"Client Conflicts Bad for Sales"

During the years I worked in customer service, I learned that conflict is something that should be avoided at all times. Honesty and consideration are required in order to keep customers. Conflicts can occur mainly through poor communication. In this case, I witnessed that the salesman intentionally communicated to us poor information to meet a sale, which ended in a conflict.

A long time ago I went with my friend to a small store in Manhattan because she wanted to buy a cologne for her boyfriend. After choosing the one she liked, my friend told the salesman that it was for a gift and asked if it could be exchanged in case her boyfriend did not like it. The salesman said "Of course!" A week later we went back to the store to exchange the gift, but the salesman refused to do so. My friend reminded him calmly that he had already said he would exchange the gift, but he answered with a smirk, “We don’t do returns or exchanges.”

My friend kept on insisting that the salesman exchange the gift, until the he remarked: “It’s almost closing time. What are you going to do if I don’t exchange the cologne, spend the night?" My friend became irate and didn’t want to leave the store. While they argued, I went to the manager’s office and explained to him the situation. I said to the manager: “We would not be here insisting, if we had not asked the salesman if the store did exchanges.” The manager was very courteous and explained to me that they, in fact, did not do returns or exchanges, but that in my friend’s case he would make an exception. He went with me back into the store and he ordered the salesman to exchange the cologne. My friend was content and the salesman was left bitter, but he learned that lying was not the best way to make a sale.

This experience gave my friend and me a lesson: if you do not want to have disputes with sellers, first, make sure the store policy includes returns and exchanges, and, second, never buy in small shops, and finally try to avoid conflict as much as possible, but if you have no other option defend your rights.