Karma and The Problematic Customer [DP Store]

[Buyatari]

I do have a follow-up question to all of the "don't give estimates over the phone". I've considered this in the past, but doesn't GameStop and Game Crazy give estimates? If not, then this is a no-brainer for our store as well. Quite frankly I hate the calls asking "how much will you give me".

I don't believe they do. I don't know any chain that does. Maybee Blockbuster and Hollywood video because they are new to the game but thats it. Tell all phone callers something generic. We tell them "we pay out based on demand,condition,rarity,# in stock at the time you trade it in." if they push on old stuff "We are the only store both giving trade or paying cash on those items. If you want to bring them by we will be happy to look at them and make you an offer to give you the best offer we can."

Most chains don't take SNES anyway. These people will often take 10 cents a game or less if they are cleaning house. You can get away with paying less on stuff no one else will take. You are the only game in town.

I use this as a gauge. If you don't have one person turning down your offers you are paying too much.

[Push Upstairs]

I do have a follow-up question to all of the "don't give estimates over the phone". I've considered this in the past, but doesn't GameStop and Game Crazy give estimates? If not, then this is a no-brainer for our store as well. Quite frankly I hate the calls asking "how much will you give me".

Other stores in my area had the "No quotes policy" and people still used that line of "but the other place does".

"No quotes" policy is good one that you should enact immediately. As others have said it allows you to look over product before giving a price quote and it also makes it so people will come into your store (which always has the possibility of turning them into repeat customers).

[PapaStu]

I do have a follow-up question to all of the "don't give estimates over the phone". I've considered this in the past, but doesn't GameStop and Game Crazy give estimates? If not, then this is a no-brainer for our store as well. Quite frankly I hate the calls asking "how much will you give me".

Nope. Back when FunCo were large and all over they even had little newspapers that printed 'Hot' or games in demand and values they'd give to them, but even those papers said subject to store verification on them. They used the over the phone mantra of 'Our prices change daily, so you need to come in to get the most up to date prices'. EB/GS stores don't give out prices on the phone anymore. I don't thing GameCrazy does either, but I don't shop there frequently enough to know for sure.

[rbudrick]

I didn't read anyone's responses, but I did read the article. Joe needs to take some tips from Gord. That is all.

Ok, well maybe that's not all:

1. Hold your guns next time.
2. You did right and lucked out. Luckily, IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN, lol.
3. I would have politely interupted. A small sign on the register disallowing such actions would be fair to point out if it happened again.

-Rob

[Untamed]

Already posted on your myspace blog.

1. I've worked at a pawn shop for quite a while and that regularly happens. Policy is no number over the phone, even if it is something we get a lot like DVDs where it's 99% of the time 2$ a piece. When they come in we just tell them that we don't give quotes over the phone so that couldn't have happened and continue to quote what we'd normally give.

2. Like Steve said, our computer system allows us to verify our tills whenever we need. We ask them to wait, they either do because they aren't lying, or they make up an excuse "I'm in a rush, you'll never see me again." and leave.

3. It's YOUR store, you're the one who does business in it. Someone offers one of our customers a different price and they start discussing it, we tell them we're not interested anymore and to please take the discussion outside.


I love my job.


P.S. I didn't know gamedeals.ca posted here... urgghh...

[Oobgarm]

I do have a follow-up question to all of the "don't give estimates over the phone". I've considered this in the past, but doesn't GameStop and Game Crazy give estimates? If not, then this is a no-brainer for our store as well. Quite frankly I hate the calls asking "how much will you give me".

Depends. I've called plenty of times, even recently, and got price quotes; I even gave them myself back when I worked-but I'd often add in 'I have to see it before I can definitely give you a price, but this what we usually give' or something worded similarly. never ran into a problem. Not once. But if I would have, I certainly would have taken the 'no phone quotes' route.

[calthaer]

I actually sort of disagree with the whole "if you be nice to someone, they'll be nice back to you" idea in business. Being in business is not an equal exchange like that. True, if you treat your customers well, they generally return - but the relationship will never be equal, and there's no guarantee that they will return if you treat them nicely. BUT treating customers fairly, honestly, and with all courteousness is always, always the best policy.

But that doesn't mean letting them walk all over you, I don't think. It's a business - that means that the store exists to create profit, not as a charity. I would have told the lady trying to scam you that you can't lose money on the transaction and left it at that. No quotes over the phone is a good way to avoid being scammed again this way.

Giving the lady the benefit of the doubt in the case of the ten bucks is a good thing, and having the clerk count it out in front of them is another good policy to avoid a repeat.

The people trying to undercut you need to take a hike. If everyone in your store did that, you'd be footing the bill for an exchange brokerage or auction house (like eBay) without making a single red cent on it.

And that's the real thing - without drawing the line and sticking to it, that kind of thing could happen again and again until it's so frequent that you're losing a lot of business - and wouldn't the loss of the DP store, or the potential that the DP store can't expand to other locations (to destroy the EB/GS monopoly), be worse than having a few rude customers being shown the door? I think so. Because even if you put your foot down in ridiculous situations #1 and #3, you're still treating customers WAY better than they'd be treated at EB/GS, and you're still treating them 100% honestly and with 100% respect.