Just so you are aware

Saying. I guess I will get it from amazon is a threat? Why don't some folks just pin a sign on their back saying kick me



Now. Ordered It yesterday from Amazon and have already got it

paulsang wrote:

jcapps wrote:
Went to the Valencia store, snip

. I said I will just get it at Amazon, he said ok, I walked out.

Everyone missed the point. The team member knowingly let a customer walk out unhappy! THAT is the point.
Whether the OP was realistic or not is not the point here. Whether the post is even accurate in the story is not the point either.

How many other customers have left with their money because of this guy? I can promise you, this is not an isolated incident. Not because I have been to Valencia, but because I fully understand customer service. Was the team member empowered to offer any shipping? I do not know. If the team member took any initiative at all to satisfy the customer, we wouldn't even be talking about this.

I do not accept 'oh, that's college-age employees..that's the way it is' excuse. I do not accept that it is their business model.

For those that accept the apathy in today's customer service environment, shame on you. You are just simply condoning it with tacit approval. Coming from this industry, I do not. I do not accept 'oh, that's just this generation' garbage either.

To me it was a threat from the customer. What is he gonna do? Grab a hold of his leg and beg him not to do it?

caberto wrote:
I don't understand people "making excuses" for bad customer service for any store or business. We as clients, buyers, customers who can keep those shops in business should not and do not have to put up with it. Especially now that online shopping is prevalent. And I wonder why that is... Brick and mortar businesses with bad customer service are shooting themselves in the foot, and then wonder why - and whine that - people would rather buy online.

As I've said in my earlier post, I would rather support a local store, but if the customer service lacks, I will not return. Same with restaurants, no matter how good the food is... if the service is not good, I will not return. I can make a good meal at home... If I go out and pay good money to dine, I expect good food and good service, it's a package deal. Same with stores, I can order something online, but if I go out to a store and pay a little more for the same item, I expect the store to provide me with something I cannot get online... good customer service and the opportunity to see, touch and browse the store, good customer service being the most important. When businesses start realizing this again, consumers will start buying locally again and keep them in business. Pretty simple.

The more we condone shoddy service by making excuses the more this will happen, and the more stores will close due to unhappy customers. These excuses (they're young, they don't know, they're not experienced, etc.) are bad excuses. That's their job. The corporations should ensure they are properly trained because their employees are just as important to the sale as the products they sell, if not more so, since it is the experience a customer has that decides if they will return.

And for those of you being sarcastic and going from one extreme to the other and implying that free shipping was the only other option, get real. It's the lack of attempt to keep the customer that is the point here; An offer to ship at cost, a future discount, something to make the customer happy TO MAKE THEM WANT TO RETURN. Perhaps they may lose a little on this sale, but now they've lost potentially a lot of future sales if this customer never comes back, just like I've made the decision not to go back to this same store for the same reason, bad customer service.

Rant over :-)

Calling it a lack of customer service is not really seeing the whole picture. In today's world there are lot of options.
On line=great price, but you cannot touch or see item. Must deal with shipping rates and lead times.

Big box stores, Depot, Lowe's, Wal- Mart,Camping World Etc. Lots of selection of items they choose, knowledgeable customer service is lacking. Convenient hours.

Smaller specialty retailers,True Value, Ace Hardware,Local RV dealer
more expensive, better customer service.

While none of the above descriptions are perfect or absolute, there are major differences in the business model and the service you can expect.
For the record CW has an on line division can ship you your merchandise however that is a separate operation than there brick and mortar stores. The OP wants both in one location however that is not the CW plan. Maybe it should be, but there are more logistic involved than simply shipping the item out!

I don't understand people "making excuses" for bad customer service for any store or business. We as clients, buyers, customers who can keep those shops in business should not and do not have to put up with it. Especially now that online shopping is prevalent. And I wonder why that is... Brick and mortar businesses with bad customer service are shooting themselves in the foot, and then wonder why - and whine that - people would rather buy online.

