# Future Shop Salepeople suck



## anal-log (Feb 22, 2003)

Not all of them but the one that my father in-law dealt with.

I recently went over to my father in-laws place for a visit. He's a retired senior with very little income. A few months ago he had bought a New no name TV ad DVD player from Future shop. Nothing fancy maybe $300 to $400 for the TV and DVD player. I was helping him hook up the line in for the player to the tv and asked him for some cables. Lo an behold he pulls out a Futureshop bag and handed me over two sets of MONSTER cables. As you all know these are a rip off.
He paid almost $100 for these cables. The f#[email protected]# salesman said he "NEEDED" these cables. (BTW the free one's that come with the DVD player work just as well. The TV is not HDTV or Progressive scan). It pisses me off that the salesman took advantage of a senior that obviously is not technically knowledgeable.


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

While I dislike that tactic, do you think it is right to brand ALL Future Shope Sales people this way?

Some Future Shop reps are ehMac members and try their best for their customers. One salesperson is one thing. Painting them all with the same brush is just not fair. I have had very capable types assist me at Furture Shop in the past.


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## anal-log (Feb 22, 2003)

The first line in my post states:

"Not all of them but the one that my father in-law dealt with."


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

anal-log said:


> The first line in my post states:
> 
> "Not all of them but the one that my father in-law dealt with."


Sorry, I didn't notice that as the thread title got to me first!


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## moonsocket (Apr 1, 2002)

My dad bought a printer from there and they sold him a $40 usb cable. I got him to take it back and we went to the dollar store and bought a $2 usb 2 cable.


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## anal-log (Feb 22, 2003)

SINC said:


> Sorry, I didn't notice that as the thread title got to me first!


I kind thought so. 

What really, really, pisses me of is that the saleman without asking, picked these cables up off the rack and and placed them ontop of the TV as my father in-law paying for it and says, "you'll need these as well. Enjoy your new TV"  

At least he didn't get the extended warranty.


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## dwp (Aug 12, 2003)

Return the cables to the Future Shop Store and get your money back. At least they have a very generous return policy. Most sales staff have to sell a percentage of cables every month. Unfortunately Monster Cable is the most expensive this side of Kimber and 99.99% of the population including the people who sell this nonsense couldn't hear or see the difference between Monster Cable or the stuff that came in the box.


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## Cameo (Aug 3, 2004)

I think that the sales with Future shop, best buy, lots of these stores simply do not provide adequate training. Though it is possible that this fellow simply took advantage of a senior to add to his commission maybe he didn't really know any better. I would take the cables back to Future shop with the bill and talk to a manager - tell him your feelings about it and see if he will refund the cables.


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## anal-log (Feb 22, 2003)

moonsocket said:


> My dad bought a printer from there and they sold him a $40 usb cable. I got him to take it back and we went to the dollar store and bought a $2 usb 2 cable.



This was a couple of months ago and the package was thrown out.
I ended up giving my father in-law $100 for the cables.


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## gordguide (Jan 13, 2001)

"The customer is always right".

Naw, that won't do. We need a new one:

"The customer is a conduit of money."

Yeah, much better. Carry on.


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## Sonal (Oct 2, 2003)

Maybe this is just the Future Shop that I go to, but I really hate that the salespeople follow me around the store.

They ask if I want help, I say "No, thank you." They still hover around me and then follow me around the store. It makes me edgy and uncomfortable. 

I have asked salespeople not to follow me. Some still do, at which point, I leave the store.

Consequently, I avoid going in the store as much as possible, and when I do, I don't browse--in, get what I want, pay for it, out.

Mind you, I've moved and there is a different FS much closer to me, so we shall see if the service is better.


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## Paul O'Keefe (Jun 3, 2005)

I went into Futureshop with my mother around Christmas a couple of years ago. She was looking for a printer/scanner combination. I found the sales person who approached us quite knowledgeable. We talked about ink cartridges and I asked if the cartridges that came with the printer were the same as the refill cartridges for that model. He told me, no, that basically the ones that come with the printer are not quite as full as the refill cartridges. No wonder printers continuable appear to go down in price. That and they don't come with USB cords any more. How is my 40 year old mother buying a consumer product supposed to know that she has to buy an extra cord to get it to work? You drive home and when you open the box an hour, or a couple of weeks later (Christmas) you find you need something else to make it "just work".

And of course when you go back they're going to try to upsell you the most expensive cable they have. For shame.

I find Futureshop hit or miss for customer service. It depends on who you get.


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## Cameo (Aug 3, 2004)

One of my pet peeves is having to buy the cord to make it work separate.
How does that work? What use is it buying something for someone if they cannot even plug it in to use it? What if you ship it to timbuktu and they can't buy the cords over there? what if..............this is the stupidest thing I ever heard of. I cannot comprehend it. geeeeeeeeezzzzzzzzzz


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## Mugatu (Mar 31, 2005)

If something is on sale at Future Shop it's either, A, crap, or B, refurbished, or C, refurbished crap. 

I can't agree more on how much the salespeople creep me out. I mean, honestly, did they never learn the lesson 'No means No'? If they won't leave me alone, I will just be mean/rude/a jackass. I hate doing it, but it's the only way to get them off my back.


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## Elias26 (Apr 19, 2005)

I really hate when they sell you the extended warranty. My mother paid an extra 200 bucks in an extended warranty for her television, which wasn't cheap, 1,100 before taxes. Still, that thing has been running great from its initial purchase in 2000 and guess what, nothing went on it. What was the 200 for? Maybe peace of mind.. yeah but 200 bucks for peace of mind, on a television set which you rarely have problems with. Especially if they are Toshiba. Hey, we always had Toshibas in the family and the only thing that killed those suckers was a cat jumping on top of it and knocking it over (twice), first time it survived the fall. Apparently, some people don't learn from the first time.

Point is my mother was suckered in purchasing an extended warranty she didn't want to pay for in the first place. And trust me this guy went on.. better to spend 200 then to have the filter or whatever it is go out on the tube. Bah!


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## Beej (Sep 10, 2005)

Some people like the insurance, some don't. You can always just say no and that if they ask again you're walking or will complain to the manager first about the tactics, then walk.

I didn't like Futureshop bargaining, so I walked. I told them what I wanted, they said they couldn't do that. I began to walk away and then suddenly it was negotiable. This involved the 'talk' with the manager to get approval. When the salesperson got back, I told them that the initial response was a clear no, but it became negotiable once I threatened to leave, and that I don't like that approach. No sale. 

Their approach works for some, and many get good deals. They're not going to stop unless they lose business due to their approach.


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## Cliffy (Apr 18, 2005)

Cameo said:


> Though it is possible that this fellow simply took advantage of a senior to add to his commission maybe he didn't really know any better.


They know exactly how much commission they make on those monster cables. They push monster stuff big time. They probably also have a dollar amount of accessories that they need to sell.


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## Jason H (Feb 1, 2004)

SINC said:


> While I dislike that tactic, do you think it is right to brand ALL Future Shope Sales people this way?


Yes, I do. 99% of the salespeople and management at every store I have ever visited. If you ask them about an item that costs less than $100 sometimes they might just walk away and ignore you. I was shopping for a cellphone and the salesperson tried to sell my a fido phone while I was interested in a Telus phone. He raised his voice to me to tell me how much better it was, and pulled out his own phone to demonstrate. He tried to get me to try it, I was not interested and would not stop. He would not tell me anything about the telus phones at all.

I wanted to know where the usb hubs were, the salesclerk mumbled something and walked away and went over to some people who were looking at an HP pc. He was talking loudly and clearly with them.

You either get a person who seems nice selling you crap or a Rude person trying to upsell you to something you dont want or need.


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

Jason H said:


> Yes, I do. 99% of the salespeople and management at every store I have ever visited.


99%?

Sorry, but anyone who makes that kind of exaggerated statement about ANY subject is OTL. NOTHING could be that bad, perhaps other than a nuclear warhead landing in your living room.

