0
Nerra

After spending over $7000 is it unreasonable to ask for a free reserve pack?

Recommended Posts

SkyDekker

Actually, you are being pedantic, and you don't know if you are correct.



I do know I'm being correct. 100% And it has zero to do with pedantry. It's simply what words mean. The money he used was disposable income. Hell, it was even discretionary income. Don't make it sound as if there's some magical knowledge I need in order to make that determination. There isn't. Unless a person is a professional, buying skydiving gear is a 100% optional activity.
quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
catfishhunter

Quade I haven't ever cared for you but your comment "It is particularly douchy to flaunt that in the faces of people and ask for "free" services from people who work hella hard to provide a service that saves people's lives." was so far out of line and a personal attack the fact your still green is disgusting and far and away more "douchy" then anything the OP did or said..



Well, I'm sorry you feel that way. One man's blunt assessment of a situation is another man's dick move. That phrase might apply to either or both situations here. Again, sorry you feel I was being douchy. Then again, you'll notice I'm not crying like a little girl with sand in her vagina about it.
quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
quade

***Actually, you are being pedantic, and you don't know if you are correct.



I do know I'm being correct. 100% And it has zero to do with pedantry. It's simply what words mean. The money he used was disposable income. Hell, it was even discretionary income. Don't make it sound as if there's some magical knowledge I need in order to make that determination. There isn't. Unless a person is a professional, buying skydiving gear is a 100% optional activity.

The simple definition of Disposable Income is what is left over after taxes. Like I said, if he paid with borrowed money, he is not paying with disposable income.

Whether what he is buying pertains to an optional activity or not has nothing to do with the determination of disposable income.

You don't need any magical knowledge, you just need some basic knowledge. You are right, it has to do with what words mean. Maybe you meant it was a discretionary purchase.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
quade

***Quade I haven't ever cared for you but your comment "It is particularly douchy to flaunt that in the faces of people and ask for "free" services from people who work hella hard to provide a service that saves people's lives." was so far out of line and a personal attack the fact your still green is disgusting and far and away more "douchy" then anything the OP did or said..



Well, I'm sorry you feel that way. One man's blunt assessment of a situation is another man's dick move. That phrase might apply to either or both situations here. Again, sorry you feel I was being douchy. Then again, you'll notice I'm not crying like a little girl with sand in her vagina about it.

Meh, you have already indicated you are biased on the subject. Clearly your adjustment isn't just blunt, it is tainted with your emotional attachment to the issue.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
"... Asking a rigger to repack for free? Poor form. ..."

...................................................................................

That reminds me of a cheap-skate DZO that I worked for twenty-odd years ago. After he sold a medium-sized Vector to a fun jumper, he told the junior rigger that she was going to assemble and pack a U.S. Navy conical into it FOR FREE. (For younger readers, round reserves were still fashionable back then.) After she struggled for a couple of days, she asked me if I wanted to try. After one look at the volume chart Para-Gear catalog), I shrugged my shoulders and wandered off.
I figured if the DZO could create the problem, he could create the solution.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
normiss

Still you miss the point though.

The reality is make the deal when you make the deal.

That, of course, is the best strategy. No one can argue that.

But it didn't hurt to ask. And the customer (Nerra) didn't deserve an ass chewing from some employee because of it. That's poor customer relations and I wouldn't want that person working for me. Would you? ;)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Fully agreed John. It never hurts to ask.
I'd be taken a bit aback had I fully delivered a deal and someone wanted more, hopefully I'd be more tactful than simply exploding on a customer.
But getting butt hurt from being told no, then coming here to complain, and dismissing opposing views....kinda seems like the valid points will always be overlooked.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
normiss

Fully agreed John. It never hurts to ask.
I'd be taken a bit aback had I fully delivered a deal and someone wanted more, hopefully I'd be more tactful than simply exploding on a customer.
But getting butt hurt from being told no, then coming here to complain, and dismissing opposing views....kinda seems like the valid points will always be overlooked.



+1
"There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse."
- Chris Hadfield
« Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. »
- my boss

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
normiss

Fully agreed John. It never hurts to ask.
I'd be taken a bit aback had I fully delivered a deal and someone wanted more, hopefully I'd be more tactful than simply exploding on a customer.
But getting butt hurt from being told no, then coming here to complain, and dismissing opposing views....kinda seems like the valid points will always be overlooked.



