DID Electrical treated me like dirt.

bagels

I recently had a terrible experience in the Galway branch of DID Electrical, at the hands of a staff member who identified himself as <SNIP>. I was treated like <SNIP> in front of my Wife, other customers and staff in a manner so shocking it defies belief. I've never been so humiliated in all my life and all my efforts to receive a simple apology have come to nothing, adding further insult to injury. Read on, I'll bet you've never come across a story like this before, and I hope it never happens to you.

I'm in my mid-fifties and retired from work on grounds of ill-health. All my Wife and I have to live on is my miserly pension of €250 per week so you can appreciate that we're on the breadline. We went to DID Electrical Galway to buy a much-needed microwave that cost €54.99.

When I went to pay I found I was 67 cents short of the asking price. I asked for their best possible price, hoping I'd be able to afford it, but no discount was offered. With a smile on my face and being very polite, I handed over the money I had and tried to negotiate a discount of 67 cents so that I could buy that microwave that we'd chosen. The <SNIP> responded in an aggressive manner and no matter how politely and calmly I tried to negotiate, even communicate, with him he wasn't having any of it. I could hardly get a word in but he was able to say such things to me as:
"You have no right to come into an electrical retailer looking for a discount"
"You should choose a cheaper microwave, one you can afford"

Those comments in themselves seem harmless but you'd have to be there to see how he deliberately tried to demean me in front of others. His voice was sneering and his body-language was intolerant at best and aggressive at worst. Throughout our exchange he made other comments that may seem innocent on paper but were actually derogatory and sarcastic in the manner in which they were spoken.

When he said that neither he nor the shop were charities I gave up at that stage and turned to walk away.
He then said out loudly for all to hear that he'd pay the 67 cents out of his own pocket and then he made a big show of taking some coins from his pocket and threw them noisily into the till, all the time repeating that he's paying my bill.
Several customers and staff members witnessed this disgraceful behaviour by <SNIP>and his treatment of us. My Wife and I were absolutely mortified. I thanked him and took the microwave and left the shop, too intimidated and humiliated to ask for a receipt.

I contacted the head office of DID Electrical and reported what had occured. I received a phone call from their customer services manager, <SNIP>, and she apologised for the way I'd been treated. She asked me to leave the matter with her and she'd ensure my complaint would be dealt with. After three months I'd heard nothing from her so I emailed the company and expressed my disappointment and disgust at the way they were treating me. I informed them that I'd paid the outstanding 67 cents and that I now wanted my receipt.

I'm now in possession of the receipt but what I don't have is what I've wanted from the beginning, ie an apology from <SNIP> who unjustifiably treated me like dirt.

Judging by the way his head office don't give a damn about the matter, is it any wonder that <SNIP> feels free to behave so disgracefully. Sure he's only following his bosses example.

Sam Mac

The way <SNIP> treated you sounds disgraceful. If I were you I would keep on ringing head office until you get a full apology and a satisfactory response, in person from <SNIP> However, I will say that you shouldn't have expected or asked for a discount. (however I completely understand why, it has happened to me before too but I find most stores won't budge on their set prices)

Good luck and I hope you get your much needed apology. <SNIP> sounds like a right <SNIP>.

Stheno

This might sound incredibly harsh, but if you knew it was 54.99 why did you go in short?

If I'm buying something I make sure I have the money for it.

By going in short, and then not being able to pay, you set yourself up to an extent.

I'd never let myself be in that situation I'd just say I didn't want to purchase.

iusedtoknow

I don't know what else you want from them - they (the company) apologised. I know you want a personal one from <SNIP> but it is unlikely to happen.

In reality, you were also in the wrong for coming up short. Yes it was only 67 cent and so not a lot to let you off of, but if it was only that much, you could also have come up with it.

Stheno

iusedtoknow wrote: »

I don't know what else you want from them - they (the company) apologised. I know you want a personal one from <SNIP>, but it is unlikely to happen.

In reality, you were also in the wrong for coming up short. Yes it was only 67 cent and so not a lot to let you off of, but if it was only that much, you could also have come up with it.

