A Fabulous Attitude and Customer Service Go Arm-in-Arm

If my experience at the health store yesterday was simply due to a lack of common sense one could excuse it to some degree because you can't teach common sense.  You either have it or you don't.  However, even if the incident was related to a lack of common sense, you'd still think the person would show some basic customer service.  I am talking really basic customer service like a friendly approach and a true willingness to be helpful and understand the question. 

For you to understand what I am referring to I have completed a replica (below) of what was on the shelf in front of me at this store and thereafter I have recounted how the conversation progressed between the customer service young woman and me.

 

Me:  "Could you help me here please."

Customer Service Woman (CSW):  "Yes.  What is it you want to know?"

Me:  "You have two bottles of 60 caps each of Vit B here with a Bonus Sticker priced at  $35.90.  I think there must be some error because one bottle of 60 is priced at $17.95 and if I bought two of these single bottles it would come to $35.90 so where is the "bonus" in buying these two bottles that are wrapped together in a pack with the bonus sticker on it?"

CSW:  "Oh that comes from the manufacturer with a sticker on it."

Me:  "Yes, but having a bonus sticker on it implies that you are getting a bonus if you take the two pack."

CSW:  "There's no discount."

Me:  "I would think it would be either buy the one and get the other free or one at half price. 

CSW sighing:  "You don't get anything free.  It is just a sticker the manufacturer puts on the package. You would just be buying two bottles for $35.90.

Me:  "It doesn't make sense.  Look at this bigger bottle that has 120 caps in it.  Its price is $26.95.  Why would I buy two bottles each with 60 caps for $35.90 when I can buy one bottle with the same amount of caps for $26.95?

CSW:  "That is the price.  It's $35.90 for these two bottles. The sticker doesn't mean anything.   If you only want to pay $17.95 then buy this bottle."  She pointed to the single bottle with 60 caps in it.

Me:  "How can a pack with a bonus sticker stuck to it not mean anything?  No one puts a bonus sticker on a pack if there isn't a bonus.  What is the bonus?"

CWS with an impatient tone:  "There is no bonus."

Me:  "But can't you see that it's possible that this bonus pack has been marked incorrectly?  No one is going to pay $35.90 for 120 caps in two small bottles when they can buy one big bottle also with 120 caps for the lesser price of $26.90.   To me it's just common sense to think that the sticker means there is a bonus.  Otherwise, why don't you just cut them in half and let them be bought as single bottles." 

CWS:  "They've put them together so you can buy two at a time.  There is no bonus.  I told you that sticker has nothing to do with us.  It’s the manufacturer who put it on."

Me:  Is the owner here?"

CWS:  "No."

Me:  "Okay.  I am going to leave my telephone number for her to call me when she gets in.

CWS:  "You can leave your number with the cashier up front." came the disinterested reply.

At this point I joined the line at the cashier to pay for the other items I had in my basket and just as I emptied my basket on the check out counter another young woman touched my arm.  The original customer service assistant was at her elbow.

"Ma'am, I'm so sorry," she held up the bonus pack.  "this pack of two is $17.95.  It's my fault.  I do the pricing and I priced it incorrectly."

Remarkable isn't it?

I thanked her and put the pack on the counter with my other items.  The other young woman did not say a thing.  I got the impression that she felt she had done her job by going to the pricing clerk with the pack.  She didn't feel the need to apologize for making out that I was the foolish one in questioning the pricing.  After all it was the pricing clerk's mistake not hers.

Wouldn't it have been nice if she had said at the very beginning:  "Yes ma'am that price does seem odd.  Let me find out about that for you."  

Customer Service isn't only about sorting out the problem, it's also about how you sort it out.  A fabulous attitude goes arm-in-arm with customer service and that should be common sense right?