Did I piss off a client?

[dalekphalm]

47 minutes ago, zassou said:

ignore him and move on with it. i used to work at a computer chop shop and i wont doing consulting stuff unless they are buying.

How do you know if they're buying unless you ask even one single question?

 

The OP has no idea if the customer was serious about upgrading, because he basically shut down the conversation with that reply. He might have been able to score a large sale, with CPU + MB + RAM, plus service for the installation itself. That could easily have been a $1000+ sale, had he pushed and explored.

 

If you work for a computer shop, and you won't even answer basic questions like "should I upgrade"? That's bad service.

[Tristerin]

I think that's 100% the right answer.

 

Depends on what HE wants out of his gaming experience.  If he didn't follow up with "I want Ultra at 4k with 60 fps what should I do" - then you could give an opinion (what he was seeking).

 

Sounds like you answered his question logically and he didn't follow up with a more specific question which would be a social norm imho.  

 

To me, based on the entire post, says he read about Zen2, wanted you to educate him - so he could pretend to know what he was talking about lol.

[Tristerin]

10 minutes ago, dalekphalm said:

How do you know if they're buying unless you ask even one single question?

 

The OP has no idea if the customer was serious about upgrading, because he basically shut down the conversation with that reply. He might have been able to score a large sale, with CPU + MB + RAM, plus service for the installation itself. That could easily have been a $1000+ sale, had he pushed and explored.

 

If you work for a computer shop, and you won't even answer basic questions like "should I upgrade"? That's bad service.

"Should I upgrade because this is what Im getting and this is what I want to achieve" is a lot less subjective than "should I upgrade" - some people here upgrade every release of every thing.  And they always espouse that upgrade "path" to people lol.  Im sure if you are rocking a 2013-14 processor the answer is Yes, but very generically - or wrong - if you don't know what he is trying to achieve.

 

TBH the answer is, depends what you want, to his question - which is what OP did.

 

IMHO people who DONT know much would answer YES - that's the easy way out.  I know that my reaction would be the same - depends what you want.

[dalekphalm]

17 minutes ago, Tristerin said:

I think that's 100% the right answer.

We expect a lot different things then, perhaps, when getting service?

 

If I go into the mechanic and ask if I should upgrade my tires, and the mechanic says "Well sir I can't guess about your racing needs" and shuts down the conversation? I'm gonna be pissed. Maybe I didn't need the tires, but he should ask the right questions to find out whether I need them.

17 minutes ago, Tristerin said:

Depends on what HE wants out of his gaming experience.  If he didn't follow up with "I want Ultra at 4k with 60 fps what should I do" - then you could give an opinion (what he was seeking).

See here's the problem. The OP never asked him what he wanted. That's the service failure, in my opinion.

17 minutes ago, Tristerin said:

Sounds like you answered his question logically and he didn't follow up with a more specific question which would be a social norm imho.  

More likely, he was just offput by the "I don't know" type response, and he was expecting the OP to be more open and inviting with his service.

17 minutes ago, Tristerin said:

To me, based on the entire post, says he read about Zen2, wanted you to educate him - so he could pretend to know what he was talking about lol.

And? Maybe he wanted to spend some money while pretending to know what he's talking about. Who cares? The OP might have been able to get a $1000 CPU + MB + RAM upgrade out of him.

14 minutes ago, Tristerin said:

"Should I upgrade because this is what Im getting and this is what I want to achieve" is a lot less subjective than "should I upgrade" - some people here upgrade every release of every thing.  And they always espouse that upgrade "path" to people lol.  Im sure if you are rocking a 2013-14 processor the answer is Yes, but very generically - or wrong - if you don't know what he is trying to achieve.

If you don't know what he is trying to achieve, as a sales person, it's your obligation to ask them. Instead of saying "I don't know", the op should have asked probing questions to find out the missing details.

14 minutes ago, Tristerin said:

TBH the answer is, depends what you want, to his question - which is what OP did.

The OP didn't actually say that. He said "I couldn't guess what your needs are". He should have asked.

14 minutes ago, Tristerin said:

IMHO people who DONT know much would answer YES - that's the easy way out.  I know that my reaction would be the same - depends what you want.

Indeed - but the OP failed the service experience by not taking that "depends" and moving forward with it.