I can understand how someone on a low income (I've been there) could be short unexpectedly

However I'd check and double check rather than suffer that sort of experience.

emo72

as someone who works in retail, i would never pull up someone for being a few cents short like that. it would create a lot of bad will. pointless. nothing to be gained by making a big issue out of it, as can be witnessed by this thread. all the bad will created by pulling this customer up. think of the goodwill if he had of let him off with 67 cents.

iusedtoknow

and the questions he would have had to answered when his books came up short...

I worked in a takeaway and would always have people wanting free this and that. If you do that too often, it would soon be noticed. Remember…<SNIP> is not the owner so has little or no leeway when it comes to these things.

The OP was treated with out the respect you'd hope for, but I am still with <SNIP> stand on this

vibe666

If you feel that strongly, vote with your feet. I've always got good deals out of Harvey Norman and they're usually pretty good with discounts as well and very friendly.

Stheno

vibe666 wrote: »

If you feel that strongly, vote with your feet. I've always got good deals out of Harvey Norman and they're usually pretty good with discounts as well and very friendly.

This is what I do.

I went into HN to buy a netbook for the OHs daughter a couple of years ago and this obnoxious salesperson tried to sell me norton av etc.

When I told him I was going to use avg free, he started interrogating me on whether or not I had read the EULA (He actually used that term)

When I explained to him that I had read the end user licence agreement and was fully aware it was free for personal use and not for business use, he then tried to convince me it was going to void my windows/machine warranty. My OH ended up telling him to quit as I work in IT and part of my role is licence management

I left, and went in a few months later to price something else, and he was on sales duty, left without even engaging with him.

Have always found our local DID in Swords superb to deal with, and am shocked at the behaviour described, but I'd not put myself in that position

bagels

Sam Mac wrote: »

The way <SNIP> treated you sounds disgraceful. If I were you I would keep on ringing head office until you get a full apology and a satisfactory response, in person from <SNIP>. However, I will say that you shouldn't have expected or asked for a discount. (however I completely understand why, it has happened to me before too but I find most stores won't budge on their set prices)

Good luck and I hope you get your much needed apology. The <SNIP> sounds like a right <SNIP>.

Thank you for your comment.
I had hoped <SNIP> would accept the money offered (perhaps I had a cheek to do so). Alternatively I thought he might let me take the microwave and allow me to pay the remaining 67 cents at a later date but I couldn't get a word in to even suggest that. I certainly didn't anticipate the reaction I got from him.
I don't think phoning the head office will move them to do the right thing. Email correspondence acknowledges they've failed to deal with my complaint in a 'superior' manner but doesn't admit any wrongdoing and suggests they have no intention of doing anything further about the matter.
If I can alert some people about DID's attitude to a customer then I'll content myself with that.

masonchat

@R to be fair, i always pay full asking price for everything like a MUG like most irish people do,

I have a polish friend and i dont think he has paid asking price for a thing in his life, if he got a fine, he would haggle it and get it too.

You would be amazed at the discounts he gets and i know for a fact if i tried the same thing in the same shop id be told to jog on

EDIT i think foreigners expect discounts and get them where as we are way too polite to haggle effectively

vibe666

I think you have to be a certain kind of person to get away with that, but you can do a good impersonation by leaving your wallet in the car before you start to haggle so HAVE to leave the shop before you purchase.

Don't come out and say that though, find a sales guy on the shop floor and do a bit of haggling and ask for their best price, then just say you're going to think about it and come back, which in sales terms means "you're just about to let a sale walk out the door".

If he won't go lower to keep you in the shop, that probably IS his best price.

bagels

Stheno wrote: »

This might sound incredibly harsh, but if you knew it was 54.99 why did you go in short?

If I'm buying something I make sure I have the money for it.

By going in short, and then not being able to pay, you set yourself up to an extent.

I'd never let myself be in that situation I'd just say I didn't want to purchase.

