patrick_y[PuristSPro Moderator]
28515
You're not considering both sides of the equation...
Apr 19, 2024,22:59 PM
First of all, you're asking the wrong question. It's not about how I feel about the situation. Ask a judge or a lawyer or a mediator and it's never about how they feel. And for you to use the phrase "that attitude is indefensible" suggests you're very unlikely to consider other possibilities. Secondly, asking for a business card, discouraging tourists, and inquiring what watches you currently own is all reasonable. You define it as an "interview" which if just labeled as such, 99% of consumers would agree that they wouldn't subject themselves to an interview. But if I labeled it as "asking for a business card, explaining tourists are less welcome, and inquiring what watches you already own" that would sound less unreasonable.
One simple question: can we be humble enough to even consider the possibility that there are things going on that are not immediately obvious to the average consumer that would warrant this situation (outside of the credit card situation - I have no idea what the reason is for that one)? In other words, is there even a chance that consumers can be "wrong" here? If you think "the customer is always right" then, don't bother to read on.
This is one of those posts where all consumers will agree that the retailer is bad. But few consumers see past their own needs and wants and have empathy for the retailer. Retailers have their needs and wants. Consumers have their needs and wants. Consumers are unhappy about how they're treated, but they don't understand why some of these practices are necessary.
Also, consider the alternative. If retailers didn't scrutinize their customers, there would be less barriers for resellers. Then as watch collectors, we'd have even less chance of getting watches with more professional resellers falling through the cracks.
Peter, you're contributing to the schadenfreude here. Everyone is quick to complain. Everyone is happy to see David complain about Goliath. It's mob mentality. But nobody takes a moment and try to understand things from the retailer's perspective.
And lastly, everyone is complaining but they're not offering a solution. Practically, they can't even offer a solution because they don't even take a moment to realize what the retailer is going through (they need to understand both sides in order to offer a quality solution). Can you offer a solution that's better for both sides? It's easy to complain. It's not easy to offer a better solution.
I'll say this, this is all to be expected - the vast majority of people who go onto internet forums are there for entertainment and have not applied critical thought to their responses. Also, we're high level consumers buying luxury goods, so we're also all very entitled thinking since we're consumers with open wallets, we should be treated very well. We're all entitled consumers complaining we have to jump through hoops. Sure, we can complain about the hoops, but just realize without them, things might be worse off.
Most respectfully Peter. I value your opinion. But frankly, not a single person in this thread has really demonstrated that they have empathy for the other side. Everyone is very swiftly and resolutely stating that retailers are absolutely wrong - much too quickly without any consideration outside of the consumer perspective.