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Thread: Terrible experience at an AD

  1. #1
    KEØJNF Spooky's Avatar
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    Terrible experience at an AD

    A copy of my review for "Blakeman's Fine Jewelry" in Rogers, AR:

    I collect watches. While I'm not a multi-millionaire able to purchase what I want without discretion, I do spend a lot of money on watches. So when I walk into a store wearing cowboy boots, jeans and a T-shirt, I don't necessarily look like I have a 3-4000.00 budget. But I do. For reasons of context I'll say that I prefer diving watches, and was trying to decide between a couple of them. A Breitling Colt, or at Blakeman's a Tudor Pelagos. Since 3-4000.00$ is a significant amount of money for me (and perhaps most people) I wanted to handle each watch before I decided which to purchase. So into Blakeman's I go looking to check out a Pelagos dive watch in titanium. Nice watch.

    But terrible service.

    I walked up to the amoeba of employees by the desk. It appears Randy Faddis loses the toss. When he's done being shocked that I was even allowed in the door, he asks how he can help. I explain that I collect watches, and have come here to get an up close experience with one of theirs. He offers me something to drink, I decline. We amble over to the Tudor case. (It's off to the left of the Rolex case. I get the distinct impression he wouldn't have wasted his time on me there) I explain how I'm a fan of dive watches and am a huge fan of the water resistance present in the Pelagos. A more un-interested employee I have never met. Uh huh, uh huh, uh huh...ad nauseam. Not getting much dialogue out of this one. I try asking questions about the watch (Questions I already know the answer too). Tudor has recently revamped the Pelagos with a new movement and a slightly different dial design. "Oh, we'll be getting those in soon". ...Okay. When? How much will they be? Why should I buy the watch I'm holding now (Instead of the new one with an In-house movement, which is also Chronometer certified) "Do you want some coffee?" ...What?? Is he playing the idiot card with me now? I'm asking specific questions about a watch, and he can't even pretend to care to answer me. Finally we reach the point where I don't believe attempting any dialogue with this Randy Faddis is going to benefit me. My wife is sitting by the door looking embarrassed to even be there. Randy appears to get an idea and runs over, and grabs a Tudor catalog, and hand it to me in a way that says "If I give you this, will that shut you up and get you out of my store you're not fit to thin the oxygen in???" I had to ask him for a business card (wasn't offered to me) and we left in what I can only describe as a hurry.

    Overall I feel belittled, and that they were too "snobby" to want to waste their time with the likes of us. Terrible experience. Even if I liked the Pelagos better, I wouldn't buy it from them. Went to Romance Diamond Company in Fayetteville AR. Handled a couple Breitling, (under no pretense that I would immediately buy). Had a wonderful experience.Do not waste your time with Blakeman's "Fine" Jewelry or Randy Faddis. Go elsewhere.




    A one star Google review is their reward for my treatment.



    Last edited by Spooky; Mar 26, 2015 at 01:37 AM.

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  3. #2
    Moderator gnuyork's Avatar
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    Aw man, that stinks. But I'm sure that happens everywhere, and it's too bad.

  4. #3
    Member Teeritz's Avatar
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    Awful service. Absolutely awful. In a high-end watch store, you have to treat the customer in jeans and t-shirt (and cowboy boots) the same as you would a customer in a suit. Especially in this Digital Age where people can get these products off the web.
    But what do I know? I only sold watches for eleven years, Randy.

    I must say, though, that from my experience, whenever I walk into a store and a bunch of employees are huddled at the service counter, that usually means they're having an impromptu staff meeting, which should be done out of store hours, or they're all standing around discussing last night's episode of "Survivor".
    You can always find something to do in a watch store when it's quiet. Or maybe that's just me.

    teeritz

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  6. #4
    KEØJNF Spooky's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Teeritz View Post
    Awful service. Absolutely awful. In a high-end watch store, you have to treat the customer in jeans and t-shirt (and cowboy boots) the same as you would a customer in a suit. Especially in this Digital Age where people can get these products off the web.
    But what do I know? I only sold watches for eleven years, Randy.

