I sell quite a few products on ebay, as well as my website, but today I had a series of very odd questions. A fella has a Baofeng. I sell an antenna based on a diamond 30 dual band antenna. Most of my radios are marine, so this antenna comes from my marine antenna supplier, and has a really thick white tube and is really reliable and a decent performer - VSWR on 2 and 70 is great, but the performance is also pretty good on marine band. The guy totally misunderstood the spec, and got confused. I put him right in some detail. He then asks if it comes with cable. I say no just the antenna and bracketry - he asks if I can supply the cable. he replies and says he needs it to reach from his roof to the radio. I ask how long that is - he doesn’t know. I explain too that if it goes through a wall, he will need to fit a connector inside, after it goes through the wall. He can’t do this. I explain that I could make him the cable it needs a very large hole in the wall to allow the connector to go through. He asks if this will then go straight to the radio. I explain about the usual short length of thinner flexible cable. He then asks how ladders would get him to his roof? I try to explain that now is probably not the time to go up a ladder for the first time. He is sadly just really, really thick. I’ve suggested he finds somebody local to do this, but no - he wants me to supply everything he needs and explain in detail how to do it. Then I get a message that says “I assume my Baofeng has all the frequencies in it?” I say I doubt it. Can he send me the radio and program it for him. What do you want in it? I don’t know, he says, everything. I try to be helpful to beginners but my patience has finally run out. How can people even consider a technical hobby with zero understanding? Madness!
Just getting it off my chest to be honest, but I have never had someboidy as stupid as this.
You are trying very hard to be helpful.
When I have a client who is clueless, I ask them if they know how to use YouTube.
If they say yes, I tell them I will send them
some links for them to learn from.
If they say no….I tell them, sorry I can not help you.
You may want to send
Them a “Not a rubicon” video…just for grins.
This morning - i am very short of money, do you know anywhere i can buy this item cheaper? I have not replied. He also said he is an expert welder, but the plugs may be difficult to weld on. Weld? Wow!
I have read several of your posts dealing with clueless customers, and while I do feel for you and you situation I find this all too funny. You surely do not make enough money from this to afford the amount of headache medicine necessary.
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Sometimes it gets better. Today somebody ordered online and paid. They turned out to be 5 miles away so he drove to collect. He gave me a twenty pound tip!
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Well, some people are just not very bright. I’ve had customers like that before I retired from my gun store job. You would be amazed at how MANY people in the US are functionally unable to read and write. Then there are the crazy people. Once, I had a woman ask me to load the revolver for her before she left the store. One of those things that makes you go “hmmm”.Fortunately, one can simply refuse to sell them a gun… which I have done a couple of times. At least he can’t shoot himself in the foot with his radio.
YouTube videos are a good idea. So are user groups. Almost anyone CAN learn, but for some, it is a struggle.
You can work public retail for about ten years and then you need a break or you will go nuts.
I just sold a marine band radio. The address was a bit vague so I phoned him. He had missed off the fact it was a hospital - easily sorted with department and floor. he then asked how close aeroplanes had to be? I said they don’t it’s an marine radio. How about CB? No, it hears boats. Taxi’s? No only boats - boats on the water. How far is the coast? about 40 miles. That won’t work, shallI cancel it, you’ve bought a boat radio and you don’t live near any boats? No I’ll take a chance - what channels do I listen on? Well - the coastguard is on 16, you might hear them? He asked if channel 19 was busy? I said you mean CB channel 19? Yes he said - I think I should cancel, this radio is no use to you at all? No - he said, I’ll take the chance. I think I might leave the gap on the shelf free…
Yet another weird one today. I sold a DMR radio just after Christmas and it was quite an expensive one. The CPS is pretty complex - more like a Motorola in terms of features and parameters. I had a couple of questions from the buyer and then they stopped. Today - he has slapped me with a non-delivery chargeback from the credit card company. They say the item was not delivered. I have sent the tracking details with the photo of the product at his end, the software conversations showing he was trying to program it! He must be stupid to claim non delivery after 4 months with not a single “where is my radio?” message. My bank will hopefully present the evidence to his bank. The reality is he is probably unable to talk to anybody as he cannot program it. I feel for the folks from two-way radios who must get far more of this than I do - unless it’s just Brits who are a bit thick!