Try posting on the subject again when you grow up.


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## guytoronto (Jun 25, 2005)

A salesperson sold the most expensive cables? I'm shocked. SHOCKED! Come on!

Saying that a sales guy took advantage of a senior is a load of crap. Sales people take advantage of people's ignorance every day.

If you want a sales person that respects the customer, you need to shop at a boutique store (think Bay Bloor Radio). There, the sales people will be honest with you, sell you want you want and what you need.

Future Shop, Radio Shack, Best Buy, etc, are staffed by minimum wage slackies that often after to jack up their sales so that they can either make commission or keep their job.


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## dona83 (Jun 26, 2005)

I worked at Future Shop for 2 days. I tell you it's survival of the fittest in that company, if you rank the lowest in gross margin in sales for too long they just let you go. Gross margins are highest with Monster Cables and PSP service plans.They're also high with high end equipment such as H&K A/V receivers. If you manage to sell H&K A/V receivers & Monster Cables and PSP service plans, you're seriously going to rank up on top of the gross margin sales list, get lots of commission, and live the good life. But getting fired from a sales job, that would be absolutely devestating, so I'll tell you why these guys seem like they're like catfish in an algae ridden aquarium. If you do not want to get ripped off go the Best Buy where the staff do not work on commission whatsoever. I assure you they will not be throwing cables and service plans in your face there. Future Shop is only for the strong, it's a test of strength to see who's stronger -- the salesperson, or the customer. So I'm sorry if it seemed your father got ripped off or taken advantage of but that's the truth about Future Shop, they've always been like that. It's kind of like how I charge people $100 to clean their computers of viruses and spyware, I do it because 1. I'm good at it and 2. They don't know how to do it. Am I taking advantage of them? Well yes but they represent uneducated market who uses Windows XP and poorly maintains them. I represent guy who goes in for that money to be made. I then spend the money anyway and these people make it back. It's a vicious circle but we're all surviving. Well maybe not the poor people but then I donated $520 to United Way this year so I'm trying....


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## PirateMyke (Jul 14, 2005)

I'm a FutureShop Sales Associate (AKA) Sales Rep... and i'd never do that.. infact i sorta don't recommend Monster (shhh, don't tell)


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## PirateMyke (Jul 14, 2005)

dona83 said:


> If you do not want to get ripped off go the Best Buy where the staff do not work on commission whatsoever.



Future Shop is OWNED and opperated by.. BEST BUY!!!! all the stock is sent to the Future Shop stores via Best Buy... and yea.. Future Shop is pretty much best buy with a different name...


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## ComputerIdiot (Jan 8, 2004)

SINC said:


> 99%?
> 
> Sorry, but anyone who makes that kind of exaggerated statement about ANY subject is OTL. *snip*


What does OTL mean?

I went to my local FS once and have never been back. It wasn't a matter of somebody trying to oversell or using hardsell ... it was a matter no-sell. Four employees stood around discussing their vacations while I tried, unsuccessfully, to catch their attention. 

I'm now in the market for a digital camera and new cellphone. Three guesses where I won't be going....


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## HowEver (Jan 11, 2005)

Looking to buy electronics, or whatever? Spend a few minutes at redflagdeals.com in the Hot Deals forum. You won't buy the same way again. Chances are whatever you want will come up on sale somewhere in the next few weeks. If you can wait, and you probably have waited to get that purchase right, you can hang on and get that new shiny thing for far less than otherwise. This rarely applies to Apple stuff, but stuff happens.

That said, I think even a few months later the Future Shop manager might refund the monster cables. They *know* that the store has a reputation for ripping people off with these cables and extended warranties, and given a chance they might pretend for a few minutes that it isn't true.


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

ComputerIdiot said:


> What does OTL mean?
> 
> I went to my local FS once and have never been back. It wasn't a matter of somebody trying to oversell or using hardsell ... it was a matter no-sell. Four employees stood around discussing their vacations while I tried, unsuccessfully, to catch their attention.
> 
> I'm now in the market for a digital camera and new cellphone. Three guesses where I won't be going....


OTL = Out To Lunch.

Going to one store one time and judging all outlets by that one experience is just plain spouting nonsense.

No one can form a valid opinion on any group of stores by making a judgment call on one lone event. 

If you had a bad experience and don't wish to patronize that particular store again, fine, so be it.

But the same store in a city thousands of miles away can be the total opposite in that it is a good experience. To say 99% are the same way is ludicrous.


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## CanadaRAM (Jul 24, 2005)

The last two times I went to Future Shop it was for a AV receiver and a Progressive DVD/VHS combo. Both times, I was helped by courteous, knowledgeable sales people. The price on the receiver was competitive, they wanted to sell the service plan, and when I said no they kept dropping the price until the price with plan was the same as I was willing to pay for the receiver in the first place.

It helped that I knew the price range and parameters of what I wanted, but I hadn't settled on the brand or model.

Can't say how unusual it would be overall, and I know I have never had comparable service in the computer dept, but on my sample size of two, I'm doing better than the postulated 1% in the AV department,


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## Jason H (Feb 1, 2004)

SINC said:


> 99%?
> 
> Sorry, but anyone who makes that kind of exaggerated statement about ANY subject is OTL. NOTHING could be that bad, perhaps other than a nuclear warhead landing in your living room.
> 
> Try posting on the subject again when you grow up.





SINC said:


> OTL = Out To Lunch.
> 
> Going to one store one time and judging all outlets by that one experience is just plain spouting nonsense.
> 
> ...


Why are you defending future shop? what is so good about them?

You have obviously not been to any of the Ottawa are future shops. 

ONE experience? I have had soo many of them I cant begin to list them all.

They wouldnt let me use my $50 gift certificate on a $34 purchase. Walked out on that purchase and went to another future shop, could not find anyone to help me at that store.

I asked for a part for a car stereo. After waiting patiently the salesperson groans and goes to look up the part. He complains and then basically throws it at me.

I wanted to know if they would price match a firewire cable, I ask the sales person and he says yes no problem even if its not the same brand, just go to the cashier. I stand in the cash lineup for 10 minutes and then get the cashier for her to TELL ME to go explain the policy to the salesperson.

I especially hate when they want you to process your payment at the terminals inside the store, and they moan/groan when you pay with cash. And you have to RUN with them to the front of the store and wait in line to to get your change. If I wanted to wait in line I could have just went to the front of the store myself. The only reason to go to a future shop is open box/discontinued stuff.

I'm sure not all of future shops staff are bad, but I have had more bad experiences there than anywhere else.


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## RevMatt (Sep 10, 2005)

I don't know anything about Monster cables, other than they are overpriced, but why are people so critical of the service plan? We have bought it for some things, and have needed it more than once. I will grant you that it's not the best plan in the world, but they do come to your house, which makes it better than most manufacturers. And it's cheap.


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## harrydude (May 17, 2005)

I find people from the source by cicuit city (formaly radio shack in canada) to not know anything at all. There is a ton of random products at the source, yet the store is sooo small that there are no departments. For example since ther is like a "computers department" at best buy and future shop, but the people who work at the source get hired to help the customers with ANY products in the store. So the people working in the computers department at best buy and future shop will know more about computers than the sales rep at the source since the guy at best buy and futureshop was trained specifically for the computers department.


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## ArtistSeries (Nov 8, 2004)

RevMatt said:


> I don't know anything about Monster cables, other than they are overpriced,


High end cables to make a difference but will likely not be noticeable on a lower end system. FS does not really have any good electronics that would benefit...





RevMatt said:


> but why are people so critical of the service plan? We have bought it for some things, and have needed it more than once. I will grant you that it's not the best plan in the world, but they do come to your house, which makes it better than most manufacturers. And it's cheap.


Service plans are very limited in what they cover. We had a steam vac, a part (water tank) cracked due to "normal wear and tear". FS refused to honour the service plan claiming it was not a mechanical failure. Your mileage may vary...


