Ticked off LCS?

Don't most of those big corporate retailers accept other store coupons as a way of competing?

 

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Yes... I suppose it could be argued that they are competition, but not in the same way as Lowes vs. Home Depot. Harbor Freight's 20-30% off coupons are meant to be used for nameless and often lower quality products, so when they can be used on quality name brand products, it's really quite nice.

 

most sellers have a one return and they won't sell to you again policy.

 

I'm in the medical field and I take care of patients.....we have patients that give us a hard time and families that give us a hard time. Do I not treat a patient well because he is a PITA? nope. I treat them all fairly and respectfully and have patience with them. This dealer should have more patience.....end of story.

 

Your story, not mine. If you're in the medical field, you must know that an obscene amount of people are let loose into this world on pain meds and antidepressants. Sometimes, there just isn't enough patience in the world that would suffice. Being oblivious to your own inappropriate actions and behaviours within your surroundings and unaware of the fact that you are becoming a pain, is not a good sign.

 

Dealing with sick people is very different from retail sales. Coin dealers are not counselors or healthcare professionals. They are businessmen and woman that have experience that good dealers freely share. But it is never appropriate to waste a persons time unless they get paid to have their time wasted.

Alfred

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Guys...working in the medical field and the retail industry are very different environments. Sure, in both you should strive to treat everyone well...but it's very different.

There are also nice doctors and jerk doctors out there...just like there are nice coin dealers and jerk coin dealers.

I'd like to believe I'm a "nice doctor."

 

Truth be told, to me this topic is not about fields of employment, it's about manners, consideration and objectiveness.

 

I agree...but some people seem to think that manners are different for different jobs. I personally think the dealer should be very welcoming and warm to the customer. Even if the dealer thinks the customer is wasting his time. I know some people here disagree. But, I tend to believe that if you treat people nicely (even if they are huge PITA customers) you will win more often or not. Perhaps they won't buy something...or perhaps they will tell 10 friends how the dealer bent over backwards to take care of the customer and when nothing was sold seemed OK with it. Maybe 5 of those friends become customers and buy coins because they heard the dealer was a good guy.

I believe manners are manners...and you should always treat people with respect and kindness. I know there is "coin shop etiquette" but I think that's an old way of thinking. Especially with so much competition these days online.

 

Agreed in 99.9% of the cases. But if a patient came in and asked you to pull up his xrays three times and never even paid the co-pay I bet you would handle things quitr differently.

Alfred

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Yeah but no matter what I tell the dentist about my flossing technique, I'm always somehow doing it wrong.

 

The difference is...what you describe is a billed service. I think if someone came into a coin shop and took a coin without paying, the situation would be handled quite differently too.

 

Nothing beats a knowledgeable face-to-face dealer, and this is true for both veteran and newbie collectors alike, but is an especially valuable asset for the latter. Of course much depends on the interests of the individual collector, but in many cases, those who choose to take the online route in order to save a few bucks now end up paying for it in the long run.

Now, as for manners, let's not forget that this is a two-way street. Respect begets respect in all aspects of life, but for some reason, this truth seems to be lost on certain collectors/buyers. Just because you or any collector walks into a shop, up to a table, or in some way makes contact with a dealer, this does not mean you can walk all over him, or that if he reaches his limit and puts his foot down, he is automatically the bad guy as so many here seem to think.

Since you are a dentist, please allow me to ask if you, after doing some sort of minor, low-profit, inexpensive work on a patient, would feel obligated to attend to this person's every whim and want, especially if doing so meant that you had to take time away from other paying patients? Would you be okay with someone coming into your examining room once a week (as an example) and sitting there for a few hours trying to decide if they wanted some sort of work done? Perhaps I am wrong, but I assume that you like to have a roof over your head, pay your bills, and/or have money to simply live on and would not willingly give that up just so that you could be "warm and welcoming" to this person that has no problem wasting your time and/or costing you money.

While two different things, may I ask if you leave medications in a place where a patient (customer) could get their hands on them? Legal responsibilities aside, I assume that you do not want to open yourself up so that people could steal from you, right? Well, how do you think a dealer that refuses to allow a potential unknown customer to dig through his inventory unsupervised feels? How many times have we seen threads where some collector is upset because X dealer refused to allow them to do just that? Again, your field and coin dealing are two very different areas, but I do hope that you understand my point with this. It is easy to think that every potential coin buyer should be treated like gold every time he walks in the door, but the reality is that some simply do not deserve it, or if they do, it is impractical to do so.

