Quote:
Originally Posted by issdaol
As Bill say's this type of behavior is not just confined to the Astro industry.
However it is still deplorable when you see innocent beginners (or anyone) taken advantage of in this manner. Especially if the perpetrator is someone knowledgeable and thus has the choice to advise honestly and openly but chooses to do the opposite.
Unfortunately no one ever exposes these people openly which results in this type of thing continuing and expanding.
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Hi Phil,
It isn't always that simple. Often, sales people come and go regularly and they are not given the training required. I was contracted, at one point, to deliver training in telescopes, and basic astronomy, for a store in Perth, due to my background in the optical industry, and because I am a qualified trainer. The lack of basic knowledge is surprising, even in simple concepts. I currently work in education, as a trainer, so I am aware of some of these problems.
I used to work in the astro industry, a long time ago now, and when I pointed out why people had to pay more, the customer was often not willing to do so. Period! They just thought I was trying to up sell them. It was also surprising that people thought that magnification was the most important factor and when you tried to educate them otherwise, they simply didn't believe you. It is not what they have seen, written on the box, in department stores, so I must be lying, as if these department store must know the truth.
Because I refused to deal in the cheap stuff, I would send them to another store, with the clear warning that they wouldn't get what they pay for, and to make sure that they can take it back if they are not happy.
Even despite the warnings, they still went ahead and bought the crap telescope, binoculars or microscope, and quite a few did come back to me when they realised that I was correct. In fact, a lot of my business was from these type of people, once they realised I was telling the truth and not just being a salesperson.
People simply don't trust salespeople, even if they are telling the truth. So, the situation is often more complex than it seems, and it is easy to pass judgement.
I have also been involved in customer service training and some people just don't get it, no matter how much you train them.
And these are the people expected to sell stuff. Because I am acutely aware of this, I have seen some appalling customer service, and, on a number of occasions I have pointed this out to management, including in the astro area, and they don't care about it. Plenty more customers out there, apparently?
As dedicated amateurs, it is easy for us to be critical, as we have this knowledge. Often, because of high staff turnover, businesses cannot always afford the necessary training, to pay enough to employ knowledgeable staff, or, indeed, to keep them, as was my case, when I realised I was capable of earning much more doing other stuff; I moved on and out of sales, to earn more than I ever could in sales, particularly retail sales.
After all, the Latin "Caveat Emptor" still applies, and in many ways, more so now, given the easy access to information.
Cheers Pete