Office Depot Workers Told To Lie To Customers?

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LAPTOP Magazine is reporting that Office Depot instructs its salespeople to lie to customers about the availability of laptops when the person isn’t buying any “extras.” While this wouldn’t be the first time we’ve heard of this type of thing, it is a bit surprising that anyone in today’s economy would refuse a sale (extras or not).

“I have witnessed lying about the availability of a notebook, and have been told to do so myself,” Rich told us. ” Once I was talking to the customer and, while I am actually speaking, my manager comes on the radio and tells me to say it is out of stock if they aren’t getting anything with it. I always ignore him and sell it anyway because lying to the customer is flat-out wrong.”
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With this kind of shit going on it really shocks me that people wonder why I don't like B&M electronics stores that much.
 
This is why I quit Circuit City almost a year ago. I refused to lie to people. Of course, looking back, having a few months more employment might have been preferable to going from then to now unemployed, but dammit, One freelanced gig felt better than the months I put in there...and I actually stole some of their customer base after I left, not by soliciting or anything, but because customers came in looking for me, and found me on their own.
 
I'm 99% sure that Best Buy does this too. Lame sales tatics.
 
techie81 said:
I'm 99% sure that Best Buy does this too. Lame sales tatics.
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I remember looking at laptops one day at bestbuy. Every model I asked about was out of stock. and when I asked about stock in other sotres it was the same.

All I can figure is that they sell the laptops at a loss to get you in the store and then nail you on the accessories, but when I was looking at the laptops I wasn't asked about accessories yet, they didn't know if I was buying anything else or not.
 
And people wonder why the American economy is going tits-up. Might have something to do with just about every major corporation and financial institution being lying, stealing scum.
 
LOL

bye bye office depot, may you enjoy the soup line as much as circuit city


i'll just buy my notebooks online, and not from od
 
Diablo2K said:
I remember looking at laptops one day at bestbuy. Every model I asked about was out of stock. and when I asked about stock in other sotres it was the same.

All I can figure is that they sell the laptops at a loss to get you in the store and then nail you on the accessories, but when I was looking at the laptops I wasn't asked about accessories yet, they didn't know if I was buying anything else or not.
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Check the stock status for the store you're going to on-line beforehand. If it says the model is in stock but the sales people say it's not, tell them they're full of shit.
 
I did this at best buy to. When your job security is reliant on your numbers looking good, you do what it takes. The stores all take losses or break even on every computer besides the ultra
expensive units ($2k laptops $1k desktops). I didn't like doing that, and usually we were good enought that we didn't have to, but if the month was bad or the company put something that killed our margin on sale, we would try and work around it.

I would never lie about a products features/benefits, but if we couldn't find a product then we couldn't find it...

That said I'm glad I have my degree and am programming instead of selling.
 
I hate to say it but this is just the way the sales world works in some places. I've had to do the same thing when I worked at staples. I've seen losses of ~$200 on some new notebook computers that are "on sale" that week, and the ones that don't want the goods get the runaround a lot of the time.

A) it keeps people in your department employed when corporate sees higher attachment %, otherwise say hello to layoffs and then having to do the jobs of 2 people by yourself because your partner got fired
B) good attachment sales garner you a bonus, no matter how small its more money than your regular paycheck
C) I've had this backfire enough times to know that the managers will have your back when a customer finds out the truth, as long as you're a good sales person and drive high numbers for the company

it's dog eat dog, if you want more food on the table you do what you gotta do.

it's like this in pretty much any business that thrives on warranties and attachments
 
digitalfreak said:
Check the stock status for the store you're going to on-line beforehand. If it says the model is in stock but the sales people say it's not, tell them they're full of shit.
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Online stock information isn't always right. Depends on the system, it might count the return or defective items as in stock count. Unfortunately, most of BM stores don't make money or even losing money with computer sales. They have to make their money somewhere.
 
Diablo2K said:
All I can figure is that they sell the laptops at a loss to get you in the store and then nail you on the accessories, but when I was looking at the laptops I wasn't asked about accessories yet, they didn't know if I was buying anything else or not.
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Not all models are sold at a loss, but most of the cheapest models are. Warranties and accessories are where they make there money. However, from having worked in these places I can't say that I ever recall anyone lying about having something in stock and thus blocking a sale. Granted I haven't worked in any of these places for some years now.
 
