The Art of Customer Service, or We're Not Gonna Take It!

[Kimmyt]

Sigh. I'm still mad. Shaking, actually. I have not, in awhile, been this angry.

I can honestly say, this is the first time I have truly, truly, understood where many women get their frustration from dealing with gear shop employees/salesmen.

Here is my tale of Woe, and what I (sorta) did about it.

Today I was on my way home from work when I passed the local ski shop. I have had a fairly good relationship with this shop, I usually get my tuning done there, and last year had a very nice experience getting custom footbeds and my old boots tweaked by the shop owner, an older gentleman. The other day I had gotten a flyer in the mail for a big pre-season sale they have going on, so I decided to stop in for a looksee. I am thinking about buying new boots this season, since I never felt the last season's boots were quite right for me (I'm also thinking of buying new skis, but this shop doesn't sell alot of skis, so I would probably just buy my boots there).

So I walk into the store and pass the skis on the way back to the boots. I take a look to see what they have this season, and am not impressed. They have a few Roxy skis (wtf? they sell skis now?) and one Nordica ski, then some Volkls. Big whoop. I'm looking at the sticks, when one of the two salesmen that is lounging in the back by the boots says, "What color are you looking for?"

I look up in surprise. Is he speaking to me? I look at him in confusion for a minute, before it hits me. I start to shake, and essentially shut down. This is what happens to me when I get angry. I can't think. I just look back at the skis. The other salesman asks if I need some help, and I turn on my heel and reply No, angrily, as I leave the store.

I get out to my car and am shaking. I am standing there, angry, at that salesman for disrespecting me so much. Would he ever consider asking a male that question? Would he even consider asking a male child that question? The answer I feel is a resounding No. I'm also angry at myself. Why didn't I say something? Why did I just leave?

A friend of mine the other night had said she refused to shop at this place because she was mistreated, but I had never had a bad experience. I stood out at my car awhile, fuming, when I realized, I was angrier at myself than at the salesman. I wanted to go back inside. Wanted to yell, pitch a fit. I wanted to be witty and put him in his place. I knew I'm not eloquent enough for that, plus I was angry, and I'm never at my best when I'm angry.

But dammit I wanted to look at boots, and I wasn't going to let that jackass stop me. Nor was I going to let him get away with treating me like an imbecile.

So I took a deep breath, and went back inside.

I went straight to the back where he was now standing at the shop counter and said to him, "Did you ask me what color I wanted?" in an angry tone of voice.

He replied, "I did. I'm sorry, it was a joke."

I'm used to this 'it was a joke' response. Men use it alot (yes, even my dear one uses it, and it gets me just as riled up). They use it because they really were serious, but they really didn't think about how whatever they said could be insulting and degrading. They use it as a defense, as a way to deflect righteous anger. They use it as a scapegoat. Oh, she won't be angry at me once she realizes its just a joke, then if she still is mad, its because she doesn't have a sense of humor, and not because I'm an ape.

I responded to him in a flat tone of voice, "Well, it wasn't funny." And I went to look at the boots.

His friend asked me again if I needed help.

I explained in a loud (and ANGRY) voice that I was interested in seeing what they had, to see if I'd be interested in making a purchase. To let them know that their treatment of me could very well affect my decision to make said purchase. Being clear to emphasize that I would be making a decision, that I knew enough to make a decision on gear to not be affected by color (really, has anything ever made you so angry as to have someone assume that you base your decisions on your GEAR on solely color?).

So the other guy, the less obnoxious one, came over and started talking to me about boots, asking me what/where I skiied.

Everywhere. East and west. All terrain, no racing. I'm interested in getting more proficient at moguls this year and am looking at getting a higher level boot, as mine is purely recreational, and at some point I'd be getting better skis too.

He begins to have a civilized conversation with me, but I am scattered, still flustered from the other employee, who has since disappeared into the back room (maybe I scared him?).

I left and I felt a bit better. I did not say much, I know, barely anything. I'm certain I didn't put him in his place as I had hoped to, but I am proud of myself for at least standing up to him and making him realize (or hopefully realize) that he was in the wrong.

I will still probably buy my boots there (but not from him), but I have decided to let whoever helps me with my boots the next time I am there, know how I was treated. I made sure to inform his friend that I had spent alot of money in his shop previously, getting my footbeds and such.

I never really thought I'd get completely put down by a gear shop. I've always had experiences where people have seemed snide, but they never actually put me down to my face, so I was rather shocked that it happened to me. But maybe if it happens to us, we don't have to just walk away and swear not to shop there, maybe if we stand up a bit, they'll realize that they can't treat people like that.

And if all else fails and the next time I go in I'm still treated disrespectfully, I will hightail it out and buy my goods elsewhere, even if I have to drive 100 miles to do so. Hopefully I'll have the ovaries to tell them that their service has caused them to lose a loyal customer (and one who spends lots of $ on gear, too!)

K.

 

[abc]

Mmm... didn't you say you know the shop owner? Tell him what happened to you!

If this sales guy is treating other women like he treated you, he could potential pissed off other perspetive women customers too. It's for the best interest of the shop owner to make an informed decision about whether he wants this ape around his shop.

