| Wow... This thread is a strange one... ??
I'll say... that I've been treated great by Guitar Center...
Bought my last guitar purchase there (an EJ strat at the Nashville store) and the guys there were absolutely great. I think I tried out 5 or 6 of the exact same strat before purchasing mine...and of course was able to just pick the one I liked the best.
Now that I live here in the Portland, OR area I frequent the Clackamas, OR store and the guys there have been great.
That being said, I'm not the kind of guy who goes in attempting to buy pro audio gear at what really is a consumer oriented store, or asking questions that I already know I can better research the answers to myself. I'll buck against the trend here and say that I usually get a great discount, have bought a load of gear there, and the guys are always hospitable...
THAT being said... I don't ask a lot of questions, get out of the constant background music as quickly as possible and shop other places for 'other' gear purchases also.
I do think that training at these types of stores is a constant issue, and that there should be a constant regimen of product training and "soft skills" training in this type of customer service environment. Someone early simply said "SERVICE" and I agree with that.
I'm certainly well aware of the fact that service matters to me MUCH more than price... and I'll certainly pay more from a place I know is going to give great service.
Mercenary Audio is a great example of this type of service ((( Yes... a shout out ))))
They're prices aren't high necassarily but.. I can sometimes beat thier price online and prefer to shop at Mercenary because they kick ass at service. Everytime I've called or emailed them I thought afterwards... "God... was that easy!"
It's funny to me how many times the answer to providing great customer service really is to learn to possess humility in your dealings with people.
Great customer service is about providing your customers with a positive experience when they purchase from you...
In a sense, great customer service is about providing an environment in which your customers feel as if they are more important than the company or person that they are purchasing from... |