TMK9973 Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 So I need a twin mattress for my 8 year old son. He only spends 1 night a week at my place and has been sleeping on a air mattress. So I called the Mattress Warehouse in Leesburg and asked them for prices of inexpensive twin mattress. She was nice and told me they have one for $199 in stock, but they normally sell ones as low as $129. So I called the one in Ashburn. Charles answered and told me they have lots of twin mattress between $129 and $199. I asked to confirm what they have in stock before I come out there. He said "There are a lot of them. You can come in and look". I asked to confirm before I come out there. He told me to call back in 20 mins. I did. He then said "Yup. We have lots of twin mattress in stock." I asked him to confirm the price. He said "We have a lot of different ones. Just come in". Again, I said "I'm not coming in only to find out the only one you have is $199. What do you have in stock?" He answered "I don't know. Just come in." When I asked him why he couldn't look he said "I have another call" and hung up. So then I called the one in Sterling. Asked the same question. His response "I can't give you a quote over the phone". I was shocked. "Why?" I asked. "Company policy. You will need to come in". I said "I'm not coming in until I know what you have. Just tell me or I will go elsewhere". His answer "Ok. Bye" Nice customer service policies mattress warehouse! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hockeysc23 Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 wow. Honestly for cheap mattress and usually they are pretty nice I found BJ's/Costco to be pretty good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOF44 Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 Bj's/Costco/Sams for mattresses. That's the only places I'll go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bay Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 There's a good spot out in Warrenton, but judging upon where you called it might not be worth the trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DButz65 Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 Well guess you wont be getting one of those mattress guys dolls then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMK9973 Posted May 27, 2009 Author Share Posted May 27, 2009 LOL! Just found a place in leesburg with $89 twin. Very nice. Going to pick it up now. Will name the place after I confirm it's there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DButz65 Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 LOL! Just found a place in leesburg with $89 twin. Very nice. Going to pick it up now. Will name the place after I confirm it's there! Wait they couldnt confirm if it was there or not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt. Kaos Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 *from a salesman* This may seem frustrating to you but try being the salesman on the other end and having to take this call 20x or more every day. It's really kinda simple..... you need a mattress, go to the store and get one. I'll bet you dollars to donuts that if you go to one of ther stores and they dont have what you are looking for the salesperson will gladly find out which store has one for you. As far as the quoting over the phne, I have worked for companies that have the same policy and I agree with it 100%! You want to bargain shop thats fine but I'm not gonna do the leg work for you while you sit at home. Get in the car and come to the store. It does sound like they need to get the sales staff on the same page though, if it's a policy then all of them should be stating that. my 2cents Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOF44 Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 You want to bargain shop thats fine but I'm not gonna do the leg work for you while you sit at home. Get in the car and come to the store. I think it's crazy for a company that sells items that have prices readily available online and in other ads to not give you the prices they have. If I'm searching they just get marked off the list. To many other options to mess around with someone doing this to a product whose prices are available from other outlets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drop Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 *from a salesman*This may seem frustrating to you but try being the salesman on the other end and having to take this call 20x or more every day. It's really kinda simple..... you need a mattress, go to the store and get one. I'll bet you dollars to donuts that if you go to one of ther stores and they dont have what you are looking for the salesperson will gladly find out which store has one for you. As far as the quoting over the phne, I have worked for companies that have the same policy and I agree with it 100%! You want to bargain shop thats fine but I'm not gonna do the leg work for you while you sit at home. Get in the car and come to the store. It does sound like they need to get the sales staff on the same page though, if it's a policy then all of them should be stating that. my 2cents Capt. Kaos, nothing i'm about to say is about you personally. I'm not speaking about you specifically, but rather responding in general to the comment you made. Now i'm sorry but when you are a sales person who works the floor, or an associate who works behind a counter at a place such as a Mattress Warehouse, it's your job to A) deal with the public and sell a product. Dealing with the public and selling