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## anal-log (Feb 22, 2003)

ArtistSeries said:


> High end cables to make a difference but will likely not be noticeable on a lower end system. FS does not really have any good electronics that would benefit...
> 
> Agree but Monster Cable is mid end cable with high end prices.
> 
> Here's an example of high end audio accessories that are worth every penny.


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## appleturnovercanada (Nov 2, 2005)

*Take 'em back - Smile A Lot*

Hi,

Don't mess about. Go to Future Shop. Follow these simple procedures.

Stand in Purgatory (the Returns Line)

Try to be after The Customer From Hell (CFH) - sidle behind the nastiest most pissed person you can find. If there are two Attendants at the Counter to Purgatory then try to get one away from the CFH so you will be the next to deal with the Abused Attendant of Purgatory.

*Important Note:*

Remember. You are a Purgatorial Supplicant. You are STUPID. You know NOTHING. ITS NOT YOUR FAULT. Live it. Breathe it. Emote it. Emit it. 

SMILE. Say "Hello" to the Abused Attendant and SMILE again.

The will be so knocked off emotional center to have a happy complainer and not a CFH that they will do anything for you ... including going and finding whoever it is that can give you what you want ... of course during that time they don't have to deal with hardly any CFH's so they can be quite energentic about these kinds of tasks!

Explain the truth as follows:

Your Incompetent MemBer of Family (Substitute appropriate scapegoat name here!) bought these with the machine - and they were the wrong ones. Says so in the manual. 

Receipt? Yup Right Here! You are done!

Nope. my wife threw out my receipt. She's pathological about the way I collect scraps of paper. I CAN'T USE THEM. SMILE

Chargeback? Let them look you up in the database (Oh there you are a customer and a spender) ... Oh ya ! No sorry Your ScapeGoat paid cash for this item. I REALLY CAN'T USE THEM. Smile some more. Explain that Your ScapeGoat does not know anything about cables.

Exchange? No thanks ...I DON"T NEED THEM, I went and bought the right ones elsewhere because you were closed at the time.

Could I please just have a Store Credit? I spend a ton of money here anyways? I CAN"T USE THEM

No? Could you ask the Manager for me please ... oh no I have lots of time please there is on rush. And this is the important bit "THANK YOU (SMILE) - I can wait " (SMILE some more!). I JUST CAN"T USE THESE FOR THIS JOB

Now here you have to be careful...... timing is everthing

No matter what, do not leave your spot at the Counter to Purgatory.

As the line up to Purgatory begins to build behind you (this is particularly effective if there is only on Attendant) remember - be calm, its working for you

Do not let the phsycological effect of all those people waiting you while read the brochures, and block their ability to glare at the Attendant and WILL them to hurry the F**K UP have ANY visible effect on you. Think of it as getting payed by the hour to get your money back. 

In fact, by carefully using you body to block the Attendant's field of view from the line up of Purgatorial Supplicants you can let the pressure build behind you. As the Attendant and Manager try to decide what to do you must time your unveiling carefully.

As the mental pressure from Supplicants behind (that you are ignoring) seems about right (the obvious CFH's will cross their arms. begin to shift about alot and start to look like they willl burst at their seams from impatience) NOW the time is right.

Offer to move to the side and let the Attendant deal with the next Purgatorial Supplicant, hopefully a well primed CFH. BUT don't move far enough away to be out of the fields of view or personal space of either the CFH or the Attendant.

Wait patiently. No matter how many times ANYONE says NO... DO NOT MOVE.

Don't be rude. Smile alot. Be empathetic.

"Yes that is tough ... but don't worry a Store Crdit is best because I'm just gonna spent it here on more on your stuff anyways." After all you are an eager regular customer - who won't buy the thing he comes back with unless he gets his discount. SMILE some more.

If worst comes to worst offer this (after say 15-20 min) 

To the Attendant or Manager "Well I just need to get something else while you worek this out? ... I just go get it and comeback here and just pay you the difference?"

Alright so you pay for something you don't want. You now have an item with orginal packaging and receipt that you can easily return.

Its a lot of messing about. But an interesting study in:

"He who blinks first loses."

I have returned (legally) a wide variety of things over the years that for one reason or another I didn't have receipts OR packaging for.

Be patient. Smile alot. Use passive body language. Never make any personal comments except say "Thank you" and to tell Purgatory Attendants or Managers how helpful they are/have been. Don't talk too much. Be patient.

Smile some more.

This all comes down to how bad you want your $40.00 back.

appleturnovercanada

.................... ok does not come with a money back guarantee.


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## HowEver (Jan 11, 2005)

harrydude said:


> I find people from the source by cicuit city (formaly radio shack in canada) to not know anything at all. There is a ton of random products at the source, yet the store is sooo small that there are no departments. For example since ther is like a "computers department" at best buy and future shop, but the people who work at the source get hired to help the customers with ANY products in the store. So the people working in the computers department at best buy and future shop will know more about computers than the sales rep at the source since the guy at best buy and futureshop was trained specifically for the computers department.


What they "know more" about is how to sell you what costs you the most, and makes them the most. What they know about computers is irrelevant.


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## gordguide (Jan 13, 2001)

The last time I was at a Future Shop, it resulted in a complaint to the Competition Bureau, which was investigated; the conclusion was that nothing could be done since the store denied everything, but if I could prove the facts, the store was clearly in violation of the law.

Basically I asked for an item that was behind an employee-only counter and had a prominent price on the shelf specifically naming the item, and they happily obliged. When the scanned price differed by more than $120 (more, of course) I complained that it differed from the price listed on the in-store display.

The manager was summoned, and went with me to the counter, whereupon they took the sign with the advertised price and tore it up in front of me. They then asked me if I still wanted to buy the item at the higher price.

Shop again at Future Shop? Not likely.


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## mr.steevo (Jul 22, 2005)

Hi,

When Radio Shack was still around I went in to look at a digital camera. The salesperson was friendly, knowledgeable, a not a pressure sales-type. After learning all about the camera's in my price range I commented on how impressed I was with the service and asked who the manager was. This guy stated that he was the owner of the store. I didn't know that Radio Shack was independently owned, but it sure made a difference with regards to the service. I don't know what Circut City (<edit> I mean Source) is like now.

s.

Oh yeah, I didn't buy the camera there due to the price.


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## Chealion (Jan 16, 2001)

mr.steevo - Depending on the location some The Source stores are privately owned franchises, while others are corporate outlets.


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## RevMatt (Sep 10, 2005)

mr.steevo said:


> Oh yeah, I didn't buy the camera there due to the price.


But you did buy it somewhere else? Therein lies the problem with our economic system. Good service costs money, but no one wants to pay it. Don't get me wrong, I understand the problem. But that doesn't change it.


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## Beej (Sep 10, 2005)

RevMatt said:


> Therein lies the problem with our economic system.


This is what people do. Good service does not guarantee a sale, but it can help. I could go on for a while, but I'll see you Saturday over a capitalist beer. 

I've found that as I went from student (no budget room) to full-time job that I am willing to pay a lot more for good, honest and forthright service. I do completely understand the tight budget situation. Everybody has their own priorities, needs, resources and, as a result, choices.


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## mr.steevo (Jul 22, 2005)

RevMatt said:


> But you did buy it somewhere else? Therein lies the problem with our economic system. Good service costs money, but no one wants to pay it. Don't get me wrong, I understand the problem. But that doesn't change it.



Well, it was more complicated than that. After my father heard I was buying a camera he asked why i hadn't spoken to his cousin who owns a camera shop. http://www.cameracanada.com/ Family gets you a better price I guess *shug*.

s.


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## draz (Jun 13, 2005)

Sorry guys..but a long long long time a go i worked in a future shop and during training we met satan! no lie. Future shop is pure unadulterated evil. 99% of employess are the living undead and they get a dollar amount comission for every soul they ensnare in their evil MONSTER CABLES and PSP OF DEATH!!! When i went in for training they were also teaching some of the guys basic english phrases, such as 'are you looking ot buy today?' adn 'cash or credit' and my favorite 'you will need cables' and the old timer 'you can get peace of mind with our award winning product service plan'. 

