“Customer Service “

Yesterday in its editorial the Daily Telegraph spoke if what they said is fast becoming an oxymoron “Customer Service “

This after how one franchise of a very large organisation treated me the night before struck a real cord.

We had been out for a function, which was desert & coffee farewell for a young family who are off to Shepparton in a week or so this happen to be the night they chose to do the send off. I was make desert for 200 for 21^st on Saturday night so all the prep & starting on assembling before I went, I was not hungry nor was Vera. So after we thought may Chinese, on open, Chicken just closed. So the “golden arches” is always open.

Went in ordered what we wanted, I checked mine you would be surprised how often the get it wrong! It is simple but the training often kicks in they can’t help put on the lot, when all I want there is roll meat & ketchup (tomato sauce).

We get home Vera has only meat & dead lettuce on hers which is horrid. We ring & ring & ring & ring again over an hour before someone answer.

I get hold of the manager who has to go to the office as he can’t hear.

He would not answer the phone because they were under staffed. The was a game at Parramatta between Eels & Tigers so what is going to happen all those people from Campbelltown are going to what not want to stop and get something (now it gets worse).

They don’t have enough people on for the night. So here am I trying to ask why Vera’s order was wrong. The thing is he knows that out there is someone who got the wrong burger he has had to fix it in the store. Rather then nip it in the bud he waits till the crisis in front of him is over.

Customer Service is not happening here, for a year or so I was a contractor for the Hilton group.

They know what bad service costs; they have rules about bad service.

On bad experience cost the group 160+ room nights, that is nights where someone will try another hotel instead of staying at a Hilton after a bad experience & their friends & acquaintances do the same.

You see a happy person will tell a few people, but an unhappy person will tell everyone.

Now if you know that this has happened it would have been very easy to say sorry the first time I rang, orif you know then better still take the phone off the hook so I thing they are busy on the phone. I don’t get worked up because I am being ignored.

Now they did replace the thing that were wrong but that was not the point. The point is it shouldn’t have happened in the first place and if you know then fix it first someone who is unhappy is only going to get angry that is not good.

Last year we went to a Chinese place for take away we got home & the first thing we ordered was not there. When I spoke to them no manager in (I rang a few times) but the reaction was good it was not written down so she couldn’t get into trouble as I had not been charged for it.

Hardly the point it should have been written down I should have been charged & I should have had it, it was the reason we went in, in the first place.

Restaurants are not the only place there is bad service; I could bash a few banks or Government departments.
However what is the point here well if you are in business what is your customer service like?

Have you tried ringing in to see what happens?

Have you sent in a friend to se how he is treated?

Do you have a complaints line or email?

You should try some of these things it may open your eyes. You just might help you keep some of those hard won customers.