chap
178
Yes, they should've responded... but
May 05, 2021,13:41 PM
This is similar to going to a different car dealer, in a different city, with a different ownership, and asking to cut the line on a hot car, in front of their own loyal customers, taking one of their spots, with no reason why you wouldn't return to your original dealer in the future. Sure its a boutique, so they have some extra expectancy, but the Manager is still a guy incentivized to help the customers he has relationships with first.
Concerning the email - if I'm the standard customer service person reading that email, coming through a generic customer inquiry channel, it sounds like you want them to pull strings with the Boutique to have you cut line and get one, or to magically send an Odysseus to your previous dealer that wasn't otherwise getting one, earmarked to yourself. They can't do either. And in fact, you already received a response - via both the AD and Boutique - that you just didn't like. So sure, the $25/hr CSR could have replied with "I'm sorry you didn't get the result you were looking for, I'll make a note to management, but they likely won't do anything" but then you're still frustrated, and still are hopeful for management to make things right. But if they do - then they're setting precedent of undercutting their other systems.
They've set up this AD / Boutique system, which isn't perfect, and here's the grab: they internally want to funnel more purchases through the Boutique - this is part of the transition... the growing pains. And I get your points, as a Boutique, they could be more like Journe-esque. But then you have no reason to not go back to buying through the AD - which is what they secretly want to change.
That said, its a great product, from a solid company, that is just trying to move more people to have a reason to buy from the Boutique. The problem is that there's too much demand for the Odysseus. The market response to that is buying from the grey market, or buying another brand, both of which you're fully entitled to do. I'd just state that starting a public shaming doesn't solve any of the above.