What's happened to good customer service?

Why in the heck can't you get good customer service nowadays? Is it really too much to ask that people communicate sensibly with customers?  You know when you get poor service you can either act like some wild animal raging and snarling at the teeth or just be so cool that the sarcasm is lost on the intended victim. Are people really trained or just thrown to the front of the store? If I was one of them secret shoppers some people would be in serious trouble. Well at least that's the story in my head. 

What’s got me upset?  Let me tell you. I go into this patty shop to buy a patty. As I enter the shop there is big dude in front of me and to my left there are 3 people sitting on stools like they've been served and waiting. To my right is another two and next to me is the elderly man who is the reason why I'm in this shop in the first place!

Anyway behind the counter is a young male adult and behind him is a female who looks like she is in her early twenties. Although all this could be wrong ‘cause my eyesight isn't as good as it used to be. So  at first I stand behind this big dude then I think since things aren't moving I better ask if he is actually in the queue.   I ask and sure enough he isn’t. So I move forward to the counter where the young male catches my eye but doesn't come over to serve me. I wait and look up at the board thinking I haven't been in this place before so let me see what else they may have on the menu. While I’m looking at the menu the people behind the counter are busy preparing patty orders and giving them to the people so we get to the point where there is now one or two people sitting on stools and the shop is emptier. 

Anticipating that I will be served very soon I ask the elderly gentleman if he would like a drink. He nods yes so I tell him to reach into the chilled fridge and take what he wants out. He places a ginger bear on the counter and now the young man is ready to serve me.  I tell him “I’d like two beef patties please. Actually make that two beef patty with coco bread and the drink on the counter”.  He steps away and gets patties puts them in serving bags and serves other customers. In the meantime I stand there waiting for him to come back and actually finish serving me! 

Now at this point I could call to him and say “blood what about my order!” but I don’t say anything.  I just want to get this transaction over and done with so I wait and watch. I watch as the young woman sweeps up at the back, takes a mop and briefly mops part of a back room. The room looks like it has a fridge in it. She then places the mop to one side and washes her hands, and then she immediately opens what is a toilet door. Within a split second she moves towards the middle of the store and continues to sweep. The young man in the meantime is getting patties and serves people and when he finally seems to have finished he comes back over to me and says “we don't have any beef patties”.

Now hear me people I placed my order and asked for 2 beef patties. He looked at me, turned and began to serve other people, leaving me to think he was dealing with my order only to find out that he was serving others. When he came back to me all I expected to hear was “that will be ex amount of pence please” transaction done! But no he comes back to tell me that “we don’t have any beef patties”. I swallow and look at him expressionlessly and say “why didn't you tell me that earlier when I actually placed the order? How come you carried on serving other people?  What’s up with that?” He said and I quote “I didn't know we didn't have any more. Those people placed their order before you”.

At this point what he should have said was I apologise for the misunderstanding. Or something like that but no he just looks at me like nothing new. I swallow because really I want to tek something and lick him in his head! But is that really going to get me anywhere?  I am silent for a moment thinking what to say when he says “I got lamb and chicken left”. Again I am silent because to be honest I can't trust what might come out of my mouth. I must obviously look p***d because suddenly from the middle area between the counter and the back of the shop  the young female  bellows at me saying “If you want to wait 20 minutes?”   I look at her like what! Twenty minutes for what?  She continues “or I could give you some frozen ones” I know my nostrils must have flared because for the life of me I don’t know what she is on!  How the hell are you gonna offer me frozen chicken patty to eat!  Isn't this a patty takeaway? Don’t people come in here to buy hot food to take out to eat? Where you coming from talking ‘bout twenty minutes? Twenty minutes for what? Are you having conversations in your own head and only tripping out the last part so that I can hear? Twenty minutes for what? You want me to wait twenty minutes because you have some patties in the oven or you have some being delivered?  Is that what you are really trying to say but failing oh so miserably?  Didn't you hear me order two beef patties with coco bread to go? What planet do you live on? Where in the heck do you know someone who goes into a patty shop and order 2 frozen beef patties and coco bread to go?  Even if you live on that planet do I look like I live there? 

 I don’t say a word.  I turn to the elderly gentleman asking him what he would like,  and “chicken” is his reply.  So I look at the young man and say  “we’ll have one chicken patty and the drinks on the counter”. The young man tells me the price I pay and all I want to do is get out of the place. When I get the goods I pass it over to the elderly gentleman and as we go outside he thanks me and we part ways.  My good deed done, no one’s hurt and we all get to go home.  

