Ever went into your local mattress store or Furniture Company only to feel you’ve been big time shafted?
Well I’d be lying if I told you in my 20+ years in the business that I hadn’t made someone mad handling various service issues. To be honest I have had more than a few customers who have told me as such. I never want people to feel like I have taken their money and I feel horrible when they think that is what has happened. So what are some of the most common problems that can improve the services that we receive?
Quick story: a customer buys a bed and a set of sheets from me. 1 1/2 years later they return to the store and buy another bed. Being the salesman I am I made the attempt to add onto the sale with a sheet set. The person tells me they we’re very disappointed with their first sheet set and would never buy another. When I asked if they returned them, they said they didn’t bother and threw them away. The lesson here is me STL Beds was never given the opportunity to exchange them or return them for a refund. I explained to them that I cannot make it right if I don’t know about the problem and gave them a brand new set free.
Sometimes the trouble is a result of confusion or remembrance. “Remember that mattress I bought back about a year ago from you” when in actuality it was bought 3 years ago.
How can service issues be resolved?
How STL Beds and many other stores handle such situations is by asking for the standard necessary information or documentation “ Do you have your receipt”? This is the customers’ proof of purchase, and proves they are the original purchaser. This is important for a couple reasons. The item could be out of manufacturers warranty or the warranty often times is not transferable to someone. It is regrettable but when the purchaser contacts the retailer without a receipt, it makes it nearly impossible for them to process a warranty, solve a problem or answer a question they may have about their purchase.
What can you do if you do not have a copy of your receipt?
Not all businesses are computerized. Even companies that are, don’t necessarily enter your personal information into the system for future reference they may only utilize their computer system for bookkeeping. Dealers are required in most states to keep sales receipts for a certain number of years for audit purposes. They are not required to keep receipts for customers for warranty claims. Some dealers like STL Beds strive to offer superior service after the sale by offering to sift through those years and months of records.
So what does a dealer need in order to do this? The purchaser can supply information found on a canceled check, which may either be returned to them after clearing the bank or may also be accessible through the bank itself. Credit card charge receipts or even the monthly statements can provide the necessary purchase information a retailer is looking for in order to address the customers’ problem or question.
Tell us about your warranty experience.