Thank you for your comment.
I didn't deliberately go in short. It was only when I counted my money at the checkout desk that I discovered I hadn't enough. I asked my Wife for the balance but she didn't even have a cent.
I wanted to tell <SNIP> to keep his microwave and his fake generosity but beggars can't be choosers, as the old saying goes.
Aside from pointing out my failings, do you think it was ok for <SNIP> to treat me in the way he did?

Stheno

bagels wrote: »

Thank you for your comment.
I didn't deliberately go in short. It was only when I counted my money at the checkout desk that I discovered I hadn't enough. I asked my Wife for the balance but she didn't even have a cent.
I wanted to tell <SNIP> to keep his microwave and his fake generosity but beggars can't be choosers, as the old saying goes.
Aside from pointing out my failings, do you think it was ok for <SNIP> to treat me in the way he did?

No I don't as I've already said.

I'd avoid such situations by simply declining to purchase and saying I didn't realise the price and say sorry, next time.

I'm terribly cautious though buying stuff, I was after a laminator recently, so went out pricing them priced argos online, then checked HN and Currys, in both they were more than twice the price, I felt embarrassed saying I had found cheaper elsewhere but they took it well

Just don't shop there again, like I refuse to engage with that idiot in HN (who heard all about this guy, but gets email if I get good service in other areas there and passes them on)

jmtc8

@OP, I was intending to go to the DID Galway store tomorrow but after reading your account I will definitely be going elsewhere. <SNIP> sounds like a very cheap, nasty man whose <SNIP> position has gone slightly to his head.

You are completely right to insist on an apology from this person. He could so easily have said what he thought in the quiet and in a much more customer friendly manner but instead chose to mortify you in front of your wife and everybody else. Sounds like a right control nut. Its 0.67 cents for Gods sake. DID will have lost a lot of custom over 0.67 cents. Approximately €450 from me for starters.

I hope you get what you are looking for and don't take his comments to heart. He obviously has something going on in his head.

Best of luck

hfallada

I know from working retail, that if the till is short that the employee pays for the difference and not the company. I have had managers in the past giving out that the till is 50 cent short

DID IMO are an excellent retailer. They Irish owned and competitive. In my local store there is very little staff turnover (unusual in retail, meaning their staff is happy). People have their days and unfortunately the employee lost it with you. There is plenty of times were I have wanted to lose it with an employee but didnt. The employee just needs to learn to kept their cool. I cant see DID being able to do anything better for you

bagels

iusedtoknow wrote: »

I don't know what else you want from them - they (the company) apologised. I know you want a personal one from <SNIP>, but it is unlikely to happen.

In reality, you were also in the wrong for coming up short. Yes it was only 67 cent and so not a lot to let you off of, but if it was only that much, you could also have come up with it.

Thank you for your comment.
From my opening post: ".....what I don't have is what I've wanted from the beginning, ie an apology from <SNIP> who unjustifiably treated me like dirt".
I'd have gladly paid the outstanding 67 cents at a later date but I was unable to make that offer because <SNIP> kept interrupting and speaking over me.
What do you mean when you imply "but if it was only that much, (I) could also have come up with it"? You're not seriously suggesting that I willing endured that public humiliation in order to save 67 cents, are you?

Stheno

Do you not see the company apologising as having a greater impact then <SNIP>?

I complained in the past when I was subject to discrimination by an employee of a company I was interviewed by, to their HR director, said employee lost his job as a result.

DID may change their procedures/investigate the employee as a result of your complaint?

masonchat

@ like that workin for them he doesnt sound very customer freindly, doing them more harm that good, i bet if you had a few hundred extra in your pocket that day you would have got a discount and not just 67 cent, but getting caught short as you did completely changed the dynamics , but he should never in a million years have treated you like that

Stheno

masonchat wrote: »

@ like that workin for them he doesnt sound very customer freindly, doing them more harm that good, i bet if you had a few hundred extra in your pocket that day you would have got a discount and not just 67 cent, but getting caught short as you did completely changed the dynamics , but he should never in a million years have treated you like that

I've gone into HN to spend thirty and done deals which ended me spending 20 or less on stuff

DID tend to be straight up and not open to negotiation unless you can prove a price point difference with a competitor.

slimjimmc

vibe666 wrote: »

I think you have to be a certain kind of person to get away with that, but you can do a good impersonation by leaving your wallet in the car before you start to haggle so HAVE to leave the shop before you purchase.