 

[sibhusky]

I get that same crap from car salesmen. By the time I get to a dealer, I KNOW what I want, what I want to pay, what accessories I want. Basically, they will be order takers and only if they come up with the price I want. Otherwise I exit. Drives me NUTS to be asked what color I want. The usual answer is "Anything but white or yellow."

 

[Gloria]

Don't take it personal

I was in my regular ski shop recently getting new bindings for my new skis. I had planned on putting some randonee bindings on but way too much for me this year so, I made a snap decision to go regular without any beta on this years or even last years models.
So I asked for help and the guy grabbed a pair of bindings and said these would look good on those. I was taken back for a split second and then I rememberred that the "F" word is the most versatile word in the english language, but, I decided to be diplomatic. So I politely said
" Well, I don't really give a sh!# if they match, are these what you would put on your skiis?" He grabbed another pair of bindings and said no I have these and I said why and he said because and so I go those. He was a pretty good humored guy and we agreed they wuld look just as good.
But...when I went back to pick up the skiis, A saleswoman practically making love to a white puffy jacket with some kind of fur collar approached me exclaiming that I had to have that coat and just to rub it because it was soooo soft. I had a much harder time with this than the binding color. Now this was weird, unfortunately I think that a good portion of people who both have and do spend alot of money in ski shops are matchy matchy type people and I've given to the fact that salespeople will cater to this type of person habitually simly because without matchy matchy spenders, our local ski shops would go under, I just don't take it either personally or feel it is necesarily a
gender thing either. I think it is how they stay in business.

 

[bklyn]

I often get 'condescending service' at ski shops.

If it's coming from a kid just out of high school, I usually ignore it. If it's coming from adults... I don't patronize them again.

I think you should reconsider buying boots from a place ( I assume ) far from skiing. It's much easier to dial in adjustments when you can take a few runs afterwards and give immediate feedback.

 

[abc]

salespeople will cater to this type of person habitually simly because without matchy matchy spenders, our local ski shops would go under

Good point. I'm sad to say there's a lot of truth in that.

I've had the misfortune of having to "help" my female friends in choosing skis/bikes. And I'm not talking about poeple who don't use their equipments. These are athletic women who really want to have a functional peice of gear. But they won't buy a pink ski if they've got lime green boots!!! Can I blame them? I wouldn't wear a green shirt paired with pink skirts. So why must I be stuck with that hideous combination with my ski gears IF only I have any choice?

In a sense, I think the manufacturers are part of the problem. They've put these loud neon color on their hardwares, making them totally clash with each other when you pick a orange binding on a sky blue ski!!! I wish they would tone down the color of hardwares at least, say creamy silver or dark blue so any binding would go with any ski.

 

[ski now work later]

I stopped patronizing a local ski shop where I bought my first gear because they tease me too much! I don't take it personally, but I used to swing by and talk gear and now the owner makes some remark about that that he thinks is funny each time I come in which makes me self-conscious. They also don't carry many twin tip skis and I wound up buying poles and 2 pr. of skis end of season last year and another pair of skis from the '08 line from Al's Ski Barn in Maine (www.untracked.com). They mount and ship for free and carry a really extensive line of skis and poles. There's a young guy there who has helped me and tolerated numerous emails about the skis, what color bindings of two color choices for an identical binding would look better, and so forth and he knows a lot about freeskiing and women's twin tips. I also took all of my skis for release checks to another shop in Vermont near Stratton (Equipe Sport) that is used to dealing with wealthy New Yorkers so I wouldn't be teased about owning so many new sets of skis and they are a great tune shop as well.

That kind of joking/teasing is very common among men. It doesn't make me angry (but it might have when I was in my 30s) but it does turn me off so hey, I'll take my business elsewhere!

Customer service should be just that, service to the customer, regardless of age, gender, and experience. Skis and boots are pricey, and salespeople would do well to make the customer feel as comfortable as possible to make that purchase!

 

[Native Vail Gal]

Sometimes........men just suck!

 

[Gloria]

keep this in mind too

Also ladies, don't forget that the ski industry itself has really brought forth more colorful, more matching set type stuff, graphics are huge
it's no different than say the cell phone industry or even all the choices of color you can get in a simple laptop these days. Although women probably tend to purchase items they like the color of more than men, generally speaking, I don't thnk it's a womens only phenomeneon. Guys actually get really into the graphics on the different skis and boards, some of the pros even design their own aka the GNU Barrett Christy for example. Stop and listen to the saleman help another guy next time you are in the store, Graphics, I guaranty it, graphics...
Really though, I don't think it's a you're a girl you can't ski thing, I don't even think you can narrow it down by ski shop or even the ski industry. It's mass marketing in our world right now. There are so many of us we need to personalize ourselves somehow and that's where color and design come into play. It's what the consumer wants and what the ski industry is giving them.

 

[ISki]

I can honestly say, this is the first time I have truly, truly, understood where many women get their frustration from dealing with gear shop employees/salesmen.