typically involves getting off your ass, getting out from in front of your computer, getting off the phone with your girlfriend/boyfriend/husband/wife/friends etc....and going and searching for a product who someone is WILLING to come in and buy, just so long as you tell them that it is in fact in stock at that location. All too often, i've been told to hold on while a sales associate finishes checking their text messages, or wraps up a personal phone conversation right in front of me. I imagine that much of the same goes on while you're on the phone waiting. You spoke of bargain shopping. Odds are, if someone is calling to ask for a price quote on one or two particular items, they have already found the bargain they wanted. Now they are comparing what you have in stock as far as price and availability goes, so that they can come into the store to actually purchase the item. Not giving a quote over the phone is lazy, unprofessional, and BAD policy. To go to a store, only to be told that you have to go to another store to get the item you wanted, is a major pain in the ass. And if sales people don't wanna get off their asses and go search for products in the back, then they shouldn't be surprised when they don't have a job in a few years because the chain they worked for closed down, because all of their customers decided to start shopping online where they could compare prices and get hassle free quotes in no time. Real people have to keep up with technology if "sales personal" hope to avoid extinction. besides, if it's not a sales persons job to go to the back to find out information for you, then who the hells job is it? If they're not getting paid to do that, what the hell are they getting paid to do?? my 2 cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hockeysc23 Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 *from a salesman*This may seem frustrating to you but try being the salesman on the other end and having to take this call 20x or more every day. It's really kinda simple..... you need a mattress, go to the store and get one. I'll bet you dollars to donuts that if you go to one of ther stores and they dont have what you are looking for the salesperson will gladly find out which store has one for you. As far as the quoting over the phne, I have worked for companies that have the same policy and I agree with it 100%! You want to bargain shop thats fine but I'm not gonna do the leg work for you while you sit at home. Get in the car and come to the store. It does sound like they need to get the sales staff on the same page though, if it's a policy then all of them should be stating that. my 2cents Isn't the whole point of a salesman to help promote a sale. If his prices are higher than the competition then he should be able to explain why his store is better (better service, returns, convenience etc.) . Sales people that don't try to help the customer are the reason internet shopping has become so prevalent. It's sad I can go online and find out more information than my salesman. His job is to assist the buyer to earn money ... he didn't do that in this case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcsluggo Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 *from a salesman*This may seem frustrating to you but try being the salesman on the other end and having to take this call 20x or more every day. It's really kinda simple..... you need a mattress, go to the store and get one. I'll bet you dollars to donuts that if you go to one of ther stores and they dont have what you are looking for the salesperson will gladly find out which store has one for you. As far as the quoting over the phne, I have worked for companies that have the same policy and I agree with it 100%! You want to bargain shop thats fine but I'm not gonna do the leg work for you while you sit at home. Get in the car and come to the store. It does sound like they need to get the sales staff on the same page though, if it's a policy then all of them should be stating that. my 2cents as a salesman... eff you all. i HATE the salesman mentality (particularly the bolded crap) calling the store IS DOING THE DAMN LEGWORK. there is no way somebody should have to go to a store and wrangle with a salesman to eek out an undisclosed price. that is stupid. you have a product, name the price, if i want it i will buy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMK9973 Posted May 27, 2009 Author Share Posted May 27, 2009 Baers Mattress warehouse. Quoted $89 on the phone in 2 seconds. Showed up, they had it ready. Bought it. Guess where I am going next time I want a mattress, even a nice one... Capt Kaos - I once sold Gym Memberships. We had a policy to TRY not to quote prices over the phone. It was -They ask once, ask them what they are looking for and invite them in. Ask a second time talk in broad terms about different memberships, ask a third time - GIVE THEM THE PRICE. Would rather tell the price then lose the customer. You want me to what, go to 5 different stores only to be told to go to a different store that may or may not be close to me? Now - What is more likely - Guy is rude to me on the phone and wont answer my questions so I will A) Go to the store anyway, just in case they have what I need Go to a different store to look around C) Call another store that does answer my questions and buy from them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMK9973 Posted May 27, 2009 Author Share Posted May 27, 2009 Wait they couldnt confirm if it was there or not? No - they did. But I was Jadded. Wanted to make sure it wasn't a bait and switch. It wasn't! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt. Kaos Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 I think it's crazy for a company that sells items that have prices readily available online and in other ads to not give you the prices they have. Oops, the companies that I worked for did not post prices anywhere but in the stores. I was assuming that Mattress Warehouse didnt since the OP was calling about prices. what the hell are they getting paid to do?? I agree and I have walked out of several stores because the salesperson was to busy with personal matters to address my needs. My point here was that he was not in the store, he was calling over the phone. Try explaining to someone that you have to hang up with them because a customer just walked in to your store. Most cases they become very angry, why? Are you really going to buy the ** over the phone? A salesmans job is to sell, doest that require answering questions over the phone, yes but at the same time a VERY low percentage of people are going to actually place the order over the phone so as a salesman my firsy objective is to get you in front of me. I'm not sure how other companies operate but I can assure you that if I sold you an item that was at another store I would have it brought to my store or if possible delivered to your house. Thats the least I could do for not having the item in stock the day you purchased it. and to answer your last question.... Sell, which doesnt happen over the phone very often. ... You pretty much lock up the job description of a salesman but all the while are talking like the customer in this case was standing in front of the salesperson, he wasnt. That completely changes the dynamics of the relationship. I'm in way saying that what was done is right. I'm just shining a different light on the subject. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOF44 Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 Oops, the companies that I worked for did not post prices anywhere but in the stores. I was assuming that Mattress Warehouse didnt since the OP was calling about prices. I don't know if they post their prices or not. I do know that many places that sell mattresses do post their prices online and in ads. If MW wants to compete with them, I'd suggest not making the prices a big secret. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMK9973 Posted May 27, 2009 Author Share Posted May 27, 2009 I don't know if they post their prices or not. I do know that many places that sell mattresses do post their prices online and in ads. If MW wants to compete with them, I'd suggest not making the prices a big secret. Good point. Also - MW does post online and in ads. But when I called to see what they have in stock, that was when they said "They couldn't tell me" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt. Kaos Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 After thinking about this what I'm trying to say boils down to this: Customer calls store A gets a quote on a thingamajig for $100 salesman says we have that in stock. then calls store B and gets a quote on a thingamajig for $125 salesman says we have that in stock and...... Anything that comes after the "and" is falling on deaf ears. What is really there is the reasoning behind the $25 price difference. Sounds to me that most of the people that are responding to my post dont want to deal with a salesman, you all want a clerk, an order taker, someone to give you a price and take your money. There's no skill in that. My daughter can do that, I want you to understand what you are buying, why it costs what it does and why you should buy my thingamajig over the other guys. And all of that can only happen when you are standing in front of me! /rant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt. Kaos Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 Good point. Also - MW does post online and in ads. But when I called to see what they have in stock, that was when they said "They couldn't tell me" Well then, thats just plain stupid! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elessar78 Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 After thinking about this what I'm trying to say boils down to this:Customer calls store A gets a quote on a thingamajig for $100 salesman says we have that in stock. then calls store B and gets a quote on a thingamajig for $125 salesman says we have that in stock and...... Anything that comes after the "and" is falling on deaf ears. What is really there is the reasoning behind the $25 price difference. Sounds to me that most of the people that are responding to my post dont want to deal with a salesman, you all want a clerk, an order taker, someone to give you a price and take your money. There's no skill in that. My daughter can do that, I want you to understand what you are buying, why it costs what it does and why you should buy my thingamajig over the other guys. And all of that can only happen when you are standing in front of me! /rant But see what if I'm not interested in WHY your product costs more? What if I'm not interested in performance/quality? Mattresses are bad examples because aside from my office chair, there isn't another piece of furniture I think contributes directly to one's quality of life. I love to put some research into things that I buy. So once I'm in a store I know what I'm after and I can't trust a salesman because, IMO, he's trying to sell me something and his opinion is biased. