Can't Please Everyone....

[East_TX_Spa]

In December, a lady ordered a Grandee but she wanted an '07 with a Bella Fontana.  The factory sent us an '06 instead.  She wasn't happy (understandably so), so we let her have the brand new '06 to use until her new spa came in towards the end of January.  She said that would be fine.  She has not paid a dime at this point.

So, who calls today wondering when her new spa will be here?  When told that it will still be the end of January, she says "Oh.....well....I'm going to speak to my husband about that!"

What The Hell?  The only difference is the goatsmelling fountain?  She is using a spa for a month and a half FREE!  I guarandamntee no other local dealer would do this.

I'm about ready to just go pick the thing up....some people ain't worth foolin' with.

Terminator

[Jacuzzi Jim]

  I just love customers like that,    while we have not had that problem yet, I am sure it will happen at some point.     I am also the service manager and I schedual all spa deliveries and I also get to deal with well any problem that arises in our spa world, some people you just cannot please no matter how hard you try.  

 The unhappy ones also seem to always be very rich.  Go fiqure.

[Vinny]

My advice would be to pick it up but while there ask politely to use the bathroom on your way out. Take a HUGE dump and don't flush ...  

[Pathfinder]

I have run into that type of situation before but not without getting some sort of money like 25% before I order.  That customer will probably be one that you wished had not darkened your door step.  Term do you have a signed contract of delivery as a loner?  A dealer friend had this happen before where they went to get the spa and the homeowner called the cops to say they were stealing the tub.

JJ I have the reverse where the customer who buys the price point tub expects the absolute world and gripes about every little thing

[Jacuzzi Jim]

I have run into that type of situation before but not without getting some sort of money like 25% before I order.  That customer will probably be one that you wished had not darkened your door step.  Term do you have a signed contract of delivery as a loner?  A dealer friend had this happen before where they went to get the spa and the homeowner called the cops to say they were stealing the tub.

JJ I have the reverse where the customer who buys the price point tub expects the absolute world and gripes about every little thing

   I get those ones also,I sometimes wish they would have just gone back and bought the home depot spa instead.

[Tatooed_Lady]

and this is why I can't work in retail anymore   I'm a ruined woman now, can't keep my yap shut when someone really starts pushing my buttons (unless they've got a badge and a gun)...I worked as a diesel counter cashier for awhile...I recall telling a truck driver that if he finished his rude comment, I was going to hop over the counter and take a squeegee handle and shove it where the sun didn't shine...he ran out the door, it was great!  

[Chas]

Gee, I don't get it.

All of my customers are perfect.

 8-)

[drewstar]

Just playing devils advocate here,

The customer is upset because they don't  have what they wanted.   Is it justified? Is it rational? No. But I'll bet dollars to donuts the customer's postition is they chose to do business with you, and after several weeks don't have what they wanted.  

I screwed up  part is,  I bet that there is no way you are going to make this lady happy.  

I wonder, when the wrong tub is delivered,  do you automatically say "keep it until the right one comes in"  Or, rather than take the hit on having another demo tub that you will later have to sell for less, give the customer the option of living without  a tub, but when the right one comes in, shave off some of the purchase price?


Can the cusotmer cancel the order and recieve all their money back if the wrong tub is delivered and the correct one is 2  months out? Is providsing a customer with the tub free for use a way of keeping them locked in with you and not going down the road to another dealer? How much of a lose does a dealer take when the wrong tub is delivered? (RE-delivery, re-install, and then having a used tub to sell?)

Does the customer have to pay again for an electrician to re-connect the spa?

Does the Manufactuer take any repsonsibility and carry any of these costs?

Just curious, as I said, I'm playing devils advocate here....


What if the customer said "Take $1500 off the price and I'll keep the 06. other wise get it out of here and tear up the sales contract?"

[Brewman]

  can't keep my yap shut when someone really starts pushing my buttons (unless they've got a badge and a gun

Smart move.

[webboy]

I think in general people suck. There is a sense of entitlement, from the taco bell kid to the executive that believes things should be handed over just because. Everyone understands being disappointed, but it's the way people handle this disappointment that shows their true colors. Yeah, it sucks that the spa she ordered didn't come in. But at that time it looks like you laid out an alternate plan and she must have accepted because she is using a spa for free right now. It should have ended there. To bicker now is petty. If she was so mad she should of stopped working with you at the time of the mixed up order...

