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Simply Run - Simply shocking
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It just seems an odd first post and could be seen that you only signed up to the forum to have a go at Simply run and your 8 posts so far prove that
Just out of curiosity, given that you had never posted on RW before, what made you decide to find a forum to air your grievance?
You wrote to the company, which is what most people would do, but then also, before they had replied to you and offered any explanation or apology, chose a forum you don't normally contribute to to attack them.
With regard to the party analogy - if someone approached me and ranted about XXXX shop, I would ask them questions, and if they told me about their very small shoe size, I would reply to them as I did on here (while agreeing that the customer service level was pretty poor - as I also did on here).
People who's first introduction is a rant are not very likely to get a warm welcome anywhere.
People who start with a friendly approach themselves are likely to get a friendly response.
Simply Run's response was very fast. You've made them look quite good. Well done
Then again Peter - you took the huff when most people didnt see the point in joining a vegetarian running club ?
Don't get offended when people say things that you dont like or believe - join in the discussion instead of flouncing off ?
As for this thread - well, no one's been rude to the OP in a direct, name-calling manner, true, but I'd hardly call the reception he got particularly welcoming. That's not to say he's not a spammer, nor that he tackled the issue in the best way, which perhaps he hasn't.
If anything, though, maybe the outcome has been to enhance the reputation of this particular shop in that it came on here and explained its own point of view. And perhaps (but I'll admit I'm guessing here, and I would rather give the shop the benefit of the doubt on this one) it might not have acted so quickly had the OP not put this post up.
That's the thing with a public forum, though - people will just join in a thread and say what they think. You can't hope to get just the comments you're looking for.
Just as anyone can start a thread about whatever they like, others are entitled to have their say as well.
It happens time and again, a new (usually) person starts a thread either praising or condemning something, and others have different and/or opposing views.
The OP then gets annoyed or defensive, because they were expecting others to agree with them and are taken aback when they don't.
Glad Simply Run responded in such a positive way, hopefully the OP (and follow up complaint) were both satisfied.
Still amazed that a lot of users on all sorts of sites are so black and white on issues. Love or hate, but rarely in between...
Liking the analogy of RW forum as a party too... Woohoo!!
I think the response of the shop was quite impressive, but I can also understand someone having a first post which is negative about a shop. If the OP reads the articles here and has had the bad experience they may well be inclined to vent in the direction of people who may actually care.
I also think that if a company is going to make the statement:
"Contrary to what you may now think, at SimplyRun we take great pride in offering all customers the best possible service."
They can't immediately precede that with:
"Regarding not having your size in any shoes - that is quite correct, we do not stock size 6 in mens shoes in any size (we start at 7/8)."
So when they say they take pride in offering all customers the best possible service, that doesn't actually include men with small feet. Personally I don't see a problem with the OP bringing to our attention that if you are a man who takes size six shoes then there's no point going to place X, but place Y does stock shoes in that size. Maybe I'm siding with LOD because I'm new here, but nothing they've said comes across as spamming to me, and some of the responses they've gotten here may put them off contributing to the forum beyond this thread.
Totally agree on spamming issue.
At times this place can be like one of the stuffier gentlemens` clubs.
Spamming does occur (cycling shirts !). It`s not the end of the world. Ignore it.
Being discourteous just because someone hasn`t `proved` themselves by having a thousand previous posts is an (unpleasant) over-reaction.
On a slightly different point, I was rather impressed by SR`s response. Ok, they don`t stock size 6 - but at least they sought to, and did, engage with the problem - which is far more than many retailers would have done.
I dont agree LOD created a profile just to come on here and moan about Simply Run and was made to look a bit of a pillock and has now flounced.
i dont think anyone had a go at him for being new just because all he wanted to do was rant well if you rant you leave yourself open to comment
well done Simply Run too nicely handled
Sorry. Am I missing something here ?
1) The original post was not spam - it was a complaint.
2) An individual is entitled to make a complaint - even a public complaint - about poor service: actual or pervceived. Why is a `complaint` necessarily a `rant` ?
3) Sadly (and I`m not saying this applies to Simply Run) - making a public complaint is sometimes the only way to get a company`s attention. There is a tendency amongst some organisations not to take `private` complaints seriously. I know - I act for quite a few of them.
4) The OP is equally entitled to create a profile for the purpose of making his complaint.
5) Since his complaint related to a running matter, the obvious place to raise the issue was a runners` forum.
6) Simply Run took the opportunity to respond - and did do in what, as far as I can tell, was a highly constructive way.
7) It seems to me that, if anything, Simply Run have emerged well out of this - thanks to the way Plain Lazy dealt with the matter.
8) LOD seems to be satisfied - there`s certainly no evidence of him pursuing his `vendetta` against SR on these forums.
I`d call that a pretty good outcome all round.
Are you seriously suggesting that just because you have the best part of 7,000 posts to your name, your rights are greater, or your opinions more valid ?
No
4) The OP is equally entitled to create a profile for the purpose of making his complaint.
agreed, however does that leave him free from comment?
No this is a public forum LOD came on here specifically to complain. Now if you create a profile specifically to complain and this complaint is open to question once the full nature if the affair is known, are we not allowed to pass comment?