Evil bastards....i only escaped when I accidentally extinguised the eternal flame...

I mean man i still got the horns...  (but the tail fell off)


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## ladyred (Nov 6, 2005)

draz said:


> Sorry guys..but a long long long time a go i worked in a future shop and during training we met satan! no lie. Future shop is pure unadulterated evil. 99% of employess are the living undead and they get a dollar amount comission for every soul they ensnare in their evil MONSTER CABLES and PSP OF DEATH!!! When i went in for training they were also teaching some of the guys basic english phrases, such as 'are you looking ot buy today?' adn 'cash or credit' and my favorite 'you will need cables' and the old timer 'you can get peace of mind with our award winning product service plan'.
> 
> Evil bastards....i only escaped when I accidentally extinguised the eternal flame...
> 
> I mean man i still got the horns...  (but the tail fell off)


LOL .... You are certainly pressured when you walk into a futureshop .. 
that is the way of things these days though ...

money to be made from extended warranties ..I agree with extended warranty for some things though ..


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## dona83 (Jun 26, 2005)

I know that Future Shop is owned by Best Buy but they have two COMPLETELY different business styles. Future Shop salespeople work on commission, Best Buy salespeople do not work on commission. Most people don't know this unfortunately.


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## guytoronto (Jun 25, 2005)

dona83 said:


> I know that Future Shop is owned by Best Buy but they have two COMPLETELY different business styles. Future Shop salespeople work on commission, Best Buy salespeople do not work on commission. Most people don't know this unfortunately.


However, both have to sell to keep their jobs. No commission doesn't mean no pressure (contrary to their advertisements). They all have quotas, and if they don't hit them, they're out of a job.


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## thejst (Feb 1, 2005)

To be honest, My last experience at FS was strangely pleasant. 

I believe that it's all about knowing what it is you are there for, getting it and getting out. No warranties, no extra this or that. Be resolute! You are the bo$$! You can do this w/out letting the business style get to you. On occasion, the deals are pretty good! [on occasion]

There's a few businesses in the Peg that will give you credit for the value of the Extended Warranty should you not use it at all...Not a refund, but not a bad idea nonetheless...
J


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## Blain_132 (Aug 22, 2005)

anal-log said:


> Not all of them but the one that my father in-law dealt with.
> 
> I recently went over to my father in-laws place for a visit. He's a retired senior with very little income. A few months ago he had bought a New no name TV ad DVD player from Future shop. Nothing fancy maybe $300 to $400 for the TV and DVD player. I was helping him hook up the line in for the player to the tv and asked him for some cables. Lo an behold he pulls out a Futureshop bag and handed me over two sets of MONSTER cables. As you all know these are a rip off.
> He paid almost $100 for these cables. The f#[email protected]# salesman said he "NEEDED" these cables. (BTW the free one's that come with the DVD player work just as well. The TV is not HDTV or Progressive scan). It pisses me off that the salesman took advantage of a senior that obviously is not technically knowledgeable.



its cuz those little $H|Ts (excuse my language) work on comisson when my friend bought his ipod there they told him he needed!! a dock Needed a case and Needed someother thign that ic ant remember luckily i was there with him to help him chosse and i asked the guy what the hell he was talking about he doesnt need any of those things everythign you need is in the box, from that point on i havent shopped there


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## IronMac (Sep 22, 2003)

FS employees no longer work on commission. The only ones who are still on commission are those who were hired before the new policy came into effect a couple of years back.

I had my own unpleasant experience just last night. I walked into the downtown Toronto store and was looking for the Rogers' booth...was hoping to see what sort of incentive I could get for going with Rogers.

Sleazeball came up (no kidding) and asked if I was interested in anything. I told him what I was looking for...never mind, this will take too long. Needless to say I doubt that I will be getting any sort of Rogers' service through them.


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## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

i guess one could ask FS sales people if they are on salary or commission to weed out "slezeballs"
your mileage may vary

and well informed consumer is the best defence against bad sales people


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## RobTheGob (Feb 10, 2003)

I think it's a simple case of "buyer beware".

If someone is buying $100 cables for a $300 TV - they either have plenty of money or shouldn't be going to FS by themselves...


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## craeyon (Jan 31, 2007)

[Sorry to dig up such an old threat/thread and Mr. Mayor please accept apologies from me well in advance and the views expressed in this threat/thread do not, in any way, relate to you]

Ok… and I say that as I crack my knuckles and fingers to begin a journey down this bastard page to write some words in the middle of the night because there are still allot of dimwitted ubiquitous ****ers on this thread (and world) who still love to cock up the idea of Future Shop sucking more than your vacuum cleaner. Since evidence has lead me to believe that a majority of the messages and replies in this thread are written by a pack of phenomenal idiots I can’t help but express some of my thoughts and views about Future Shop employees and customers such as yourselves, who are so proud and cock sure with your heads full of eyeballs. 

From my past critiques I have learned that people don’t tend to appreciate me when I am very nice to people. Alright? So let me get all the praise for all the “customers kind” out of the way so it doesn’t interfere with the ballad of horrible and dreadful things that I am about to say. We are humans and we all give respect to a fellow human being and expect to be treated by others the same way. I also understand that people feel pressured by a salesman because they are trying to up sell you. I also appreciate that I am a part of such a great and blessed forum. Therefore, with no hesitation I would like to mention that judging by my constant and active thirst for questions is generally followed by some of the best and logical responses/answers I would have probably received, I have indeed met some really knowledgably and helpful people here and to them I say thanks. 

Right? Ok Let’s talk ****tiness. 

Despite my encouraging words mentioned previously there are people (some right in this thread) that seem to think cranial intrusion is an interesting hobby and their definition of having fun is by sticking a pick axe up their noses. (and by the looks of it some of you actually go a 100 million yards too far off on the spectrum of political correctedness and therefore should be sent to an asylum.) There is a problem with individuals such as yourselves because like fancy and rich, but tardy, fat, depressed and slow members of the parliament you get together in a small crowded room only to shout at things that a.) that are make sense or b.) things that are nonexistent… and after reading what I have read so far, I do seem to question whether the list goes beyond those two point but frankly I don’t give a ****. 

Right! back to my point. Every Future Shop store has a target for customer satisfaction percentage and I am sick of people criticizing FS to the point where I am ready to jam forks into my eyes and scream “oh dear Jesus please help me.” Every store has a target of ~73 % and my store is hovering somewhere around 68% or so. SO! to me you people fall in the dark **** stained swamp lands represented by the rest of the (target) 25% and considering 81% of the Canadian population goes to FS for their needs, your representation of the population as FS critiques de jours is as small as George Bush’s brain. Let me tell you something. Why do I not see some supportive individuals on this thread (Except the two individuals that were actually defending) who actually enjoy their experience at FS because you people are like blood clots. You seem to gather a lot. Our true reviews come from who we call customers for life. I have built relationships with people who just literally walked off the street with the smell of **** trailing them like the exhaust fumes from the back of an F-16 to customers who own more cars than you and your family combined will never ever be able to, and the fun part is that my store is only 3 months old. My store 631 in Guelph, Ontario recently opened and I already have a clientele longer than your Christmas shopping list. Do you know why? Because I represent a majority of the reps that try to make your life easier when you are buying a laptop/printer/TV/ or Fridge to store that fattening food full of triglycerides that you will eat to slowly punish yourselves to death, while watching infidel maniac Tom Cruise jump on Oprah’s couch like a baboon on your big screen TV that you just bought at FS. 

