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Radio Shack Informative - Employee Perspective
I am a full time sales associate at Radio Shack, and after reading some of the posts here by customers and employees, I thought I would share an experience of mine.
A customer (an elderly gentleman) came into my store a couple of weeks ago, angry because his cell phone charger wouldn't work and he felt the AT&T store's prices were too high. My manager told him he was eligible for an upgrade and he could get a free phone that comes with the charger. He bought the phone, and left much happier than he came in.
Fast forward a couple weeks, and he comes charging into my store, waving his phone in my face saying that it doesn't work. I politely asked him what the problem was, and he practically threw his phone at me and said "You figure it out". I turned it on, and it turned off again right away. I asked him if he had charged it, and he said he had. I plugged it in to one of the chargers we had in our store and "magically" the phone worked. I was able to make phone calls and everything. When I unplugged the charger it said "battery low" and I asked him if he had his charger with him, so I could see if there was something wrong with it. He said no and that he wasn't going to waste his time going to get it. He then began screaming about how he shouldn't have a problem with the phone after two weeks. I tried explaining to him (though he interrupted me several times) that sometimes electronics JUST DONT WORK, and that I would GLADLY exchange the phone and charger for a brand new one as long as he had the packaging and receipt. He replied with "this is going in the garbage" and stomped out, screaming about how he would never buy anything there again.
The reason I am writing this is to give everyone an idea of some of the people we deal with on a daily basis. I am very well versed with electronics, and I am ALWAYS pleasant and friendly to my customers, even though they are not always that way with me. Just an FYI.
A customer (an elderly gentleman) came into my store a couple of weeks ago, angry because his cell phone charger wouldn't work and he felt the AT&T store's prices were too high. My manager told him he was eligible for an upgrade and he could get a free phone that comes with the charger. He bought the phone, and left much happier than he came in.
Fast forward a couple weeks, and he comes charging into my store, waving his phone in my face saying that it doesn't work. I politely asked him what the problem was, and he practically threw his phone at me and said "You figure it out". I turned it on, and it turned off again right away. I asked him if he had charged it, and he said he had. I plugged it in to one of the chargers we had in our store and "magically" the phone worked. I was able to make phone calls and everything. When I unplugged the charger it said "battery low" and I asked him if he had his charger with him, so I could see if there was something wrong with it. He said no and that he wasn't going to waste his time going to get it. He then began screaming about how he shouldn't have a problem with the phone after two weeks. I tried explaining to him (though he interrupted me several times) that sometimes electronics JUST DONT WORK, and that I would GLADLY exchange the phone and charger for a brand new one as long as he had the packaging and receipt. He replied with "this is going in the garbage" and stomped out, screaming about how he would never buy anything there again.
The reason I am writing this is to give everyone an idea of some of the people we deal with on a daily basis. I am very well versed with electronics, and I am ALWAYS pleasant and friendly to my customers, even though they are not always that way with me. Just an FYI.
Comments:
Posted by old fart on 2009-11-09:
Not everything is the customers' fault....
See my review date November 7th titled "My $500 scanner is impossible to program"...
Us "elderly gentlemen" aren't always at fault...
See my review date November 7th titled "My $500 scanner is impossible to program"...
Us "elderly gentlemen" aren't always at fault...
Posted by cschic on 2009-11-09:
I understand that not everything is the customers fault. And in your case, the scanner might not have been able to pick up those channels because some police stations actually use a special password or chip. Of course the associate that helped you might have been an ignoramus. But in my situation, I was nothing but friendly to the customer and he treated me like dirt. I have a lot of regular customers, and most of them are older and very pleasant and fun to be around.
Posted by jktshff1 on 2009-11-09:
OF, we are more than not, especially if we ain't IBM Compatible, like a lot of old timers are.
Posted by PepperElf on 2009-11-09:
csc and don't forget sometimes there isn't anything you can do to make someone happy...
cos sometimes you can't fix stupid.
believe me i've seen my share of stupid "customers" where i worked on computer trouble calls... issues where it was basically PEBCAK
(problem exists between chair and keyboard - aka the computer user is stupid)
=)
cos sometimes you can't fix stupid.
believe me i've seen my share of stupid "customers" where i worked on computer trouble calls... issues where it was basically PEBCAK
(problem exists between chair and keyboard - aka the computer user is stupid)
=)
Posted by littleyaya on 2009-11-09:
Pepper, that's also known as the ID 10 T error
Posted by MundoCani on 2009-11-09:
I'm still perplexed why Radio Shack employees post out here so frequently to defend the company or provide some kind of insight. I don't see any other company's employees doing the same thing as consistently as RS.
I think they have a very clever marketing/customer service campaign underway to bolster their image.
I think they have a very clever marketing/customer service campaign underway to bolster their image.
Posted by TheNewSheriff on 2009-11-09:
Sounds as if the customer thinks you only have to charge the phone one time.
Posted by PepperElf on 2009-11-09:
that too yaya :)
sherriff i'd hate to see that man's gas tank too.
maybe he gets a new car every time it goes empty... or screams at the dealer...
sherriff i'd hate to see that man's gas tank too.
maybe he gets a new car every time it goes empty... or screams at the dealer...
Posted by cschic on 2009-11-09:
Mundo, I can't speak for the other posters but I posted mostly because it seems like a lot of people feel that Radio Shack employees are rude or don't know anything. I just wanted to show that it is not always the case, and that customers can be just as bad. Not all, but some.
