Help with a particular vendor...

[sugarski]

Hey guys, I sent a diamond as well as some jewelry pieces for reset projects to a particular vendor who is a PS favorite. I have worked with them several times before and their workmanship is always beautiful. The problem I'm having is that the salesperson who has been assigned to me, while polite, doesn't seem very interested in my projects. By which I mean, if I ask her more than one question (about side diamond sizes, setting height, things like that) she will answer one or two and ignore the others. She is very slow to reply to my emails in general. I sent the (very valuable) package with the jewelry last week, I know it was received, but she never bothered to email me to let me know they got it safely and in fact has yet to reply to my email asking about it. Could be that she's very busy, could be that from her POV I am neurotic/annoying/asking too many questions. But with my previous projects with this vendor, I worked with a different salesperson, who was so helpful, so much fun and always had time for me. Unfortunately, that delightful SA no longer works there.

My question to you guys is, how would I politely go about trying to get a different salesperson to help me? I am not angry or upset or anything like that, but I would feel more comfortable with a "go-to" person at this vendor who seemed more responsive. I'm spending a lot of money on these projects, have waited a long time to be able to do them, and ultimately I want them done the way I want them, kwim? Any help with how to approach this would be appreciated!

 

[Niel]

1) which vendor is this?
2) send one email asking for you to please be assigned to the last salesperson you had. Say you had a relationship and prefer to work with her. If she says no for any reason - the salesperson has left or she is busy whatever - ask politely if you could be reassigned to someone who might be better at understanding your needs.

 

[BlingDreams]

I'd call and speak to the manager; I wouldn't do this over email as it's too important and they will probably have some questions for you. Just be polite but firm in your desire to have a new sales associate due to lack of response time and personal touch. If they're not willing to do that (which I highly doubt), request they send your jewelry back. Don't worry... there are several other vendors that could take care of your needs!

 

[Niel]

At this point I think jumping over the rep to speak with a rep is unnecessary and in some cases can create a negative perception of you to the company. I'm sure the rep knows the proper channels in the event a customer would prefer someone else. If they insist on helping you and refuse to transfer you, that's when I would get a manager involved

 

[sugarski]

1) which vendor is this?
2) send one email asking for you to please be assigned to the last salesperson you had. Say you had a relationship and prefer to work with her. If she says no for any reason - the salesperson has left or she is busy whatever - ask politely if you could be reassigned to someone who might be better at understanding your needs.

Hi Niel, thanks for the reply! The last SA I worked with is no longer at the company. And I don't want to identify the company here because I've always had good experiences with them in the past, and I haven't yet even given them a chance to respond to the concerns I am having now.

 

[sugarski]

I'd call and speak to the manager; I wouldn't do this over email as it's too important and they will probably have some questions for you. Just be polite but firm in your desire to have a new sales associate due to lack of response time and personal touch. If they're not willing to do that (which I highly doubt), request they send your jewelry back. Don't worry... there are several other vendors that could take care of your needs!

Yes, I think I will do this. Thanks for the reply. I wasn't sure if my concerns were even valid when I posted this thread, but honestly, imo the SA is giving me the bare minimum and I'm just not happy with that. Thanks again for the help!

 

[Niel]

Good luck with contacting the manager hopefully that accomplishes what you want it to.

 

[tyty333]

I would also ask to speak to a manager and just explain that you worked with so-and-so in the past
and really enjoyed the level of interaction you received...not so much this time. Could they please find someone else who would be more interested in working on your projects. You could replace
the "more interested" with other request like more detail oriented, more hands on, better
communicator, more responsive...etc.

Good luck...would love to hear about your projects when you do get a good SA.

 

[sugarski]

I would also ask to speak to a manager and just explain that you worked with so-and-so in the past
and really enjoyed the level of interaction you received...not so much this time. Could they please find someone else who would be more interested in working on your projects. You could replace
the "more interested" with other request like more detail oriented, more hands on, better
communicator, more responsive...etc.

Good luck...would love to hear about your projects when you do get a good SA.

Thanks guys

 

[EvaEvans]

Once I had problem with the quality of service that I received from the sales agent of a famous vendor. I wrote her an email explaining all my concerns and why I am not content with her service. Surprisingly, I received answer not from the salesperson but from the manager.
In my opinion, be polite, but straight! They should know what bothers you. Its your money and your project involved.

 

[MattP725]

I work in the financial services industry... when a client calls their financial advisor and expresses displeasure, there is a strong tendency to try to sweep it under the rug so that their manager doesn't find out. When the client goes right to the manager, they almost ALWAYS try to pair them up with a better suited FA to save the relationship (remember managers are paid based in large part on the sales of their subordinates). Don't bother contacting the rep, go right to the manager and explain the scenario and that you want to keep your business with them but that you need to work with someone else. If the person is only responding to one question at a time, they either don't know the answers to the other questions or they are just simply annoyed by having to respond.