Is there no middle ground for customer service?
I started shopping around last week for a new printer. I visited a few websites, and some variation of the Canon PIXMA inkjet series appeared to suit my needs. So off to Best Buy I went, rewards card in hand. To my surprise there was actually an employee in the printer aisle, who greeted me and asked if I needed any assistance. The previous week I’d practically had to beg them to take my money for a 60gb iPod. I politely tell him no, and begin to browse. I didn’t get far, as they had fewer than 20 printers, when another person approached me.
The woman didn’t appear to be a Best Buy employee, but proceeds to ask what I’m looking for. I tell her I’m just browsing, but she continues hovering over my every step. She asks again if I know what I want, so I give in and tell her I’d seen the Canon on their website, but it appeared they were out. I further explain I didn’t need that exact model, I just wanted a printer around $70. I only want to print out web graphics, so I don’t need a high resolution.
I’m pointed to a Lexmark which is none of the things I asked. It’s about $120, has a scanner, and a fax machine. As I attempted to reiterate my needs, and tell her my ethical quandry with a company that used to bundle spyware with their drivers, she interrupts to tell me what wonderful photos it prints. I’d already told her I probably wouldn’t be printing photos, it’s then I realize she’s a Lexmark rep. She picks up the box and asks if I’m ready to check out. I said I needed to shop around a few more stores before making a decision. Unbelievable. What part of “I don’t need this” makes you think I’m ready to buy it? I really, really had wanted to use my rewards card.
Reluctantly, I make my way to Comp USA. I’ve never been a fan of their product selection or pricing, but it was close and I needed the printer that day. I found a Canon PIXMA, but not the one I’d looked at. They only seemed to carry very high and and very low end printers. I couldn’t really discern the difference between a few of them and not all of the boxes were there, so I looked around for an employee. The only person to be found was a manager with another customer, who ignored me, rather than telling me she’d be with me in a minute or direct another employee my way. I wandered to the front of the store and back again, to no avail. Finally I saw a gentleman with a corporate looking polo shirt and nametag poking around the office printers.
I ask if he can tell me anything about the printers, and he answers “Oh I don’t really know I’m an HP rep.” You’ve got to be kidding me. Is it raining reps day? Then I ask if he can tell me anything about the HP printer I’m looking at. He says I can connect my camera to it, (very intuitive since there was already a camera hooked up to the display) and that I can print borderless at any size. The latter is entirely untrue, the little card right next to the printer explains it only prints borderless on HP proprietary 4×6 paper. I thank him for his help and take the printer to the counter, I’m fed up, I’ve already wasted enough time, I just want out.
The cashier tries to sell me a one year service plan, which the printer already comes with, and rings the printer up for $10 more than the price on the tag. I ask him if he’s sure about the price and he says I must’ve been looking at the wrong tag. Curiously this is the second time in two weeks this happened to me, as the iPod case I bought also rang up for $10 more than it was marked. Is this where Comp USA is making their money, some hidden sucker tax?
The printer works fine, and I’d probably buy another HP. I could’ve had a printer, though, in about 5 minutes with some honest help from either store’s employees, so you can be certain I will never set foot in Comp USA or Best Buy again unless desperation forces me to do so.