I can only imagine what it may be like to have someone trying to con me into writing a script for narcotics, but I am sure it is something you take very seriously since this is part of your career and livelihood. Similarly, try to imagine what it is like to have someone con you out of your time and/or inventory, which is a dealer's livelihood, by one of near countless different methods employed by certain collectors, wannabe dealers, etc, and then tell me that everyone deserves that "warm and welcoming" reception. Perhaps I better understand what certain people are capable of because I've lived it. There was a time in my life where I could have spent 16+ hours a day answering questions or giving advice to people only interested in taking advantage of an honest offer to help. I too believe in above and beyond customer service, but this should be reserved for new customers and/or those that deserve it, but not for those who have shown a lack of concern or respect for your time and business. The dealer that is the subject of this thread should not be faulted for apparently reaching the end of his rope. By the OP's admission, this gentleman has done much for and treated him very well, yet because the OP wants his cake and to eat it too, the dealer turns into the "screw him" bad guy, and that's not right.

 

I'm in no way faulting this dealer. All we have is what the OP has told us...which is one side of the story. Perhaps you are right, perhaps this dealer did bend over backwards trying to go above and beyond with customer service and the OP pushed him to his limit. Everybody has one, and I don't think that the dealer should allow himself to be walked all over. On the other hand, perhaps the dealer is just a grouchy dealer...we have all seen those too.

My only point was from more of a profitability side of things. I was just trying to point out that if the dealer (or even me as a dentist) is willing to be extra tolerant of annoying behavior...you might make a few more sales in the long run. If I spend several hours discussing treatment options with a patient...only to have not get anything done, it might not be a total lost cause. If I seem friendly and willing to listen and help, that patient might go and tell a friend that I'm really nice. Maybe the first guy didn't make me any money...but maybe his friend comes in and does a bunch of crowns.

You never know what being kind will do. That was my only point.

On the other hand...we have all met people who just drive us up the wall. Who complain non-stop and are never happy and it's always someone else's fault (I can think of someone here like that). Sometimes, people just aren't worth doing business with and you need to drive them away. Perhaps the dealer got to that point.

But, at the end of the day...I think as a businessman you are always better off painting a smile on your face and trying to be kindest and more caring person you can be. I believe you make more sales that way.

 

I agree. Patience and kindness go a long way, especially when dealing with a new collector.

Best,

Alfred

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Of course it does, and I do not believe anyone is disputing this. However, just as patience and kindness go a long way, so does consideration and respect. In this case, what has the new collector who was given said patience and kindness by his dealer done other than to complain, threaten to walk away when not getting his way, and giving the ever-classic "screw him"? As far as I can see, not much.

The only point I've tried to make throughout this thread is that unless we stand in an individuals shoes, we are not in a place to judge. If he felt, after months of giving to this person, that it was time to draw the line, I believe it unfair for us to judge him for it.

 

Apples and oranges. In the medical field providers have a fiduciary relationship to the patient. A coin dealer certainly does not. a person buying a coin is a customer, not a patient.

Additionally you have to remember that when a person is being difficult in the medical setting they are usually having the worst day of their life. You are literally seeing them at their worst. Yes there are problem patients. But when I was in school I had a course titled "treatment of the hateful patient". I'm pretty sure at the ana they don't have a numismatic equivalent

Let's talk more about coins and less about medicine. I come to this board to escape medicine not debate it

 

"treatment of the hateful patient" Awesome.

 

I agree with what you are saying. I also agree with the statement made several pages ago that there is no reason to return a non-necessary commodity you purchased when you had the ability to fully examine it prior. I can see how such behavior can be frustrating to the dealer. I also agree that the relationship between customer and dealer is a two-way street. All that is 100% true.

My only point is, from a business only perspective...irritating a customer is not a good thing to do if you want to maximize sales. In the end, the dealer left the customer feeling unhappy which could reduce his sales potential to that customer and anyone he might mention the dealer to.

Now, sometimes you have a customer that is not worth dealing with and needs to be driven away...perhaps that was the case. Perhaps too, this dealer is doing fine and doesn't need every last sale and thus can be selective.

My only point was...if the dealer is trying to maximize his sales (without being unethical), treating a customer like this (even an annoying one) is not the way to do it.

 

There is a certain advantage to being a "doctor" in different disciplines... my 'patients' are rocks and sediment samples.... even after sending them through a jaw crusher, or drying ovens, or total acid digestion... I never hear a complaint!!