[Tristerin]

2 minutes ago, dalekphalm said:

We expect a lot different things then, perhaps, when getting service?

 

If I go into the mechanic and ask if I should upgrade my tires, and the mechanic says "Well sir I can't guess about your racing needs" and shuts down the conversation? I'm gonna be pissed. Maybe I didn't need the tires, but he should ask the right questions to find out whether I need them.

See here's the problem. The OP never asked him what he wanted. That's the service failure, in my opinion.

More likely, he was just offput by the "I don't know" type response, and he was expecting the OP to be more open and inviting with his service.

And? Maybe he wanted to spend some money while pretending to know what he's talking about. Who cares? The OP might have been able to get a $1000 CPU + MB + RAM upgrade out of him.

If you don't know what he is trying to achieve, as a sales person, it's your obligation to ask them. Instead of saying "I don't know", the op should have asked probing questions to find out the missing details.

The OP didn't actually say that. He said "I couldn't guess what your needs are". He should have asked.

Indeed - but the OP failed the service experience by not taking that "depends" and moving forward with it.

 

Haha, well as a business owner myself, I cant read minds either.  And I certainly don't try to pressure sales - and I make plenty responding this way.

 

BTW if you come in with a racecar, that's a good response.  But if you come in with a Camry - that's the shut down.  This seems almost like its personal for you ( I own a mechanic shop.)

 

The rest you said isn't worth arguing.

[Tristerin]

I also own a MMA gym that sells fitness.  Im a personal trainer, and BJJ coach.  When someone comes in and says "I want to lose weight" I ask "What are your goals".  I don't start telling them how to lose weight.

 

EDIT - Im not virtue signaling owning business' - I can PM you (ive shared them on this forum before I don't care) if you want as Im not going to argue topic, Im going to respond as I would as someone who has "shops" (doesn't matter the widget you sell) and does it for a living.

 

EDIT 2 - if they ask "Should I lose weight" My first question is "Are you happy?" - I don't say, Yes.  That doesn't sell shit.

 

EDIT 3 (sorry for all the edits) - hell OPs only other response as a techie could have been "What monitor do you have" but that's about it.  Since he didn't have that information.  Because if hes (guy with rat poop case) driving his monitor to the max already, and doesn't (didn't say he was replacing that) understand that he is already pushing its limit - than you are just selling stuff to make money not "help" a person.

[trevb0t]

What was said wasn't BAD by any means. It doesn't necessarily have an inviting note to continue conversation.

 

When you enter a nerd zone of any kind, there is a distinct stigma of employee elitism. Go to any comic shop in your area and you'll PROBABLY see what I mean. If the conversation isn't inviting, it can seem intimidating.

[dalekphalm]

1 hour ago, Tristerin said:

 

Haha, well as a business owner myself, I cant read minds either.  And I certainly don't try to pressure sales - and I make plenty responding this way.

 

1 hour ago, Tristerin said:

BTW if you come in with a racecar, that's a good response.  But if you come in with a Camry - that's the shut down.  This seems almost like its personal for you ( I own a mechanic shop.)

Why are you making this personal by suggesting I have stake in the matter? I don't. I don't own a PC Repair shop, nor do I currently work in one.

1 hour ago, Tristerin said:

The rest you said isn't worth arguing.

Right.

1 hour ago, Tristerin said:

I also own a MMA gym that sells fitness.  Im a personal trainer, and BJJ coach.  When someone comes in and says "I want to lose weight" I ask "What are your goals".  I don't start telling them how to lose weight.

The problem is, he didn't ask what the persons goals are. So your response is not equivalent to his.

 

It would be closer to someone telling you "I want to lose weight", and you responding with "Well sir I couldn't guess what your weight loss goals are".

 

No shit - you're supposed to ask what the goals are. Or in the case of the PC, ask what his upgrade expectations are, or what he hopes to achieve, etc. Ask LITERALLY ANYTHING.

1 hour ago, Tristerin said:

EDIT - Im not virtue signaling owning business' - I can PM you (ive shared them on this forum before I don't care) if you want as Im not going to argue topic, Im going to respond as I would as someone who has "shops" (doesn't matter the widget you sell) and does it for a living.

I'll simply take your word for it.

