Do you think the concept of "customer service" is a thing of the past?
Do you think businesses still feel the importance of a happy customer? When was the last time you received exceptional customer service? Now think of the last time you had bad customer service. Have you vowed never to return to a business due to lack of customer service?
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
21 comments:
It is a thing of the past. Because we let it. Also our governing bodies also let it happen when it comes to corporations.
YES! And they lost my business for good!
The "greeter" of the business was rude, arrogant and
stand offish - and even after complaining to the manager that person still remained in their "greeting" position. So rather than spend my hard earned money at that business, I took my business elsewhere!
There is litle customer service displayed today, much of the time you have to chase down an associate to get help,but at the checkout you usually will get a thank you , however I really don't think they care,it's just part of their programming.Overall not near as good as it was years past.The attitude overall in this country is poor. Mant people display an arrogance which reflects how they treat others!Wonder where they get that from??
I visited the Giant last evening, which by the way is under quite a huge renovation. The checkout man (unfortunately cant remember his name) actually helped unload my groceries from my cart and place them on the belt. WOW, what a nice thing to do. No one has ever offered to do that before that I can remember at any grocery chain. He deserves several Kudos. I will keep shopping at Giant - forget Walmart!
Customer service none!
Customer service is alive and well.
Just not here.
The problem all goes back to corporate greed. The first thing they do do cut expenses is to reduce payroll. Stores are staffed with fewer people who still must accomplish the same amount of work in less time. Corporations also, especially in retail, pay very little. The idea that you get what you pay for holds true in this situation, as it is very difficult to attract quality, service-oriented people who are willing to work for little more than minimum wage. Believe me, as the manager of a gift store (corporate), it's frustrating to find a qualified, customer service oriented person and then lose them because the pay is too low and the payroll hours are too few. But you will find friendly people who will help you at my store. There are still some of us out here who understand that the customers should be treated as friends, because they are the ones providing the money in our paycheck!
Purchased a Toshiba laptop 2 years ago, from Best Buy. Top of the Line with all the bells whistles and extra memory. Three months after purchasing it, it turned off and wouldn't come back on. Called customer service, they told me to take it to S-bury to the UPS store it would be shipped to the repair depot. When I got it back two weeks later, the repair and test documentation stated that they had replaced the 'mother board' and the hard drive. I'm not a computer geek, but I think that these are major part replacements.
To make a long story short. This happened to me 3 times during the first year that I had the computer.
All three times these same parts were replaced.
The day that my computers one year warranty was over, it did it again.
Again, I called and was given a repair order number and it went to the depot again. Two weeks later I get it back and they told me that they would guarantee it for 30 days after I received it back (same parts replaced again). On the 30th day it again died.
This time I call,and am funneled to another voice mail jail because it is no longer under warranty.
This voice mail sends you to phone that never ever ever gets answered.
I have written dozens of letters to the company, and I keep getting responses that this is not their department. Even the head of Toshiba America, it's not his department! It is maddening, I keep being referred to this same number that is never answered and I have logged a total of 6 1/2 on hold waiting for this phone to be picked up.
The buck stops with NO ONE, and there is absolutely no way to resolve this issue.
I purchased an Mac. They answer there phone's and I have never had to turn the machine off to reboot it.
I will never buy anything Toshiba again.
We have built corporate bureaucracy that is worse than a government agency.
yes some is corp greed.
But what about the local businesses?
They are over priced and pay there help nothing not to mention a few illegal immagrants. While there help is out slaving there standing at the cash register afraid to let anyone else do the money handling .
You may say it is not true, but i see it everyday.
America is all but gone , and all of you voting for Obama , As Wright would say, NOT I.
GD America!
See what the Bush Admin has done!!!! With his don't give a damn attitude, it's been passed along to every one else.
Oh, stop blaming Bush for everything. Good grief, let's go back to what one learns at home, or in this case, what one does not learn at home.
Salisbury, a city that supports 2 wallmarts. but then complains when their $700 computer has a help desk in India.
You basically get what you paid for. If you are willing to pay normal prices (and not china/india prices), there are still companies who go the extra mile.
Through the years I've been in business anyone that has been in my store will tell you I knew them by name, their kids by name, I learned their likes, dislikes and introduced them to many things in which they never thought they'd have an interest. Some returned to visit, many returned to visit and make a purchase. I took the same time with them whether they bought or not. I treated everyone the same, without regard to color or income level. People are people and sometimes it's that one person having a kind word for them that makes the difference in their day. Sometimes it was the person entering the store with a smile and a kind word that would turn my day around. My business was PERSONAL care, the soaps and sundries were always secondary.
When people go in business to become rich they don't realize their riches come in many forms. Often times those riches can not be deposited in the bank. You just have to know and appreciate the difference. Yes, I know my approach is very outdated but, it worked for me.
