundar. As my edit indicated the customer was offered to get a replacement with the missing part. We, the store, had none of the 'extra parts' not bundled with another 'smurf doll'. So they were going to take the old one back, give her a new one which would have a part. Kept insisting "I just want the part." They sent her to us .. some reason. I don't work in a physical store, have no inventory..if I had one of the CD's I would have gladly mailed it off, even if on my dime. I felt bad them, and they were really nice up unto the last part.

[BeenThereDoneThat]

I empathize with the customer at my job a lot too...we shouldn't be letting the suppliers and custom vendors get away with not keeping up with demand or pushing backorder dates out ad infinitum, we shouldn't be allowing Big Brown or our freight delivery companies to damage stuff on the way to the customer or allow them to be rude when they get there...and yes, the customers do have a right to put the final blame on High End Home Store for that. But the best we can do once we get their angry call is try to make it right from that point on...are we supposed to turn back time or something?? And how was it ME who purposely ruined your day just so I could hear back from you to that effect? That's the part that kills me.

[Jay 2K Winger]

I hate it when this kind of thing happens-- Entity A screws up, and tells customers that it's Entity B (who are just middlemen) to blame.

I get that in my current job, believe it or not. Users have a problem with AppX, and call us. We tell them, "That's something that AppX Support can help with," and get told, "They told us to call you."

When all we can really do is tell the user, "I don't know why; we don't have the tools to support this problem."

[EricKei]

Ugh, I remember the aftermath of the 360 launch -- I was working at GameStore at the time. That POS had something like a FORTY percent failure rate, out of the box, set up precisely as instructed, in a perfect environment...Which probably means that the real RROD/failure rate was over 50% --- In electronics, and especially in video game systems, five to ten percent is more normal. It took MS over a YEAR to admit that the systems had the issue at all*, resulting in them having to give everyone a massive "free warranty/return" for RROD's, costing them a ton of money >_<