Last Friday, I went into the local store of a very popular computer manufacturer (no need to name names) in order to purchase a new laptop. I pretty much knew exactly what I wanted and after briefly going over my needs with a Customer Service Representative I had made my selection in what took no more than 7-8 minutes. Naturally, I was critiquing my Customer Service Experience the entire time — it's what I do.
The young man who helped me was very friendly and I really liked that he wasn't trying to sell me anything I didn't need. All of his suggestions were catered around exactly what I had told him I was looking for, and I really appreciated how he listened to what I needed. I had walked way from him for a moment to take a look at an alternative choice before making my selection and when I had returned I saw that someone else had asked him for help. Knowing that these employees rely on commission, I decided to wait until he was available again so that I could tell him what I had decided to purchase. He was very helpful to the woman who he was assisting and made sure to let me know he would be with me as soon as he could. All in all, up to that point he was great.
In just a few short moments the young man was inputting my purchase into his computer so my order could be brought up from the warehouse downstairs. I was initially told that it could take 10-15 minutes for my laptop to be brought up from the warehouse and I began to get excited, thinking, "they're just saying 10-15 minutes so that when I get my new laptop in 5 minutes I'll love them even more!!!" Erm, no. While I was correct in thinking 10-15 minutes was a false time measurement, it unfortunately was not in my favor.
After 20 minutes had passed, very slowly mind you as the store was crowded and I wanted to go home as soon as possible, the young man who had been helping me came over to apologize for the wait. He did try and speed things up by having me pay for the items before they were brought up (normally you pay after your order has been brought to you), which was a nice gesture. That slightly lightened my spirits until another 15 minutes had passed and I was still waiting.
The young man returned to say if your computer isn't brought up in the next 10 minutes I'll go down and get it myself. Well....another 20 minutes passed and I finally got my computer from the floor clerk whose duty it is to bring things up from the warehouse. Needless to say, that while I was happy with my purchase I was far from happy with my experience. After spending over $2,000, I would have really appreciated not having to wait just under an hour for a laptop to be brought from downstairs to upstairs. I dread the day I should ever need to go back into that shop!!!
While the young man did what he could to the best of the abilities, the whole experience truly left much to be desired. Shouldn't my first experience in that store and with that company have been an excellent one? Shouldn't it have been that man's priority to make sure I had an excellent experience? What if I would have spent less money that day? Would I have been left to wait even longer? It's just a shame that World Class Customer service isn't as widespread as it deserves to be.
