Monday, July 19, 2010

For Want Of A Nail



OUR NEW FLAT SCREEN TV

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

The Atkins family recently experienced a modern-day example of the above situation.

We have been in the market for a new TV for quite awhile now. Our current TV belonged to my mother for a long time before she passed away in 1999. It is showing signs of fatigue.

After a long winter and spring of medical situations that have kept us mostly at home, we finally felt like shopping last Sunday. So after researching the many various options available for flat screen TVs, off we went to our favorite Best Buy store.

The sales associate was wonderful and, with his help, we chose a 40" Samsung LED TV that totaled out to $998.99. The helpful sales associate told us about a current offer of free delivery and set-up on purchases of $999.00 and above. Since it was only a penny difference, he was certain we could take advantage of that offer. I always dread having to program new TVs so this was great news. But the computer wouldn't accept it.

After a consultation with his manager, he came back to regretfully tell us that his manager said, "If the computer won't take it, we can't do it." It was such a ludicrous decision that we promptly walked out of the store without buying the TV or the external hard drive we had also planned to purchase for my new I-MAC computer. And I fumed all the way home that any manager worth the title could make such a stupendously poor decision.

After a great deal of thought, I decided that I should listen to what I always preached to my former employees at IBM: "Management can't know all of the problems unless you tell them. Don't complain if you haven't taken the time to tell the person who has the power to fix the problem and given him or her the opportunity to solve it."

So, on Monday morning, I went to speak with the Best Buy store manager. I explained to him that we have been satisfied Best Buy customers for more than fifteen years, that his store had lost over $1,100 in sales the previous day and that we had almost become ex-Best Buy customers because of a penny.

Needless to say, the problem was taken care of. I was escorted to the hard-drive department where I was given all the support I needed to purchase the correct drive. We then visited the TV department where my order was entered with a delivery cost of one penny ($998.99 plus .01 = $999.00). I purchased an extended warranty, bringing my total expenditure to a little more than $1,300.00. Best Buy is happy. We are happy. And I was thanked profusely for giving them a second chance. Our new TV was delivered and set up shortly afterward.

Concerning the manager who made such a stupendously poor decision? I'm perfectly sure he has learned a very important life lesson.

For want of a penny a customer was lost.

For want of a customer a sale was lost.............You get the drift.