    I must say, though, that from my experience, whenever I walk into a store and a bunch of employees are huddled at the service counter, that usually means they're having an impromptu staff meeting, which should be done out of store hours, or they're all standing around discussing last night's episode of "Survivor".
    You can always find something to do in a watch store when it's quiet. Or maybe that's just me.
    It was about 2 hours into their business day. Didn't walk in right after the doors opened, but neither was I there near closing time. The employees, my wife, and myself were the only ones in the store.

  7. #5
    Member Upstate's Avatar
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    That stinks. I always have the best experience in stores if I go in not expecting much. Here's my routine:

    Me: Hi...hows it going?
    Employee: Good, how can I help you?
    Me: I'd like to try on that Tudor Black Bay please.
    Employee: Sure

    :: 5 min. of complete silence while I play with the watch, then hand it back ::

    Me: Thanks...that's a really nice watch, it's def. on my list
    Employee: Your welcome, here's my card if you decide to buy

    I walk out with a smile.

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  9. #6
    I'm sorry to hear that, Shaun. That's a rather unfortunate experience.

  10. #7
    Crummy service seems to be getting worse, and not just in watch stores. Lately, I've made it a point to email or call the store manager (and CC the email to the company head office, if applicable), and let them know my feelings about the poor service I had received. And how much that poor service cost the company in terms of a lost sale now, and in the future.


    ~Sherry.
    Eterna | Tudor | Seiko | Casio | G-Shock | Orient | Swatch | Mondaine | Zodiac (pre-Fossil) | Rolex | Wenger | Pulsar Time Computer | Omega | Timex | Bucherer | Citizen | Bulova | Glycine

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  12. #8
    Member Teeritz's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Spooky View Post
    It was about 2 hours into their business day. Didn't walk in right after the doors opened, but neither was I there near closing time. The employees, my wife, and myself were the only ones in the store.
    Eleven am was usually pretty quiet back in my store. If a customer walked in, we would race each other to the door to serve them.

    teeritz

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    My other distractions ---> http://www.teeritz.blogspot.com.au

  13. #9
    I've not had an experience as bad as that, but I have found that employees in watch stores are often woefully lacking in knowledge about watches. It may have been that he just didn't really understand your questions.

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  15. #10
    Dinger of Hum Chronopolitano's Avatar
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    I am Randy, and I deny the veracity of this story as told by Spooky or whatever his name is.

    This is NOT how it went down.
    To start with, as soon as he walked in he hocks a big one right on the carpet.
    "HOIK... Fffftook!"

    Un~freekin~believable! I know, right?
    We were all just stunned.

    He tips his cowboy hat, and says loudly, "Ima gonna spend enough money here today to make you all retire by the end of this week,... IF you got what I want."

    And then he winks at me, and motions me over with his finger, like I was his pet pooch or something.
    I was thinking, "What a doosh!" But the manager told me to go and serve the man.

    So, I go over, still dazed by his behavior, and he says to me: "You got any coffee around here or what?"

    Me: "Uh.... yeah, Uh-huh. Sure. You want some? What would you like, sir?"
    Him: "Nope. Just checkin."

    And then, pointing to his own watch, he sez: "See here? Now, THAT's a real watch son. You got any REAL watches like this here?"

    And it went on like this for two hours, before he hocked another one, this time over the counter, after trying on every watch in the store, and every time, asking rhetorically, "How I look? Damn fine! Am I right? or am I right?"

    Me: "Uh... uh-huh. Yeah. I guess."

    Him: "But this watch ain't enhancing it!"
    And he'd take it off, and rudely drop it on the counter.

    He finally left after 2 hours, but oh, before he left, he motions me over again, flashes his wallet, opens it up, shows me a bunch of singles, and sez: "See these? I jes' MIGHT come back tomarah, spend some here. Ya never know. But then, I jes' might not."

    Then he walks out like he just bought the whole store.

    Sheesh! Some people!
    Last edited by Chronopolitano; Mar 26, 2015 at 07:12 AM.

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