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Belgian Customer service... again
Question
Just tried to by some large potatoes from my local shop to use as baked potatoes. The shopkeeper had a big tray of mixed muddy dirty potatoes but wouldn't sell me large potatoes - he insisited I had to take small ones and large ones. I politely pointed out that i wanted them for baking in the oven so didn't need small ones but he wasn't going to let me buy them unless I bought ones I didn't want.
Result - I have no potatoes - he hasn't made a sale and I will not visit his shop again... Belgian customer service! You couldn't make it up could you?
Step 1: pick the potatoes you need, add small ones until shop owner is happy.
Step 2: pay for your groceries.
Step 3: take out all small potatoes and place them on the counter.
Step 4: flip off the shop owner, preferably in front of a small crowd.
Step 5: leave the shop.
Step 6: find a better fruit and veg shop. There is a stall at the Sunday market in Place Jourdan that only sells potatoes. He'll guide your choice of size and quality according to your cooking needs.
So funny enough, yesterday I was at Westvleteren to buy some beer. At the local store, I literally was in a line when the only sales woman stopped the line and started texting. She texted for about 5 minutes, then asked who needed help. All of the customers looked around in shock.
So funny enough, yesterday I was at Westvleteren to buy some beer. At the local store, I literally was in a line when the only sales woman stopped the line and started texting. She texted for about 5 minutes, then asked who needed help. All of the customers looked around in shock.
So funny enough, yesterday I was at Westvleteren to buy some beer. At the local store, I literally was in a line when the only sales woman stopped the line and started texting. She texted for about 5 minutes, then asked who needed help. All of the customers looked around in shock.
Did he specify what % had to be "small" potatoes? Or % by weight? You could of course return to the shop, pick out big and small spuds, engage in a protracted discussion with the owner whether your big/small combo meets his requirements, etc etc and then tell him where to stick them and leave. It's like a Two Ronnies sketch.
Once, we went to the Krefel nearest to us. I and my wife were the only customers in the shop. We were there to spend up to 1000 euros for a laptop for her. After looking around for the models we came to the desk where the only employee seated and was typing on his computer. We waited absurdly leaning against the desk for some time and he even didn't lift his head up to look at us let alone giving a small smile. After some time waiting his typing, I couldn't hold any longer and hold my wife's hand and left the shop. No need to say, we were not called while we were leaving either. We left off silently. It was one of the weirdiest incident of my shopping experience probably in my whole life. I'm talking about 1000 euros not potatoes!
It would of only been 500 euros from amazon, even Krefel make Media Markt look cheap.
I was in Auto5 Kraainem last year. An elderly man was asking the smirking creepy employee (who really fancied himself) whether he should wait for his car or return later. The manager replied with a dismissive "faites ce que vous voulez monsieur, il fait beau dehors". I was stunned at this rudeness but even more stunned that the customer just accepted it !
@QUESTIONMARK
No doubt about it - you're one of them.... shrug of the shoulders and accept the bad service because that's the way things are in this country..... I wonder why people like you hang around in an Expats forum?
I had a great experience at Mercedes Europa too - looking to buy a new car a while back, possibly an E -class but was told by the salesman, who was busy texting that we couldn't have the key to sit in the car and try out the electronic seating position unless we made an appointment and came back next week. The showroom was pretty empty - his texting was clearly more important than selling a new car and even after our insistance that we couldn't come back during next week because of work commitments - he wouldn't help. We left the showroom and went away and bought a LandRover instead.
To wrap up the story I emailed Mercedes Europa and Mercedes Belgium and explained that their salesman had just lost a sale because of his bad customer service.... Mercedes Europa emailed back to tell me it was their policy that customers have to make appointments if they want to try anything on the cars: no apology or humility just that was their policy that they are not there for the customer's convenience at all. Mercedes Belgium never even bothered to reply... what a surprise.
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