Very bad experience with SMC staff

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Dear All,

We apologize for your bad experience with us we'll surely avoid these kind of situations in future.

The issue is as follows:

The customer has bought a 880GM-USB3L motherboard offline on Saturday after getting online quotes. After purchase he realized that the prices varies between online and offline hence changed his mind and then came today arguing about the prices variations as well as to switch to another purchase(exchange the old 880GM-USB3L to 880GM-USB3). Our store people asked for the bill against which they were ready to replace the motherboard since he was dissatisfied with the purchase. Any purchase can be exchanged only with the bill viz..the normal procedure but he didn't carry the bill. He remember the bill number & get the item exchanged on the basis of that.

In the whole scene the argument was only for the pricing and the behavior of the store people. We have already apologize for the rude behavior. The argument on pricing is useless as we never and nowhere commit that the pricing will be the same offline and online. Whatever best deals we are having for online(forums) we offer them on forums as per our commitment.

The prices are not necessarily same for SMC online and offline as the frequency of getting price updates varies offline and online. SMC online deal pricing can not be offered offline as sometimes online and sometimes offline has a great deal to offer. An online customer can only choose to self pick up option i.e after closing the deal online he can pick the item from our store. The offline prices follow local market rates on daily basis and the Online prices follow the online market. The deals and prices quoted to you online will not necessarily be provided to you at store as the store is bound to sell as per current market prices.

We would request all our customers to please close the deal online if quoted online if any customer faces any issue following this procedure then we ,may work out some alternatives for offline deals also.
Thanks & Regards
Team SMC
 
That's a quick, co-operative and helpful response.

It is impossible to maintain consistency between online and offline deals, FWIW - not because of web staff, but because of the web.

We've had situations for pure HTML websites where a page update did not reflect for 24 hours because of ISP caching, for example, and the quoted time for updates may stretch to 2 days or more.

By contrast, prices offline may change and come into effect much sooner. It is highly possible that this creates considerable difficulties when price increases happen.
 
When you spend more than 10 hours a day standing at a counter and continuously interacting with a never-ending sea of customers most of whom are complete noobs when it comes to computers you are bound to get cranky at some point. Anyone who has actually been to Nehru Place and has witnessed the horrendous working environment there will agree to this. While I am not saying that rude behavior is/should be acceptable but under the circumstances these guys operate, it is very much understandable. A little patience goes a long way, afterall you are just there to buy a product after which you may not show up at their doorstep for months but these guys have to operate in less than suitable working environment day in and day out, its just not humanly possible for them to remain upbeat all the time. Keep in mind, they are not running a hospitality business but even so no one would want to intentionally upset their potential customers, it just happens sometimes.
 
Nope. Not one bit understandable.

Hard earned Money is what customers spend and that too doesnt grow on trees.
To be dished out such a behaviour after slogging at work, then working tirelessly to get your facts right, whatever level they are at, and then to go to the shops, enquire and then be purchasing .. that has its own fair share of frustrations.
 
^If you want to be treated like a king, visit a mall or some branded showroom and even then you are not guaranteed a great service atleast in India. Accept it or not, its just the way it is.
 
After hearing SMC's side(not the post), @OP, a suggestion to you and your friend, to be followed all across NP and not just SMC, try and get your work done with a smile especially when you are trying to get refund after being half wrong, if you get rude first and try to throw your links/threats you are bound to get the same attitude in return.
 
Bluffmaster said:
^If you want to be treated like a king, visit a mall or some branded showroom and even then you are not guaranteed a great service atleast in India. Accept it or not, its just the way it is.
Click to expand...

Regardless of whichever place i am visiting, that should be the norm.

The thread is just another example of how not accepting/taking things lying down can help.
 
As far as bargaining goes at Nehru Place, the golden rule is to get 3-4 quotes from different shops and show them at the counter of the shop from which you are interested in buying from. Usually a quote from Computer Empire does the trick as they have the most competing prices among all retailers at NP.
 
Have been dealing with them for the past 4-5 years now, and never had any issues.

Whenever you go to the store do not deal with the guy called : Pappi. He is bound to rip you off and will be rude.

And as Banik mentioned, make sure you mention TE or E, and talk to Mr. Saini or Dilip or Raman. These 3 are very very cooperative and offer the best prices.

I really dont understand why they haven't fired this pappi guy, maybe because he gets them the most profits.