What baffles is how a (presumably) small business that is seasonal, in a niche market, weather dependent, with a shrinking customer base, with costly investment in inventory, with high dollar merchandise that has a shelf life of a couple of months, and with multiple competitors can be so indifferent to making a sale. I just don't get it. I've experience it myself and it boggles. Maybe the profit margin on each sale is so high that these stores can happily mismanage a segment of their customers, us.

To increase their sales, it would not take a cent more in investment. All we want is basic courtesy and respect. Almost every other store that we shop in has learned this.

 

[Kimmyt]

This is what frustrates me so much, iSki. This one person has tarnished the entire store's reputation for me.

I can't believe that someone whose job it is to interact with customers and secure sales, would be so indifferent to a customer, when essentially it is their responsibility, as an employee, to treat all customers with respect.

It is not so much the disrespect to me, as it is that it was done by a person whose job it is to NOT do such a thing.

K.

 

[IntheClouds]

A huge portion of men have difficulty relating to or understanding women. Fortunately there are enough that are insightful and can relate to the technical oriented women as well as the what's it going to look like type. The store where I buy my chainsaws and other power equipment keeps me in practice walking into the male dominated arena. One employee, Bill, will spend all the time needed explaining & comparing tech info, pro's, con's & giving me an updated education on the various engines, etc etc. which he understands helps me make the choice btwn brands & models for my needs. We go test them out too.

All the other men pretty much just pick what they want to sell me & tell me "it's the better one". I used to get back at them by launching into a lengthy questioning of technical stuff to make them explain why it's better. It really hurt their egos if they couldnt explain. Then I would ask them "when will Bill be in ?" and leave without buying. Total deflation.

Having a son to raise has truly opened my eyes to the male's difficulties in life. I don't on purpose get back at salesmen anymore. I just ask when so & so will be there and schedule my actual buying for that time. I'll still look & ask questions, but if I want to be certain I'm getting what will serve me best, I'll schedule my buying for when the Trusted person is there. I do this any time I encounter the "attitude".

I'm currently working on my tactics for the salepeople in stores that have a clear dislike of us shoppers who walk through the doorway with a child in tow. I'm still stuck in the walk straight out & never come back mode.

 

[Jilly]

I've a friend that owns a ski shop. SkiDiva can I print this thread out for him?! I know that he sometimes understands the female mind, but not always, heh he's a guy. Also he uses students throught a co-op program to help out in the store during the school year. I think that this thread would be of help! What do you think!! And Diva's what do you think??

 

[abc]

I work with a bunch of guys.

Today is a light day, so there was a lot of chatting going on in the office. It just occurred to me suddenly, how much differently men interact with others compare to women.

At one point, I thought two guys were about to come to blow physically because they got so caught up in their disagreement and started insulting each other with "jokes"!

But no, they just laughed and went to coffer together. One guy even paid for the other, for being a "good sport", I suppose.

What's my point? It's not ALWAYLS because men look down on us women that they make those disrespectful remarks. Men simply talk that way. Should they smart up? Probably. But perhaps we also need to lighten up just as well. Don't take it too personally. It often isn't (personal).

 

[ski diva]

I've a friend that owns a ski shop. SkiDiva can I print this thread out for him?! I know that he sometimes understands the female mind, but not always, heh he's a guy. Also he uses students throught a co-op program to help out in the store during the school year. I think that this thread would be of help! What do you think!! And Diva's what do you think??

That's a great idea, Jilly. Show it to him. Maybe it'll help in some way. I understand that some of these comments may not be intentionally demeaning, as abc pointed out. But if a customer perceives them that way, then they might as well be.

 

[Gloria]

no more suppression of childish urges

All right so I have tried to be a big person and guide you Divas into a mindframe above all the gender related issues, but as it can still be upsetting, the inner child in me must speak out in all it's joking glory.

Here is how you can deal with male intimidation in the ski shop.
(Requires some amount of past drama lessons, but the class you took in high school shoul be sufficient.) So you are in the shop and the guy says what color are you looking for? You're response, I can't remeber the exact color of the skis I was reading about but they were sort of an abergheen I think. What I am most interested in though is the fact that they had ( Make something up using technical words that make no sense like this ) "compensation camber" specific to womens ski types. The guy will be stumped and of course ask Compensation Camber? and then try to correct you by saying something like you mean reverse camber? You'll resond by saying no it's different than reverse camber and continue explaining that compensation camber is a speical camber between the tips of the skis and the bindings, exclusively for women to ( throw in some more ridiculous ski related jargon,mixed in with real technical terms ) dampen the chest vibration at high speeds when straighlining mogul runs. Be sure to keep a really straight face here keep going like this until all color is gone from the guys face and he is stammering for answers. Then let him know that you are just messing with him back and proceed to tell him what is is you are really looking for. At this point you'll have the guy by the and he won't be messing with you anymore. Plus given what you've just put him through, he'll think twice about approaching another woman skier like this again.

 

[Gloria]

also

If at any point he pulls a pair of skis off the rack and tries to tell you they will work. Remember you had those or their predecessor last year and broke them. This will really make his head spin.

 

[ISki]

Gloria! Best-Post-Ever!!!!!!!

 

[IntheClouds]

Gloria! Best-Post-Ever!!!!!!!

I concur ! rotflmao