On Friday, I told you the story of Alpha Omega computers and the great service I received when I was in Tennessee recently.
And now, as Paul Harvey says – the rest of the story...
The used power cord that I got at Alpha Omega computers in TN got me through a couple of days, and is great as a back up. However, the connector is old and sometimes slips out of the plug in the back of the computer.
Therefore, I decided to buy a new one. And here’s where the customer service story gets interesting.
I called around to a couple electronics dealers in Denver. Both Comp USA and Best Buy told me that they had power cords that would meet my needs. I had an appointment that afternoon and was going to be passing Comp USA and Best Buy. If you’re familiar with Denver, they are both located in a shopping center on Colorado Boulevard at I 25.
I found a parking space closer to Best Buy so I went to them first. I walked in and told the sales rep that I needed a power cord that is compatible with and IBM ThinkPad T 42. He went over to the power cords, looked at a few and told me that they didn’t have any. I explained that I had called 30 minutes previous and was told that they had some in stock.
His first question, in an accusatory manner, was “who did you talk to?” I said, “I don’t know, whoever answered the phone”. I had the impression that he thought I was not being truthful about speaking with someone who told me they had the power cords in stock.
He noticed that I had my laptop case with me. He asked to take a look at my laptop, and then said “this is a T 42, why didn’t you tell me? We have something that works with the T series”. I thought “I did tell you”, but chose to not say anything as I was running a little late for my appointment.
This was a universal adapter, and I wanted to be sure it worked with my machine. I asked if I could unwrap it and plug it in to my computer. His response was “I guarantee it will work”.
I told him that I would still like to try, just to be sure. He said “I guarantee it will work. If it doesn’t work there will be a 15% restocking fee”.
This made no sense to me. If the power cord worked with my computer, I was going to buy it. If it didn’t, I didn’t want it, but I also didn’t think I should pay a fee because the cord was incompatible with my machine.
He didn’t see my logic. He repeated that if the cord wasn’t compatible with my machine, I would have to pay a restocking fee. I replied that in that case, I wasn’t interested. He said “whatever”, turned his back to me, opened up his cell phone and dialed a call.
I walked across the parking lot to Comp USA, where I met David “call me Fluff”. When I asked if I could open the package and plug in to make sure the cord was compatible with my computer, Fluff said, “no problem”. He used the Swiss Army Knife on his key chain to open the package.
He showed me how the adaptor worked, and made sure the cord worked with my machine before ringing the sale.
Two stores separated by a parking lot – which one do you think I was patronize in the future? Here’s a hint – certainly not Best Buy.
The common sense point – take care of your customers. You never know when an $80.00 purchase could turn into a one or two thousand dollar one.
Way to go Fluff, maybe you can get a job doing sales training at Best Buy. On second thought, you better stick with Comp USA.
That’s it for today. Thanks for reading. Log on to my website www.BudBilanich.com for more leadership common sense. Check out my other blog www.CareerSuperStar.com for common sense advice on becoming the life and career star you are meant to be.
I’ll see you around the web, and at Alex’s Lemonade Stand.
Bud
PS: Speaking of Alex’s Lemonade Stand – my fundraising page is still open. Please go to www.FirstGiving.com/TheCommonSenseGuy to read Alex’s inspiring story and to donate if you can.
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