1 hour ago, Tristerin said:

EDIT 2 - if they ask "Should I lose weight" My first question is "Are you happy?" - I don't say, Yes.  That doesn't sell shit.

That's a great response. That's not what the OP did.

1 hour ago, Tristerin said:

EDIT 3 (sorry for all the edits) - hell OPs only other response as a techie could have been "What monitor do you have" but that's about it.  Since he didn't have that information.  Because if hes (guy with rat poop case) driving his monitor to the max already, and doesn't (didn't say he was replacing that) understand that he is already pushing its limit - than you are just selling stuff to make money not "help" a person.

There are dozens of responses he could have given. Asking about the monitor would be a good start. Asking about games (or even what he uses the computer for, unless he already mentioned games earlier), what resolutions, what quality levels he plays, etc.

 

Anyway, I guess this is a difference of philosophy. I think that as a sales/service rep at a retail company, you should always ask questions to understand what a customer actually needs or wants.

 

Don't trick them into buying something they don't need. But on the flip side, if you get a vague question, you need to explore the question with the customer and define it. Give it parameters. Find out information. This is all standard sales tactics. None of this was done.

[trevb0t]

Quote

When someone comes in and says "I want to lose weight" I ask "What are your goals".  I don't start telling them how to lose weight.

Fair!

But you shouldn't necessarily respond "Well I don't have any idea what your personal weight needs are.."

Because they might just walk out the door... Right?

[Galion]

On 3/28/2019 at 10:15 PM, Chevy_Monsenhor said:

Sorry for the tangent but here, this is the reason i don't do system cleanups anymore.

In addition to that i've also found live roaches, roach oothecas, a decomposing rat, cigar ash and smoked cigarettes.

Decomposing rat.... eeeewww

On 3/28/2019 at 10:17 PM, Juniiii said:

How the fuck does a spider get on the thermal paste, and why was a lizard in there???

 

And that's why I said it would have been there since day one. 

 

On 3/28/2019 at 10:20 PM, ThePD said:

I had cleaned a PC way back in the early 2000's that was full of fried caterpillars. I'm talking like 20+ caterpillars than ended up dying on the heatsink. Client PC's can be unbelievable sometimes.

O.O

On 3/28/2019 at 10:25 PM, Radium_Angel said:

Eons ago, I worked for a firm that had real-genuine-honest-to-god IBM workstations (in beige boxes no less) 

We needed to move it and I could tell it was quite dusty and in need of a good cleaning. Trouble was, it used (at the time) very specialized hex/torx bolts to keep it closed so that only real-genuine-honest-to-god IBM techs could open it. Plus they were painted to show if they were ever opened. They hadn't been touched since the system was built at the factory.

 

My co-worked was ex-air force, and he had the tools. So one day he brings in said tools, plus an air compressor.

We take the IBM out to the parking lot and open up the case.

Inside it's slammed full of dust. So much so, you couldn't see any of the components (think of fog covering a bridge, by way of example)

 

"Stand back" he says, and hits the computer with the air compressor.

Once the dust was gone and we could see again we found a giant dried pretzel stick inside the case.

 

The only way it could have gotten there, was from the factory...

Do you still have the pretzel? 

[Galion]

On 3/28/2019 at 7:14 PM, Monkey Butler said:

personally i would of asked what he played the most and work from that. 

Dota 2,smite,Battlefield 1,apex legend, fortnight Overwatch, cod, and spiderman

On 3/29/2019 at 1:13 AM, dizmo said:

Honestly I can see why the customer was frustrated. I'm assuming you work at a store that sells hardware, so he assumes you know what works for what requirements; meaning that yes, you should know what he needs for gaming. You didn't even delve further into the topic, simply said "I don't know", ended the conversation and dismissed the chance of any further questions.

 

Do you know what AMD has coming in the future? Of course not, no one does. However, you can suggest he waits to see what comes out, discuss potential rumors, or compare the differences of the current Ryzen products to the system he has now. You did none of this. You didn't even ask what he'd be interested in upgrading to currently, or if he notices slow downs or performance issues. You also should have realized that if he's paying money to have simple things done to his system, he probably isn't the most up-to-date on hardware and what will work best for him. Which is where you're supposed to come in and provide that service; that is your job.