Please show me where I dismissed opposing views to my actual complaint?

I wasn't getting 'butt hurt' about being told no, I was annoyed at the way in which the company representative reacted to my request.

It's perfectly clear if you read the thread that some people completely missed the original point and decided to join the witch hunt, you included normiss.

The real loser here is still the company and the rigger for that matter. It seems from the private messages I've received that there are a ton of other companies that would have been happy to give me a discount and would have happily paid a rigger to pack my reserve had I spent that amount of money with them.

Instead I will no longer buy anything from there, will not recommend them to any friends or new jumpers. I would make a point of steering them far clear.

In case you've still failed to read the original post, here it is again. I would love for you to enlighten me and tell me where I was making a request to warrant such a response.

Nerra

Over the last month I've spent over $7000 at a popular online skydiving store and paid full retail price on every item. Naturally I asked for a little bit of a discount at the end. The curt response I received was that they absolutely cannot do any discounts due to rules set by the manufacturers.

I accepted that and then asked if they would be willing to cover the reserve pack job. At $60 that would equate to less than 0.85% discount on the total purchase.

Well... you would think I was asking for this woman's first born! She went off on one telling me how she doesn't get free reserve pack jobs even though she works there and how I shouldn't be trying to take money away from the riggers.

Hopefully it's obvious to everyone else that I wasn't expecting a rigger to do it for free and that I was asking the store to cover it. I'm pretty sure the full $60 doesn't go to the rigger so the real cost to the store is even less.

Was my request unreasonable?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
It seems to me he wasn't so much bitching about not getting a discount as about their reaction to his even asking. Requesting a discount is cool. Declining such a request is also cool (unless trying for exemplary customer service). Freaking out on a customer for requesting a small discount is pretty unprofessional.

Lesson? Don't buy from drama queens or companies that treat you poorly.

Blues,
Dave
(IBTL)
"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
quade

***Freaking out on a customer for requesting a small discount is pretty unprofessional.



We still only have his word on that.

We also only have his word that he bought anything more than a closing loop or bag of rubber bands. It would be kinda weird for me to respond to any of the infinite possible stories he didn't post about, so I chose to go with the one he related.

Blues,
Dave
"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Have you ever witnessed an event where the victim exaggerated his claims?

No?

Have you ever witnessed a person claim something horrible happened to him when in reality it was simply him over reacting to a situation?

No?

Of course, maybe the employee did freak out. Then again, I think it's foolish to always assume the customer making a complaint is correct in his assessment of a situation.
quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Nerra

I haven't named the company so what would I gain by lying?



Sympathy toward your argument. People do it all the time. I'm not even saying you did it consciously. Simply that you might not be the best person to determine if the employee actually reacted inappropriately.
quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
If it never happened, what would be the point of making it up? I'm struggling to understand your argument. It seems to be something along the lines of, "You asserted many things in this story and I believe all of them except the one part that comprises the entire purpose of telling it." Either believe the whole thing or call him a liar and walk away despite him giving zero cause for disbelief.

Blues,
Dave
"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
livendive

If it never happened, what would be the point of making it up? I'm struggling to understand your argument. It seems to be something along the lines of, "You asserted many things in this story and I believe all of them except the one part that comprises the entire purpose of telling it." Either believe the whole thing or call him a liar and walk away despite him giving zero cause for disbelief.



This, of course, is nonsense and why generally it's considered good form to hear both sides of a story.

Or don't you believe that?
quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
When one side of the story is anonymous, you can either believe the other side's version or not. In this case, that would mean believing:
A) he bought some gear
B) from a popular online retailer
C) for somewhere in the neighborhood of $7,000
D) which was full retail price
E) he then requested they throw in assembly and pack said gear
F) they were offended by this request
G) they articulated this offense inappropriately

Why would you buy A-F but doubt G, especially when G was the entire point of his question? Because online gear sellers have such an impeccable reputation for ethical and professional conduct? If you think the guy's lying, question the whole damn story and leave it be.

Blues,
Dave
"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Because some of the "facts" are more subjective than others. Do you always assume all the "facts" of every story are 100% true or 100% false? That's ridiculous. Especially so when one person feels he has been wronged by another.

