I guess there must be some reason why Best Buy sales people won’t take no for an answer when it comes to selling the “service plan.” I know that’s where they make their money and I know they have quotas and frankly I don’t give a flying fuck. I just want to buy my stuff and leave, is that so much to ask?
I’m in Best Buy today to buy an iPod. First off, they’re locked in a drawer for some reason, so I’m stuck waiting for a sales guy to toddle off and find the key before I can get one. Then the Battle of the Service Plan begins:
Sales Guy Mark: “Now we have a service plan on this, it…”
Me: No thanks, I’m not interested."
SGM: “It’s only $40 on a $400 unit.”
Me: I’m not interested."
SGM: “Will you just let me do my job?!?”
Me: “I don’t want the service plan.”
SGM: “It’s my job, why won’t you let me do it?”
Me: “I don’t want it.”
SGM: “Will you just let me explain, you get a year…”
Me: “Consider it explained.”
SGM: “Look I have to tell you…”
Me: “If you keep talking about the service plan I’m leaving the store.”
SGM: “I’m just letting you know…”
Me: “OK, I’m leaving now.”
I literally had to take my credit card back from him and start walking toward the door before he would shut up about the damn service plan and just sell me the goddamn iPod. What should have been something which brought me nothing but joy has now been tarnished by this jackass and his refusal to shut the hell up after being told “no” a half dozen times.
it’s like when I tried to buy some “Beavis and Butthead” DVDs from Time-Life a few weeks. The operator Judy (all T-L operators are Judy, even–perhaps especially–the men) went into her pitch about how I could buy Beavis and Butthead Do America. I told her I didn’t want anything else and she pretty much told me that she had to try to sell me everything, even if I told her in advance that I didn’t want it, or she could lose her job. Sorry to hear it Judy, but not really my problem. I finally after asking her three times determined that she had everything she needed to place my order, said “thank you” and hung up on her. Then I come to find out the spiteful bitch didn’t place my order.
I fucking hate getting marketed to. I fucking hate companies who do add-on sales pitches. And I especially fucking hate companies who keep doing it even after you ask them to knock it off. I’d call Best Buy to complain but I’m sure the manager wouldn’t see the slightest problem with how SGM conducted himself. SGM would probably get some sort of award for his perseverence in trying to close the sale. Except that next time I won’t go to Best Buy so SGM has really blown who knows how many future sales. Way to go, SGM! Fuck you and fuck whoever in Best Buy’s chain of command decided that pissing people off was a good way to conduct business.
It’s called doing their job. They’re hired specifically to do this. It’s not the best method in the world, but it must work to some degree, otherwise the management wouldn’t strongly encourage employees to do this.
It’s called protecting expensive, easily stolen products. It’s being smart.
Sure, this gets annoying pretty quickly, but if they DON’T do it, then they’re not doing their job. Granted, this employee took it too far (when I worked for the company, my managers instructed is to try not more than 3 times, I guess this varies from store to store).
Also, someone buying such an expensive product with no accessories and no service plan is a floor salesperson’s worst nightmare. It tends to bring the managerial wrath on you, so they would rather annoy and piss off a total stranger than risk being written up for not doing their job.
Then don’t fucking go shopping in fucking stores. Fucking shop on fucking line for fucks sake, just don’t fucking forget to have fucking Popup Killer fucking installed so you don’t have to deal with fucking popup ads.
Have fun. You’re not going to be much happier anywhere else, as most retail stores tend to play by basically the same book. Except for commission retail stores…they’re WORSE.
In random hijack, I bought a VCR last week from Best Buy. Prompted by a recent thread on here I can’t find, or I’d have raised it from the dead, I took it, and the reciept, and began to walk out the door. The gentleman, about six feet tall, asked me if I had my receipt. I smiled, informed him, “Yes, yes I do.” And kept walking out the door.
Then I promptly lost my car in the lot, wandered around for ten minutes. No muss, no fuss, nobody following me. And I know they didn’t take my plates because they were covered in mud and snow.
Unfortunately, employees are required by management to pressure you to buy the service plan/performance guarantee/whatever the buzzword of the week is. Often things like raises, commission, and such hinge on the number of these scams a salesperson sells. The guy in the OP must’ve been pretty far behind, to whine at a customer like that.
