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Reliant Robin Salesmen - nothing to compare it to!
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I thought they had stopped them now ? I can't say I've seen any new ones for a couple of years now.
But good point.
Mark.
I've spent 10 years dealing with the general public, fixing there broken glass and gereraly there not too bad with us.But there are exeptions ( because I make money out of them, I must be in kahoots with the little scallys who break into cars ).
Now I have the job of sorting out the fitters, who deal with the general public.
Got to laugh though.
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I think people are so generally rude.
Friends of mine own and run an Indian Restaurant in a village near me. Frequently they get the abusive lager louts on a Friday night who treat the waiters unbearably. When I commented on it one of the waiters said to me;
"I am amazed at the stupidity of a customer when he is rude to me, surely knowing that I see his food before he does".
I cannot imagine that car salesman have a different approach, and so I suspect that rude people typically pay for the privilege one way or another.
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In my experience, there are deals that salespeople can do, and will do, to get their numbers up, but which are barely worth it for them financially.
Alternatively there are the real stitch up deals - a motoring equivalent might be the £1000 minimum p/x deal on the car that's £2k over the money.
Guess which one the rude customer gets pushed towards. It rarely backfires, either, as rude customers are frquently using their attitude to try and cover up the inadequacy of their knowledge, ability or people skills.
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That is sooo right,never upset the waiting staff,i 've got a friend that seems to enjoy doing just that,i hate to think what she has had added to her meals.She also manages to upset just about the whole dealership when she takes her MB in,strange that they never phone when its ready,or a crucial part hasn't arrived,or she gets offered £3000 less for her car in p/x than from the MB dealer that doesn't know her.Some people will never learn.
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Mark - as my 35-year-old son-in-law describes them (he is in marketing) 'the world is full of pond-life'.
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Chatting to my local PC World Store Manager the other day, he openly admitted that the rude and abusive customers get the basic minimum service, whilst the polite ones, who accept that he is not personally to blame for their system breaking down, receive all the trimmings, like money off vouchers, free accessories and a much higher level of service.
Makes sense.
In my last job one or two of my colleagues ensured that their request was put to the bottom of the pile by being arrogent. Fact is it could have been done immediately, as it was it 'had' to wait for a couple of days.
Some people just never learn.
However, I do believe that basic people skills are now becoming part of the portfolio of fundamental skills in the work place.
H
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I was watching 'fawlty towers' last night, and all the guests complained privately to each other, but wouldn't complain in front of the staff - until a big mouthed american did the complaining first.
I really wish that it was true that the 'polite' customers get better service. But truth is that service and manners in england are much worse than most EU countries and many others, mainly since people in this country will not say what they want.
The key is to be polite BUT firm. In fact, {omitted names of all those highstreet electrical shops to save the moderators a job} have made their money by extremely poor customer service. I have had a long argument with Bonnet (did I get that right?) where the manager showed me a training manual which stated exactly what they could and could not say and do (basically do nothing, tell the customer to go away, and ring a phone number).
There have been various threads on this where hard (but fair) words to various assistants and managers have meant large bills or delays reduced or vanish.
Be "polite"!! - usually this means be british, be poor, only say hard words to your wife and family and accept poor service. No thanks!
The salesman was rude, his manager was no better. Why not write a letter to VW pointing out that you have great respect for their brand but by associating themselves with people like [name] and [name] they are losing customers. A phonecall from VW HQ (UK) will not be nice to receive, even if it stops there.
Though I have to say 'is that a problem?' is not the correct thing to say. I would say 'please leave me alone' or 'I will call you when I need you, don't let me keep you'. Perhaps not "polite" in a british sense but perfectly reasonable.
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You should try my job.....all the world is there, you can really get to hate certain types, but they do pay the bills and one does feel that one should try his/her best, sometimes it is difficult though.
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A fine example lately was a Police Officer (who I know) in the same check in queue as I was trying to get a Business Class upgrade, he was, how can I say, rather brash with the staff and was declined, the next fellow in line (not me) was given an upgrade without as much a raised eyebrow and all he said was "I suppose there's no point in me asking" - he was well dressed and restrained - pays you see. (PU travelled tourist with no complaint by the way !)
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As ye sow, so shall ye reap?