The only reason to tell the story in the first place is a play at sympathy and confirmation that he was in the right.
quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
livendive

So you don't believe him for whatever reason.



Here's the thing...I have no REASON to believe his assessment about how the clerk reacted. Did the clerk really over react or was that simply his over reaction?
quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
As someone who read your thread the minute you posted it (and before it was edited to further explain/justify your position), it seems to me you have been sticking to your point of view the entire way through. Now there is nothing wrong with that, and it doesn't mean you have not considered different perspectives, but by continuing to insist the store overreacted and was in the wrong, you come across (at least to me) like you are essentially dismissing all opinions except your own.

The thing about saying the other party was unreasonable is that it suggests that you, on the other hand *were* being reasonable. Not everyone agrees with that. Refusing your request, no matter how reasonable you believe it to be does not mean the store made a huge mistake... That is just your opinion. In my opinion, just as you had every right to ask for a discount, the store had every right to refuse. Requesting a discount is not inherently unreasonable, and neither is declining your request, but the way in which you asked and/or the way in which you were refused may well have been.

The fact is that we have not heard the other side of the story. Perhaps they had a very good reason for saying no... Perhaps the sales person you dealt with did not even have the authority to make such decisions. Perhaps she misunderstood exactly what you were asking of them (ie: not to get the rigger to work for free, but for them to cover the cost of the reserve repack). Perhaps they thought you were a difficult customer the entire way through and this was the "straw that broke the camel's back." Perhaps you approached the matter in a snotty/entitled/obnoxious way. Perhaps the lady you spoke with was dealing with a traumatic event in her life and she overreacted to you just because she was over-stessed and you happened to be there (you don't know what was going on in her life - maybe her dad just died, or maybe the customer just before you was an absolute jerk to her and without realising it she was already irritable when you got to her)... Who knows?? I'm not excusing poor customer service, but just pointing out that it's possible the person reacted the way she did for a whole host of reasons - and we don't know what those reasons are. We also don't know her version of events, which might be very different from yours... She might well say it was *you* who overreacted to her polite refusal for a discount... Perhaps what you don't know is that offering a discount would mean money out of her own pocket (less commission) and not the store's margin.

Posting on here will not help you to understand why the store/employee did as they did... Posting on here is just a way of venting but without any effort for getting real solutions/results - especially if your conclusion (without even re-contacting the store) is to say to hell with them, I will never go back, I will tarnish their name, et cetera, et cetera. If you really wanted to get to the bottom of this, you would call the store manager and tell him/her you had an unpleasant experience and explain yourself again and see if this time you might get better results. For all we know, you are just a massive shit-disturber and the store was reacting to your general assholedness. Maybe they are not so sad to lose you as a customer...

I'm not saying any of that is necessarily true, but I am saying that we are only getting your version of events... Your question was "was I being unreasonable." Some people, from what you wrote and your general attitude, think you were. And if you continue to insist that they misunderstand you because you were in fact being reasonable, then you, I believe, are missing the point.

If your only conclusion to disagreement with you (about whether or not you were being reasonable) is that people are misunderstanding you (either deliberately or through ignorance), then it is you who is unable to grasp that people *have* understood you, and they simply disagree on whether you were being reasonable or not. And just to be clear... Being reasonable is not just about the nature of your request - it is also about the maner in which you have approached the subject (both at the store and on here). Some will think your request reasonable, but not your approach; some will think your request unreasonable, but the store should have catered to you even though you were unreasonable; some will think you were reasonable in all respects but the store was out of line; some will think you AND the store were unreasonable and finally, some will think you and the store were BOTH reasonable.

And just so you know where I stand... I think your timing and the way you made your request were not ideal. As to whether it was you or the store that was "unreasonable" - that all depends on a lot of things and since I wasn't there and I have not heard the other side of the story, it's impossible for me to say for sure who was actually "wrong." Maybe you, maybe them, maybe both, maybe neither. But judging from your posts and general "I-am-right" attitude, I am inclined to think you could have done a lot of things better, and maybe even gotten your discount in the end.

That was really long and rant-like... Sorry about not making my point in a more concise maner...
"There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse."
- Chris Hadfield
« Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. »
- my boss

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

0