Anyways, if anybody needs help with SMC international do not hesitate to contact me or Banik.
 
@ SMC --- You guys can be complacent since you have an online presence as well as importers, distributors and resellers of tons of items. So even if front desk staff are a bit rude it might not affect you much in the future when online purchases of IT hardware will go up as much as 50%

Just think when amazon, newegg lands up in India and starts pumping 100 millions of $$ in advance to the manufacturers and get all those mean pricing...it will be very difficult for the retail shops and normal dealers. And customer satisfaction and "see and buy" is what will drive B&M sales. Nehru place does say 100 crores of business now say everyday as dealers from all over North India flock there but when there is wholesale portal and everything becoming online...day is nt far when 50% of the B&M shops will close down like in US. Sooner or later direct online sales is what will set the market on fire and unfortunately the huge multi-level commission business ( a motherboard sometimes crosses 7-8 hands from manufacturer to customer) will not be there in future.

Also anyone going to NP ...carry a xerox of this updated pricelist :P

http://www.costtocost.in/list/pricelist.pdf
 
Really no point, C2C is the cheapest and has a horrible reputation including the sale of fakes, esp for GPU and RAM etc I guess. Rather spend 10-15% more for SMC.
 
Bluffmaster said:
When you spend more than 10 hours a day standing at a counter and continuously interacting with a never-ending sea of customers most of whom are complete noobs when it comes to computers you are bound to get cranky at some point. Anyone who has actually been to Nehru Place and has witnessed the horrendous working environment there will agree to this. While I am not saying that rude behavior is/should be acceptable but under the circumstances these guys operate, it is very much understandable. A little patience goes a long way, afterall you are just there to buy a product after which you may not show up at their doorstep for months but these guys have to operate in less than suitable working environment day in and day out, its just not humanly possible for them to remain upbeat all the time. Keep in mind, they are not running a hospitality business but even so no one would want to intentionally upset their potential customers, it just happens sometimes.
Click to expand...

I for one totally agree on that and that is why I always make it a point to be patient and considerate with dealers. However I do except patience to be rewarded in kind and not interpreted as weakness or ignorance. That was what was lacking from the SMC staff when I visited them many years ago. I would never have dealt with SMC again if not for the good reputation they earned on TE and had I not been convinced that I am not talking to people with the same kind of attitude. The customer should not think he is a king as soon as he intends to buy from a dealer and the dealer like wise should not be arrogant that the customer has nowhere else to go. A dealer doesn't have to indulge a bad customer and a customer doesn't have to tolerate a bad dealer.
 
Bluffmaster said:
As far as bargaining goes at Nehru Place, the golden rule is to get 3-4 quotes from different shops and show them at the counter of the shop from which you are interested in buying from. Usually a quote from Computer Empire does the trick as they have the most competing prices among all retailers at NP.
Click to expand...

I tried this the reply by SMC to this was you can buy from Computer Empire and thats what i did.
 
There is only one reason a company such as SMC exists and that is to make as much money as possible! According to me there is only one self-sustaining way of doing that, and that is to offer the best prices and the best service. I really do not understand why so many retailers miss this almost obvious point. All of them seem to try make as much money as possible from a single sale, instead of trying to build a reputation. The reason why newegg, amazon have become so big is that they have realized this. They consistently offer the best prices and best service, not only because it is the right thing to do but because that is the way to make more money. Flipkart seems to be following a similar model. Their pricing may not always be the best, but their service is really good. I have feeling they will soon expand to computer components. Once this happens every other retailer will have no choice; the law of nature is after all "survival of the fittest", and business are the cruelest example of this.
 
rite said:
Really no point, C2C is the cheapest and has a horrible reputation including the sale of fakes, esp for GPU and RAM etc I guess. Rather spend 10-15% more for SMC.
Click to expand...

C2C and CE have the same rates so why not buy from CE , their 2nd floor shop is a lot less crowded than the 1st floor shop , CE dosnt sell any fakes and the service for the stuff i bought has been satisfactory so far the bezel of the cabinet i bought had a dent it was replaced with new piece , bought a HD6850 which was faulty was replaced with a new piece in 5 minutes , most of the time we go to the manufacturers service center for RMA rather than the dealer anyway.
 
