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The computer is the lifeblood of my business. They say they should last a few years but I’m thrilled if I get 2 years out of a computer. It’s not because the old one doesn’t work well, but we always seem to be adding or buying some software that requires a bigger faster machine. 

We took the time to determine the capacity we needed and even the brand of computer. We were quite sure of the exact model. (I won’t mention the brand for obvious reasons.) We had good luck with the brand and the service before and planned on buying that brand again. This brand now has retail locations and there is one which isn’t too far from where we live. Great, we can go to the store and ask some questions we have about a few different models and then we can buy it and bring it right home.  So we decided to go out to eat in the mall and then purchase the new computer. We weren’t shopping–we were BUYING.

We got to the mall and instead of eating first, as we had planned; we went right to the computer store. For background information, we had called the store in advance to make sure they had the models we saw online in stock.  The person who answered the phone assured us they had those computers in stock and the store was offering some “fabulous deals.”  We were sure we were coming home with a new computer. We entered the store and a very professional individual greeted us. I was sure she was the manager and she seemed to really know her stuff. I explained that we were here to buy a computer. I asked if she had a salesperson who really knew their stuff because some of the questions were a bit technical. This was not the first computer we had ever bought and it was a computer used for businesses.

The manager introduced us to a fellow and she described him as one of her top salespeople. Perfect. Well it was perfect until we started to ask our questions. He had no clue and was literally making stuff up as he went along. We asked questions about a certain computer that came with Windows Home Edition and if it was a business computer. He told us to ignore that. When we asked a question he had to look up the answer either online or from a manual and then he would read the answer to us.

We are getting turned off but we were determined to BUY a computer. The store did have computers with internet access so we did we went on to the company’s website and started comparing the models we liked online.

I walked up to the manager and politely said that the chemistry was wrong between us and we had no confidence in the salesperson. We were hoping she would take over the sale. She politely said that it was too bad and then just walked away from us into the backroom and we never saw her again. But we still didn’t give up…until the last two things happened.

We narrowed down our choices and we were ready to purchase our new computer when we noticed that the same computer was a little cheaper online. So I asked about the “fabulous deals” and the salesperson’s response was a classic. He said, “We are trained to say that to get people into the store. And it worked because we were in the store.” That gave me a warm fuzzy feeling. But the final straw was when we asked if they had a certain machine in stock. His reply was NO but he can order it online and we would get it a week or so.

We then politely thanked him for all of his time and left that store as fast as we could. Of course the salesperson did get his last jab in when he said, “I thought you were here to buy a computer.”  Then he gave me a look that said, “Ya Right. You were just here to waste my time.” We didn’t say another word.

We never did see the manager again. What a shame. The store just lost a $2,000 plus sale.  The sad part about it is that they don’t have a clue as to why they lost the sale. I am sure they are referring to us as difficult customers. On the contrary– we wanted to buy a computer.

Is it the salesperson’s fault? NO! This entire situation could have been avoided with a manager who was what I call a strong floor general. A good manager is aware of what is happening on the sales floor. Their job is to match the right customer with the right salesperson. The salesperson should have been trained to answer the type of questions customers might ask. What are the frequently asked questions and how should they be answered?

The salesperson should have been trained to turn a customer over when they are losing the connection. The salesperson we had was probably great with first time computer buyers especially during a back to school period but he didn’t answer our needs.

I am not sure the manager realized what happened or why she wasn’t motivated enough to do the right thing, but the bottom line is that the store lost a big sale and they have no one else to blame but themselves. It’s not a bad economy—it’s bad training, bad service, and poor selling skills. Don’t let this happen in your store.