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Chockstone Forum - General Discussion

General Climbing Discussion

 Page 1 of 8. Messages 1 to 20 | 21 to 40 | 41 to 60 | 61 to 80 | 81 to 100 | 101 to 120 | 121 to 140 | 141 to 143
Author
dodgy retailers

anthonyk
3-Sep-2009
12:07:22 PM
Pretty unimpressed with the lack of professionalism at a certain retail store in Sydney.. particularly since its a store that in general doesn't offer discounts and charges high prices for all their products, supposedly because of the service they offer..

I was looking for a pair of climbing shoes a while ago, i tried on a bunch of sizes and they were out of stock of the right size, I wasn't even going to try on the smaller size again but the shop assistant convinced me to give it a go. I tried it and was sure it was too small, but the shop assistant kept pushing that it was right. I told him about 3 times, no its too small, but he kept pushing saying he's used them so many times and the size is perfect, they stretch so much, trust me. In the end I ended up getting them, basically full price ($200+), and needless to say after many sessions trying to get them to fit they were just too small.

Of course it was too late to exchange them for a different size now, but I went back to the retailer, told them my story and asked what kind of discount they would offer on another pair. Now i've worked in retail, and from my experience a shop should take responsibility for actions they've made, and should be making an effort to find a suitable product that the customer will be happy with. Considering we are looking at a full-price transaction, it deserves the full service, ie do whatever is reasonable to get the customer the product they need for the given price.

So what does the manager of the store offer? Nothing. Well, a 10% discount off the full retail price ($250) which I would get anyway, for a second purchase. No consideration at all that their staff have offered bad advice, pressured the customer to make a bad purchase, and then expect them to pay full price again, and make a second profit even though the first was a failure.

Quite simply, this is insulting.

I think the shop deserves a full name and shame for this sort of behaviour, but i'll leave it unless people think its appropriate.
egosan
3-Sep-2009
12:11:10 PM
You have simply stated your side of the case without resorting to profanity or insult. In
naming, you will also be giving them a chance to give their side. Which is only fair.

Start the war.

Sabu
3-Sep-2009
12:11:50 PM
Work out the right size and just buy them online (and cheaper) elsewhere.

Also I'm with the name and shame!
patto
3-Sep-2009
12:21:51 PM
You have a legal right to get your money back.

You were sold an item that was 'not fit for the purpose'. While sizing is definately a personal thing the insistance of the sales staff for you to get the smaller size shows that the recommended a product that was 'not fit for the purpose'.

Now personally I would not persue it. I would be kicking myself for not listening to myself.

However you most certainly have a legal right for a full refund. Whether the store honours this legal right is another thing. But if you go in and know the law then you will have a much better chance.

ajfclark
3-Sep-2009
12:28:29 PM
Here's the Consumer.vic.gov.au refund law brochure which explicitly mentions things like "Walking boots fit for walking long distances" in the fit for purpose section. Perhaps you can find something similar for NSW?
StuE
3-Sep-2009
12:34:06 PM
Doesn't sound like great service from the assistant but at the end of the day, unless you're newbie who's buying their first pair of shoes and are pretty clueless about them, the onus is on you to select the right size - esp if its your usual brand/model, no matter what line of bullsh*t the shop assistant feeds you.

JohnK
3-Sep-2009
12:38:08 PM
Dissapointing experience and a guarantee that the store will burn through it's customers quickly.

I have had the reverse happen with a really good retailer - $250 hiking boots - after 9 months and half a dozen trips still did not fit right and could not break them in resulting in stacks of blisters every time - shoes were washed and then exchanged for a new pair (same brand but different model).

Most manufacturers/distributors have a return policy for the store - the same should apply then to the purchaser.

You could always threaten to take them to Consumer Affairs - not ideal but they might then see the light and come to the party.
widewetandslippery
3-Sep-2009
1:00:40 PM
You've lost.

Do a shit in there dressing room and never go back.
egosan
3-Sep-2009
1:04:32 PM
On 3/09/2009 widewetandslippery wrote:
>You've lost.
>
>Do a shit in there dressing room and never go back.

Do that and you only punish some minimum wage slack who has to clean up your colon
cludge. Post their name. It is way harder to recover from bad word of mouth than it is to
clean up a turd.

That or kill the manager's dog.

wallwombat
3-Sep-2009
1:07:49 PM
If you were so sure they were too small, why didn't you tell the shop assistant to STFU and go and get some shoes somewhere else?



Duncan
3-Sep-2009
1:08:39 PM
I got my Katanas from the same shop, with the same advice, and they've been my favourite shoes ever. I think you said they were uncomfortable on the heel or something? Mine were AGONY on the toes for maybe 2 months, then became perfect. I'd probably give the same advice, to be honest.
widewetandslippery
3-Sep-2009
1:11:55 PM
On 3/09/2009 egosan wrote:
>On 3/09/2009 widewetandslippery wrote:
>>You've lost.
>>
>>Do a shit in there dressing room and never go back.
>
>Do that and you only punish some minimum wage slack who has to clean up
>your colon
>cludge. Post their name. It is way harder to recover from bad word of
>mouth than it is to
>clean up a turd.
>
>That or kill the manager's dog.