At no time was I discourteous. However this is a public forum not a private club people are allowed to pass comment you can even be judgemental, as you seem to be doing with the comment
"Are you seriously suggesting that just because you have the best part of 7,000 posts to your name, your rights are greater, or your opinions more valid ? "
take cougies quote for an example
He points out the fact the very post is a complaint this not because he is new per se, but because in the past this forum has been bombarded with firms and individuals trying to sell their services and wares sometimes by criticising other individuals and companies.
this was not an accusation thrown at LOD but one which was floated as justification to peoples suspicion.
Most of the comments about LODs motives were made before Simply Run sent a reposte.
The bottom line with this forum is, its very welcoming to all, freedom of speech exists LOD was entitled to his comments as we were allowed to question him and his motives for posting them.
"The OP became neither annoyed or defensive."
That too is true but they have been in the past, that is what Wilkie is refering to if you re-read her post
Goldbeetle wrote
"The OP is equally entitled to create a profile for the purpose of making his complaint.
agreed, however does that leave him free from comment?
No this is a public forum LOD came on here specifically to complain. Now if you create a profile specifically to complain and this complaint is open to question once the full nature if the affair is known, are we not allowed to pass comment?
At no time was I discourteous. However this is a public forum not a private club people are allowed to pass comment you can even be judgemental, as you seem to be doing with the comment..."
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Comment ? Of course people should be free to comment. That`s not the issue. The question is whether they should be equally free to make (and express) a negative assumption about a poster`s motivation and morals, simply because the person making the complaint is a new poster.
If someone makes a complaint on these boards, I would expect some people to agree and some to disagree. Some might say, `you`re absolutely right and I had a similar experience….`. Others might say `that`s not my experience....that`s very unusual for this firm…`.
This is more or less what happened in the case of Simply Run. A number of people (myself included) said, in terms, `that`s not our experience, they`re generally a pretty good company…`.
I would not expect an individual to immediately go on the attack and accuse the unfortunate poster of being a `spammer` and/or lacking sufficient posts to his name to entitle him to raise a complaint.
The present case went beyond `comment`. You quote `Cougie` with approval – yet it was Cougie who said “I'd also be very [Cougie`s emphasis] wary of believing anyone on the forum with no history who comes only on to complain".
That`s not `comment`, that`s a not too subtle insinuation that the OP was a liar (or at least untrustworthy) - and it was an insinuation based, not on any evidence, but upon the fact that he was new poster without a history on these boards.
Cougies`s assertion “I don't see anyone being rude to the OP?" a few days later (a sentiment with which you appear to agree) was, putting it charitably, myopic and surprising - in equal measure.
The flavour of these `comments` was patronising and, at times, distinctly unpleasant.
Your claim that most of the comments about the OP's motives were made before Simply Run sent a riposte is nonsense. Have a look at the thread. There were 3 short comments made before the response: two were supportive of the OP, one was not. The comments about his motives began after Simply Run`s riposte.
Sadly, the `bottom line` (to use your phrase), is that the forum is not always `very welcoming` to all. There is an underlying assumption that those who have been on the boards longest, know best. The mere fact that somebody posts on a frequent basis is not, at least in my opinion, a good indicator of the soundness of that judgement. Even if it is, experience and knowledge are not a substitute for simple courtesy.
Today 11:53 "(LOD) was made to look a bit of a pillock "
Then
Today 14:21 "At no time was I discourteous."
Maybe when you're approaching 7,000 posts you forget what you've written.
Feel free to disagree with me but it looks like you're fixated on just this one issue ?
Any races planned ?
Is a race tomorrow morning soon enough for you?
Slightly off topic but I have 25,000 posts so I can do that.....
How tall are you LOD?
Do you REALLY take a size 6 shoe? Or do you ordinarily take a size 5.5 and go UP half a size for running shoes as most people do? I only ask because I have never met a man with such small feet and to imagine that you should be able to walk into any shop and get your size when its so uncommon is baffling me.
I only say this because I am at the other end of the spectrum as a girl who ordinarily takes a size 9 shoe and consequently has to get a 9.5 in a running shoe (again not often stocked in women's sizes)
I was at London Marathon Expo last month and I was having a conversation with the staff on the Brooks stand about this and they informed me they actually go much HIGHER than my shoe size but they hadn't brought any with them (because they weren't necessarily expecting someone shaped like a capital L to come to their stand)
They did, however provide me with details of a localish shop I could visit who would order me in some in various styles for me to try on at my own convenience. I was impressed with that. I KNOW nobody stocks my size. I often settle for a man's shoe. They're my feet and they're unusual. YOURS are too.
It's a little bit like being 38 stone and having a 55 inch waist and marching into Top Man expecting them to sell you jeans. You are not their normal target market. Its not their fault they don't stock your size. They need to stock what they can confidently sell or they are stuck with unsaleable merchandise.
I think he IS rare Peter. I really do. Hands up men with size 6 feet? Anyone?
And while I'm on here....
Plain Lazy - The strength of someone's customer service is generally seen in their response to complaints and having read your post and your willingness to get involved directly from the top means that I would have absolutely no hesitation in choosing your company to buy from.
I think it's great that you DO contribute to the forum (I have seen you around) so I can tell you're not just a "suit" and you came on here to address this yourself.
Now if you stock size 9+ shoes for girlies let me know, but I don't expect them to be in a store cupboard in your shop!
Its a long time since I was in a six. My latest shoes are size 11 and I know shorter people than me who take bigger shoes than that.
According to google size 9 is average for men and 5 for women but we are all getting bigger !
p'aps I is a hobbit really.