That is why if I buy at a store, and the saleshole is "helping", I say sure get me this, that, yup sounds good....could use that.......as soon as I see my laptop box in hand.....I just say......I only want the laptop, and walk with them right up the counter.......uh huh saleshole....you lose, no one pulls that sh!t with me.
 
techie81 said:
I'm 99% sure that Best Buy does this too. Lame sales tatics.
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I've bought two laptops from my BB and they didn't even try to sell me "extras" (except the extended warranty).

One was out of stock, so they gladly had another store hold it for me.

I'm starting to think I'm just really, really lucky when it comes to BB.
 
Just walk around carrying a Monster Cable™ HDMI cable....once they see you holding that they will be pleased to help you.

(I used the ™ on Monster Cable™ that way they dont sue me for wrongfully using their name which they own and have full controll over)
 
Rob94hawk said:
What does being a scummy salesperson have to do with a consumer not looking to be scammed? Maybe your just mad cause the consumer is on to your bullshit. Saleholes like you are the reason most of us shop at Newegg. Enjoy your life on the unemployment line dickhead. :)
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I haven't worked retail in a long time. Employees have no control over the policies made by upper management. They can't do shit about it. What makes you so fucking special that they should risk their jobs for you? Get your head out of your own ass.
 
Rob94hawk said:
What does being a scummy salesperson have to do with a consumer not looking to be scammed? Maybe your just mad cause the consumer is on to your bullshit. Saleholes like you are the reason most of us shop at Newegg. Enjoy your life on the unemployment line dickhead. :)
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I would have worded it a bit different but yeah, those are my feelings also..
 
Derangel said:
If you've never worked retail you have no fucking clue as to how this shit goes down.
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Please don't kid yourself........its no big secret what goes on ....I never worked retail but plenty of my less than "intelligent" friends did.
 
Crosshairs said:
Please don't kid yourself........its no big secret what goes on ....I never worked retail but plenty of my less than "intelligent" friends did.
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Wow, you're a complete tool. You know how many people work retail to pay for school, or because they graduated with a degree and nobody is hiring? Congrats on being a heartless dick.
 
Crosshairs said:
Please don't kid yourself........its no big secret what goes on ....I never worked retail but plenty of my less than "intelligent" friends did.
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So go a head and ask them how much control they had about store and corporate policy. Ask them what the danger was in being caught breaking those policies. Ask them what would happen if the store didn't meet its sales quota for a quarter. Even still, unless you've actually worked in that environment you don't understand it, plain and simple. Working retail gives you a new perspective on what the employees have to go through. I would have loved to given customers what they wanted when I worked retail, but I wasn't about to risk my job or the jobs of my co-workers to do so.
 
Derangel said:
So go a head and ask them how much control they had about store and corporate policy. Ask them what the danger was in being caught breaking those policies. Ask them what would happen if the store didn't meet its sales quota for a quarter. Even still, unless you've actually worked in that environment you don't understand it, plain and simple. Working retail gives you a new perspective on what the employees have to go through. I would have loved to given customers what they wanted when I worked retail, but I wasn't about to risk my job or the jobs of my co-workers to do so.
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Ill tell you what, instead, how about you go ask a few CC employees how that policy is working out for them?
 
Crosshairs said:
Ill tell you what, instead, how about you go ask a few CC employees how that policy is working out for them?
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:facepalm:, the front line sales people have NO CONTROL over the polices in places, if they go over their managers head or bend the polices, unless they are EXTREMLY well liked, they will get disciplined, or possibly even lose their job.

And don't even think of making the "if they don't like it they can try and change it" argument, they can't, any one that over steps their bounds are disciplined or fired imediately. Again like others have said, until have you work retail, stfuk?
 
Derangel said:
Nice way to be an asshole. I love assholes who have clearly never worked retail before punishing the employees for rules that they have no control over.
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Boo fucking hoo. If the sales people get their panties in a knot because you have to lie to them to get legitimate service, they should be in a different line of work.
 