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I sell building materials to major developers they are great, its the smaller customer who trys to be clever, trys to get one over by quoting a competitor of mine giving a price i wouldn't even consider, even if he was Barratts. My friend in the motor trade says the same, you get someone in who claims another dealer has offered him £2K more in part x than the best going rate. This just turns the salesman off as he thinks he's dealing with an idiot and wasting his time, thus the punter doesn't get the attention he deservres and finds a take it or leave it attitude. Its a hard job selling anything these days, especially meeting targets, go to a couple of dealers get your facts right then try for a deal, don't try to be clever, and you'll get a good deal and the service, and respect you deserve. We all want the sale and we will do our best to get it!
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I work in Customer Services for a large Supermarket. If you have a complaint about something and approach it in the manner "sorry to bother you but felt I should bring this to your attention....I know these things happen....... we are all human etc etc, I will bend over backwards to help you in every way I can. However if you approach with the aggressive approach I go out my way to be as obstructive as I can.
Very simple - treat others as you expect to be treated!!
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Can't say I recognise all of this 'polite' stuff. Sometimes it works, but unfortunately sometimes it doesn't.
I was very well brought up and my father was painfully polite to people - I think some of it rubbed off on me and I do generally tend to be very polite and civil.
My wife, on the other hand, has become something of a professional complainer in recent years.
Earlier this year I bought a crab from the supermarket. When I got it home and unpacked the wrapping it was obviously 'bad' and we noticed it was past its sell-by date. We took it straight back and asked, very politely, if they would mind replacing it.
They refused and said we must have bought it on another occassion and kept it too long (despite the fact I had the receipt).
I went back to the car [motoring content] and told my wife - she went in (all guns blazing) and came straight out with a fresh crab and a £25 voucher!
On a motoring theme - I remember around 1995 having the tracking adjusted on a MB. The dealer (over the 'phone) quoted me about £30 to adjust it (simple front wheel toe in/out check). When I went to pick the car up they wanted £95 and said they'd misquoted over the phone. After about 30 minutes of firm but polite discussion, during which they refused to budge, I became rather angry and started shouting. A few other customers took an interest in what was going on and I immediately got a reduction to about £40.
I could write a book about the appalling and obnoxious service I received from a particular dealership of another prestige German marque, but I'd probably get sued. Some of the people there had a real attitude problem - its not always the customer who's at fault.
When I am over in Germany I generally find service to be very good. The staff are not full of smiles or American style 'Have a nice day' stuff - in fact they generally look a bit glum, which can be off-putting. However if you pass a comment or make a complaint then it is always acted upon straight away. A few weeks back I was at a restaurant and commented (not really complained) that my pork steak was a bit tough. When the bill came they didn't charge me for the meal, only the drinks. I have had this sort of thing happen before.
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Perhaps its a British thing --- a a younger PU whilst hitching in Belgium I called in a BL Dealership in Antwerp - I was after what was unobtaianble in the UK to a spotty petrolhead - an XJS brouchure, I asked nicely and got one, the response from the local Jaguar dealer was rather different, one remebers these things and perhaps that why I drive a BM...
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Easiest carsales job has to be BMW.
I bought a 3 series back in '99 when there was a four month waiting list.
Trying to cut a deal such as a price reduction, free metallic, even a set of mats, the salesman turned to me and said "Look, do you want the car or not?". I did.
I know a current BMW salesman in Kent. He works simply on a basic with no bonus, which says it all.
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In general, the key to succesful complaining is to know your facts, know your rights, know what you want, and ask for it by being firm, polite, and assertive and persistent.
Do NOT be wishy-washy, unsure, submissive, apologetic, rude, or agressive.
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I think being polite does help; if you go in firing from the hip you haven't got anything else to bring to bear. If you go in playing it cool your can always lose your temper later! I find that a polite and slightly quirky approach sometimes helps. I had a vile joint of lamb one Sunday lunchtime; the next day I took it back (by car = motoring related), on a plate, under cling film and with a knife and fork and asked the Help Desk staff if they would like to finish it for me while I did my shopping. I got a few smiles, a nice new joint and my money back. A result!
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Having had a customer on the line today who took the shouty shouty and very rude approach I can tell you that it does no one any good to start off like that. If the politeness gets you no where then you can try getting irate as a last resoert...
I had to laugh at him though, he started reciting our company's T&C's at me until I pointed out that what he had just said he was entitled to was exactly what I had told him we would be doing in any case.
He mumbled something about it been cow pat (less politely) then ended the call before I did it for him, and I was then left with the delightful task of making notes about him on his account. Been rude will come back to haunt... :-)
Blue
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