What really annoys me about shop assistants...

Meysha · May 26, 2006

Please.. I mean no offence to those of us here who are shop assistants because I 'know' that you would never do this!

But... GRRR. I just drove for half an hour down to this computer store to buy a new monitor... and I get there and they're sold out. They sold 15 of these wide screen monitors just before I got there. GRR. Anyway, that didn't bother me... coz I had to buy a lead as well.

I already have one of these leads but it's all the way up in Cairns. The lead is a monitor out (the three lines of pins) from my laptop to RCA for the TV. I asked nicely if they had one. and he said yes. It was the wrong thing. I asked again this time enunciating very clearly that I want RCA. They didn't have it.

Not only did they not have it. They flatly denied it existed.
Them: "oh no miss that lead can't exist, they talk in different languages"
Me: " oh yes... it does exist, I have one."
Them: " Are you sure it's that three rows of pins (sorta like a small COM port) to RCA?... it's not some other combination???"
Me: "yes, I know what ports I have on my computer. I don't have an S-Video out... I only have the monitor out. I've used this lead before, I've plugged it into the tv, it has worked on the tv, I know it exists"
Them: "sorry but it can't exist."
Me: "ahhhh okay then....well ring me when the monitors get in."

:grumpy:

Rob · May 27, 2006

Computer literate customer + computer shop staff = frustration.

My last outburst was at PC World, where I found they were charging £9.99 for a kettle lead (UK mains to IEC320). They're about £1.50 from my normal supplier and I've thrown away literally thousands of them at work over the years cos they clutter the place up... *growl*

Rob

Meysha · May 27, 2006

Rob,
lets open up a computer shop.

Rob · May 27, 2006

Yeah, at least if someone walked in asking for a ground loop isolator, we wouldn't ever, ever say "that doesn't exist". Everything exists madam, assuming you have the budget.

FWIW, my last version of what you described was over a ground loop isolator. They do exist... as I'm sure you know.

lol

Rob

Digital Matt · May 27, 2006

Oh, I know your frustration. I had a similar experience a few years ago, with a computer guy from Best Buy. I wanted to buy a cheap E-Machines computer. They were selling it for like $300. Everytime you buy something from Best Buy, they try and sell you the extended warranty. I knew I didn't want it, because if anything broke in a $300 computer, I'd just buy the parts and fix it myself.

The salesmen tried to convince me that I couldn't fix this computer myself, that the parts were "soldered" in, and I'd have to send it back to E-Machines and pay big bucks if anything went wrong. So I asked him...

DM- "Is the hard drive soldered in?"

Tech- "umm, no".

DM- "Is the ram soldered in?"

Tech - "umm, no".

DM- "Is the motherboard welded to the case?"

Tech -"umm, no".

(I could tell that he had no idea what parts I was describing, and that he only knew the text he had memorized out of the sales book)

DM- "Thank you, I'll just buy the computer then, no warranty".

Tech- "wait, let me get my manager".

I then had to have the same go around with the manager, and I finally ended up getting really mad and telling them if they didn't let me walk out of that computer this very second with no warranty, that I'd never buy anything from Best Buy again. They let me go finally

So in short, I feel your pain.

JohnMF · May 27, 2006

i can't stand PC World, it's complete rip-off. They were changing around £20 for some cable i needed, i ended up buying it from a computer fair for £1.50p.

And i hate the hassle of having to tell these people that you don't want an extended warrenty or no annual computer health checks. they look at you as if you are crazy

niccig · Jun 13, 2006

I think the worst I've ever experienced is Circuit City. A few years back I went in to buy a full-duplex sound card so that my mom could do voice chat. I was lazy and didn't want to look for, so I asked the computer salesman. I also was told that they didn't exist. Boy was the guy sheepish when I went and found one, and showed it to him.

magicmonkey · Jun 13, 2006

I have the same problem every time I go to PC World, which is only if I can't wait the extra day for delivery so not that often fortunately. I've found that if you tell them you're a hardware/software 'architect' they get very confused and assume that you know what you want and don't need hassling, has worked so far but there's always one. It also means assuming a certain level of arrogance I'm not exactly comfortable with but then if they're going to rip you off then you can't feel too guilty...

bace · Jun 13, 2006

Future shop. Same thing different name.

Went to buy a jack from head phones to RCA. Looking at the cables. Guy comes up asks me if he can help. "you guys have 3/4 inch to RCA's in stock?".

"no".

"no you know have them in stock or you don't carry them."

"we don't carry them"

"are you sure, can you check for me"

"no we don't carry them..."

...."oh, nevermind I found them, they're right here, thanks for your help."

Corry · Jun 13, 2006

Xmetal · Jun 13, 2006

The customer is always right?

BULLSH!T

I've had so many d!ckheaded customers come in and ask some good questions during my time working in a computer store:

"does the memory card get heavier as it fills up with photos?"

Don't even get me started on Finance/12 month interest free sales. :grumpy:

Kent Frost · Jun 13, 2006

When I worked a the camera store here in my town, I have to admit, I've had customers ask for things that really DID NOT exist.

For example, there was a customer asking me to get him an adapter cassete that would go from an 8mm video tape to a regular VHS VCR. There IS one that would go from the miniature VHS (VHS-C) tapes to a VCR, but that's because they're the same format.
This guy swore up and down with me that it DID exist and that he would go buy one from Walmart and bring it to show it to me.

Needless to say, I never saw that guy ever again.

Pre-Loved. · Jun 13, 2006

although there are a lot of dickhead shop assistants, there are even dumber customers. I work in a japanese restaurant and we have this loyalty program, spend $2, get 1 point, 10points is $1 of your next meal. ANYWAY, we now swipe the cards in this fancy system, so they can't be messed with, it's reported to head office over the net straight away. You can only swipe a card once every 10 minutes. Stops people passing their card to all their friends and earning thousands of points. Anyway, the cards have numbers, and I look at the number every time. The register also stores a record of who got what. When customers try passing it back I refuse to swipe it. They throw a tantrum and say they'll never come back. They bugger off only to come back the next day and try again!

Digital Matt · Jun 14, 2006

I had another experience today, this time at a camera shop. I went in to buy some slide film for class, and the Fuji fridge was really empty, so I asked the guy if they might have some Sensia 200 in the back. He said, "Fuji doesn't make 200 speed slide film, only 100 and 400".

I had to buy Ektachrome 200, which is no big deal, but still. I was ****ed.

bace · Jun 14, 2006

Pre-Loved. said:
although there are a lot of dickhead shop assistants, there are even dumber customers. I work in a japanese restaurant and we have this loyalty program, spend $2, get 1 point, 10points is $1 of your next meal. ANYWAY, we now swipe the cards in this fancy system, so they can't be messed with, it's reported to head office over the net straight away. You can only swipe a card once every 10 minutes. Stops people passing their card to all their friends and earning thousands of points. Anyway, the cards have numbers, and I look at the number every time. The register also stores a record of who got what. When customers try passing it back I refuse to swipe it. They throw a tantrum and say they'll never come back. They bugger off only to come back the next day and try again!

Bahhaha.

That's awesome.