Mavvok said:
here's a clue, i buy things.
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Big deal, if you won't buy it with the add ons, someone else will, *most* employees aren't gonna lose their job to please you.

Some stores are better than others, also there are always "rouge" stores, I once worked at a "rouge" store. They don't last long, either the entire management eventually gets replaced, or like in my case, they simply closed down the store and laid every one off as an example.

Rarely are "rouge" stores let to carry on.
 
Derangel said:
*Facepalm.* What the fuck does that have to do with employees being forced to follow company policy? Are you really that fucking thick headed or don't you know how to carry on an argument properly?
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OK, how about this.
your job is to rip me off, and when I dont let you rip me off,I'm the bad guy.....
is that the argument you want to have?
 
Crosshairs said:
OK, how about this.
your job is to rip me off, and when I dont let you rip me off,I'm the bad guy.....
is that the argument you want to have?
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The employee's job is to follow company policy. If they don't they can be replaced. Any rip-offs are the fault of that policy. The people you talk to in the stores can't do jack shit about that. If you act like everyone is out to get you there is a good chance you act like a complete jack-ass to these employees. When you act like a jack-ass you're gonna get bad service. You want employees to bend a few rules for you, be nice to them. The ones who aren't total fuckwads are generally willing to bend a few small rules if they can get away with it. Don't go in expecting them to bend over and let you fuck them over the same why you believe all these big companies are trying to do to you.
 
Like I said, I've worked for both Best Buy and Comp USA and I have never been told not to sell something unless the customer is buying something else. This is true even if the laptop or other product was being sold for less than the cost price shown in the computer. Granted, I didn't do sales for either company very long and spent 99% of my time in both companies in their respective tech shops. Still, it never happened and I never saw or heard of any policy discouraging sales without accessories. They try to teach the sales people to be better about getting people to buy extra crap, especially warranties. That is all though.
 
Dan_D said:
Like I said, I've worked for both Best Buy and Comp USA and I have never been told not to sell something unless the customer is buying something else. This is true even if the laptop or other product was being sold for less than the cost price shown in the computer. Granted, I didn't do sales for either company very long and spent 99% of my time in both companies in their respective tech shops. Still, it never happened and I never saw or heard of any policy discouraging sales without accessories. They try to teach the sales people to be better about getting people to buy extra crap, especially warranties. That is all though.
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It wouldn't surprise me if some stores make up these policies themselves to make their numbers look better.
 
Derangel said:
It wouldn't surprise me if some stores make up these policies themselves to make their numbers look better.
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That wouldn't surprise me either. I've seen managers, especially sales managers pull all kinds of crap that violated company policies for that very reason.
 
Arcygenical said:
How is denying extras and accessories bending any rules?
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If its store policy, its store policy. The floor employees have no say over that. If the employee was told not to sell any laptops without accessories there isn't jack he can do about it without risking his job.
 
Actually. your first post summed it up nicely..

Derangel said:
With this kind of shit going on it really shocks me that people wonder why I don't like B&M electronics stores that much.
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I feel the same way, so don't beat me up for it.
 
Dan_D said:
That wouldn't surprise me either. I've seen managers, especially sales managers pull all kinds of crap that violated company policies for that very reason.
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Same. When I worked at Wal-Mart they had untrained people driving around the scissor-lifts (me being one of them). Not to mention promoting unsafe working habits for people unloading and setting out stock.
 
Chilly said:
Big deal, if you won't buy it with the add ons, someone else will, *most* employees aren't gonna lose their job to please you.
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no, but piss off enough people and management is going to have different feelings about their rules.
 
Derangel said:
Same. When I worked at Wal-Mart they had untrained people driving around the scissor-lifts (me being one of them). Not to mention promoting unsafe working habits for people unloading and setting out stock.
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Yeah, I've seen and done some crazy things on the job in such places.
 
Crosshairs said:
I feel the same way, so don't beat me up for it.
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Thing is, I don't blame the employees for it and I don't treat them like shit just because the company they work for forces them to use unfair sales policies. When I go into a store I'm nice and polite to the employees. I know that I'm not some God that they should bow down to. I'm just one customer of many. No reason they should treat me special.
 
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