The feeling that someone just got turned over?

[EddScott]

We don't really have an model shop where I live. Theres one place that "plays" with selling a few Hornby products and a small shop in the market that has a few train items and some overpriced Maverick and HPI stuff. The dude who owns it is OK I guess but not really my COT - not knowing I have at least some knowledge of RC cars, he's come out with a few fibs after firing a few pretend questions at him.

Anyways, walking past on the way for some lunch they got one of those HPI 1.8 buggies out the front so was having a sniff round it when a lady walked in who was obviously picking up a car that was left for repair. Now the owner wasn't about and he has a few useless types manning the fort while he's not about. The guy was a bit off with the lady because she dared to ask what was wrong and he didn't know anything about these things so couldn't comment. He proceeded to tell the lady that the "specialist" had looked at the car and said he couldn't get the parts for it so couldn't fix it.

The whole thing sounded more like "Couldn't be bothered to attempt to even look at the car so go somewhere else"

She then asked how much do I owe you and he lifted a tenner off her for "Service costs" - what? Now I'm not against charging someone for work carried out - I charge for PC repairs when I'm unlucky enough to get roped into fixing someones PC and I would do the same for repairing or fixing an RC car but the whole thing sounded like someone just got stung out of a tenner.

I ummed and ahhed about hanging about outside and asking the lady if she would like me to have a look. However, I chose to walk on. I've enough dead laptops right now without adding a dead buggy to the list.

However, it made me think IF I had my own hobby shop I would make every effort to look after customers and help with as much as possible with service/repairs. Not just "It's knackered and that'll cost you a tenner"

[Percymon]

With that level of 'service' they won't be around for long, not unless they sell a load of stuff via the internet.

The only way for local places to survive is to offer some form of service/set-up/repair element and offer trade ins when you upgrade.

Poor attitude, perhaps it would be different if the owner had been there - thats one customer they won't see again, and probably another buggy being sold via ebay or binned as a result of bad advice.

[WillyChang]

can you be sure it wasn't a fleaBay-bought RC to start with? or at least something the shop didn't sell originally?

we've got a few LHS in this town and its amazing how many tossers have broken yumcha RCs

that they've bought off the 'net or "like brandnew, off a mate" and they've

either broken it 1st run or can't even get it going in the first place

... they come storming into the LHS demanding "warranty service"

Pretty funny when shopkeep points out he doesn't & never stock that brand

ergo he wouldn't keep stock of parts for that brand nor can he warranty that car,

yet "customer who is always right" still keeps demanding the car was bought from there.

Usually they shutup once they're asked to show a purchase receipt...

[tonysmini]

I had this at Halfords once when the guy behind the desk was trying to con a young lady on repairs to a classic mini. He was waffling about fitting a Cat but she didn't need one as her car was too old.

I ended up talking to her outside and fixed everything for next to nothing.

[simondo]

can you be sure it wasn't a fleaBay-bought RC to start with? or at least something the shop didn't sell originally?

we've got a few LHS in this town and its amazing how many tossers have broken yumcha RCs

that they've bought off the 'net or "like brandnew, off a mate" and they've

either broken it 1st run or can't even get it going in the first place

... they come storming into the LHS demanding "warranty service"

Pretty funny when shopkeep points out he doesn't & never stock that brand

ergo he wouldn't keep stock of parts for that brand nor can he warranty that car,

yet "customer who is always right" still keeps demanding the car was bought from there.

Usually they shutup once they're asked to show a purchase receipt...

A friend of mine worked in a Yamaha motorcycle dealers parts department. he had the same trouble. People buying cheap Chinese rubbish off the internet that breaks down after 6 months, and has no parts or dealer back up.

My mate got made redundant, losing the plot with one one particularly mouthy `customer' did not help

The day when he got fired went something like this.......

