Customer Service Extraordinaire

[Scuba Brad]

I've often wondered what drives people away........and for that matter back to our store. We like to think we do a pretty good job.....and many tell us we do. However, as consumers we sometimes, if offended, never come back.........yet the retailer has no clue what happened or what they need to do to improve. It happens are restaurants, hotels, car rental places, and YES our dive shops.

Ok so here is the question...........as divers..........what is the very best and the very worst thing that has happened to you.......either on line or at a dive shop? For that matter, what would cause you to come back over and over.........or never come back? What was the very best customer service story..........either from your store or perhaps a dive master that has been memorable? Its ok to name names!!

Happy Diving

 

[Footslogger]

Not sure it qualifies as the BEST customer service I've ever received in the dive industry but it's recent so I'll throw it out.

I recently bought new fins on-line for my wife and myself. After a pretty lengthy search I found a website that had the fins we wanted in our size and preferred color. We got free delivery because the order exceeded a certain dollar amount.

So ...I placed the order. About a half hour later my wife went back on-line and decided that she wanted a lycra hood and bought one from the same website vendor. Of course, this was a smaller item though and she was charged a delivery fee.

The next morning I received a call from customer service indicating that the inventory had not been updated on the website and only one set of the fins was available in the color we wanted. Rather than just saying ...too bad, so sad, the cs rep opened up a dialogue about options, one of which was an upgrade to a more pricey set of fins for my wife. Not only that, she went into an in-depth discussion of the differences in the fins. In other words, she wasn't just reading off a data sheet or even worse, just someone without dive experience on the other end of the line. Since I wanted to talk this over with my wife first, I got the 800 number and told the cs rep I'd call her back in few minutes.

Long story short ...I called the cs rep back and told her we had opted for the more expensive fin, which she gave us at the same price as our original selection. Next, I told her about the separate order for the lycra hood. She located that order and combined it with that of the fins and removed the delivery charge.

This might not seem like much to some, but to me this was excellent customer service.

The website was 123Scuba and I can say without hesitation that I would definitely purchase items from them again and/or recommend them to another diver.

'Slogger

 

[mike_s]

One shop drove me away because of their pricing and customer service.

I went in to buy some new gear at this local dive shop. Everything they sell is "list price" but I wanted to get it locally so if I had a problem I could have them deal with it, even though I could buy it in a catalog for %30-%40 percent cheaper. Well they were out of stock of several of the components because they had not kept up with their inventory. (it was items that should have been in stock) That wasn't a big deal to me, so I just asked him to urder everything that was needed. They told me I'd have to pay first, which wan't a big deal either since they were ordering it for me. When he gives me the total amount, I thought it was a little "higher" than their normal high prices and he said it was because of a 20% special order fee.

My first response was "what?" Why are you charging me 20% special order fee on top of list price because you can't manage your inventory? They gave a lame excuss. Said because they had to go to extra effort to order it. I reminded him that I could order it myself out of a catalog and get it 30%-40% cheaper already.

My second question to him was why was I being charged 20% on "all of it" since he had about half of it in stock already? Another lame excuse, he said he just figured he would order the whoe thing special order for me so it wouldn't deplete his current stock.

I told him I was willing to pay list price, but not extra 20% because they couldn't manage their inventory. They wouldn't budge. I left and they pretty much lost a customer.

Ironically, I bought the same exact stuff at another shop for about 30% off at a sale two weeks later and without the 20% special order fee. Saving approximately 50% off the price of the first shop (if you include the special order fee).

Now I understand the need for special order fee's sometimes, but not on items that are list price and can be bought elsewhere. Especially when they had some of the items in stock and were going to charge me 20% on them also. But charging 20% over "list price" won't keep you in business when now days customers have other purchasing resources.



EDIT: I wanted to put an edit in here about this store. I haven't used them for many years because of this incident. They still sell everything pretty much at list price, but their customer service has improved. I've gone back into this store a couple times in the past year and I can say it's a much more friendlier atmosphere now. I imagine that a lot of the improvements are due to loss of business realization though, so I guess they realized it. However this is a good example still of how poor customer service can affect negatively followup sales.

 

[Scuba Brad]

Footlocker as an online site owner myself its nice to hear that our fellow web owners care enough to take care of you like that. The guys are 123 are good guys! We hope here at Onestopscuba.com can raise to their level of satification. We certainly strive to do so. Wonderful story!! thanks

Happy Diving

 

[Warren_L]

I remember a couple years back when I was looking around for a new drysuit, I walked into a shop just west of where I live (about a 30 min drive) to check out some drysuits, as I knew this shop was a dealer of a particular brand I wanted to check out. I get to the shop, walking, and the sales person is on the phone behind the counter. No problem, I wander around a bit, have a look at what's in the shop. 15 minutes later, still on the phone, so I stand at the counter. She looks at me, I tell her I'm interested in finding out more about a couple of drysuits, she says to me, look on our website, there's information there, and goes back to talking on the phone. I said ok, thanks, and left. Never been back.

 

[oly5050user]

One shop drove me away because of their pricing and customer service.

