Worst customer service from renowned bottle shops

I've had some bad luck with bottle shops as well, one here locally in particular that I have completely stopped giving my business to for almost a year now.

When I make the short drive out to San Diego I try to hit a new bottle shop each time. I've only had a bad experience at one in SD, the proprietor of said well-known shop was quite short with me. He didn't seem pleased at all that I had no problem dropping over $200 on my first(and only after my experience) visit.

 

Actually stopped by CBX the day after Christmas for the first time and the local section was pretty bare but given the day I visited I could understand the lack of supply. One employee did mention they had been crushed by the holidays after restocking recently so the note itself was appreciated.

The guy at the register did respond with a smart comment when I asked about the saisons on the shelf so that may have been the person the OP was talking to. While I wasn't offended, more so caught off-guard since I didn't know him until 2 minutes ago, the guy could do a little better in how he talks with customers, new or old. Seems like a pretty good shop overall though.

 

Ouch. Do you work for Charelston Beer Exchange?

 

I had a guy I'd never seen before come in and basically just wanted ONE rare beer that wasn't really for sale. He made multiple back handed comments to me. I couldn't give two if I never see him again in my store.

 

The amount of back handed comments and smugness from some BA's just irritate the hell out of me. BTW, I'm agreeing with you.

 

I'm not sure I'd qualify the OP's comments to the employee as "insulting", even though he does question the selection of the shop.

And honestly, assuming this went down exactly as presented, I don't really see anything to defend about the employee's behavior. A customer should be able to honestly express feedback about a place of business without being treated poorly (unless the customer is being abusive or outright rude, of course).

Disclaimer: I have no way of knowing exactly how accurate the OP's account of the events truly is...

In fact, savvy retail workers/owners see that kind of feedback as an opportunity, not an insult. Ask the customer what he's looking for--again, the point is to make the customer happy, and I'm not talking about the whole "customer is always right" saying. I'm simply saying that the easiest way to get a customer to continue shopping at your store and spending money is to make them happy, and when you can make them happy without really spending any money (i.e., by being polite and courteous and caring about what they want), it's a great return on investment.

Plus, if the account in the review is absolutely correct, the customer in question gave a signal to the employee that he was familiar with the shop and would continue to shop there. In other words: a flashing red sign that the employee should at least have an initial interest in making him happy (again, as long as making him happy involved a reasonable request).

I mean, this turned out in about the worst possible way it could have for CBX. They are now the proud owners of a thread on BA talking about their rude employee. It's a turn of events that could have been avoided with some basic, uncomplicated courtesy.

And yet your comment helps keep this topic right at the top of the "New Posts" list on the home page... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

Having worked in customer service for a decade, I have a hard time believing there's not more to this story. I've worked with hundreds of people and some not so stable types, but I've never seen someone react like that completely unprovoked.

 

Definitely. Respect goes both ways.

 

Moral of the story, Don't be a dick. It's not hard people.

 

If this happened to me I would set said bottles down and say see ya fucker.

 

On the flip side best customer service, was in Tulsa last month, sayed downtown, not wanting to drive that much. Hit up Modern Spirits and they had a limited, but extremely local/beer I can't find in Texas selection. They were uncasing Prairie Oakie Coffee at the time I walked in. I asked if they thought it would be around for a while because i was walking and didn't want to lug it around with me and was met with "you can never tell, but we will hold whatever you want until you come back". They did and I came back and dropped a wad on that and others. Great store that I will use whenever I am in Tulsa, employees were all very nice.

 

Two sides to every story. Jaded employees and very particular customers are a time bomb. In other circumstances these two might be friends. This is an old story. I'm fairly certain that none of this really matters too much.

 

Having worked in customer service and been on the receiving end, this story seems plenty plausible. Although it is certainly plausible that there is more to it as well.

I've interacted and worked with employees who saw customers as the enemy. It was a very strange attitude to have given the line of work.

 

In any job somebody is your "customer", so can't really respond angrily when asked questions constantly...

 

Either there is a huge piece of the story missing, or he just put in his two weeks and is going out with a scorched earth policy. Everyone has bad customer service now and then, but I've never had anyone just insult me on site unprovoked.

 

Well, I hope that you informed (or will inform) the manager and/or owner of the place. It's fine to write a review and start a thread about the shop, but I somehow doubt that it'll have the kind of impact that actually leads to a change. Bad day or not, the employee was out of line and that person's boss needs to be aware that it'll have a detrimental effect on the store's bottom line. Given that you've been a long-time customer, you're probably stand a decent chance of getting someone to act. Just think of how many non-BA folks you'll save from having to deal with that bonehead. Plus, the type of response you get can help you decide whether to give them another shot.

 

In these instances, you usually have to hear both parties involved tell you what happened. In all reality, they would both exaggerate the situation to their favor.

 

I don't think there's any "possibly" about it, the clerk's response was uncalled for. If you can't handle mild criticism from a customer, then you probably shouldn't be working retail.

 

People that say

are without a doubt the worst kinds of customers everywhere I have worked.

 

I don't have a problem with questions. I encourage questions. Unless it's "do you have more rare stuff in your 'back room'". I had a guy come in and bought a haul of stuff after our first cellar release. The dude said 'When I was here last week you said you didn't have this." To which I replied "It wasn't for sale then. It is now." When you have people that want to take the fun out of things like hoarding products for a cellar release or a special sale, it's a little annoying to put it lightly.