Posted by superbowl on 2009-11-09:
Cschic, just an FYI, you guys lost me when you started demanding my name, phone number etc just to buy a pack of batteries. Stupid move by RS, I buy them from Costco now.
Posted by TGT101 on 2009-11-10:
superbowl that very well might by but why take it out on the employees?
Posted by sherdy on 2009-11-10:
I've never met a rude RS employee. I think they come here and defend themselves because they (at least many of them) have received good customer service training. I see customers being horrid to employees a lot anymore and it's not right, and it's not fair. When did the world get so mean? TNS is right. I bet the guy thought he only had to charge the phone one time and it just stays charged.
Posted by PepperElf on 2009-11-10:
the people @ RS have always been nice to me too.
Posted by superbowl on 2009-11-10:
TGT, I am not taking it out on the employee's. I just have taken my business somplace else. The first time they asked I was very nice and said no, and never went back. As a bonus Costco has much better prices too. I don't know if that flawed policy is even still in play.
Posted by Stew on 2009-11-10:
You gotta like Costco because they never ask for your name. They don't want to know anything about you. I doubt they even know any of their customer's names. You can just walk anonymously into any Costco and buy anything you want without them ever knowing your name, home address, email, work phone, home phone, etc.. You're just a totally anonymous nobody when shopping at Costco.
Posted by PepperElf on 2009-11-10:
and the asking for the name thing heck that helped me out last year
when i bought my nephew an ipod charger from there, his parent's info was in the system so i had the warranty made out with their info :)
when i bought my nephew an ipod charger from there, his parent's info was in the system so i had the warranty made out with their info :)
Posted by D. Aliff on 2009-11-22:
Yea, that happens a lot.
And to the person saying they never see other people defending their company:
We defend our company because people blame US for things that THE COMPANY does. THE COMPANY required us to take your name, but somehow WE are too pushy when asking for your name.
Also, I can't count how many times someone has came in without a recipt, and when a ticket lookup is offered and failed, the phrase 'well why didn't they take my name?!?' is yelled.
OP is right, we get a lot of dumb customers coming into the store asking a lot of dumb questions and making a lot of dumb complaints and being very rude about everything they do. There's nothing wrong with not being educated about something, but when you act like me trying to educate you on the product you're inquiring about is a dis-service, that's when we get kind of combative.
And to the person saying they never see other people defending their company:
We defend our company because people blame US for things that THE COMPANY does. THE COMPANY required us to take your name, but somehow WE are too pushy when asking for your name.
Also, I can't count how many times someone has came in without a recipt, and when a ticket lookup is offered and failed, the phrase 'well why didn't they take my name?!?' is yelled.
OP is right, we get a lot of dumb customers coming into the store asking a lot of dumb questions and making a lot of dumb complaints and being very rude about everything they do. There's nothing wrong with not being educated about something, but when you act like me trying to educate you on the product you're inquiring about is a dis-service, that's when we get kind of combative.
Posted by WOWreally! on 2009-12-02:
now dont get me wrong i dont mind going above and beyond because poeople dont understand how something works but when someone storms in mad at me because of their own ignorance i couldn't be bothered as old fart will tell you based on my post in his post lol.
Posted by D. Aliff on 2009-12-07:
It's different when someone doesn't understand and wants to listen, I don't like when someone doesn't understand but thinks they DO understand and they don't want to listen.
Dude came in for a laptop charger, said he lived in a city that's about an hour away from any other corporate RadioShack. I told him if he bought it and it didn't work, he'd have to drive all the way out to bring it back, that it was better to call with the model number and I'd hold one for him or tell him how to order it online.
Instead of listening, he just kept telling me that it was a Dell, then finally says "If you don't want to sell me the damn thing just tell me!"
Like, I'm just trying to save you the headache of having to try it, it not work, and driving all the way back out here, but because you don't want to listen you're angry with me.
Really, I just don't like people who come in and don't know very much about what they're asking about yet refuse to listen to anything you tell them about it.
Dude came in for a laptop charger, said he lived in a city that's about an hour away from any other corporate RadioShack. I told him if he bought it and it didn't work, he'd have to drive all the way out to bring it back, that it was better to call with the model number and I'd hold one for him or tell him how to order it online.
Instead of listening, he just kept telling me that it was a Dell, then finally says "If you don't want to sell me the damn thing just tell me!"
Like, I'm just trying to save you the headache of having to try it, it not work, and driving all the way back out here, but because you don't want to listen you're angry with me.
Really, I just don't like people who come in and don't know very much about what they're asking about yet refuse to listen to anything you tell them about it.
Posted by pbsteve on 2010-10-25:
I just have to add for superbowl up there... Cosco requires membership the last time I checked, so of course they don't ask for your name or address, they swipe your cosco card that has all of it on there already.
People amaze me sometimes on how they think that because a company keeps you on file, they don't have the same info other stores don't keep on file. I'd rather go to a store that has to ask everytime what my address is, because I know they aren't storing it like stores that barcode me and simply take it everytime.
People amaze me sometimes on how they think that because a company keeps you on file, they don't have the same info other stores don't keep on file. I'd rather go to a store that has to ask everytime what my address is, because I know they aren't storing it like stores that barcode me and simply take it everytime.
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