Poor shopping experience from large furniture/home stores

[JimmyJ]

30 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

Does raise the question, though, why people need diamond rings when glass looks the same....... 

This is why Kevin on the US reality show "Shark Tank" says he loves 2 businesses - Wedding and Funeral - basically because people can be upsold so easily in both situations.

Edited May 30, 2022 by JimmyJ

[LittleBear57]

Paragraph ! and 3 common occurrences here I've found. I just say I don't want it at the till if it's a different price. 

What did really annoy me and I've never used the shop since was when we were buying our new house we saw an air con unit with a large discount. Samsung 11000BTU with inverter, which I wanted. Shop said no problem they would store it for me and I could collect it when I moved in. Except of course when I collected it, it wasn't the same item, Samsung yes, but no inverter and the shop denied all knowledge said it never was an inverter. It certainly was but I had to take it as they would not refund my money. 

[scubascuba3]

27 minutes ago, LittleBear57 said:

Paragraph ! and 3 common occurrences here I've found. I just say I don't want it at the till if it's a different price. 

What did really annoy me and I've never used the shop since was when we were buying our new house we saw an air con unit with a large discount. Samsung 11000BTU with inverter, which I wanted. Shop said no problem they would store it for me and I could collect it when I moved in. Except of course when I collected it, it wasn't the same item, Samsung yes, but no inverter and the shop denied all knowledge said it never was an inverter. It certainly was but I had to take it as they would not refund my money. 

If you'd pay for it already you'd be able to check the model on the receipt and confirm it had inverter when you bought it 

Edited May 30, 2022 by scubascuba3

[GreasyFingers]

Wonderful stories. Having been in the selling business I do wonder where they come from here. Having actually trained sales people I now look at how they perform when I go to a store. It is a pleasant experience when I encounter one who knows what they are supposed to do, unfortunately that is very rare.

 

[The Hammer2021]

To paraphrase  Blackadder: 'My! How those long rainy season weekends must fly by.'

[Tropposurfer]

12 hours ago, Gsxrnz said:

I always flatten out the note/s I'm handing over, make sure the cashier sees me scrutinising and counting said notes, and then hold the notes in front of their face while telling them in Thai the amount of cash or the denomination I'm handing over.

 

ESPECIALLY in WS Gogo bars and gas stations. In a Bar, if you simply look at the bill and then stuff the bill plus your 1k note in the pot, You are saying  "please feel free to short change me".

 

Never been short changed yet. 

Yeah learnt this quite a while back ????.

I always carry smaller notes e..g a few thou in hundreds, a few thou in 500's, and a few hundred in 20's and 10's and coins in my shoulder/manbag and coin drawer in my car and count out as you do - each note right in front of the cashier, or put it on the tray at restaurant with appropriate tip. NEVER large notes for small bills, and usually count out the notes in Thai as I do so which 'messages' the cashier quick-smart I aint' no tourist-blow-in.

I have to say I don't seem to have any issues now that I live here. Maybe because I'm beginning to speak Thai a little better and use the language much more and known to others as a permanent fixture.  

[RocketDog]

4 hours ago, rwill said:

I had a few times where I got more change than I should have. 

 

Also places like Homepro, Powerbuy and probably others you can sometimes get better prices buying online than in store with free delivery.

For power tools I've buying on Lazada. But only brands I know like makita, Dewalt, etc. Up to 20% cheater than local thaiwatsaduor global house.

Yes, I know they're assembled in Thailand, but still better than the Chinese junk.

Chinese motors use minimum copper windings and steel laminates in their motors so they run hotter and burnout sooner. They're always overrated in horsepower and torgue specs too.

[scorecard]

14 hours ago, CharlieH said:

Pet hate, 2 for 1,  when it's actually double the price of one item on the shelf !

 

Most of the employees in the big stores are on commission that's why the drive for particular brands, or follow you around, I really don't like the trailing behind me and tell them I'll call them if needed.

A twist, I was at HP and saw a quite nice cantilever type desk lamp but in dark blue.

I asked a staff member in Thai 'what colour do you have?'

 

Instant reply by staff member (and the gaggle of 2 or 3 staff which gathered quickly) 'See deow' this colour only.

 

Meanwhile I had noted in the open shelves under the counter where the lamp was on display indicated the same stock number and in English 4 more colours. I mentioned this to the staff member. Another staff member chimed in 'but not today, only this colour today'.

 

I opened several boxes, sure enough 4 more colours. Staff now all look worried/awkward, same interfering staff member now says 'but this stock not available until next week'.

 

I responded 'I'll go to Thai Watsadu' (5 minutes drive away). All of the staff now tripping over each other trying to back track their silly comments. I did go to Thai and I did buy a nice lamp, the colour I wanted.

 

A few weeks later the staff in HP upset my Thai son, son asked for the manager, manager came and son shared his annoyance.