Why do you hate printers that don’t come with cables? Because you are a moron. Here is FACT: people change their printers every 10 to 12 months on average ok? No I am not talking about the ones that your Granma used to confuse as a washing machine but the once that are made today. Specifically the ones made during the past 3 years. If they were to include USB cords which O so graciously happens to fit every frigging printer out there, the cost of the printer will go up (anyways) and after 3 years you will have a bloody collection of USB 2 cables which will be long enough for you to tie into a string and hang yourselves by the ceiling with. It’s a bloody one time buy that’s it your done. DO IT! Once you’ve bought the USB cable you’re done for at least the next 6 to 7 years. If you already have one that’s great! Go **** yourselves with it, I couldn’t care less. Next time whenever you buy a printer you will never have to buy a cable again. There is a flippin’ logic in there can you find it?

I am not even going to go into PSP (it’s not called extended warranty, or warranty or whatever the hell you people call it. Get your terms correct.) Honestly because it will be like gamma radiation trying to pass through a block of 34 inch think lead – it just won’t pass through. 

I could go on and on listing all the bloody annoying things that customers like you do and believe on a daily basis… so I will…

Why do we follow you around? Because we feel stupid every time you start reading the specs on the price tag or the friggin box. You expect that a box or piece of paper can give you more education than a ****ing human being? What planet are you from? JEE Thanks. We are trained to make sense out of those things. When you are buying something like a lptop your brain doesn’t think. It doesn’t go O I need this as well! This too! Because you’re in psychological entropy where your concentration doesn’t seem to move anywhere away from the laptop. 

Selling accessories. IT’S CALLED SOLUTION SELLING. It becomes an up sell when the dude goes beyond item # 4 please get that in your head. You but a printer you need a flippin USB cord, paper, and ink! Some printers come with full ink but keep a black one handy cause your all bunch of procrastinating (of lord I have used this word way too much and I am way too tired to find another word, but I will) schizophrenics. “OMG I NEED TO PRINT THIS NOW I RAN OUT OF INK AND ITS 11 O CLOCK IN THE NIGHT.” Oh hey guess who just got ****ed! NOT ME! I guess that was the salesman fault too hmm? 

If you were to come to me and would give me a few minutes to talk to I promise I won’t rip you into shred or take your wallet and run. I like talking and chatting cause its fun. You come to me with attitude like the one I mentioned above and expected some service you would have to teleport whores into the store before I started caring.


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## MasterBlaster (Jan 12, 2003)

I haven't had this sort of weirdness at the Future Shops in North and West Vancouver. 

However the other locations I've been to left a lot to be desired.

USB and other cables only cost $1 at the Dollar store too.


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## craeyon (Jan 31, 2007)

MasterBlaster said:


> I haven't had this sort of weirdness at the Future Shops in North and West Vancouver.
> 
> However the other locations I've been to left a lot to be desired.
> 
> USB and other cables only cost $1 at the Dollar store too.


Thats fine you know! I really don't care. I am on commission ok? I am responsible for what I am selling to you whether it takes a form of a product or concept. if I **** up I m going to loose my commission when you a.) bring back the product; and for future sales when b.) you will decide to part the customer associate long term relationship. 

Do you know how annoying it is to go buy a 250$ printer and come home only to find out you cant hook it up to your computer? To make it worse you get frustrated and you call my manager and my manager instantly emails me on my blackberry going all ape sh1t.. they don't even wait for the ****ing next day they just email you on your flippin PDA. Thats how important customers are to us! 

Thats how important you people are to me.


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## Snapple Quaffer (Sep 2, 2003)

Way back when, after my wife and I were no longer students, finally had jobs, and began the settled-down life with a proper home and all, and started on the consumer treadmill, things were fairly simple. You bought something, it had a guarantee of some kind, you took it home and that was it. Suck it and see, pot luck, take it or leave it, win some lose some ... etc. There was no other way.

Then came the age of the extended warranty.

My first encounter was with a pimply youth who got very narked indeed with me for having the temerity and independence of mind not to take the EW. He went through the BS about what could be the price of getting out-of-warranty repairs done, just after telling me that I had selected a superb model (of friggin' vacuum cleaner for ****'s sake!). My immediate and spontaneous reaction, not having come across the EW racket before, was to ask why, if this piece of kit was so remarkable, I was in danger of financial ruin due to it going wrong? Anyway, I got the kit, paid for it and left. No EW. Never went back to that place.

I figured, after my second similar encounter, that over a lifetime you were going to be a major winner if you never took out EW on consumer items. The money saved would far outweigh any costs for the odd one, or maybe two, duff items that required repairs or disposal and re-purchase. I'm talking not only household goods and appliances, here, but breakdown recovery for our cars. So far I'm well and truly right about that. I know that there is a statistical dimension to this. I might have been the unluckiest bugger in all creation and had every item I bought go down the tubes, reducing me to penury, and forcing me to become derelict. I have had one occasion only where I've had to fork out because I had no cover and that was for breakdown recovery for a car we had. It cost £50. The total amount spent on yearly basic breakdown recovery insurance over the lifetime of that car would have amounted to £600 - £700. Not the same as EW, granted, but still money down the toilet. Extrapolating that to all items bought over the years means big savings.

Extended warranty is a dirty scam because it is very expensive. It's all to do with inculcating fear into the mind of the consumer. The more fear, the more fleecing can be done. It underlines the contempt that the world of business has for the herd of sheep that we truly resemble. Consumer groups in the UK have more or less said that the majority of EW agreements are barely worth the paper they're printed on.

Ah ... that's better. Bile dissipated.


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## ErnstNL (Apr 12, 2003)

Craeyon:
A little bit of advice:
Don't make it personal. You sound very frustrated. It's just a job.
When you are working your shift, you represent the store and I'm sure you are a nice person and wouldn't screw people over. Whatever we perceive is not your fault.

The reality is, FS or Sears or the Apple store all have sales people that are duty bound to get their quota. We are smart consumers and we can tell when we are dealing with pressured sales. 
I've dealt with nice people at FS but there are a few dorks who just don't get it.
When I bought my scanner recently, I just walked in, took it off the shelf and went to the cash. No one got a commission from me that day because they were too busy talking to each other. LOL. 
I guess the cashier got the sale!


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## guytoronto (Jun 25, 2005)

craeyon said:


> Ok… and I say that as I crack my knuckles and fingers to begin a journey down this bastard page to write some words in the middle of the night because there are still allot of dimwitted ubiquitous ****ers on this thread (and world) who still love to cock up the idea of Future Shop sucking more than your vacuum cleaner. Since evidence has lead me to believe that a majority of the messages and replies in this thread are written by a pack of phenomenal idiots I can’t help but express some of my thoughts and views about Future Shop employees and customers such as yourselves, who are so proud and cock sure with your heads full of eyeballs.


You're winning our hearts already. Please, continue. 



> From my past critiques I have learned that people don’t tend to appreciate me when I am very nice to people. Alright?


I'm surprised, especially based on your opening remarks.



> So let me get all the praise for all the “customers kind” out of the way so it doesn’t interfere with the ballad of horrible and dreadful things that I am about to say. We are humans and we all give respect to a fellow human being and expect to be treated by others the same way. I also understand that people feel pressured by a salesman because they are trying to up sell you. I also appreciate that I am a part of such a great and blessed forum. Therefore, with no hesitation I would like to mention that judging by my constant and active thirst for questions is generally followed by some of the best and logical responses/answers I would have probably received, I have indeed met some really knowledgably and helpful people here and to them I say thanks.


I should have turned on my 'rant' filter.



> Right? Ok Let’s talk ****tiness.


Ok.


> Despite my encouraging words mentioned previously there are people (some right in this thread) that seem to think cranial intrusion is an interesting hobby and their definition of having fun is by sticking a pick axe up their noses. (and by the looks of it some of you actually go a 100 million yards too far off on the spectrum of political correctedness and therefore should be sent to an asylum.)


Ummm...ok. You had me at 'intrusion'.