A man of about 26 walked in and asked for parts and advice for some `donghu 125' or other . my friend tells him that they are a YAMAHA dealer....and points to the sign above his head,tells him that he would be best to go back to the internet and try and find his parts and advice from where he bough it.`customer' gets a bit agitated and tells him that "the seller is no longer listed, what am i going to do with it? it`s your fault i bought it off the internet `cos your bikes are a rip off"...........

My mate loses plot completely and replies...

" Know why we`re more expensive? `cos we have after sales service, sell bikes that will still be going in 2 years time, and if not we fix em for free. We`re struggling to sell bikes at the moment because idiots like you keep walking in and asking to match the price of a a Chinese heap of **** you`ve found on the internet. We say no , then you are back in here 6 months later asking for parts and repairs on the Chinese heap of ****. I`ll tell you what, seeing as you`re tight fisted, not very intelligent bloke, get the (insert whatever **** word you like here) out of my shop, go and ask a a Ford or Volkswagen car dealer for some parts, cos hey they make cars right..the`ve got engines and wheels ............"

There was some other bits but i couldn`t be bothered to write it all.

He had a fair point though, and it was the 3rd person that day who had asked for parts for Chinese bike.

[WillyChang]

i'm barely a Par-5 from this town's m/cycle alley... the Harley shops are currently miffed about grey-imports

but then when they're offering bikes for $30k that you can ship in yourself for $20k from USA

and its not like you've gotta get them converted from LHD to RHD...

some are stubbornly refusing to service* greyimports but others are getting smart enough to realise

that both shades of HD are still built in the same factory and they still use the same parts - duh!

Plus their accountants would have early pointed out the service dept labour fees is always

the biggest profitmaker in the whole joint, second maybe to accessorising your bike.

(but i guess if you can greyimport your bike, you can self-import the hopups too)

*i'm told we're not talking about warranty claims or free servicing paidfor by distrobutor/factory,

they're trying to refuse to help even the walk-in "i'll pay ye handsomely to fix my bike" crowd

[gazwilts]

ill never use a model shop again after what happened today, an employee called me a fu**ing re**rd under his breath and didnt think i heard it, i called with a simple question about the courier who wouldnt let me pick up on the saturday and then wouldnt let me change the postcode to my work address. the worst thing about it is that it is one of the so called most respected shops in the UK and are a big presence on this site and im totally shocked to be honest. i then got called a liar and that i must be hearing things just to rub salt in my wounds, i sent an email of complaint to the cutomercare@ address and to be fair recieved a phone call from the manager to apologise, but not to apologise for said employees behaviour more to apologise that i must have misheard! which made me even more annoyed, all this after spending £250 of my hard earned on them, ive always been one to support the local businesses but not anymore after that, total lack of respect, unbelievable! ebay only for me from now on,

[Max Power]

I like to support my local business owners. I understand that it costs a lot of money to lease, stock and staff a bricks and mortar hobby shop. I am prepared to spend a little more in order to keep my money in my community.

But it is hard to support my local hobby shop, when they have not brought in almost any of the parts I have ever ordered from them.

If I ask them for a part a part they don't have in stock, they take my name, phone number and part number, and say ''it should be here within a week", and that's almost always the last I will here of it. Then I will ring them up one month or so later, and they we reassure me, that I have not been forgotten about and that "the part is one back order", For the record, I have been waiting for a Hornet A Parts for over four years!

But wait, great customer service doesn't stop there. I bought my last road car from my LHS as they had it on special, and it would only cost me $30 more, and a 45 minute drive than if I had had it posted to my door from an over seas supplier. Upon finding the two diff screws missing I went back to my LHS to sample some of the "superior" customer support I could not possibly obtain from a web based business. I was told it was "impossible that their was any parts missing". After a discussion they told my that, "look we'll just get the parts in and cop it for you" wow how big of them. Instead of raiding one of the kits they had in stock, they would have to order the parts, "they will be here by the end of the week".

Two weeks later I gave them a call to find out where my parts were. "OH, they are on back order". I have now almost given up on this hobby shop.