 

Honestly, I don't think you did you job to the fullest in the least. You did the bare necessity, and that's it. If I was looking for professional advice (which is why he went to the store, and talked to you) and that's the kind of service I got, I'd never return to your shop again. Customer lost.

 

How couldn't he answer? He didn't even ask what games he plays, if he notices slowdowns, etc etc.

Pretty poor service imo.

I'm pretty sure such a thread already exists.

Not true at all. It could have been a genuine question. Just because he has high end hardware doesn't mean he knows anything about said hardware. Everyone can make money, and have hobbies. Not everyone dives into ever aspect of them.

I didn't want to say anything about zen2 because I knew nothing about its details yet, all rumors. I would have recommended the ryzen R5 2600 but he wasn't interested 

On 3/29/2019 at 11:46 AM, dalekphalm said:

100% agree

 

@Galion I'm not sure why you don't understand what happened, and why he might have looked a little ticked off? As @dizmo points out, part of the reason you work at a PC Repair/Retail shop, is because you know about the technology. Your opinion - or rather, your ability to assess the needs of an individual, and work off of their questions - is one of the reasons you're worth employing.

 

Anyone can go to Walmart and buy an OEM piece of crap computer. But they decided to go to your store for service.

 

At the very least, you should have asked probing questions, and not just shut him down like that. What was he thinking of upgrading? What games does he play now? Does he happen to remember what FPS he was getting? What would he like to improve?

 

On top of that, he's using a CPU that's 3 years old now - even if the system is still kickass, maybe he might have benefited from an upgrade right now? Ryzen 2000 series, or perhaps Intel 9000 series? Sure, you can't say for certain what the Ryzen 3000 series will perform like (though as a retail sales person that specializes in PC's, you should be able to make an educated guess based off of current known info and rumours), but it's not like his system is a current gen system, so maybe he doesn't even need to wait?

 

Besides, if he can afford it, and wants to spend the money on an upgrade? Let him.

 

On 3/29/2019 at 11:51 AM, handymanshandle said:

Two components to this. I believe that your client was looking for a more definitive answer than simply "I dunno", but that being said, I believe you phrased it well and the client was just getting pissed because he probably wanted "yes" or "no" rather than to think about the decision.

 

9 hours ago, dalekphalm said:

How do you know if they're buying unless you ask even one single question?

 

The OP has no idea if the customer was serious about upgrading, because he basically shut down the conversation with that reply. He might have been able to score a large sale, with CPU + MB + RAM, plus service for the installation itself. That could easily have been a $1000+ sale, had he pushed and explored.

 

If you work for a computer shop, and you won't even answer basic questions like "should I upgrade"? That's bad service.

 

9 hours ago, dalekphalm said:

We expect a lot different things then, perhaps, when getting service?

 

If I go into the mechanic and ask if I should upgrade my tires, and the mechanic says "Well sir I can't guess about your racing needs" and shuts down the conversation? I'm gonna be pissed. Maybe I didn't need the tires, but he should ask the right questions to find out whether I need them.

See here's the problem. The OP never asked him what he wanted. That's the service failure, in my opinion.

More likely, he was just offput by the "I don't know" type response, and he was expecting the OP to be more open and inviting with his service.

And? Maybe he wanted to spend some money while pretending to know what he's talking about. Who cares? The OP might have been able to get a $1000 CPU + MB + RAM upgrade out of him.

If you don't know what he is trying to achieve, as a sales person, it's your obligation to ask them. Instead of saying "I don't know", the op should have asked probing questions to find out the missing details.

The OP didn't actually say that. He said "I couldn't guess what your needs are". He should have asked.

Indeed - but the OP failed the service experience by not taking that "depends" and moving forward with it.

He wasn't going to buy anything, because he was asking in a future sense. He did say he only wanted zen3000

[Gale]

On 3/28/2019 at 10:12 AM, jones177 said:

Your opinion is part of your service

Doesn't have to be. If the customer follows the employee's advice and something goes bad, or turns out to be the "wrong" decision/prediction, there's a chance that he might try and blame the employee. There's shitty people like that, so it's not a bad idea to keep your opinions to yourself in most scenarios. It depends of the situation though, it's certainly a grey area.

[Guest]

On 3/28/2019 at 10:29 PM, Wolly9102 said:

Why should he be pissed about something you cannot answer for him?