> There is a problem with individuals such as yourselves because like fancy and rich, but tardy, fat, depressed and slow members of the parliament you get together in a small crowded room only to shout at things that a.) that are make sense or b.) things that are nonexistent… and after reading what I have read so far, I do seem to question whether the list goes beyond those two point but frankly I don’t give a ****.


Actually, you do give a ****. If you didn't, you wouldn't be posting this rant.



> Right! back to my point.


Groovy.



> Every Future Shop store has a target for customer satisfaction percentage and I am sick of people criticizing FS to the point where I am ready to jam forks into my eyes and scream “oh dear Jesus please help me.” Every store has a target of ~73 % and my store is hovering somewhere around 68% or so.


73% customer satisfaction is your target?!? That means more than one in four customers is not satisified?!? Good god! So, right now, in your store, out of every 10 customers, 3 or more are not satisifed?!? Maybe you should be focusing on customer satisfaction rather than ranting endlessly here.



> SO! to me you people fall in the dark **** stained swamp lands represented by the rest of the (target) 25% and considering 81% of the Canadian population goes to FS for their needs, your representation of the population as FS critiques de jours is as small as George Bush’s brain.


I can feel your customer satisfaction rating crawling up...



> Let me tell you something. Why do I not see some supportive individuals on this thread (Except the two individuals that were actually defending) who actually enjoy their experience at FS because you people are like blood clots. You seem to gather a lot. Our true reviews come from who we call customers for life. I have built relationships with people who just literally walked off the street with the smell of **** trailing them like the exhaust fumes from the back of an F-16 to customers who own more cars than you and your family combined will never ever be able to, and the fun part is that my store is only 3 months old.


Wow. You sure told me. You left out words like pretentious, arrogant, and condiscending.



> My store 631 in Guelph, Ontario recently opened and I already have a clientele longer than your Christmas shopping list.


No you don't. That's right. You are lying. How do I know? Because I've worked in various retail establishments for years and years, and I've seen good sales people build clientèle lists. You know how long it takes to get a long list? Years, not months - years. You maybe have 2 or 3 regulars, and that's it. They come in and pester you about why their printer keeps running out of ink. 



> I represent a majority of the reps that try to make your life easier when you are buying a laptop/printer/TV/ or Fridge to store that fattening food full of triglycerides that you will eat to slowly punish yourselves to death, while watching infidel maniac Tom Cruise jump on Oprah’s couch like a baboon on your big screen TV that you just bought at FS.


And that is why you have a clientèle list that is so long. You treat your customers with respect.



> Why do you hate printers that don’t come with cables? Because you are a moron. Here is FACT: people change their printers every 10 to 12 months on average ok? No I am not talking about the ones that your Granma used to confuse as a washing machine but the once that are made today. Specifically the ones made during the past 3 years. If they were to include USB cords which O so graciously happens to fit every frigging printer out there, the cost of the printer will go up (anyways) and after 3 years you will have a bloody collection of USB 2 cables which will be long enough for you to tie into a string and hang yourselves by the ceiling with. It’s a bloody one time buy that’s it your done. DO IT! Once you’ve bought the USB cable you’re done for at least the next 6 to 7 years. If you already have one that’s great! Go **** yourselves with it, I couldn’t care less. Next time whenever you buy a printer you will never have to buy a cable again. There is a flippin’ logic in there can you find it?


Why do people buy printers every year? Because crappy salespeople sell them dirt-cheap, crappy inkjet printers that either a)break after a year or b)it's cheaper to buy a new printer than to buy replacement ink. If you truly were a good salesperson, with the customer's best intentions in mind, you'd push them to laser printers, which last for years. Let's say at worst case scenario, the laser only lasts 3 years. If they came with USB cables, after 6 years, I'd have ***ACCKKKK** 2 USB cables! My god, I'd be swimming in them! And the price of the printers would go up $1! AAACCCKKKK!


> I am not even going to go into PSP (it’s not called extended warranty, or warranty or whatever the hell you people call it. Get your terms correct.) Honestly because it will be like gamma radiation trying to pass through a block of 34 inch think lead – it just won’t pass through.


Arguing over semantics is quite sad. It's an extended warranty. Come on, admit it. It will make you feel better. Let it off your chest. It's an extended warranty. You know it, we know. You are just upset we see through the PSP marketing crap.



> I could go on and on listing all the bloody annoying things that customers like you do and believe on a daily basis… so I will…


I would expect nothing less. Onward forth!



> Why do we follow you around? Because we feel stupid every time you start reading the specs on the price tag or the friggin box. You expect that a box or piece of paper can give you more education than a ****ing human being?


Yes, because they often do.



> What planet are you from? JEE Thanks. We are trained to make sense out of those things. When you are buying something like a lptop your brain doesn’t think. It doesn’t go O I need this as well! This too! Because you’re in psychological entropy where your concentration doesn’t seem to move anywhere away from the laptop.


Actually, I do most my research at home before I go to the store to make a purchase. I'm reading that label to make sure I'm getting the right model. I don't need a salesperson hovering.



> Selling accessories. IT’S CALLED SOLUTION SELLING. It becomes an up sell when the dude goes beyond item # 4 please get that in your head. You but a printer you need a flippin USB cord, paper, and ink! Some printers come with full ink but keep a black one handy cause your all bunch of procrastinating (of lord I have used this word way too much and I am way too tired to find another word, but I will) schizophrenics. “OMG I NEED TO PRINT THIS NOW I RAN OUT OF INK AND ITS 11 O CLOCK IN THE NIGHT.” Oh hey guess who just got ****ed! NOT ME! I guess that was the salesman fault too hmm?


There is a difference between offering a solution, and piling on crap. Pestering 4 or 5 times to but the little things goes too far. The problem is, you sales people don't LISTEN to the customers. You automatically assume that whatever we say is a lie to avoid paying more money. So you don't trust that a) we may already know what we want to buy, b) we already have 17 USB cables from all the other accessories we have owned in the past (for god's sake - $10 USB hubs come with an extra USB cable these days!), c) we don't want ink, because we want laser, and out of the box, it does 1000+ pages. That's cool with me, and d) don't need paper because I stole it from my office supply cabinet.



> If you were to come to me and would give me a few minutes to talk to I promise I won’t rip you into shred or take your wallet and run. I like talking and chatting cause its fun. You come to me with attitude like the one I mentioned above and expected some service you would have to teleport whores into the store before I started caring.


Yes, some customers are down right pains in the butt. Some salespeople will try to steal every dime you have.

Going on a major offensive and insulting almost everybody in this thread? That's sinking to new lows. If you want to rant about one or two bad customer experiences, fine. But to insult us and not even consider the fact there may be some truth to what we say (awesome 68% customer satisfaction), you need your head examined.

In an effort to help with your 68% customer satisfaction rating, I've forwarded a copy of your post to FutureShop customer service. Maybe they can help clean things up a bit.


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## zenith (Sep 22, 2007)

craeyon said:


> Ok… and I say that as I crack my knuckles and fingers to begin a journey down this bastard page to write some words in the middle of the night because there are still allot of dimwitted ubiquitous ****ers on this thread (and world) who still love to cock up the idea of Future Shop sucking more than your vacuum cleaner. Since evidence has lead me to believe that a majority of the messages and replies in this thread are written by a pack of phenomenal idiots I can’t help but express some of my thoughts and views about Future Shop employees and customers such as yourselves, who are so proud and cock sure with your heads full of eyeballs.


Please stop...you're turning me on.:love2:


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## hhk (May 31, 2006)

To the OP:

If you haven't done so - contact their head office and complain *vigorously*. Draft a letter for the Minister of Consumer and Commercial Relations, the Better Business Bureau and every newspaper and threaten to send it if you don't get resolution.

Don't worry that you don't have the packaging. You have the cables and that is proof enough.

Taking advantage of seniors is the lowest of the low.


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## Macfury (Feb 3, 2006)

I'm just happy that whenever I need a printer right away I can go to my local big box and receive information on how I can order this out-of-stock item directly from their web site! They give you the URL right there, for free!