Don't chime or and say that though, find a sales guy on the shop floor and do a bit of haggling and ask for their best price, then just say you're going to think about it and come back, which in sales terms means "you're just about to let a sale walk out the door".

If he won't go lower to keep you in the shop, that probably IS his best price.

I was in a different retailer looking for a TV stand a few years ago. Saw a display model which was perfect for my needs and priced at €120 reduced from €300 (yeah right). After a simple bit of haggling I walked out with it under my arm for a happy €95. I can understand a sales assistant not having discretion but for <SNIP> to decline a sale with a reasonable profit margin over a measly few cents is ridiculous and even worse to insult the customer in the process.

masonchat

hfallada wrote: »

I know from working retail, that if the till is short that the employee pays for the difference and not the company. I have had managers in the past giving out that the till is 50 cent short

DID IMO are an excellent retailer. They Irish owned and competitive. In my local store there is very little staff turnover (unusual in retail, meaning their staff is happy). People have their days and unfortunately the employee lost it with you. There is plenty of times were I have wanted to lose it with an employee but didnt. The employee just needs to learn to kept their cool. I cant see DID being able to do anything better for you

To be honest if a little jumped up ****e peddling glorified rag n bone man allegedly lost his COOL with me like that , i think i may have lost my cool and lamped him one then he might think twice before thinking he has any right to treat anyone like that

Its nice to be important, its more important to be nice

bagels

Stheno wrote: »

I can understand how someone on a low income (I've been there) could be short unexpectedly

However I'd check and double check rather than suffer that sort of experience.

Thank you for your comment.
I believe I shouldn't have endured such an experience at the hands of <SNIP>. I was smiling and polite so he could easily have asked me to step to one side with him and quietly explained that he couldn't let the item out the door unless the full price is paid. I would have understood and appreciated his predicament. His loud belittling of me and his theatrical 'generosity' was totally demeaning and unnecessary.
Nobody entering a shop expects to be treated in such a manner.

dudara

jmtc8 wrote: »

You are completely right to insist on an apology from this person. He could so easily have said what he thought in the quiet and in a much more customer friendly manner but instead chose to mortify you in front of your wife and everybody else. Sounds like a right control nut. Its 0.67 cents for Gods sake. DID will have lost a lot of custom over 0.67 cents. Approximately €450 from me for starters.

Posters - I'd like to remind you that we're only hearing one side of the story here, and that we should refrain from making assumptions about a person's behaviour.

I've cleaned out all references to this individual's name and position as it's unfair to target someone in this manner.

dee_mc

It certainly sounds as though <SNIP> treated you rudely, I'm not disputing that, but I'd love if you would fill in a few blanks for me:

a) Why do you want an apology? By the sound of things <SNIP> is fairly jumped up, and an apology forced by higher management will presumably be insincere, so do you think it will actually make you feel better, or that he will realise the error of his ways?

b) Was the microwave you chose on special offer at the time? I work in retail and have come up against irate customers requesting/expecting an additional discount on already discounted items (which we can't issue, as it's against store policy)

c) Why didn't you just come back another day with your 67c?

anewme

I think this goes to show that people are individuals and some people should not be in customer facing roles.

I actually find DID good (my local one is excellent) and the staff are lovely.

Also, I also remember how helpful DID were in relation to the very sad case of Peggy Mangan and Casper and it made me actually want to put some business their way.

masonchat

bagels wrote: »

Thank you for your comment.
I believe I shouldn't have endured such an experience at the hands of the <SNIP>. I was smiling and polite so he could easily have asked me to step to one side with him and quietly explained that he couldn't let the item out the door unless the full price is paid. I would have understood and appreciated his predicament. His loud belittling of me and his theatrical 'generosity' was totally demeaning and unnecessary.
Nobody entering a shop expects to be treated in such a manner.

i think i would have left said microwave seated softly over his head ,

dudara

@masonchat - we don't condone violence on Boards. Please post constructively.

dudara

mikom

bagels wrote: »

I recently had a terrible experience in the Galway branch of DID Electrical, at the hands of a staff member who identified himself as <SNIP>. I was treated like <SNIP> in front of my Wife, other customers and staff in a manner so shocking it defies belief. I've never been so humiliated in all my life and all my efforts to receive a simple apology have come to nothing, adding further insult to injury. Read on, I'll bet you've never come across a story like this before, and I hope it never happens to you.