Lord Nemesis said:
I for one totally agree on that and that is why I always make it a point to be patient and considerate with dealers. However I do except patience to be rewarded in kind and not interpreted as weakness or ignorance. That was what was lacking from the SMC staff when I visited them many years ago. I would never have dealt with SMC again if not for the good reputation they earned on TE and had I not been convinced that I am not talking to people with the same kind of attitude. The customer should not think he is a king as soon as he intends to buy from a dealer and the dealer like wise should not be arrogant that the customer has nowhere else to go. A dealer doesn't have to indulge a bad customer and a customer doesn't have to tolerate a bad dealer.
Click to expand...

Agreed. However, while there are many other businesses where customers come and bargain/window shop but I don't think I've seen any market where the sales people are so typically hostile as the computer guys.
 
thebanik said:
After hearing SMC's side(not the post), @OP, a suggestion to you and your friend, to be followed all across NP and not just SMC, try and get your work done with a smile especially when you are trying to get refund after being half wrong, if you get rude first and try to throw your links/threats you are bound to get the same attitude in return.
Click to expand...

Good advice. I am sure you must be thinking that he showed some muscle during the first visit too... Well this is not how it happened. Just imagine - when someone is subjected to continuous rude and ignoring attitude, how long is that person expected to remain patient.

Bluffmaster said:
When you spend more than 10 hours a day standing at a counter and continuously interacting with a never-ending sea of customers most of whom are complete noobs when it comes to computers you are bound to get cranky at some point. Anyone who has actually been to Nehru Place and has witnessed the horrendous working environment there will agree to this. While I am not saying that rude behavior is/should be acceptable but under the circumstances these guys operate, it is very much understandable. A little patience goes a long way, afterall you are just there to buy a product after which you may not show up at their doorstep for months but these guys have to operate in less than suitable working environment day in and day out, its just not humanly possible for them to remain upbeat all the time. Keep in mind, they are not running a hospitality business but even so no one would want to intentionally upset their potential customers, it just happens sometimes.
Click to expand...

Totally agree on that. Public dealing is one of the most patience testing jobs. Just to be clear on this part, my friend went there Monday morning 10:30 am - I believe half an hour after the shop opens.

SMC-Intern'l said:
Dear All,

We apologize for your bad experience with us we'll surely avoid these kind of situations in future.

The issue is as follows:

The customer has bought a 880GM-USB3L motherboard offline on Saturday after getting online quotes. After purchase he realized that the prices varies between online and offline hence changed his mind and then came today arguing about the prices variations as well as to switch to another purchase(exchange the old 880GM-USB3L to 880GM-USB3). Our store people asked for the bill against which they were ready to replace the motherboard since he was dissatisfied with the purchase. Any purchase can be exchanged only with the bill viz..the normal procedure but he didn't carry the bill. He remember the bill number & get the item exchanged on the basis of that.

In the whole scene the argument was only for the pricing and the behavior of the store people. We have already apologize for the rude behavior. The argument on pricing is useless as we never and nowhere commit that the pricing will be the same offline and online. Whatever best deals we are having for online(forums) we offer them on forums as per our commitment.

The prices are not necessarily same for SMC online and offline as the frequency of getting price updates varies offline and online. SMC online deal pricing can not be offered offline as sometimes online and sometimes offline has a great deal to offer. An online customer can only choose to self pick up option i.e after closing the deal online he can pick the item from our store. The offline prices follow local market rates on daily basis and the Online prices follow the online market. The deals and prices quoted to you online will not necessarily be provided to you at store as the store is bound to sell as per current market prices.

We would request all our customers to please close the deal online if quoted online if any customer faces any issue following this procedure then we ,may work out some alternatives for offline deals also.

Thanks & Regards

Team SMC
Click to expand...
I'm sure, you are the lady with whom I had a word on phone to arrange for the quotes and availability. If you are the same person, I hope you'd remember that I did mention about visiting Nehru place shop personally for the purchase; the same was mentioned in the PM.

And yes, the issue was pricing and commitment. First it was commitment via PM which had to be shown/proven to staff at the counter. Second it was commitment done by the person on the phone who agreed on a certain price but went back on his word.

Moreover, since the beginning I did mention that we checked price variance only after reaching home; no one is hiding that fact. But how would you explain the staff telling bloated prices at their will. No offense, but if SMC had standard pricing they would have displayed openly - like Computer Empire. It means one thing for sure - none of the SMC staff is aware of actual price; so they tell whatever comes to their mind.