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## EvanPitts (Mar 9, 2007)

Future Shop salespeople are GREAT!!! I save so much money when I go there because I rarely buy anything from them. For the most part, they are so utterly clueless that I just end up wanting to go elsewhere; and by the time I am ready to trek to Hogtown, my urge to spend money is gone. Like the time I wanted to get some memory for one of my computers - and the salesman told me that memory was obsolete, entirely unavailable except with a brand new system. He had never heard of SIMMs...


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## rgray (Feb 15, 2005)

*craeyon* Thank you for confirming every negative thought I have ever had regarding FS (and its ilk) and their "associates". You confuse a couple of hours of "training" and a couple of weeks on the job with experience and wisdom. You really should sober up and get some rest before starting a straight-out vitriolic attack on pretty much the whole ehMac community, with the explicit exception ehMax, our esteemed mayor:


craeyon said:


> [....... Mr. Mayor please accept apologies from me well in advance and the views expressed in this threat/thread do not, in any way, relate to you]


I suspect you may regret some of your semi-literate, contradictory rhetoric when you wake up in the morning, and I suspect that any other FS grunt that reads your words wishes that you would just shut up because your words simply amplify most peoples attitude towards your employers business methods.

However, a few points need making.


craeyon said:


> Why do we follow you around? Because we feel stupid every time you start reading the specs on the price tag or the friggin box. You expect that a box or piece of paper can give you more education than a ****ing human being? What planet are you from? JEE Thanks. We are trained to make sense out of those things.


Let me get this straight - you think I shouldn't read what the guys who made the item have to say about it? You think I should accept the word of someone with a self-confessed couple of months on the job over the manufacturers specs. If that is the case then you have every right to feel stupid. I send my clients to purchase very specific items and I get very annoyed when some pimply-face git still living in his/her mother's basement talks them into something else without any knowledge of the real situation. 


craeyon said:


> (it’s not called extended warranty, or warranty or whatever the hell you people call it. Get your terms correct.)


Correct. Actually it is called a ripoff by every consumer watchdog organisation on the planet.

This is also an example of the self-contradictory vitriol you are oozing here. If you are correct that "... people change their printers every 10 to 12 months on average ..." what the hell does one need an extended warranty for? Most equipment comes with a warranty longer than that.... 


craeyon said:


> You come to me with attitude like the one I mentioned above and expected some service you would have to teleport whores into the store before I started caring.


"Come to you"???? You are a tiny cog in a marketing machine!! Nobody comes to YOU... They come to a store in which you are a very small grunt. You are the one with attitude issues - you forget that it is your customer's money that pays you. 


guytoronto said:


> In an effort to help with your 68% customer satisfaction rating, I've forwarded a copy of your post to FutureShop customer service. Maybe they can help clean things up a bit.


Like GT, I also sent a copy to FS-CS and I hope a lot of other ehMacers do the same. I hope FS "rewards" your efforts by giving you lots of time off so you can play more WOW in your mother's basement.....


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## Vandave (Feb 26, 2005)

guytoronto said:


> In an effort to help with your 68% customer satisfaction rating, I've forwarded a copy of your post to FutureShop customer service. Maybe they can help clean things up a bit.


And I doubt those people will care at all. 

Futureshop has had crap service for at least a decade now and nothing has been done about it. They will probably give craeyon a promotion now because he is just parroting what they trained him to think.


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## FeXL (Jan 2, 2004)

@ craeyon: ROTFLMFAO. Grow up. Period.

I have my own little horror stories (note; plural, as in _many_ more than one) about the wonderful customer service of FS in Lethbridge.

Without getting into the details, let me summarize by saying if FS was _giving_ away 8 core Mac Pros, I'd be headed in the other direction. Quickly. 

I haven't been in one since '94 and it won't happen in the future. Neither will any members of my family.

The irony lies in the fact that you used to never be able to get the kind of customer service that the people in this thread speak of. Now, it is smeared across the retail sector like sh!t in a diaper.


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## dona83 (Jun 26, 2005)

This thread is so entertaining.

I think Future Shop is only for the strong witted people. Know how to buy there and you can walk away with an LCD screen at 25% off sticker price. You don't even have to buy that PSP crap.


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## MasterBlaster (Jan 12, 2003)

EvanPitts said:


> Future Shop salespeople are GREAT!!! I save so much money when I go there because I rarely buy anything from them. For the most part, they are so utterly clueless that I just end up wanting to go elsewhere; and by the time I am ready to trek to Hogtown, my urge to spend money is gone. Like the time I wanted to get some memory for one of my computers - and the salesman told me that memory was obsolete, entirely unavailable except with a brand new system. He had never heard of SIMMs...


Small private computer stores are not immune. An experience I had once the stores technician had his picture and "professional" credentials proudly displayed on the wall. MCSE, A+, BCIT graduate, 10 years experience, walks on water, raises the dead, etc. 

According to their shrine to his high priced honor, this was *The Man*. 

I was setting up a Windows machine for dual monitor. I wanted a PCI video card with lots of memory. He told me that only AGP video cards are made with more than 8mb of memory. I argued with him as I had PCI video cards with 32 and 64 mb of memory.

Anyhow he was installing Linux on the PC's at the store and telling the customers to put Linux on their machines as Linux was the way of the future. *Apple was copying Linux technology, etc.* Linux disks only $50. Lots of Linux how to books. 

Customers came in saying they were trying to learn how to use Linux, and couldn't understand it. He told them to buy this big, thick book on Unix.

He said with absolute conviction that Apple was going to die, Microsoft was going to become a small company selling some office applications. Soon Linux will take over the home computer world.

The owners of the store were new immigrants could hardly speak English and were not knowledgeable on computers. They paid this guy through the nose. I liked their store much better before they hired Mr Studly Linux Guru.

This was all before I became a Mac user. Still can't figure out that stupid Linux printer driver.


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## TrevX (May 10, 2005)

I'll share my own little Future Shop story for comparison. A month and a half ago my wife and I decided to go in to Future Shop to purchase an iMac and an iPod touch. I stood around for a few minutes until a "product specialist" came over to help me with the iMacs. I already knew exactly what I wanted and I was absolutely sure there was nothing this kid could tell me about the Mac that I didn't already know. Sure enough, he admitted he knew very little about the Mac (he was the designated Mac specialist, by the way). He had to go back to retrieve one from the warehouse so I waited for him to come back. When he did, he took me over to the Audio section so a different "specialist" could help me with the iPod. I stood there a few feet from the "specialist" as she talked on the phone (the way she was going on about going out that evening with her friends I knew she wasn't conducting business). I stood there looking at her and she acknowledged I was there, but after 10 minutes of waiting another specialist came over and opened the locked cabinet, handed me the iPod and sent me on my way.

I found the guy who had my iMac and he lead me to the counter to pay and almost an hour later I was finally out of there. It took that long because he kept answering the phone every 3 seconds and they screwed up my account number (I applied and received the FS Card) so they had to call HSBC to retrieve it. My wife was losing it. We have a 2 year old that was very cranky and my wife was at her wits end and wanted to leave. Honestly, I have never been to a store that worked so hard to keep me from spending money there. I keep going there because I love gadgets and its a dream for that, but I never ask the sales people questions because they don't know or care enough about the product. I do research on a product before hand, and then just go into FS, get it, pay for it, and leave. They have all been nice, but the customer experience is horrible.

The one time I asked a sales associate about a Sony Cybershot 6MP camera she tried selling me on it based on the Memory Stick it used. She said "everything is moving to Memory Stick format so this is a good camera choice." Naturally that is false and I only asked her about it to see how much she knew...I walked across the street to Staples and purchased a different camera after that.

Trev


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## MannyP Design (Jun 8, 2000)

dona83 said:


> This thread is so entertaining.
> 
> I think Future Shop is only for the strong witted people. Know how to buy there and you can walk away with an LCD screen at 25% off sticker price. You don't even have to buy that PSP crap.