My parents and I were in Fry’s to buy some components for my computer, and the conversation went thusly:
Me: “Yeah, I’ll need this motherboard, and this much RAM.”
Salesperson (typing madly, since Fry’s requires your entire DNA sequence to be entered into their computers): “We have a performance guarantee for these products, in case of failure --”
Me: “No thanks.”
SP: “-- and it covers this and this --”
Mom: “No really, we don’t want the peformance guarantee.”
SP: “-- but --”
Mom: “I worked at Fry’s for three years, I know all about the PGs. We don’t want it.”
SP: “Really? What department were you in?”
Mom (with one of those Mom half-glares): “Computer sales. First woman in the district to manage the computer department.”
Not a word more was mentioned of those performance guarantees.
Retail management is really big on “upselling”, is the thing – meaning the employees are required to suggest things in the hopes that you’ll think “Hey, what a good idea” and buy it. This is why the Carl’s Jr. cashier will ask you if you want to upsize, or if you want a dessert. When I worked at Borders we were strongly encouraged to suggest something extra when ringing someone up.
The people who’re the hottest on upselling, are the people who are rarely on the floor doing it. Same people who insist that, say, employees must go up and make conversation with customers even if said customers do not need help.
Even if they do require “trying three times” before abandoning efforts to upsell, I’d expect a salesperson to exercise some common sense. How often is this going to happen:
“We have an extended service plan…”
“Sorry, not interested.”
“It’s $40 on your $400 product…”
“I said I don’t want a damn service plan, you miserable fuck!”
“It lasts for two years…”
“Oh, why didn’t you say so? Ring it up, my good man!”
I know, places like this absolutely forbid the exercise of common sense among their employess, figuring (perhaps correctly) that many of them have none. This is why I do most of my shopping online.
Last week, Circuit City here in Columbia laid off about 40 people (I know someone that still works there). They also took their sales people off commission and put them on straight salary. When their floor people were on commission, I never dealt with the hard sell on anything I purchased there, including the extended warranty plan.
I’d recommend you shop there, but their service has gone to hell in the past several months (could it be fear of job loss/commission loss/bad management? hmmm…). Good luck finding someplace better to shop. When you do, would you let us know where that place is?
Yeah, well fuck 'em. The Service agreements are big rip offs that Best Buy uses to get straight money from idiots. By asking me if i want one they assume i am an idiot. Since i don’t shop there anymore, i cannot fall into the idiot category. (yes there are still smart people who shop there, but i don’t know why)
I’ve shopped in plenty of small local stores that don’t hassel me, plus Target and a few other big chains don’t give me that crap offer, and they are genrally cheaper than Best Buy on the smaller items, and ones with pricematch offers match the big ones. It is win-win, and i get to stick it those blue shirted jackasses.
Hey, don’t blame the worker bees. We don’t assume you’re an idiot unless you act like one. We assume the upper-level management is full of idiots for expecting us to be able to sell their shit with the lines they tell us to feed you.
Thank God I don’t work anywhere near the Business Machines department of my store anymore.
I have had the exact (almost) same experience at Best Buy. We went to buy a PC and the guy on the floor did a great job of explaining what we were getting. Then he went into the sales pitch for the service plan. We said no. He went on. We said no. He took us to the till for someone else to ring our order through. The second guy tried to sell us the service plan. We said no. He persisted. We said no. Eventually we just walked out of the store. Way to lose over 1000 bucks, morons.
The second point is to echo what Dragonblink said. The people who want upselling pushed the most have probably never had to upsell in their lives. I had to try and do that when I worked for a bank. I would only try it where I thought it was a good idea but some people were trying it on every call offering credit cards, loans, mortgages etc. I hated it. And I still hate it when people do it now.
Otto, consider yourself lucky. You mean you actually had a sales person? The last time we went into Best Buy to try and buy a television we got no service at all. All the sales people were huddling around the t.v.'s watching a game. We left mad and without a purchase.
The only way I got one was to stand directly behind another customer who was buying something at a register thus not allowing SGM to escape. And hey, I know that some companies are going to push upselling. Hell, I even worked for a company that did it and required me to do it. But my company also understood that “no” means “no” and that when the customer says “no” that means STOP SELLING.