 

 

btw That poor pc  

Yeah but at the same time he might be a bit naive and think he’s talking to someone who has an interest in computers

[Boarder]

On 3/28/2019 at 4:25 AM, Galion said:

 

 

One of the prettiest system I've seen but most disgusting system as well, 

Items found :

fur, feather, dust bunny, dead spider in thermal paste on cpu, dead lizard on top of hdd, roach poop and rat poop. 

I swear he got his $40 worth today. 

 

That guy live in a barn?

 

 

[Tristerin]

14 hours ago, trevb0t said:

Fair!

But you shouldn't necessarily respond "Well I don't have any idea what your personal weight needs are.."

Because they might just walk out the door... Right?

Not an inviting statement at all, cant disagree with that assessment - I more jumped in because I can see both ends - as owner/operator and as consumer. 

 

In the auto business - $$$/labor hour sells as long as you have competent folks and warranty - not the professionalism of your employees (to a degree of course - if I thought I could make more $$ by making the mechanics talk a certain way... I might, but then again in that business people go with who can get the job done quickest and cheapest with a warranty.  Or I would change if that wasn't the way it actually worked lol

 

In the fitness industry - its about the atmosphere of the building.  If your atmosphere isn't inviting to that particular person they are not going to join.  There are just some people, that no matter what - wont like the atmosphere.  I will not cater, change or whatever for that person - bye Felicia - I cant help everyone but I can help those who want help.

 

In the gun show industry - There is no such thing as customer service.  As long as the event is advertised appropriately, and the doors open and close (and entrance lines move smoothly) on time with the as advertised amount of vendors...they sell themselves.  Its just party planning for Gun Enthusiasts in a nutshell, and as long as you provide that - they will keep coming.

 

As a consumer its also on me to not be so introverted (I am a huge intro, who is over the top extro because of my anxiety yet I am built like a brick shit house it makes no sense) as to not get what I need out of an interaction.  There is a bit of onus on myself to also carry a conversation (in particular to this post, I really don't see it as a bad response, could there be better?  Hindsight is 20/20) with someone rather than them try to feel like they are pulling teeth to get information out of me to make a sale.

 

I am just as much as consumer as a supplier in my daily interactions, there is a bit of onus on us all to not just blame the business imho - unless its obvious (like saying, I don't know...or I don't care...or get bent lol) - about 2 times a year I turn someone away and don't give a single F - I don't want their money, interactions, or business due to attitude, arrogance, or any other thing I decide isn't worth my time (and could have been a portion of the case here)

 

EDIT - Im not right, this is just my opinion based off my personal interactions and dealings in the "shop" aspect

[jones177]

7 hours ago, Gale said:

Doesn't have to be. If the customer follows the employee's advice and something goes bad, or turns out to be the "wrong" decision/prediction, there's a chance that he might try and blame the employee. There's shitty people like that, so it's not a bad idea to keep your opinions to yourself in most scenarios. It depends of the situation though, it's certainly a grey area.

There is risk in having an opinion but there is also reward.  

 

In a service industry like computer repair your opinion sells upgrades and new computers. Employers in the industry usually tell employees to upsell.  Most people don't get offended by upselling because just about every company you interact with does it. 

 

It is a low risk opinion. 

 

 

 

 

[Galion]

1 minute ago, jones177 said:

There is risk in having an opinion but there is also reward.  

 

In a service industry like computer repair your opinion sells upgrades and new computers. Employers in the industry usually tell employees to upsell.  Most people don't get offended by upselling because just about every company you interact with does it. 

 

It is a low risk opinion. 

 

 

 

 

I never to up sell stuff, I usually tell my client my experience with the parts. Like with geil's ram they suck I say they suck. lol

[jones177]

I consider upselling safe. Telling a client that they made a bad decision in the past by installing a component that sucks is less safe.

Some people get attached to their poor decisions and get offended when they are pointed out.

 

To give you an example:  When I did 3D animation as part of my living I used lots of hard drives. At first I used Seagate but the failure rate was so high that I had to replace them every 6 months. When I used WD I replaced them yearly.  I do not have a good opinion of Seagate but people swear by them. All I did was leave them out of recommendations when I did consulting work and only went into detail if asked why I left them out.

  

What sucks to me may not suck to you so less safe.