Sales Assistants

the indian meal place is awful for it. they conned my 17 year old brother into buying office and virus stuff. he could have got office for students and AVG or whatever else. i realised before he opened any of them and a return was made but they where even really arsey about that too
 
I think part of the trouble is that most members of the public assume people who work in shops are impartial experts. With the big chains I've always found the sales staff to be neither impartial or experts.

It's a shame small computers shops don't manage to even get in the ball park on price, because I'm increasingly finding small shops to be better. I needed a car battery, halfords charged £94, the local motor factor charged £74. But then went it turned out the battery in the listings was the wrong one (I've checked Halfords also had the wrong battery listed), they changed it without hassle, and refunded me some money since the right battery was cheaper.
 
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Saundie said:
I'm glad I'm not a sales assistant, I'd lose my temper if I had to deal with people like robskinner on a daily basis. They're sales people, trying to sell you stuff is their job.
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Exactly. There's no need to try and slaughter them. If you don't want something, don't have it. There's no need to humiliate them.

Jeez.
 
I'm a sales assistant but thankfully the company I work for really does put customer service first, not putting any pressure on people and the like...

We did finally change the lifetime guarentee (even on products not produced by the store's own brand! Terms like "3 year warrenty" on the box were superceeded by our own, customers brought back things that were over 10 years old in some cases!) to not give cash refunds on items without a receipt. Instead, you get a credit note, or if you fight for it, a cheque in the post, so you if you want, you can still get cash in the end back for a product that is over ten years old and you may well have bought somewhere else because you can't remember.

It's fun :p
 
SideWinder said:
I used to work for the store in the OP. We got comission if we sold Norton and Office together.
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I was with a friend when he bought a laptop from them, he got offered both. I said "No, he already has anti-virus and office". The salesman replied with "What version of Office?". I told him 2003, and he immediately said "That won't work on Vista" with a cheesy grin. I then explained that it does, as I have it on my machine. He responded with "Oh, I've always been told it won't work". :D
 
dark_shadow said:
Exactly. There's no need to try and slaughter them. If you don't want something, don't have it. There's no need to humiliate them.

Jeez.
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I get that they are just doing their job but what really narks me is that in a lot of cases they tell outright lies to achieve the sale.

Its very true in the case of scart/hdmi cables, when I purchased my tv 2 years ago the dude tried to sell me a scart cable for 80 quid. I asked him to justify the cost "it'll make the picture miles better and when you're spending nearly 500 on a telly surely its a price worth paying"

Its tosh like that makes them open targets for ridicule.
 
They're just doing there job - acting like a smart arse towards someone in a naff sales job who's pay is prob not much better than a McDonald's employee isn't particularly clever. For all you know they might well run linux themselves, buy their gear from the likes of OCUK and also use openoffice and free anti virus software. However their job is to flog stuff their employer sells and for a large portion of the people they flog these laptops to MS Office and some form of anti virus software is required.

There is probably little point in telling Joe public about downloading free software a portion of them will get confused, some might phone back the store asking for help (with something the sales person was never supposed to be advising them on) and by not selling some people MS Office they'll presumably come back saying little jimmy can't open the spreadsheet his science teacher gave him why didn't you tell us this MS office stuff wasn't included. In most cases it is far better for the sales person to simply do his/her job and sell as they are supposed to.
 
Just doing their job?

Not really. Trying to peddle things people do not need under the guise of MUST HAVES is just bad. It's not a white lie to push a sale, it is a lie.

Salesmen who prey on the lack of knowledge of customers when buying a particular product is just shoddy and dis-honest.

Selling stuff is one thing, making up things to push a sale is another.

A good salesmen doing good business will offer extras to buy and present them TRUTHFULLY and STILL be able to sell it. Not because someone MUST have it but because they WANT it.
 
Some of them are parasites preying on peoples ignorance, lucky you were there for your sister :)
 
I've had the misfortune of working for the purple shirt brigade. The managment and other sales staff were some of the most dishonest and greedy people I have ever come across.
I was only there because I needed a job and got out at the earliest opportunity.

I understand that all sales staff have a job to do but theres selling with good honest advice and then there lying.
I was always honest, didn't sell as many warranties as the others but quite often sold more peripherals with a PC.

If someone went in and said I want a laptop for writing letters and general email and I have a budget of 1k, they would make damn sure they got that individual to spend 1k. Totally wrong in my eyes.
 
I used to be in mobile phone sales a decade ago, even though i kept up with targets no problem I hated lie'n to customers about products, they always got the truth, if it was crap, i didnt sell it to them, regardless of what the "boss" would say.

Also the reason i got out of that field ASAP.
 
dark_shadow said:
Exactly. There's no need to try and slaughter them. If you don't want something, don't have it. There's no need to humiliate them.

Jeez.
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And why is that.

They do not take no for an answer then they are fair game. I don't mind sales, what I hate it high pressure sales.

If I say no I mean no, if everyone just stood up to them it would be a hell of a lot easier to to just purchase what you want, but because people feel pressurised by them and give in they see every customer as fair game, ignoring no and just pushing on into a must sell must sell mentality.

I work for a co that tries to push sales as well and staff are monitored for it, but when people say no we take that and move on.

If staff end up looking like idiots because its chain policy thats not my problem. In the same shop chain I have been served by an older guy who just took the answer and moved on. Its normally the 19year old spotty oink who has a basic understanding who tries to come across so knowledgeable.

I hate going into PC planet as I hate hearing what the sales guys are saying to some people.
 
Actually this article reminds me of the Victor Meldrew one from one foot in the grave. He had a guy who was selling him I think it was a PC almost cumming until he read the signature that vicctor had used to sign for the most expensive all options included purchase.
 
Sin_Chase said:
Just doing their job?

Not really. Trying to peddle things people do not need under the guise of MUST HAVES is just bad. It's not a white lie to push a sale, it is a lie.

Salesmen who prey on the lack of knowledge of customers when buying a particular product is just shoddy and dis-honest.

Selling stuff is one thing, making up things to push a sale is another.

A good salesmen doing good business will offer extras to buy and present them TRUTHFULLY and STILL be able to sell it. Not because someone MUST have it but because they WANT it.
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Thanks for wording exactly what I think. They are not "just doing there job" at all. If I come across some smug person trying to force products in my face I am very blunt and to the point.

You watch some sales assistant do this to an elderly couple who need to get there PC fixed for hundreds of pounds knowing full well it only takes 10 minutes to resolve. This happend to a colleagues parents in work earlier this year with there mother on the other end of the phone in tears because its so expensive yet they feel they have no choice but to pay it.

Complete and utter disgrace :mad:
 
Ah my memory fails me, think the salesman one was this one..

4 WHO WILL BUY? (25th October 1990)
There's a new member of the Meldrew household - Victor's ventriloquist's dummy. Meanwhile, Victor has to contend with a bendy dinosaur salesman and Margaret befriends a lonely old blind man.
GUEST CAST: William Vanderpuye (Toy Salesman), Owen Brenman, Janine Duvitski (Pippa), Angus Deayton (Patrick), Patricia Greene (Jill Archer) and Jimmy Jewel (Albert).
NOTES: This episode introduces Patrick and Pippa, the Meldrews' neighbours.


makes me really want to watch that all again :)
 
Just so you know Windows 7 is not free.

Office and a virus checker are helpful to the average buyer in that type of shop.
 
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