I went in to buy some new gear at this local dive shop. Everything they sell is "list price" but I wanted to get it locally so if I had a problem I could have them deal with it, even though I could buy it in a catalog for %30-%40 percent cheaper. Well they were out of stock of several of the components because they had not kept up with their inventory. (it was items that should have been in stock) That wasn't a big deal to me, so I just asked him to urder everything that was needed. They told me I'd have to pay first, which wan't a big deal either since they were ordering it for me. When he gives me the total amount, I thought it was a little "higher" than their normal high prices and he said it was because of a 20% special order fee.

My first response was "what?" Why are you charging me 20% special order fee on top of list price because you can't manage your inventory? They gave a lame excuss. Said because they had to go to extra effort to order it. I reminded him that I could order it myself out of a catalog and get it 30%-40% cheaper already.

My second question to him was why was I being charged 20% on "all of it" since he had about half of it in stock already? Another lame excuse, he said he just figured he would order the whoe thing special order for me so it wouldn't deplete his current stock.

I told him I was willing to pay list price, but not extra 20% because they couldn't manage their inventory. They wouldn't budge. I left and they pretty much lost a customer.

Ironically, I bought the same exact stuff at another shop for about 30% off at a sale two weeks later and without the 20% special order fee. Saving approximately 50% off the price of the first shop (if you include the special order fee).

Now I understand the need for special order fee's sometimes, but not on items that are list price and can be bought elsewhere. Especially when they had some of the items in stock and were going to charge me 20% on them also. But charging 20% over "list price" won't keep you in business when now days customers have other purchasing resources.

I would stay away from that shop and advise people to do the same ..at our location because of its size,its understandable to keep a limited amount of inventory,but try to keep consumables in stock.If we order something for customer there is no"special order fee" and they get the same discount that we would normally do,and a special thankyou for waiting the day or two to get delivered..

 

[mike_s]

I would stay away from that shop and advise people to do the same ..at our location because of its size,its understandable to keep a limited amount of inventory,but try to keep consumables in stock.If we order something for customer there is no"special order fee" and they get the same discount that we would normally do,and a special thankyou for waiting the day or two to get delivered..

see "edit" above on my post. I think it was only fair for me to say that after some, they realized they were loosing sales due to high prices and poor customer service. Their prices haven't really lowered much, but their customer service has improved. After thinking about it, though I didn't name them by name, I still think it was only fair for me to say how bad their were with this issue without also saying that over the years when I finally went back, that their customer service had greatly improved.

 

[David P]

There is/was a small chain of dive stores (up to 3, now down to 1) where I have tried repeatedly to spend money. Their smallest store wich is closest to my house had nothing in stock. If you want to buy anything, they will bring it from the other store in a day or two. I think they had 3 types of fins, but they only had the floor model, no sizes! After repeatedly getting annoyed I bought all of my gear elsewhere where I can walk out with what I want. Sometime later I went down to the main store trying to buy something I strike up a conversation with the only employee there and find out she is the owners significant other. I mention a 7 foot hose, "why would you want a hose that long?" I explain it to her "oh no, you shouldn't do that, you want to have the victim right in front of you holding on to their straps" She then points at her imaginary spg and says "yeah when people don't look at their regulators enough to see how much oxygen they have left..."
A year later and a few months ago I walk back into the outhouse size store by me and the guy behind the counter looks up and says "oh,....it's you...." I ask if he has a pair of XL Jet fins, "They don't make them anymore" WHAT?!?!?! "yeah, I just called the warehouse and tried to get a pair for myself, but there is none left in stock." I have not been back and do not plan on ever going back to that bunch of morons!

 

[boulderjohn]

I do contract instructional work for a LDS, but I do not have anything to do with equipment sales, etc.

I was doing a Scuba Review class in our pool with a student who was having a lot of mask problems. I looked at her mask, which was brand new, and saw that it did not fit her properly. I talked with her about it, and she told me that she had just bought it at the other LDS in town, the one she usually used. She was using our LDS for the first time because we have a pool and can do a Scuba Review class pretty much whenever it is needed.

She said that when she had bought the mask, they had pretty much pointed at a wall full of masks and told her to pick one out. When we were done with the class, I took her out to the sales floor, where one of the retail people took her carefully through the options, helped her try on the mask, and made perfectly sure that she walked out with one that fit. Guess who switched stores after that experience.

It comes down to this: are your personnel willing to do whatever it takes in terms of time and attention to make sure that the customer walks out of the store with exactly the right product for him or her? Remember, the right product for him or her is not necessarily the one that brings the store the best profit margin.

 

[mozz]

scuba brad,

this topic is near and dear to me because my wife and i own a restaurant and bar. i preface all customer service discussions with the fact that it takes years to build a loyal customer and seconds to lose them. that said, i believe there are numerous "moments of truth" where an individual is in fact testing your organization. the previous posts are great examples, one post described the extra attention a salesperson gave and yet another complained of the lack of time given. you can never be perfect but i believe the goal is to "exceed the standard". you and your staff must at all times wonder what a logical customer would want in any given circumstance and then exceed that standard. take 'slogger for example. the salesperson took a situation and for little or no extra cost made 'slogger a die hard customer. one in which has already given them their due return in "word of mouth" advertising. the trick is to be proactive and to ensure that you and your staff maintain this high standard of service. if it can be done, the sky is the limit!