You're giving FS/BB far too much credit. Even when you know what you're doing, you still need to negotiate then deceitful managers. Their stores rarely follow their head-office's directives, nor do they even follow their own policies.

Three times in the past two weeks have they outright refused to honor store policy and even refused to acknowledge their own web site. In one instance, we had a person from head office *tell them* over the phone that they had to honor the price matching policy and the manager still refused. The only way to get them to honor any sort of price is to literally walk in with a receipt to prove that the item SOLD for the price.

It's an idiotic state of affairs. It really is.

There are so many anecdotes from the last two weeks that it would be practically impossible to relate it all here... hours of hassle, dealing with these liars, idiots, and cheats who will make up any excuse for you to pay more.

But to be fair, out of the whole thing we've only met three staff members who were courteous, knowledgeable and actually helpful.

*None* of them were managers.


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## dona83 (Jun 26, 2005)

If you don't like their price, just walk. Either two things will happen to you, one they start negotiating on your terms, or you go somewhere else and find a better deal. It's that simple.


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## imactheknife (Aug 7, 2003)

I applied at BB one time a long time ago and after the 1st interview was over they asked me if I could sell thier extended warranty. I guess this is where FS and BB make thier money. It's a sham. They said they would call me back for a second interview, then a third if the second went okay. GOOD GOD am I a doctor or rocket scientist? is the job that hard?? do I need a degree to work there? :lmao: 

I told the guy to forget the second interview!

by the way, I hate pressure sales and that is what I have come to expect from FS. As well as the uninformed, trained APES that deal with Mac's. One time is "oh yes we sell Mac's" to another time "we wouldn't sell that crap here". No one knows anything about Mac's there. I always found myself helping customers myself! even at London Drugs in Alberta did I use to help customers because thier staff had no idea when it came to Macs. Things have changed since then (2003) and they now have a wicked department. I only go to FS when I see a sale and go in and grab what it is and run to the Cashier so no one tries to sell me extended warranty on my cable or whatever else.


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## rgray (Feb 15, 2005)

dona83 said:


> If you don't like their price, just walk. Either two things will happen to you, one they start negotiating on your terms, or you go somewhere else and find a better deal. It's that simple.


Absolutely true, yes, but you shouldn't need to take a couple of NFL Tackles with you to fend off the feeding frenzy of undertrained geeks who really should be in a basement somewhere playing WOW texting each other about who is wearing what tonight....

My technique is to take a confederate who will engage the "associate(s)" while I pretend (?) to be the introverted follower who is at their absolute social best reading labels.. (c'mon, you see it any Saturday morning). If I find a "possible" on something I want/need I interrupt the confederate by pre-arranged signal and it is *Game on!* re negotiations... If we don't like the deal we use the washroom - I'm 60+, others the same age will know what I mean..  - and leave... :clap: :clap:


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## SWATTZIM (Sep 30, 2007)

*heh,*

Yeah FF is pretty pushy.
I am an ex employee and can now say it is a tough place to work.
The do a pretty good game of pressuring the staff to comply and produce.
Alot of the people in the departments are highly trained in product knowledge and come from various fileds of tech backgrounds.

Unfortuantly it isn't explained to you till you are hired of what your real purpose there.
I worked there last Xmas and now work ot the Other place.
One place is differant from teh other in some ways but in the end.... they are told to sell.


As for warrenties I can only say this.
Depends on how much you are spending. And what on.
If you are one who HAS to buy a computer off the shelf. I do recommend the warrienty simply most of you are people who DO not have a tech or some one you can trust to repair a powere surged machine. In which your harddisk ram power supply and vid cards can all suffer damage.
Nice repair bill and not ocvered by manufacturer.
Same with flat panel TVs 40 inch or bigger.
if its over 40 inches. meh. warr it up. However you can make a deal on the pricing when you get store insurance.


as for the cables. man The stuff is costly.There are other ways to get high end cables.
However, high end cables DO WORK.

Said all i can without details and what I said is true. But... not every shopper has the same disposable income so it is of no concern to them. For the rest of us real life shoppers, just politly say no and smile when it comes to crossing your budget line and simply say. I can only spend this much and not a penny more. If you say this clearly. Other sales people will get the poiunt and maybe a floor manager or 2 ( who look like normal employees) this way you do yourself AND the employee a favor.
They get into trouble or layed off if they do not comply and produce the poor bastards.


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## craeyon (Jan 31, 2007)

JEEESUS...

calling me semi-illiterate and a little COG won't do anything to my ego right? If you know what you want GO FOR IT! You will atleast save me some time. 

I heard a rant about buying and iPOD and the FS guy telling him to buy a case and some other ****. I partially agree to the fact that some other **** was unnecessary but you just bought a new frikkin ipod 30 days from now.. if you don't have a case... it would look like the surface of the moon. 

As goes for generalizing, all the people who are telling me that I just made future shop worse by "entertaining" some jerks here then you did a great job of following the herd like a mindless zombie. You people generalize ALOT, I am ranting not from a salesperson's perspective but from a human perspective. This is not limited to FS. I worked for 2 years at staples right before this and I had this same situation going in some other stupid thread about how Staples employees suck ass and I wasn't even on commission then and I still bothered to give a **** about people such as yourselves to come into the store and ask for help. 

I maybe frustrated but I m not shocked everyone thinks that a salesguy is ALWAYS upselling. In some cases it might be evident but in most cases it doesn't and then the people who received the upselling moron come in drop and drop a nuclear bomb on the rest of us and flatten the terrain!

holy crap!


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## absolutetotalgeek (Sep 18, 2005)

> You are certainly pressured when you walk into a futureshop ..


That's why I give that '_talk to me and I'll cut your f$%kin' head off right here in the middle of isle and feed it to your useless buddy beside you_'... I don't ever have a problem.... Of course I usually know what I'm going in for. 

For the general public there should be a course on how to survive a trip to the big box stores.


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## craeyon (Jan 31, 2007)

guytoronto said:


> There is a difference between offering a solution, and piling on crap. Pestering 4 or 5 times to but the little things goes too far. The problem is, you sales people don't LISTEN to the customers. You automatically assume that whatever we say is a lie to avoid paying more money. So you don't trust that a) we may already know what we want to buy, b) we already have 17 USB cables from all the other accessories we have owned in the past (for god's sake - $10 USB hubs come with an extra USB cable these days!), c) we don't want ink, because we want laser, and out of the box, it does 1000+ pages. That's cool with me, and d) don't need paper because I stole it from my office supply cabinet.


Do you honestly believe I am a mind reader? SORRY FOR NOT POSSESING A CLAIRVOYANT SPACED MIND. I hope maybe you can make an Oreo psychicly fly through the air and smack me across the head.... 

If you tell me all of that before I would just help you cash out the bloody printer and let you out the store i you needed help carrying it out (incase its a huge paperweight) asap so I can get to the other 5 million customers in the store that calling for help.


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## rgray (Feb 15, 2005)

*craeyon*, at the very least, PLEASE have the class to know when you are done! Your continuing vitriol against us all here at ehMac is becoming tiresome. I think you have succeeded in making FS, at least in Guelph, about as attractive as a leper colony.....


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## craeyon (Jan 31, 2007)

sorry rgray...

fighting for the weak just doesn't work these days. I had some more thoughts but I m done here.


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## zenith (Sep 22, 2007)

craeyon said:


> Do you honestly believe I am a mind reader? SORRY FOR NOT POSSESING A CLAIRVOYANT SPACED MIND. I hope maybe you can make an Oreo psychicly fly through the air and smack me across the head....
> .


Do you post on youtube under the name of Daxflame?

YouTube - I got into a fight at PE


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## ehMax (Feb 17, 2000)

craeyon said:


> sorry rgray...
> 
> fighting for the weak just doesn't work these days. I had some more thoughts but I m done here.


Indeed you are, and so is this thread.


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