 

Manger made no attempt to understand what my son was saying, just responded 'but you don't understand, the staff are just trying to take care of you'. 

 

HP now near the bottom of preferred shops. 

[FarangFB]

This one happened to a friend about 12 years ago in the era of portable digital cameras. He bought a camera and when recording videos at night, there would be some weird vertical light lines in the video.

 

He took it back to the shop, and their solution was "make videos during daytime only sir"

Edited May 30, 2022 by FarangFB

[Happy Howard]

19 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

The OP isn't aware that, although an employee of a store may have a badge on saying they are working for that store, they are in fact employed there by a manufacturer, and that is why they push and push a particular product. My wife and I were looking at a product once and a 'shopper' complete with shopping bag got involved insisting on one particular and expensive model. She was such a bad actress it couldn't have been more obvious that she had been planted there.

We were buying another product one time and the salesman was good and we were convinced. "We'll take it", we said. "Sorry, out of stock". He spent a good 10 minutes 'selling' us something we were unable to buy. Brain dead. And I've lost count of the times I've seen something on display and wanted to buy it, only to be told it's out of stock. I've also lost count of the times I've asked why they don't sell the display model and just get the stupid Thai grin. And why display something to sell if you don't it have anyway? Another time I tried to buy a phone but it was locked in a display case and no-one had the key.

 

All in all. I've probably saved a return air fare to Europe not being able to buy something that is front of me. And can anyone tell me if other countries have price check machines scattered around supermarkets like they do here? If that isn't an admission that the store doesn't really know what it's doing and the price on display might not be the sale price then I don't know what does.

It's taken me awhile to work out that a lot of promotional products are displayed with signs that say "FROM" 299 Baht in Thai but there are also a lot of product in the same display that are a lot more expensive than the displayed price.

[Andycoops]

The fine art of customer service knows no bounds here in the hub of selling things the shop hasn't got.

The staff in many shops are on commission which is why they push certain products.

I buy many things online but some items I prefer to buy in person and therefore I accept the experience is part of the process.

[LittleBear57]

On 5/30/2022 at 5:51 PM, scubascuba3 said:

If you'd pay for it already you'd be able to check the model on the receipt and confirm it had inverter when you bought it 

It had an inverter they just sold it on and denied all knowlege.

[scubascuba3]

42 minutes ago, LittleBear57 said:

It had an inverter they just sold it on and denied all knowlege.

doesn't make sense, your receipt would say the model with code, they can't subsequently just give you another model

[phetphet]

On 5/30/2022 at 9:12 PM, scorecard said:

A twist, I was at HP and saw a quite nice cantilever type desk lamp but in dark blue.

I asked a staff member in Thai 'what colour do you have?'

 

Instant reply by staff member (and the gaggle of 2 or 3 staff which gathered quickly) 'See deow' this colour only.

 

Meanwhile I had noted in the open shelves under the counter where the lamp was on display indicated the same stock number and in English 4 more colours. I mentioned this to the staff member. Another staff member chimed in 'but not today, only this colour today'.

 

I opened several boxes, sure enough 4 more colours. Staff now all look worried/awkward, same interfering staff member now says 'but this stock not available until next week'.

 

I responded 'I'll go to Thai Watsadu' (5 minutes drive away). All of the staff now tripping over each other trying to back track their silly comments. I did go to Thai and I did buy a nice lamp, the colour I wanted.

 

A few weeks later the staff in HP upset my Thai son, son asked for the manager, manager came and son shared his annoyance.

 

Manger made no attempt to understand what my son was saying, just responded 'but you don't understand, the staff are just trying to take care of you'. 

 

HP now near the bottom of preferred shops. 

I always feel as if I am suspected of being a shoplifter when I go to HP. Cannot browse without a member of staff following me and watching my every move. Really annoying.

[Dumbfounded]

I get that kind of treatment regularly at my local gl_b_l store, last week I needed some steel, found it, but was told no hab. I said I'm looking at it, I want to buy this steel, again told sorry no hab. Either it hadn't been entered into the computer stock system or he just didn't want to help. I bought it elsewhere

[Mac Mickmanus]

1 minute ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

I always gets this when i go for my happy massage...u pay me 399....now finish....

 

wait...i just got here!!!..still have my socks on!   ????

Isnt it against forum rules to discuss posters participating in paying for sex ?

[scubascuba3]

5 hours ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

Isnt it against forum rules to discuss posters participating in paying for sex ?

only you mentioned sex

[Mac Mickmanus]

58 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

only you mentioned sex

A "happy massage" is a massage that involves sex 

Edited June 1, 2022 by Mac Mickmanus

[scubascuba3]

1 hour ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

A "happy massage" is a massage that involves sex 

99% of people consider sex as intercourse and a happy massage is mostly not that 

[lopburi3]

On 6/2/2022 at 7:40 AM, scubascuba3 said:

99% of people consider sex as intercourse and a happy massage is mostly not that