"Why be rude to potential customers?" Topic

Over time here on TMP, I have found it …well…bizarre that company owners would speak rudely and/or derogatorily to potential customers. I mean, you want me to spend my hard earned money on your product, but then you are going to be rude/ignorant/derogatory towards questions or comments that I make on TMP? How does doing those things put you and your product in a favorable light?

There are a number of people/companies I won't buy from because of the attitude I've gotten from them, often over a simple comment or innocent question that had nothing directly to do with them – if they didn't want to comment, they didn't have to, but they chose instead to make a snarky remark and then later try to sell me something. Some of them are upstarts, but some of them are well respected by many/most gamers. (Oh, and btw, yes, some of them don't offer products I would buy, but some of them have things that I would have happily plunked my money down for if it hadn't been for their attitude.) It just baffles me. Not really a rant, but ok, rant off.

It's not just here…..I've actually been talked down to, and insulted and basically told "I was too stupid not to be able to understand the movement factors" of a specific space combat game a few years back at a demo.

A while back BME was trying to get his line of stuff going, and after about the third post, he went completely off the wall….well…his venture failed, IIRC. He simply drove too many people away with his words and attitude….

When it all comes down to it, the bottom line is still…"the bottom line"….

Agree, there is one business who I won't buy from going back to some rude behaviour in about 2005 when I first joined.

I am still boycotting a dealer who used BME art for the cover of one of his rulebooks.

I totally agree. This is a very niche market, and TMP is an excellent chance for companies to showcase their products. Unfortunately, more than a few companies also showcase their total lack of communication skills.

It also surprises me that some folks enter into controversial threads here posting with their company account. I have never boycotted anyone here because of this, but why take chances? Better to create a personal account for such things.

I'm still vaguely cross with a rude trader at Colours in 88. or 89. Probably 89. But I have made small orders since, despite the profound ugliness of most of their figures and the most un-user-friendly web site on the planet.

While I have shared the same experience with a couple of venders, I think that some simply don't feel any obligation to hide their views, regardless of how it might impact sales. Some are probably unaware of the potential impact of their comments, some lost in the moment, and some probably don't think they need your/my business.

On the flipside, I'm not sure that I understand the need to treat people badly, whether you potentially have money on the line or not. Takes all types I guess.

could text only communication be the culprit sometimes? People often wouldn't say what they write or would say it in a "nicer" way in person. Still, no excuse

There is an assumption here that all wargames traders wish to expand their business and achieve global market domination. Unlike the likes of Amazon and Google, wargaming is a hobby, and people make and sell (or often just give away, in the case of rules) their stuff for a whole range of reasons.

I didn't sell my house once to a guy I thought was , and I see no reason why wargames traders shouldn't bring their own personal motivations to 'the market'. It is like the occasional complaints about NavWars ordering system, he really doesn't care, so get over it.

So, no, the customer isn't always right.

It's not about being "right". Besides just being courteous to others, if you are looking to sell stuff it's best to be polite to your customers.
Not only will being rude to people cause you to lose their business, but many people who see/read you being rude will also decide to spend elsewhere.
It might be something you are just doing on the side, or your retirement project or any reason that it isn't your primary source of income, but you got into it to sell.

It is a stupid thing to do. I have a shop and even the most obnoxious customers -and there are a few of those, I grant you- get the best treatment possible. After all, their money is as good as the money of those which are nice people.

Disclaimer: not that I am saying you are obnoxious, Sundance!

I was attending a local convention some 30+ years ago. One of the dealers was a manufacturer of 15mm Napoleonic figures (long since out of business). I had never seen that particular line of figures before, and I mentioned in passing that most of my collection was from another manufacturer. The dealer looked me in the eye and said "Well, you obviously have no taste whatsoever." I didn't buy any of his miniatures.

I think some people mean to be funny but don't pull it off. Or they get mis-interpreted.

I haven't run into stuff like this from a manufacturer but I've gotten it from store clerks.

At one of the local stores, one of the guys working there was plain obnoxious, mocking me for buying British WW2 figures and hassling my wife for looking through the RPG books while I was shopping (right next to a bunch of teenagers literally copying pages from the D&D books).

I didn't give them return business.

I hear more about this at conventions from customers when referring to certain other dealers.

Typical conversation – "why the heck is xxx such an @$$? I only wanted to know if xxx was compatible with xxx and he lectured me on why I was buying the xxx crap."

I will never understand why someone in this hobby needs to be rude, less so for any dealer wanting to keep his business.

There is a dealer that my friends and I refer to as "the grumpiest man in wargaming". :-)

Altfritz, what are you talking about? I dont have a business. :-)

Grimm

"the grumpiest man in wargaming". :-)

That's a pretty high bar.

John – he said grumpiest man, not the most stifled man :)