[Tamiya1/10]

but then when they're offering bikes for $30k that you can ship in yourself for $20k from USA

*i'm told we're not talking about warranty claims or free servicing paidfor by distrobutor/factory,

they're trying to refuse to help even the walk-in "i'll pay ye handsomely to fix my bike" crowd

This is one problem for mfger in protecting its regional distributors. Is like buying brand name watches, the local shops just can't match e-shops prices. The only down side is in most cases no warranty, but the e-shop offers its in house warranty but is 1000+ miles away. No free lunch in this world.

Poor service and atitude are not acceptable in any business. The business that shines is the one that gives good services and provides suggestions or advise, which customers are willing to parts his/her hard earn money and come back again and again.

[LoBiSteR]

Some shops don't seserve to be in business. Most hobby shops nowdays get 70-80% of their business from online selling. The retail outlet is just a place of work in many cases. Name and shame these so called 'specialists' as and when you come across them. Make sure you get it right though because there are some decent enough shops out there who may be just having a bad day.....or telling the truth.

[WillyChang]

sadly i suspect reverse is true for LHS in Australia

back in the 1980s yep most shops did a decent mailorder trade to customers who lived in rural areas

and everything done over the phone or snailmail and paid for via postal orders/cheques or later CCs.

these days few of the same shops offer any decent online ordering on their websites

and who's gunna bother phoning them during biz hours when its easier to

jump on the interweb anytime to order from a o/s website

moreover local parcel postage cost is usurious and have no idea how it can cost more to

send anything interstate locally than sending same parcel all the way from Japan

in this global LHS game... methink the only winners have been the HongKong sellers

who successfully migrated online, they've won customers away from everybody else

[Malakite]

Customer service in the UK is DEAD!

[LoBiSteR]

Customer service in the UK is DEAD!

Hang on a minute. You mentioned 'Customer service' and 'UK' in the same sentence. I remember the days when...........

[WW-nut]

Customer service in the UK is DEAD!

If you want great customer service head over to John Lewis ---> http://www.johnlewis.com/Shops/DSShop.aspx...kwcid=3x1126263 I always get a great shopping experience, though don't think I've ever seen anything Tamiya related..........

[WillyChang]

Customer Service died with "Are You Being Served?".

You'd be lucky if you could even get the "Fawlty Towers" kind.

Our supermarkets here are all trying to push towards self-service checkouts

which is ok for 1-5 items but worst idea if ever you do a big shop with a full trolley.

Until they have RFID'd every item & it tallys reliably enough for me to "drivethru"

i'm gunna stay oldskool with the conveyor counter.

[berman]

can you be sure it wasn't a fleaBay-bought RC to start with? or at least something the shop didn't sell originally?

It's amazing how often this occurs, and I've seen it too many times at my LHS.

It would be very easy for a shop owner to get upset and be negative about it, but the best thing they can do is

try and turn it around and make it into something positive. If the Achesspee RC owner sees that you are not interested in helping

because of the store doesnt stock it, it can put the customer off wanting to purchase there.

e.g, if it's a nitro and has a tuning problem, you can offer to give it a tune and spend 20min on it, build up the customers trust, and whern it claps out again

you can offer them a superior product you stock with parts availability and after sales service.

Doesn't work every time, but few customers are better than getting none out of the 'online chinese RC' buyers, And the customers remember how nice you were when they have to buy paint and fuel off you.

[Sayer]

It's amazing how often this occurs, and I've seen it too many times at my LHS.

It would be very easy for a shop owner to get upset and be negative about it, but the best thing they can do is

try and turn it around and make it into something positive. If the Achesspee RC owner sees that you are not interested in helping

because of the store doesnt stock it, it can put the customer off wanting to purchase there.

e.g, if it's a nitro and has a tuning problem, you can offer to give it a tune and spend 20min on it, build up the customers trust, and whern it claps out again

you can offer them a superior product you stock with parts availability and after sales service.