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hockeysc23 Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 After thinking about this what I'm trying to say boils down to this:Customer calls store A gets a quote on a thingamajig for $100 salesman says we have that in stock. then calls store B and gets a quote on a thingamajig for $125 salesman says we have that in stock and...... Anything that comes after the "and" is falling on deaf ears. What is really there is the reasoning behind the $25 price difference. Sounds to me that most of the people that are responding to my post dont want to deal with a salesman, you all want a clerk, an order taker, someone to give you a price and take your money. There's no skill in that. My daughter can do that, I want you to understand what you are buying, why it costs what it does and why you should buy my thingamajig over the other guys. And all of that can only happen when you are standing in front of me! /rant But it never happens if you cannot get them into the store. There is skill involved, and I like many others don't mind paying more for that knowledge or expertise. But don't expect people to not even come by if you cannot guarantee that what they want to buy will be there. It is a problem mostly because of salesman stereotypes and bait and switch. If the particular salespeople want to ge the people in the store they need to do a better job to compete in this new market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IbleedBnG83 Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 "Ok. Bye" Nice customer service policies mattress warehouse! I hope you write a strong email sharing all of this to the corporate HQ. I know I will look else where for my next matress purchase after your story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMK9973 Posted May 27, 2009 Author Share Posted May 27, 2009 After thinking about this what I'm trying to say boils down to this:Customer calls store A gets a quote on a thingamajig for $100 salesman says we have that in stock. then calls store B and gets a quote on a thingamajig for $125 salesman says we have that in stock and...... Anything that comes after the "and" is falling on deaf ears. What is really there is the reasoning behind the $25 price difference. Sounds to me that most of the people that are responding to my post dont want to deal with a salesman, you all want a clerk, an order taker, someone to give you a price and take your money. There's no skill in that. My daughter can do that, I want you to understand what you are buying, why it costs what it does and why you should buy my thingamajig over the other guys. And all of that can only happen when you are standing in front of me! /rant ahhhh - but see my earlier quote about the Gym memberships. A GOOD salesman would handle it based on their customer. How it should have gone "Hi - I'm looking to see what inexpensive mattress you have in stock: Salesman "I'll be happy to help you with that. We offer many different types and price ranges. What are you looking for in a mattress" right off -The sales guy now has a way to discuss. Now - I could then answer "Nothing special, My son spends 4 nights a month with me and I just need the most basic mattress" Salesman could now start discussing what I should look for. He could also go "How soon do you need it? " It could then lead to a nice conversation where he says "I would recommend Mattress XXX - It is $$ and I have it in stock" or perhaps he would say "the best mattress for you is XXX but I would need to order it. " There is a chance I could have said "Really - All I am looking at for is price. It will hardly be used so anything that will last me 1 year and is cheap will work" then the sales guy knows that price is the ultimate factor. At that point he should still ask when I need it so he can say "Since Price is what you need, I have a inexpensive one for $129 that I can order. You also said you needed one now. I do have one in stock for $150 but you could get it today". Now I have a choice, and most likely will pick one of those. that is VERY different then "Hi - Looking for a inexpensive mattress. What do you have in stock" Salesman "I can't give you a price over the phone. Just come in" I'm sure you can see the difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMK9973 Posted May 27, 2009 Author Share Posted May 27, 2009 I hope you write a strong email sharing all of this to the corporate HQ. I know I will look else where for my next matress purchase after your story. I did.... I even sent a link to this thread! :cool2: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt. Kaos Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 But see what if I'm not interested in WHY your product costs more? What if I'm not interested in performance/quality? Mattresses are bad examples because aside from my office chair, there isn't another piece of furniture I think contributes directly to one's quality of life. I love to put some research into things that I buy. So once I'm in a store I know what I'm after and I can't trust a salesman because, IMO, he's trying to sell me something and his opinion is biased. Then you simply need an order taker, no salesman needed. Go in, grab what you want and be done with it. A good salesman is never trying to sell you anything. The salesperson should be giving you all the information that you need to make an informed buying decision. If I do that part of my job correctly then you want to buy my product and I didnt have to "sell" you anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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