Just for the record I have cleaned many a dunny and messages written in poo on the wall do find there way to higher management.
egosan
3-Sep-2009
1:12:40 PM
That creaking noise was not the shoe stretching. It was your foot deforming.

mattjr
3-Sep-2009
1:13:26 PM
yes, name them, then we can all send them a link to this thread to make them think about their actions/policies for the future.

wallwombat
3-Sep-2009
1:19:31 PM
On 3/09/2009 widewetandslippery wrote:
>You've lost.
>
>Do a shit in there dressing room and never go back.

You really are the Cary Grant of Chockstone, dude.

NZclimber
3-Sep-2009
1:37:52 PM
Basicly, it sounds like the shop assistant mislead you into thinking that the good was fit for purpose, even though they are climbing shoes for climbing, they are obviously not fit for your purpose (if that makes sense).
Retailers are not allowed to knowingly let you assume something, or convince you that a good is fit for your needs when it isn't- you should be getting what you paid for and they should live up to your expectations.

I work at a head office for a large retail chain, and this is what I took away from the crash course on consumer rights.

If anyone can see anything I have misinterpreted, feel free to elaborate, as I'm really no expert.

Of course I don't know the full story.

But usually if you threaten that you'll go to the accc, they'll pull up their socks as I think accc have to investigate any reasonable case.


dimpet
3-Sep-2009
1:39:19 PM
Don't give up on the shoes, if you can get them on they are not to small :P.

MonkeyBoy
3-Sep-2009
1:41:25 PM
On 3/09/2009 Duncan wrote:
>I got my Katanas from the same shop,

Sorry has the shop been posted and I missed it ?

Or if not Duncan has insider info, I say name and shame - Though I have to say I had similar advice on a pair of red chillis and they are now AWESOME - took the same advice on a recent purchase of some 5.10 Anasazis and they are still a nightmare - might be the leather red chilli's stretching more than the synthetic 5.10 which is what the shop dude should have told me so i think there is an responsibility on the assisstant to explain all aspects of your purchase - NAME AND SHAME !

ajfclark
3-Sep-2009
1:46:36 PM
Were the red chillies lined? I'm pretty sure the top of the box my Anasazis came in said 'these are a lined shoe and will only stretch a 1/3 of a size rather than the usual full size an unlined pair would stretch' or some such. Maybe it was to shop attendant who told me though?

anthonyk
3-Sep-2009
2:55:05 PM
On 3/09/2009 Duncan wrote:
>I think you said they were uncomfortable
>on the heel or something? Mine were AGONY on the toes for maybe 2 months,
>then became perfect. I'd probably give the same advice, to be honest.

either way, there is always going to be a limit where tight becomes too tight. pressing the point means you're staking your professional opinion on where that line is.

On 3/09/2009 patto wrote:
>However you most certainly have a legal right for a full refund. Whether
>the store honours this legal right is another thing. But if you go in
>and know the law then you will have a much better chance.

thanks but its not worth the trouble, and its not really what its about, its more about them not taking any responsibility and not thinking about the customers side of the story

On 3/09/2009 egosan wrote:
>You have simply stated your side of the case without resorting to profanity
>or insult. In naming, you will also be giving them a chance to give their side. Which
>is only fair.

sure thing. Mountain Equipment Sydney are more than welcome to give a response if they'd like.


I'm not saying this to be spiteful or anything like that, I think people need to be aware of the decisions they make and that customer dissatisfaction means more than just a few dollars saved in the till. Its pretty rare that a shop actually gets to hear about when customers are unhappy about something, usually it would just be spread word of mouth, but shops should be aware that customers' opinions affect more than just one person's shopping habits.

In this particular case the shop could have just turned over another piece of stock without taking a profit on it, big deal. You got your takings from the first sale and keep up good relations. Turning over a piece of stock is a small price for bad staff representation. It seems to be a habit of some retailers that all that matters is getting the money in the till and that the sale ends there.

You also need to remember that you are in a global marketplace, and that convenience and service are the few things that make your business different from cheaper prices available elsewhere. There's only so far that you can go with distribution deals and trying to protect your corner of the market from competition, there are ways that people can shop elsewhere, and you really depend on good will for people to keep their business local. Its common-place for people to share suggestions about how to get good deals on different items from on-line retailers, including how to do freight-forwarding to get items from retailers that don't openly ship to Australia, and the more reasons people have to not shop locally the more your business will be affected.

If you look for top-dollar for your products, you really have to offer top notch service, and learn that there is much more to retail than making the sale. Keep your customers happy and learn a bit of flexibility.

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