Doesn't work every time, but few customers are better than getting none out of the 'online chinese RC' buyers, And the customers remember how nice you were when they have to buy paint and fuel off you.

This. (Provided the customer isn't a rear end.)

[bjr250]

moreover local parcel postage cost is usurious and have no idea how it can cost more to

send anything interstate locally than sending same parcel all the way from Japan

Don't forget that it takes less time for it to get to you from overseas than local as well.

[SteelRat]

Sadly this experience with shop fronted model shops has been fairly typical of my experience as well. Going in to a shop and wanting to spend money there only to be treated as an inconvenience. Without exception ALL of the modelshops in the Kent area I've been to have been exactly the same way. Compare that with the likes of ModelSport, Time Tunnel, Fusion Hobbies, WheelSpin Models and our very own Tony who have always been superb is it any wonder that the local stores are losing business to the online ones?

[gazwilts]

Sadly this experience with shop fronted model shops has been fairly typical of my experience as well. Going in to a shop and wanting to spend money there only to be treated as an inconvenience. Without exception ALL of the modelshops in the Kent area I've been to have been exactly the same way. Compare that with the likes of ModelSport, Time Tunnel, Fusion Hobbies, WheelSpin Models and our very own Tony who have always been superb is it any wonder that the local stores are losing business to the online ones?

i agree but unfortunatley one of the shops in your "good list" was the one that treated me like an HUGE inconvenience in my earlier post, so its not just the shop fronts its some of the online shops too! sad state of affairs..

[Kendalboatsman]

I have been in that shop that Edd mentioned a few times and they don't impress me. Usually too busy chatting with their mates to acknowledge new prospective customers. I won't even bother going in when I return in Feb 2013. My nearest LHS has a similar attitude so only go to them when I need plasticard and brass rod or painting materials.

[Sayer]

Customer Service died with "Are You Being Served?".

You'd be lucky if you could even get the "Fawlty Towers" kind.

Our supermarkets here are all trying to push towards self-service checkouts

which is ok for 1-5 items but worst idea if ever you do a big shop with a full trolley.

Until they have RFID'd every item & it tallys reliably enough for me to "drivethru"

i'm gunna stay oldskool with the conveyor counter.

I'm not really a fan of forced interaction and smalltalk so I rather like the self-service checkouts. What I can't stand is the people who are clearly frightened of any technology more advanced than their toaster, who insist on always using them.

[WillyChang]

oh no... we stubborn folk INSIST on getting served at a conveyor counter so that its still there next time we shop!

'cos for sure, as soon as they suspect that counter isn't used anymore,

they'll renovate that area into some newfangled inconvenience

Not as-if the groceries come any cheaper for DIY... if there was a discount, then sure there's an incentive.

Even 'cheaper' ALDI hasn't gone to self-serve counters, maybe they know more.

[bromvw]

I vote with my wallet . The first time i recieve poor customer service anywhere is the last time i shop there . These arogant Big Stores ie tesco ect are'nt getting my hard earned cash if they can'nt be bothered to be polite and actually serve the needs of their customers . The same applies to any LHS ( if you can still find one ) .

[moffman]

i must admit ive started to do my purchases online now and to my sadness quite a lot of that is abroad my local hobby shop closed about 2 years ago no suprise though because he had a bit of an attitude with customers the times that i was in there and he was on the phone to people that were eather complaining about orders they havn't recieved or asking about problems with there rc's he would come off the phone with the words "what a c***k or f***ing b**end and the orders people had made with him online he used to say THAT OLD CHESTNUT "it must be stuck in the post" then off the phone he would say"i havn't even posted it yet i just blame the post" and that was just when i was in there!!. sad really because i would allways support my local shops but when owners have attitudes like that more of them will go that way!. i have no option now but to buy online which to be honest is very easy and sometimes cheaper because my LHS is now quite a few miles away and the price of fuel makes going to it a bit more difficult and ive only had positive experiences with the shops online in the uk and overseas and havn't missed my LHS!