I’m guessing that the reason these service plans are hyped so much is because they’re hugely profitable. I wouldn’t be suprised if they effectively double the profits of anything purchased with one from those type box stores. Most things you purchase come with factory warranties, and if they don’t, I’d be worried about the quality of the manufacturing. Unless it was something unwieldy like a big screen TV, and probably even then, I would never opt for the box store service plan.
Oh no! The mean ol’ service-sector employee asked you a few questions! Were you scared for your life? Did you soil your armor? Did you run off, shrieking in fright?
I went into the Best Buy in San Antonio with the exact model number of the computer I needed in my hand. I saw it on the shelf, grabbed a cart, and tried to flag down a passing salesperson so they could take it down for me.
Two salespeople told me they didn’t work in that department. The third (and the only guy who seemed to actually work in that department) said he was “doing something for his manager” at the moment, and could I please wait? Meanwhile, there were people lining up to buy computers. I looked at the guy, told him I had to pick someone up at the airport (which was true; Airman was waiting on me), and that “I didn’t have all day to stand around with my thumb up my ass” because his manager’s busywork was more important than selling computers. I bought the computer through an online store, for less than Best Buy was selling it for, and with a lot less hassle.
At what point did “I’m just doing my job” become an acceptable explanation for idiotic, rude, obnoxious behavior? If I were in that situation, I’d have them call the manager and explain to him why making this poor sap of a salesman harangue you was not good business. Then let him know why you’re not buying it here, as you prefer to shop at a place that doesn’t feel like its customers are a bunch of weaklings who need to be bullied into buying something they don’t want. Bam, you’re done. Get your iPod elsewhere, but let them know why you’re doing it.
I’m sorry if you’re just doing your job. I feel for you, and for that reason I won’t take my anger out on you, but on the dumbshit that’s making you do it. But your job falls squarely into the “not my problem” category and therefore I don’t have to put up with whatever the ludicrous aspects of your job are. I don’t work for Best Buy, so their job requirements don’t concern me. I shop at best buy, so all I’m concerned about is finding what I Want, giving you money for it, and taking it home. And while you’re at it, shove a couple handfulls of those stupid tree-wasting receipt envelopes up your manager’s ass for me.
I’m sorry that your job is shitty and you have to deal with stupid customers and your boss watches you to make sure you properly annoy them about the ripoff service plans. But again, that’s not my problem, and if it becomes my problem, I’ll go elsewhere. I’ve worked in retail, so I know that my going elsewhere and leaving you alone is fine by you, so I’ll make it a point to let higher-ups at Best Buy (or wherever) who DO care about it know why I’m going.
It’s not about not getting disgusted at this obnoxious behavior, it’s about finding the appropriate person to get disgusted AT.
SPOOFE: I think we usually agree on stuff. And it’s fun chatting with you and Monster104 at the DopeFests. But I’m not a “shopper”. I know what I want when I go into a store. If I don’t, then I’ll ask a salesperson for information about the product. But I never want the service plan. I know that service plans are a waste of money. And I don’t like pushy salespeople.
Next time I buy something at Best Buy, Good Guys, Circuit City, or wherever, I will not put up with the stupid “service plan” pitch. It’s annoying. The first time the salesperson mentions it, I’ll warn him that I’m not interested and that if he continues to try to sell it to me then he’s lost the sale. The second time he mentions it, I’ll try to find the store manager and tell him that he’s just lost a sale because of the service plan pitch. Then I’ll buy the product somewhere else.
Oh, and to the counter guy at Knollwood: If I want cheese on my burger, I’ll ask for it. Just shut up and listen, you schmuck!
He asked a question, which was answered promptly inthe negative.
The employee then asked the same question again. Which was answered the same way, again.
If my math is correct, he attempted to ask the same damn question seven times.
Sorry, not even close to your depiction of the events.
Damn, in the non retail world, if you attempted to ask a lady/guy out, was told no…and kept coming back with the same request…that would be called…umm…harrassment?
This is the time you get the manager in front of you and give him a nice tongue lashing. HE doesn’t have to deal with the annoyed customers every single time. If he got to know, up close and personal, how much people hated it, he might not press so hard on his employees.