Beezerk
Money List Winner
Managers that don’t respond to emails but will phone you up when they need something. We’ve nicknamed him Lord Lucan
Random Irritations
- Thread starter Blue in Munich
- Start date
Managers that don’t respond to emails but will phone you up when they need something. We’ve nicknamed him Lord Lucan
AmandaJR
Money List Winner
Salespeople who use phrases like "that should be fine"...I don't want to keep hearing shoulds and coulds or "I think so"..
Slab
Occasional Tour Caddy
Agree with the irritation and add the other side of that coin; customers who want definitive answers that are impossible to give i.e So delivery will definitely be on Tuesday?
Orikoru
Tour Winner
Perhaps some honesty would go a long way (and be less irritating). Rather than "we should be able to deliver on Tuesday" and then it doesn't arrive - why not say "we'll attempt to deliver Tuesday but it may not be possible - if you want a guaranteed day we'd better go with Wednesday."Agree with the irritation and add the other side of that coin; customers who want definitive answers that are impossible to give i.e So delivery will definitely be on Tuesday?
Slab
Occasional Tour Caddy
Except there can be no guarantee of Wednesday or any day
Driver off sick, traffic accident, damaged goods and a thousand other reasons why a planned delivery might not happen, but once its given some customers 'waive' their missed guaranteed delivery about seeking compensation etc because customers don't want to hear a list of caveats because it doesn't suit either side to acknowledge them
Orikoru
Tour Winner
Sounds like excuses to me.
The only time I tell a customer that a delivery can be guaranteed is when they chose to pay for a dedicated driver. If someone gets heated about a delivery having to be there, I throw that at them. They have to arrange it, I'll help the loading
. Anything else is open to variables that you can not control, as you say.I get Orikoru's point but guarantee is not a word to throw around lightly in business, you learn that early on.
Imurg
The Grinder Of Pars (Semi Crocked)
Walked out of my last office job over this issue
I'd told a Sales Director that product A SHOULD be delivered to us on day X
He went and told the customer that it was coming in on day X and he would have it the next day.
Of course the lorry broke down and didn't arrive until after the despatched had gone...
Sales Director had to take the product in his car and drive 190 miles next morning to deliver it.
I got hauled up in front of him and the MD to explain...I said, as I had said for the previous 20 years in that job, that I never say something will be delivered as too many things can go wrong
MD sided with the SD and were about to issue warnings etc and I just dropped my files on his desk, said Well if you can do it better you can get on with it and went home...3 days later I was training as a driving instructor
I'd told a Sales Director that product A SHOULD be delivered to us on day X
He went and told the customer that it was coming in on day X and he would have it the next day.
Of course the lorry broke down and didn't arrive until after the despatched had gone...
Sales Director had to take the product in his car and drive 190 miles next morning to deliver it.
I got hauled up in front of him and the MD to explain...I said, as I had said for the previous 20 years in that job, that I never say something will be delivered as too many things can go wrong
MD sided with the SD and were about to issue warnings etc and I just dropped my files on his desk, said Well if you can do it better you can get on with it and went home...3 days later I was training as a driving instructor
Slab
Occasional Tour Caddy
Yup, its like folk who cry sick from work for gastro, backache etc. To most of us they're just excuses but mixed in among them are ppl who are genuinely incapacitated
Orikoru
Tour Winner
In summary, I just think a lot of customer service people tell the customer what they want to hear even when it's not achievable. I think a bit of honesty goes a long way - if the customer doesn't accept it then that's up to them I suppose. They're only going to react even worse if you make a false promise that can't be met.The only time I tell a customer that a delivery can be guaranteed is when they chose to pay for a dedicated driver. If someone gets heated about a delivery having to be there, I throw that at them. They have to arrange it, I'll help the loading
I get Orikoru's point but guarantee is not a word to throw around lightly in business, you learn that early on.
bobmac
Major Champion
Captain Kirk: Mr.Scott. Have you always multiplied your repair estimates by a factor of four?
Scotty: Certainly, Sir. How else can I keep my reputation as a miracle worker?”
I totally agree about being honest, never over promise. I will say to a customer that we will ship on day X, when I know we definitely have it. I then point out the carrier, if UK, should deliver next day but we can not guarantee that. If they want a guarantee, if it is that critical, then they need a dedicated driver / vehicle. Otherwise, 98% of the time it will be there next day but you could be part of the 2%. Once something is out of your hands, despatch is with me, delivery is not, then you have to be careful with wording. It sounds pedantic but when you have been on the end of an ear bashing about a late delivery out of your control, pedantry becomes important
Orikoru
Tour Winner
Three people adding my item to watchlist on Ebay and none of them bidding. What are you watching it for then?? Flipping timewasters! You're expecting a bidding war and then nothing.. it just expires.
Imurg
The Grinder Of Pars (Semi Crocked)
People - on here, in real life, everywhere - falling into the trap of " this is the way it's done here/this is how I do it/this is how we do it" and assuming that it's done the same way the whole world over....nor is it necessarily the correct way.
Many ways of skinning a cat there are........
Many ways of skinning a cat there are........
Imurg
The Grinder Of Pars (Semi Crocked)
They may have a similar item and want to know how the market is going right now....
Orikoru
Tour Winner
As I said, timewasters!
Part of the irritation is that I already bought this item's replacement which needed paying for.. 
AmandaJR
Money List Winner
I do that for a while hoping the seller might make an offer.
Neilds
Assistant Pro
Sometimes it is the customer hearing what they want to hear as well
HomerJSimpson
Hall of Famer
One of my absolute hates in a work place. When I got this job and starting asking why we did a certain task I got the "because that's what we've always done" The question to can it be done better if it's needed at all got the "that's the way we've always done it". Suffice to say we sat down as a team and we had an open discussion on ways of working and being empowered to question things if they thought it was superfluous or there was a better way to do stuff. My team are now experts of asking the why question back to others!!!
Finally finding a cycle clothing brand that is both quality and a decent fit...... only to find its owned by Wiggle and Flashley might be taking it over
