Hearthlist Digest #201 - Wednesday, September 9, 1998
 
Some retail experiences
  by "Craig Issod" <[email protected]>
 

(back)
Subject: Some retail experiences
From: Craig Issod <[email protected]>
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1998 22:40:58 -0500
 
I'd like to share some recent buying experiences I've had. I think there
are some lessons in here for our industry...both retailers and
manufacturers.
 
1. The Car: I needed a new Van. The dealer I purchased my last two Vans
from did not do anything special to make me a "customer for life", so I
started my shopping at another dealer nearer to me. Martha and I went into
the dealership asking about leasing the van. We were then given the lease
payments and costs involved. This brought up some questions, like:
1. What was the actual interest rate we were paying on the lease?
2. What kind of discount were we getting on the vehicle price?
3. What were the actual bank charges on the front and back end?
 
When we asked these questions, we were given either untrue answers or
answers meant to mislead us. For instance, when we asked about the % rate,
the salesman said "I don't know". He then brought the dealerships financial
manager over to us, and this guy told me "I don't know the rate, we just
use a multiplier like .01122997 or something like that." I didn't believe
him...I'm sure the financial guy knows what the actual interest rate is.
 
The sale was completely lost when he said to Martha "Listen,
Sweetheart"..Martha did not like being called "Sweetheart" by anyone but me.
 
I then cruised the internet looking for car sites, and located Autosite,
which told me everything I needed to know about dealer costs, etc. With
this information in hand, I faxed and emailed two additional dealers
(including the one I purchased my last two from) with the price and terms I
desired...no response.
 
The next week I was on vacation, however Martha had a dental emergency, so
I drove her to an appointment. While she was waiting, I drove up to the
local strip and stopped at a Dodge dealer that I had passed on the way to
the doctor. I told the sales guy that I just had a few minutes (Martha was
at the doctor), and asked what they had. He took me out to the lot and
showed me the units that fit my needs. We looked at the sticker price, and
I simply asked him "How much do you discount?". He responded "We'll sell
these for $100.00 over dealer invoice..plus, there is a $1250. rebate on
now.
 
This was exactly the type of deal I wanted..no hassle, a fair price. I told
him I had to leave, and he gracefully let me go...did not try to pull any
of that funny "keep him captive" car dealer stuff.
 
Bottom line, I called him the next week and went down and purchased the
Van...cash!
 
Moral of this story...just a bit of truth, basic fair dealing and respect
for the customer (me) gained this dealership and this salesman a large
advantage over his competition.
 
2. The Car Stereo: I promised myself a good CD,RADIO,TAPE combination for
my new Van. Being as this seemed like a specialty product, I opened the
Yellow pages and looked under Audio/Video for local stores. Two stores
nearby were listed.
 
I visited the first...they did cellular and car stereo. The people in the
showroom knew little, but they called in an installer from the back room.
He answered my questions...but nothing more. It seemed as if he was
distracted, and wanted to get back to his work in the rear. I left the
store not wanting to purchase from them.
 
The second store was even worse. The sales agent was bullshitting with some
teenagers in the front of the shop. I looked around, then asked about car
stereo. He pointed to a few "no-name brands" behind the counter. I asked
about the certain type I wanted (Single CD, Radio and Tape in one) and he
said with a smirk "You can get those (elsewhere) for 1200 bucks"...his were
about $150.00. Little did he know that I did not want a $150.00 unit, I
expected to spend 400-700 dollars.
 
At this point, I was fed up with specialty retailers. I stopped into Best
Buy, and ...lo and behold...they had a great selection of car stereos. They
had two salespeople in that department, dozens of WORKING units on display
and answered all my questions. In addition, they could install any unit.
One problem, they did not have exactly what I wanted...but I did leave
there with the idea that I would return and buy if I could not find
anything closer to what I desired.
 
I went home and remembered about those old catalogs from Crutchfield, a
mail-order stereo vendor. I fired up the computer and found their web site.
What a pleasure - I simply entered the year and make of my vehicle, and it
told me which units would fit. Furthermore, it rated the ease of
installation. This experience was better and more accurate than any of my
store visits.
 
Bottom line: I called them and ordered a model which was exactly what I
wanted...it cost about $400. In addition, they sent full instructions for
me to install it myself.
 
I received it one business day later, and set about installing it. Each
page of the installation instructions were tailored to my exact vehicle,
and each page had their toll-free technical service number on it.
 
I screwed something up, so I had to put their 800 number to the test. I
picked up the phone and dialed, certain that I would get a recording or put
on hold. Instead, a friendly voice answered, and asked if they could help.
I described my problem and the gentleman accessed his computer for ALL the
information I needed, including the color code and description for 12 wires
in the car dashboard. I hung up, followed his instructions, and the unit is
finished and working perfectly.
 
By the way, the technician on the phone told me that he'd be there until
midnight eastern time if I had any other questions.
 
There are a few morals to this story:
 
Manufacturers - Do you provide this type of information and service to your
retail and end user customers? Before and after the sale? In my 20 years in
the business, I have not had the good fortune of being on the receiving end
of this type of service.
 
Retailers - Do you or your salespeople have all the right answers and the
right products? Do you assure satisfaction? Can the customer find a better
product, better service and/or better prices elsewhere?
 
Just as Direct-Mail (LL Bean, Lands End, etc) raised the bar on the level
of customer service that was given, the Internet will take it even further.
If you are not the best of your breed, you will find it harder and harder
to compete in this new "extended marketplace".