Anyone here worked at Future Shop?

[psicodude]

I worked there about 15 years ago, and I was never trained or asked to lie. Lots of sales people definetly stretch the truth to make the sale, but that can probably be said of just about anywhere. I will say that the extended warranty sale is king at that place though. The percentage of your sales that are comprised of warranty was scrutinized daily, and I personally know of people that lost their job because of it. Back then, if you sold $1,000 worth of warranty in 1 day they would give you a gold cross pen as a reward. It was that hardcore.

As far as warranty returns go....no, the sales dude loses that commission. I once made a huge laptop/warranty sale of nearly $8000 on the second last day of the month only to be returned in the first week of the following month. I was in the hole commission wise for weeks after that and only made the base salary (6 bucks an hour) that month.

[nik-]

The employees lose all commission on returned items, including warranty.

[WhiteTiger]

Yet another reason to never work for commission. Ouch, that's harsh.

[nik-]

Yup, it sucks coming in to work, making your first sale, checking your numbers and being $50 in the hole.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by wooohooo

If you buy the product with warranty but return it like 5 days later, does the employee still get the commission?

I remember I returned the warranty on a TV I bought a few years ago. He sold me on a 1 year warranty through future shop. I then went home and looked on Samsung's website and and found that they offered a full coverage, two year warranty as long as you had your receipt. I went back the next day and returned the warranty.

[burn_this_city]

No wonder they squirm so much when I flatly refuse to even consider the warranty.

[bizaro86]

I've had salesman at Future Shop practically refuse to check me out when I turned them down on the warranty. One just kept trying to sales technique me into it. ("What about it makes you not want it")

Finally I had to say, "You're not selling me this warranty, and if you don't ring it up you're not selling me this netbook either, it's up to you"

I bought a $200 netbook, and the warranty was like $75 or something.

I've also told the guy, "Is there a 30% chance of this breaking in the first 2 years? Because if not, I don't want the warranty. If there is, it's a POS and I don't want it."

[TheyCallMeBruce]

Few years back I bought something from staples, which also pushed their sales people to sell CSPs (and they don't make commission). I had some pressure to buy the extended warranty, so I looked him in the eye and said, "What was your job 10 years ago?" He asked why I wanted to know, and I just said "cause this sale depends on it." He said he was still in junior high, to which I replied, "10 years ago I was working here. I know all about CSPs." That shut him up real quick.

[Hack&Lube]

All these places are ultimately shady and the only time I will buy anything from them is if they are on the "red" table for returned/opened goods at extreme discounts. Lately however, they discount very little on the red table so therefore I have no reason to shop at a big box like FS or BB.

The only exception is if I am buying something like a TV or a monitor and I can pick up like 5, choose the one with the best panel, and return the rest.

On literally everything else in the store, you know you are getting ripped off and you can get it for cheaper elsewhere.

[Coys1882]

I buy it if they drop the price to cover it - it's worked a couple times.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by Coys1882

I buy it if they drop the price to cover it - it's worked a couple times.

There's also the thing where you agree to buy a high margin item like monster cables (which you have to be really gullible to buy) or something if they'll drop the price on a big item like a TV, then you return the cables the next day.

[LouCypher]

Ive never worked for Future Shop but I do work in electronics sales, I sell warranties and my company really does push us pretty hard to sell them however not once have I ever been asked to lie or give mis-information on what a warranty covers. It can be challenging at times selling extended warranties to people already spending hundreds or thousands of dollars but there are ways to do it consistently without having to deceive, just takes good selling skills.

I was shocked to hear about this and certainly think it is unethical if this is what is going on there. Not to mention the potential for hassles from unhappy customers down the line. I would be contacting my HR department if I was in this situation and documenting instances of how management is encouraging certain behaviors.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by psicodude

I worked there about 15 years ago, and I was never trained or asked to lie. Lots of sales people definetly stretch the truth to make the sale, but that can probably be said of just about anywhere. I will say that the extended warranty sale is king at that place though. The percentage of your sales that are comprised of warranty was scrutinized daily, and I personally know of people that lost their job because of it. Back then, if you sold $1,000 worth of warranty in 1 day they would give you a gold cross pen as a reward. It was that hardcore.

As far as warranty returns go....no, the sales dude loses that commission. I once made a huge laptop/warranty sale of nearly $8000 on the second last day of the month only to be returned in the first week of the following month. I was in the hole commission wise for weeks after that and only made the base salary (6 bucks an hour) that month.

Yeah, after 3 years there I had 10 of those pens, they still work today.

[Sr. Mints]

Staples is really bad for pushing product service plans. Some of those guys are really persistent to the point of being annoying, especially at the downtown location.

Just plain "no" when asked about purchasing a warranty with a 'don't #### with me look' usually works for me.

[afc wimbledon]

Years ago I worked at A&B sound, watched one of my collegues sell a guy an extended warrenty for a speaker sub box, no electronics in it mind you, just a wooden box, realized if I worked there long enough I to would begin to see my fellow citizans as ######s to be fleeced of their money.

[Regulator75]

^^^ I miss the old A&B downtown store. That place rocked.

[pylon]

Uh oh... here comes the car biz guy.

Extended warranties are crap unless 2 variables are present.

1) Is it a MANUFACTURERS warranty? If so, they are a safe bet.

2) DO they exceed the price of said product by more than 10%? If so, it is usually cheaper to self insure.

We sell nothing but genuine manufacturer warranties on our vehicles, and I have no issues whatsoever selling them. It can't be an issue, as it is a huge component of my job in finance. But our manufacturers extension, is simply that, an extension of the coverage you drive off the lot with. Not hard to sell the benefits.

Statistically, there is a 90% chance you will not have a major repair on a car, that will exceed 10% of the vehicles original value, within a period, in which the vehicle will still qualify for a comprehensive warranty.

I use the Future Shop/Best Buy warranty pricing as an example of why vehicle warranties are affordable. "Mr. Smith, this isn't like Best Buy, where we are selling you a 3rd party, in house warranty, for $500, on a $1500 TV, or about 1/3 of its cost" "You just bought a $40,000 car, and you can double your factory coverage, for around $2500, or around 6% of the purchase price."

The best rationale I use is this. "Would you give up your factory warranty, if I were to discount the car $2500 right now?" Never in 12 years, has someone said yes. "Then if it has that value to you, why wouldn't you want to double it, and have full coverage, when the car is older, and more likely to break?" Unless it is a short term owner, it is hard logic to argue with.

Electronics though, never once bought an extended warranty from a store. I will buy Apple Care, and I have bought a couple Toshiba genuine warranties on laptops, but if isn't the manufacturer backing it, run, don't walk away.

[Hack&Lube]

Remember that making a purchase on your credit card often comes with an additional year of free extended warranty from your credit card company.

That is another reason why not to buy extended warranties.

[pylon]

What he said ^^^^^^

Had a $1700 Canon 100-400 EF-L replaced about 3 months ago... by Visa. And it was dropped, they still replaced it.

edit: It did take 3 months which sucked, as they tried having it fixed by canon, but it was still replaced.

[Sr. Mints]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Remember that making a purchase on your credit card often comes with an additional year of free extended warranty from your credit card company.

That is another reason why not to buy extended warranties.

Serious?!