As I've said in my earlier post, I would rather support a local store, but if the customer service lacks, I will not return. Same with restaurants, no matter how good the food is... if the service is not good, I will not return. I can make a good meal at home... If I go out and pay good money to dine, I expect good food and good service, it's a package deal. Same with stores, I can order something online, but if I go out to a store and pay a little more for the same item, I expect the store to provide me with something I cannot get online... good customer service and the opportunity to see, touch and browse the store, good customer service being the most important. When businesses start realizing this again, consumers will start buying locally again and keep them in business. Pretty simple.

The more we condone shoddy service by making excuses the more this will happen, and the more stores will close due to unhappy customers. These excuses (they're young, they don't know, they're not experienced, etc.) are bad excuses. That's their job. The corporations should ensure they are properly trained because their employees are just as important to the sale as the products they sell, if not more so, since it is the experience a customer has that decides if they will return.

And for those of you being sarcastic and going from one extreme to the other and implying that free shipping was the only other option, get real. It's the lack of attempt to keep the customer that is the point here; An offer to ship at cost, a future discount, something to make the customer happy TO MAKE THEM WANT TO RETURN. Perhaps they may lose a little on this sale, but now they've lost potentially a lot of future sales if this customer never comes back, just like I've made the decision not to go back to this same store for the same reason, bad customer service.

Rant over :-)

I'll follow the outcome here with interest...if it results in a new policy requiring free shipping on any item a sticks-n-bricks Camping World is out of at the moment the customer walks into the store, I must remember to take advantage of it the next time I want something.

Goodbye rainchecks!

jcapps wrote:
Went to the Valencia store, drove 35 miles there, 70 roundtrip to buy a scan gauge. Counterman said they are out but will have them in four hours. I told him that's too long a drive, he said ok. I said I will just get it at Amazon, he said ok, I walked out.
He could have offered to ship it to me. But Amazon it is

Hello jcapps,

Thank you for yourpost about the Customer Service issue that you had from your recent trip to the Valencia Camping World location. Allow me to apologize for the trouble and frustration this has caused you. I have escalated this issue to the Regional Management team for further investigation and so a follow up can take place.

Wes Robinson
Marcus' Rapid Response Team
goodsamcs@goodsamfamily.com

jcapps wrote:
Went to the Valencia store, snip

. I said I will just get it at Amazon, he said ok, I walked out.

Everyone missed the point. The team member knowingly let a customer walk out unhappy! THAT is the point.
Whether the OP was realistic or not is not the point here. Whether the post is even accurate in the story is not the point either.

How many other customers have left with their money because of this guy? I can promise you, this is not an isolated incident. Not because I have been to Valencia, but because I fully understand customer service. Was the team member empowered to offer any shipping? I do not know. If the team member took any initiative at all to satisfy the customer, we wouldn't even be talking about this.

I do not accept 'oh, that's college-age employees..that's the way it is' excuse. I do not accept that it is their business model.

For those that accept the apathy in today's customer service environment, shame on you. You are just simply condoning it with tacit approval. Coming from this industry, I do not. I do not accept 'oh, that's just this generation' garbage either.

A store is not under obligation to ship an out-of-stock item especially if the same item is available with free shipping from CW's on-line store. While I understand the OP's disappointment, I don't believe this is a legitimate complaint against CW.

The OP's story lacks basic credibility. Let's face it CW is basic retail, many of the general sales staff a young college age employees. They are not what I consider a professional sales staff.
That is CW's business model. I understand that. Furthermore if you are a regular CW customer you know there in stock position on sale items can fluctuate.
In short the OP took his chances by driving the 70 mile round trip without verify the item is in stock.
In a ideal situation CW would have had item in stock nevertheless we do not live in a n ideal world and a savvy consumer would have called first and not waisted a trip.
As always it's a two way street. In this case neither the retailer or consumer were 100% on the ball. CW should have had the sale item in stock in the 1st place,shipping the out of stock item should have never come into play. The OP should have made the call to check stock and saved himself the headache. The OP had time to research item,but not enough time to verify stock?

Each CW is individual. Ours the staff on the floor and the cashiers are great. The parts department is another issue. Asked for a GPS that was on sale. Parts man brought it to us and we said it was the wrong one. No we want the model on sale. He huffed and went back to get the correct one. This was not our first experience. Everything we ask for in parts they don't have it without even looking. Now we don't even ask.