《大中报》读者10年前曾获得Sears 皇家待遇

 

 

 

 

西尔斯加拿大分公司日前已经进入破产清算，在全国各地的商店进行关门清货甩卖，让这加具有65年历史的巨头百货公司寿终正寝。各种西尔斯为何彻底破产的评论和看法充斥了各种媒体平台。虽然在零售业面临巨大挑战和变革的今天，来自电子商务的竞争对零售业造成很大的冲击，但大多数人认为西尔斯未能提供满足客户需要的商品，客服质量日趋下降是导致其破产的根源。

Sears Canada has entered liquidation process at its remaining stores across the country, as it prepares to shut its doors for good after 65 years in business. Articles and posts have flooded various media platforms, offering opinions and views about the reason behind the downfall of the retail giant. While the changing retail landscape and rising competition from e-commerce has created disruption to its core business, most believe that the retailers’ failure in satisfying customers’ needs and the deterioration of the quality of customer service has played big roles in its nosedive. 

但在我印象中，10年前的Sears可不是这个样子 。 2007年，刚进入记者行业的我就读者闵先生的投诉曾采访了西尔斯。闵先生（化名）因对在西尔斯购买的一个电器不满而退货时，被征收了20％的退货费。闵先生对此颇生怨言。当我通过电子邮件联系西尔斯公关部，并转达了闵先生的不满时，他们对这起投诉事件非常认真。通过电话和电子邮件解释西尔斯的退货政策，提供了从包括从哪里可以找到他们的退货政策到该退货政策如何具有竞争性等一系列信息。西尔斯虽然最终没有将20%的退货费还给闵先生，但他们热情而周到的服务让闵倍感温暖，认为西尔斯对客户重视有加。

But that was not my memory of the department store a decade ago. In 2007, I as a rookie reporter with this paper interviewed Sears over a reader’s complaint. Mr. Ming (not his real name) was dissatisfied over the fact that he was charged with 20% restocking fee when he was returning an electronic product he did not like. When I contacted Sears media relations through emails, expressing Ming’s frustration, they took the complaint very seriously, going above and beyond to explain their return policies – through the phone calls and emails -- from where the policies could be found to how justifiable they were.  While the reader did not get the fees refunded, Sears actions made him feel he is valued customer. 

但近年来，西尔斯客户服务质量却呈逐渐恶化。五年前的圣诞节，我在闵先生购买电器的那家分店订购了一台冰箱，按规定西尔斯将送货上门。但送货时间多次延期，客户服务对我的询问和投诉也迟迟未作反应。这次令人沮丧的经历让我改变了对西尔斯曾善待客户的好印象，并感到西尔斯称其所倡导的客户第一的服务宗旨也不见了踪影。

But the quality of customer service has gradually disappeared at Sears in recent years. During a Christmas season five years ago, I as a customer, I ordered a delivery service for a fridge I bought at the same Sears store where Ming bought his product. The delivery was delayed multiple times and the customer service was slow in responding to my inquires and complaints. The frustrating experience had ruined my good impression of how Sears treated customers before, leaving me wondering what had happened to the customer first mandate that the store said it had advocated for.

显然，我并不是对西尔斯服务质量不满的唯一客户。近年来，关于西尔斯的客服质量低下评论不断充斥互联网，客户对西尔斯的投诉也曾一度登上了媒体的头条。随着西尔斯进入破产清货程序，客户不满之声日益高涨。

Apparently, I was not the only customer who was dissatisfied with the quality of service. Over the years, bad customer reviews about Sears have flooded the internet, and customers’ complaints have made the media headlines. Things seem deteriorating more rapidly as the store approached the bankruptcy process. 

根据去年发表在“商业内幕”（Business Insider）一篇题目为“客户投诉：西尔斯服务部门日趋没落”的报道，由于家庭维修部门失职，数百名客户因为他们在西尔斯所购电器失效后得不到及时修复而在数周内用不上热水，电或冰箱。当技术人员违约而未能及时上门修理，或根本无法修复所诊断问题时，顾客投诉西尔斯的客户服务电话几乎打不通，且客服热线时常断线。一位客户表示，她向西尔斯客户服务部门打了多达47个电话，但仍家电仍未能得到修理。文章引用该女士的话说：“我再也不会到西尔斯买电器了！”

According to the article “Sears’ service department is in shamble, customers claim” published on Business Insider last year, hundreds of Sears customers spent weeks on end without hot water, heat or functioning refrigerator at a time, because Sears home repair department failed to fix faulty or broken appliances they bought at the retailer in a timely manner. When service technicians did not show up for scheduled appointments or failed to fix the diagnosed problems, many people said it’s nearly impossible to reach a customer service representative over the phone, as the service phone line were frequently disconnected. One customer said she made as many as 47 phone calls with Sears customer service department to solve her problem but to no vail. “I will never buy anything again from Sears!” the customer was quoted as saying.

毫无疑问，从包括我在内的这些客户愤怒的评论和倒霉的经历来看，闵先生当时算是从西尔斯那里获得了皇室待遇。当看到西尔斯当年的服务质量不复存在的我心里很不是滋味。西尔斯终于进入了破产清算，使上万个雇员丢掉工作，让包括Fairview Mall在内的零售店人去楼空。在面对网商和其他零售商的激烈竞争的今天，西尔斯未能保持良好的客户服务，坚持把客户作为上帝的宗旨，从而加速了加拿大这一标志性品牌零售商彻底退出历史的舞台悲惨结局。 

Indeed, judging from the angry comments and infuriating experiences from these customers – myself included, Mr. Ming got a royal treatment from the retailer at the time. But today I am sad to see the quality of service has been lost and that the store has entered liquidation process, killing thousand jobs and wiping out Fairview store and many others along the way. Amid a widespread and extensive competitions from digital rivals and other retailers, Sears has failed to maintain its excellent customer care and to continue treat customer as king, which has precipitated the downfall of Canada’s iconic brand.