Funny Salesperson story

[MZhammer]

So I was at Bloomingdales last night to snoop around and found a Frederique Constant watch that I liked, I spoke to a saleswoman and was told that it was a returned online purchase and they didn't typically stock FC. When I asked to handle it I noticed that the automatic rotor was not turning. I played with the crown thinking something might need oil or was bent in the watch but nothing got it to budge. I tried to inform the salesperson that someone needed to look at the watch because the winder wasn't working correctly.

Her response was "No it's working just fine." And she pointed out that the balance spring was running (since I had manually wound the crown). I tried to explain that the half circle thing was a rotor and meant to move around. She asked another associate and came back with "Its an automatic watch so it isn't supposed to turn."

Again I tried to patiently explain that the rotor was what made it an automatic (I was wearing a manual wind at the time and couldn't demonstate). So she finally said "We sell lots of Tag Heuers and none of them move on the inside. Thats how a watch works."

I walked away defeated knowing some poor sap is going to buy that watch based on her testimony and wonder why it keeps stopping...

[Popoki Nui]

Yep. No end to the ignorance of watch sales people on this planet. I've experienced several examples recently myself. It isn't really the sales person's fault most of the time; more a matter of utter lack of training and support from the company they work for. I pity them, and the poor sucker who buys a watch from these places only to realize they've been burned in one way or another.

~Sherry.

[brandon\]

Ugh...

[RTea]

That sounds frustrating. Then again they are employees of a higher end big box store and don't specialize in watches so I'm not entirely surprised.

Should have showed them a video on YouTube or a wiki explanation. Although it would seem like common sense that an automatic needs to "automatically" wind somehow.

[geoffbot]

I hate people who take no interest in their line of work. As a kid when I worked in clothing retail I made it my business to know the part numbers and warehouse locations of stock. As a bartender to know the cost of drinks and their till codes; as a CS advisor in a bank to know everything about banking. Not so much because they particularly interested me, but just because what else are you going to do with you day?!

And because you look like a frakin idiot when meet someone who knows even something basic about your line of work that you don't.

Kids these days *faceplant*. And I'm only 26...

[jilgiljongiljing]

This happened for me , but with different results of all places in Big 5 sporting goods. There were two SA's trying to figure out what automatic meant when someone asked them casually, it was apparent that none of them had a clue. Showed them how it worked, told them the pros and cons, and they were quite interested in finding out more, infact one of the SA's was like "I should get one for my mom, she wears a watch all the time so this should keep running right, thats great!".

For the OP's story though, there is no saving a "I know I'm right" SA. Its their loss if they dont want to learn.

[catlike]

I hate people who take no interest in their line of work.

Agreed. When I buy goods online it is usually because I can't buy them locally and this.

I don't mind if I know more than the sales person when I've researched my potential purchase extensively, but when I know more after just a few minutes online, it just plain annoys me.

[novedl]

Well at least you tried, keep on fighting the good fight.

[wristclock]

Oh man that would have made me crazy. I can kind of be an ass to people who don't know what they are talking about sometimes. I love watch salesmen sometimes like the other day I was checking out a sub-c and the saleslady kept saying that the the ceramic insert wasn't an insert and it was "high tech ceramic" over and over. WTF high tech ceramic?

[Watchbreath]

Dang, I knew I should have written down all of my funny 'rube' stories.