[East_TX_Spa]

Pathfinder, yes, we do have a signed contract.

But I'll bet dollars to donuts the customer's postition is they chose to do business with you, and after several weeks don't have what they wanted.

True.  We went above and beyond to even get her spa on the last truck of the year.  We delivered it wrapped and were surprised to see it was an '06.  The president of our company called her, apologized, sympathized, offered her a choice:  we could take the spa back and part ways or we could loan her the spa until hers came in at the end of January.  She agreed to do the latter.  We set her spa up and she was able to use it through the holidays.

I daresay we have gone above and beyond to fulfill our commitment.    

I screwed up  part is,  I bet that there is no way you are going to make this lady happy.  

I believe this is true.

I wonder, when the wrong tub is delivered,  do you automatically say "keep it until the right one comes in"

This is the first time I'm aware of this happening.

Or, rather than take the hit on having another demo tub that you will later have to sell for less, give the customer the option of living without  a tub, but when the right one comes in, shave off some of the purchase price?

That is a possibility for the future.  The spa in question was already discounted for end of year sale.  She asked about a further discount, we said no.

Can the cusotmer cancel the order and recieve all their money back if the wrong tub is delivered and the correct one is 2  months out?

Absolutely, if they had put money down and did not use a brand new spa as a loaner.

Is providsing a customer with the tub free for use a way of keeping them locked in with you and not going down the road to another dealer?

We honestly did not even consider that, we just wanted to make her happy.  She shopped, chose a Grandee, and that was the spa she wanted.

How much of a lose does a dealer take when the wrong tub is delivered? (RE-delivery, re-install, and then having a used tub to sell?)

Probably $1000, no big deal.

Does the customer have to pay again for an electrician to re-connect the spa?

No

Does the Manufactuer take any repsonsibility and carry any of these costs?

No, ultimately it was our fault.  The buck stops here.

What if the customer said "Take $1500 off the price and I'll keep the 06.

Basically what they proposed, we declined and made a counter proposal which they accepted, now they are reneging.

Don't ask anymore questions, Devil!

Terminator

[drewstar]

Thanks term. I appreciate your response.  

[Chas]

We delivered the wrong tub once, many years ago. This was completely our fault: we ordered two of the same model tub on one load, and just grabbed the wrong one on the way out to deliver it. At least your delivery team got the right model, color of shell and color of siding. I'll assume they also got the right cover... We just grabbed the first "Grandee" or whatever it was and delivered it. It was in place, with the cover on it and the water going in before they came out and saw it was not what they ordered.

Which meant that the people who were waiting for the OTHER spa had a choice to make too.

I think the second couple just laughed and said the color didn't make any real difference, and they had almost ordered the other color anyway. You gotta love people like that.

The first couple demanded we fix it - we did exactly what you are doing: we let them keep the spa through the time it took to get another one, then we swapped it out. We did the electrical work for them: I am a licensed contractor, and it only needed a quick swap out anyway.

We put the 'loaner' spa on the showroom floor so anyone who was interested in buying it at a reduced price could see that it already had a few scratches, but overall it looked perfectly new.

OH - we did one more little thing: we took the filters out of the loaner spa, cleaned them on the spot with Instant Filter Cleaner, and put them into the replacement spa with a new Nature2 cartridge. The customer thanked us for the extra service of cleaning 'her' filters, and leaving the remainder of the bottle of filter cleaner with them. That way she was happy, and we had new filters to go with the loaner spa when it sold. Win win.

 8-)

[hottubdan]

Term,

The devil is in the details.  The serial# would tell you whether the spa was an '06 or '07.  You could have known what you had in the warehouse.  Then you could have started the process with the customer by telling her you received the wrong year spa before you were even at her house.

Would it make the situation with her any better?  Probably not.

Just hope the auxilary panel doesn't go out before you get her her 2007 model.

[vlady]

When my spa was arrived at the dealership, it was the wrong spa.  They noticed it when they were loading it up for delivery to my house.  They called me immediately and told me.    

They didn't offer to let me take delivery of the wrong spa because it was not only the wrong color but it did not include the stereo.  Since the order was so far wrong, they started calling around to see if maybe my spa got on the wrong truck - no such luck.  The dealer wanted to just place a rush order on the correct spa order.    Being the nice person that I am, I only whined a little.  I didn't see it as that big of a deal.  The correct spa was delivered about 3 weeks later.