I'm in my mid-fifties and retired from work on grounds of ill-health. All my Wife and I have to live on is my miserly pension of €250 per week so you can appreciate that we're on the breadline. We went to DID Electrical Galway to buy a much-needed microwave that cost €54.99.

When I went to pay I found I was 67 cents short of the asking price. I asked for their best possible price, hoping I'd be able to afford it, but no discount was offered. With a smile on my face and being very polite, I handed over the money I had and tried to negotiate a discount of 67 cents so that I could buy that microwave that we'd chosen. The <SNIP> responded in an aggressive manner and no matter how politely and calmly I tried to negotiate, even communicate, with him he wasn't having any of it. I could hardly get a word in but he was able to say such things to me as:
"You have no right to come into an electrical retailer looking for a discount"
"You should choose a cheaper microwave, one you can afford"

Those comments in themselves seem harmless but you'd have to be there to see how he deliberately tried to demean me in front of others. His voice was sneering and his body-language was intolerant at best and aggressive at worst. Throughout our exchange he made other comments that may seem innocent on paper but were actually derogatory and sarcastic in the manner in which they were spoken.

When he said that neither he nor the shop were charities I gave up at that stage and turned to walk away.
He then said out loudly for all to hear that he'd pay the 67 cents out of his own pocket and then he made a big show of taking some coins from his pocket and threw them noisily into the till, all the time repeating that he's paying my bill.
Several customers and staff members witnessed this disgraceful behaviour by <SNIP>and his treatment of us. My Wife and I were absolutely mortified. I thanked him and took the microwave and left the shop, too intimidated and humiliated to ask for a receipt.

I contacted the head office of DID Electrical and reported what had occured. I received a phone call from their customer services manager, <SNIP>, and she apologised for the way I'd been treated. She asked me to leave the matter with her and she'd ensure my complaint would be dealt with. After three months I'd heard nothing from her so I emailed the company and expressed my disappointment and disgust at the way they were treating me. I informed them that I'd paid the outstanding 67 cents and that I now wanted my receipt.

I'm now in possession of the receipt but what I don't have is what I've wanted from the beginning, ie an apology from <SNIP> who unjustifiably treated me like dirt.

Judging by the way his head office don't give a damn about the matter, is it any wonder that <SNIP> feels free to behave so disgracefully. Sure he's only following his bosses example.

You should have bought the microwave in white and saved yourself a lot of trouble.
Virtually the exact same Thor model, only white, and cheaper at €49.99...... http://www.did.ie/microwaves/where/dir/asc/order/price

bagels

iusedtoknow wrote: »

and the questions he would have had to answered when his books came up short...

I worked in a takeaway and would always have people wanting free this and that. If you do that too often, it would soon be noticed. Remember…<SNIP> is not the owner so has little or no leeway when it comes to these things.

The OP was treated with out the respect you'd hope for, but I am still with <SNIP> stand on this

Thank you for your comment.
It isn't the case that I "was treated without the respect (I'd) hoped for". I should have been treated with the respect I'm entitled to as a human being. Instead I was treated with the absence of any respect whatsoever.
You state you're "still with the (staff member's) stand on this". Does this mean that you believe it was ok for the (staff member) to treat me so contemptuously and that you yourself would also treat a customer in the same disgraceful manner?

bagels

vibe666 wrote: »

If you feel that strongly, vote with your feet. I've always got good deals out of Harvey Norman and they're usually pretty good with discounts as well and very friendly.

Thank you for your comment.
I'll take your kind advice.