For the record. A couple of tips for you

• When a customer places an order with you and you do not have the item inform them immediately.  Apologise! Do not leave them wondering if you are actually preparing their food only to find that you are not. They will be p***d. Some may actually reach over that counter and kong you in the head! You want to avoid this at all costs. If you know that you cannot fulfil the order tell the customer of the delicious alternative that you have. I quote” our chicken and lamb patties are very popular. Would you like to try this as an alternative?
• Never holler to a customer from the back of the store, with hand gestures, but walk to the counter and explain to the customer why there actually is no food to sell. Example…. “the beef patties are such a popular range that we have had to put a new patch into the oven to meet the demand. These will be ready in 20 minutes. If you are not able to wait how about purchasing some frozen ones to take home for later?”  Or you could say “We apologise but due to demands we have sold out. May I suggest an alternative or would you like to look at the menu and select something else?” (Even the offer of a few percentage discount might sweeten  the deal. It would definitely make me think about coming back to the shop) When customers leave thank them. For example ….”We apologise for the wait, we hope this does not spoil your experience and we hope to see you again soon. Enjoy your meal.”  At least talk like you care.

I feel like I've just dissed small businesses but not all small businesses represent in this way. I know they are the  backbone of the economy and that even larger organisations get it wrong. 

I  recently visited a branch of a worldwide fashion retailer that has an online presence. They cater for men, women and children. One of their ranges is geared towards teens and I bought a number of items. Out of many one item did not fit. So I went back to the store to exchange it for a 14+ size. Now I am talking about children's clothes here and not my dress size because I can only wish I was a size 14+. Anyway I looked all over the shop floor, at every items that was similar, hoping to find the same thing in the size required. Eventually I had to ask a sales assistant who advised me to use their online app to order the item and have it delivered to my home. I thought great but trying to download and shop at the same time was a challenge too far at the time. I thought I would download it after I had purchased the new items that I now had in my hands.  When I collected a few more items I went up to the cashier and while processing my items I  asked if she could track the item, that I wanted to return,  in store or with other branches. She informed me they did not have that service or facility. I paused a moment and said even M&S have this service why don't you? She couldn't answer really just stated that the store didn't have that and I would need to go on line. 

Ok I went home, went online and guess what? The item was nowhere to be seen.  Confused   I rang customer service for help. He asked for the barcode on the tag. However the six digit barcode that he required was not so easy to find. In fact it did not exist where ordinary people could see or he was unable to help. He then told me that only 40% of their  stock was actually online and stated that the item might actually be a store only product.   A what? Apparently this store has items that each store branch may actually have but they are not online. Confused? I was. I think it would have helped if they told people this rather than signpost us to the web. I know I can't be the only person that has discovered this! Anyway he suggested I go back to the store and hunt around. I paused. You see articulating my frustration politely requires that I pause. This allows my brain to engage when my base instincts wants to kick in.  I of course explained that I had already done what he suggested. He continued by saying that I should go back to the store, explain the situation to them and get a £5.00 voucher for the inconvenience. I got of the phone because I wanted to .. you guessed it ....kong him in the head!  I don't want you to think that is how I solve all my issues i just want you understand my level of frustration. 

Now follow me in this line I am about to draw. I have been to the store twice and now you want me to go back a third time to re-live the frustrations all in the hope that they understand and will issue me with a £5.00 voucher! My time, travel and frustrations are worth more than that. So just to vent my feelings I wrote to the store using their  online presence and  complained.  Yep you guessed it they wrote back stating they  sympathised blah blah blah and that the £5.00 voucher would compensate. I returned to the store gave them the item and got my money back.  I still ask this question though. If you are an established company how can you not have the systems in place to do a simple thing like track your merchandise?  After this experience  my encounter with the other shop looks better every time I think on it.  

I  don't want you to think that I haven't experienced excellent customer service. I have.  Here in the UK, United States and recently in Greece. Some of it was so good that I actually stayed in the store longer, spent more money and had fun.  One small business gave my children some items for free on our very first visit. I went back and spent money at that shop every day after that!  Any business with customer service complaints should really take the hint. Yep I know some people have made a career out of complaining but there  are a vast majority of us that usually take the poor service , decide to tell our friends and never use your services again.  I for one am fed up. This time  I choose not to just walk away.  I am however on the hunt for another store where my money and custom will be appreciated. After all I worked too hard for my money to not be satisfied when I've spent it. Aren't you?

#customer service #complaint