"I Don't Know" Too Often Means "I Don't Care"

My wife and I recently had to take our printer back to Best Buy to get it replaced. It had broken down three times and sent in for service before they finally agreed to replace the whole thing. We had the extended service package and so Best Buy told us to go to the store and pick it up.

The guy at the Geek Squad told us to take our paperwork to the computer guy who took us to the printers. Our model was not there. After checking the on-line inventory he shrugged his shoulders, "We don't have that model anymore. We just get what we get," he said. But it had far more features than any other model in that brand.

"Can we get another brand with the same features?"

"I guess. I don't know. I don't see why not," he said.

"Which printer would have the same features?"

"I don't know. What did yours have?" he asked.

"Why don't you pull it up on-line and see?" my wife suggested.

We found the printer that came closest. There were none in stock. "We should have some coming in later," he said.

"Can't we pick one up at another store?"

"I don't know. I don't think so," he said.

By this time I was so frustrated by the "I don't knows" that I was about to scream. Here was a young man who had been poorly trained. The problem wasn't that he didn't know the answer, the problem was that he had no desire, drive or initiative to find out. If he had simply said, "I'm not sure, but I'll be happy to check with my supervisor and we'll get you folks taken care of," I wouldn't have been so frustrated.

Don't just say, "I don't know." Say, "That's a great question. Let me find out!"