Also you are projecting a wrong image of the entire episode. Are you aware what time did my friend reached NP? If not, 10:30 AM and he was carrying the bill with him. So you can imagine that he was virtually waiting for the shop to open to get the exchange done; and had everything in proper order.

At the same time, I understand that it's a business decision to control pricing; even to allow exchange or not. SMC has the full right to even refuse to any exchange altogether.

I really appreciate that after learning about my experience you followed up with your staff to collate the facts. Unfortunately our stories do not match. It's up to you to decide what's the truth because for sure, you must be aware of the business practices followed at your premise.

I always thought very high of SMC and kind of pushed people to buy stuff from you. Trust me, till date I have done lot of business with you. always at your NP shop. However the way things happened this time is not at all acceptable.

Online or Offline - its always SMC; a leading brand. In same manner n00b or expert - its always a customer. No one wants to be treated as a king, just a fare share of his bread.
 
Supra said:
@ SMC --- You guys can be complacent since you have an online presence as well as importers, distributors and resellers of tons of items. So even if front desk staff are a bit rude it might not affect you much in the future when online purchases of IT hardware will go up as much as 50%

Just think when amazon, newegg lands up in India and starts pumping 100 millions of $$ in advance to the manufacturers and get all those mean pricing...it will be very difficult for the retail shops and normal dealers. And customer satisfaction and "see and buy" is what will drive B&M sales. Nehru place does say 100 crores of business now say everyday as dealers from all over North India flock there but when there is wholesale portal and everything becoming online...day is nt far when 50% of the B&M shops will close down like in US. Sooner or later direct online sales is what will set the market on fire and unfortunately the huge multi-level commission business ( a motherboard sometimes crosses 7-8 hands from manufacturer to customer) will not be there in future.

Also anyone going to NP ...carry a xerox of this updated pricelist :P

http://www.costtocost.in/list/pricelist.pdf
Click to expand...

Am praying for when this day arrives. I just hate the way NP dealers work. Like some Mayapuri or Jama Masjid spare part shops. Probably the most rude people in New Delhi. Heck buying mutton/chicken from the local butcher is more customer centric and ease of use.
 
@ mk76 : bro, i was there today at SMC in the evening, and i asked about the whole incident. As u say that your friend was there even before they opened the shop, let me tell you one thing - "No Shopkeeper in Delhi will exchange/return any previously bought stuff at the opening time as its Bohni Time, a concept which u must be aware of."

Secondly, you will always find difference in prices for online and offline sales at their store. Thats their policy (i.e. how they want to work) and i see nuthing wrong in it. As their rep said in the last post, if u want the option to pick up urself from their store, u need to order it from the website first and then u will get the same price u ordered for when u go there. Their last rep (Sachin) also worked this way and people from here used to give him a call to get the same prices after reaching the store.

And they could have denied for the exchange (as it was well within their rights) but they still exchanged the board, even though your friend was not carrying the Bill (which is obviously needed). And he got that at the same price mentioned at the site, too. IMO it was not such a big deal as what it has become now.

I am not trying to offend anyone here, just stating what i think regarding this matter. I have been their customer for the last 4 years, and i rarely buy stuff from anywhere else, and rarely have i seen any rudeness in their behavior for other customers as well.
 
Re: Very bad experience with SMC

Avoid point 7.

asingh said:
I quite agree to this, regarding the outlook and behavior of the the NP dealers. They are rude,and have to be asked 3-4 times for service. Some example are:

1. They do not hear you.

2. They answer back rudely.

3. If they do not have what you want, they will not reply, and move to the next customer.

4. Take ages to deliver your product to the counter.

5. Suggest no-bill = discount. (This probably has stopped by now).

6. If CC, slap on 2% extra. (I think this is legal, though not sure).

7. Send your plastic card to some other shop for swiping, while you wait 15-20 minutes.

8. Give wise a**ed answers. "Hamare paas to yeh hee hain, time waste math karo". "Kaheen or so le le tu fir". "yeh kiaa hian" (We only have this, do not waste time, get it from somewhere else, what is this..ha ha ha).

Due to these reasons I have completely stopped going to NP. But from all my experiences, SMC is the better of the lot. Much better. Though it seems they have no correlation between online and brick-mortar prices.
Click to expand...
 
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