Apple has excellent customer service. The products are more pricy than the other brands in most cases, but the customer service and quality of their items makes up for it.
I am the self decreed "Customer Service Nazi". I hate bad customer service, from a "here ya go" (grrrr) when the cashier is giving change to the vacant stares when I ask where an item might be found.
I am in a customer service oriented job and I can tell you that some customers will also turn a good customer care agent into one of the robotic jerks we all hate. People these days have an entitlement attitude. No thought is given to what these poorly paid workers have to go through each day. Newsflash: You are NOT the only person in the world, and if you were to take the time to teach your rugrats home training and to think to yourself that this is a real person you are dealing with, not just a robot in a blue vest, then your experience may change for the better.
Good Customer Service is a two way street. Please remember that when making your judgements.
Things I hate: Voice Recognition Phone Service (press 211 to be told to screw off), "I'm Here To Help" on the back of vests (perhaps so you can see it as they run away from you?), Cashiers who can't count-"I have already put the amount into the register, you can't give me the penny now", Floor people who point to the unknown reaches of the store when you ask them for an item & the sighs when you ask for something other than just giving them money.
Semi-intelligible rant over....thanks for listening and have a really good day now, Y'hear?
Several years ago I was going out of WalMart North and heard the beeper doohickey go off. I looked, and this lady was coming into the store with her child in the cart, she had nothing in the cart but the child and her purse and was on her way into the store. The greeter, and elderly gentleman, proceeded to search her cart. He actually put his hands on the child and started rummaging through the lady's purse. Me, being a nosy nasty bitch, decided to take up for this woman as she was shocked and apprently didn't know what to do. I let the man know that obviously she was coming into the store so how could she be stealing??! I told him to take his hands off her posessions and her child. He, in turn, told me to get the hell away from him, he was trying to find out what she was taking. I whipped out my cell phone and told him that he had 10 seconds to get away from her before I called the police and had him arrested for assault on her and her small child. Well, needless to say it escalated from there. The manager came out, the greeter was removed from the floor, the child was in tears and the lady was horribly embarrassed. I'm sure that the greeter was just overly zealous, perhaps he was new or hadn't taken his Prozac that day. That, ladies and gentlemen, is inexcusable. can you imagine? I bet that lady never stepped foot into that store again, all because some idiot thought that he had the right to paw throguh a womans purse and manhandle her child. Great customer service? It's gone the way of the buggywhip and metal cars.
I work in retail part time - mainly for the fantastic discount. I fully agree with the gift card shop manager. Corporations give their stores very little payroll and wages are low. We are expected to do more for less. When you couple that with cheap customers (myself included) you never "make your day" or sales goals and are thus given even fewer hours (not to mention verbal assaults by your superiors) and the cycle continues. I love to serve customers as long as they are kind, patient and don't need me to hold their hand through the entire shopping process. Heck, even if they are rude I still do my job. I love one-on-one customer service but it isn't feasible when there are two employees and 20+ people in the store. Don't even get me started about thieves who contribute to higher prices for the law-abiding, honest customers!
To the person who didn't get decent customer service at Walmart: DUH! I hope you don't also expect shorter lines there as well! You have to understand the way it works now. It's all about the bottom-line to corporations. If I was in some boutique with 2 other fellow customers you better believe I'd expect some fantastic service (especially if I'm dropping some dollars). But I would never expect it from Wal-Mart and the like.
My advice would be don't shop in a hurry. Be prepared for lines, know what you want, be patient and be polite and you will get the same in return. Don't talk to people like their stupid because they work in retail. (Some of us are getting our Masters.) We are tied and bound by corporate rules and faulty, cheap equipment such as registers and scanners.
Most importantly, don't forget that if you are having a bad day while shopping, your day is still a lot better than someone else's.
Anon10:47
You are a dying breed.
Here in Pocomoke the local Ace Hardware Dealer moved out by 13 a few years back, to get off of Market Street and out of our dying downtown.
He has a much bigger store, and even with Lowes and Walmart right across the street, he is still there.
I don't know the mans finances, but I will tell you this. He has three employees that as soon as you walk in the door, ask if they can help you and most of the time go and get the item for you.
The same is true at the Lumber Yard in town.
Harris'Ace Hardware, and Miles Building Supply are the most customer service oriented business' you will ever have the opportunity to visit. They always have what you need, and if they don't they will order it for you, and there is always a good conversation to be had.
Giant Food has always given good customer service. The employees will go out of their way to help you.
Just to let you all know, Customer service is alive and well. I am currently in training in Memphis, TN for a soon to open Hotel (Hampton Inn & Suites) in Fruitland. The focus of everything that Hampton does is customer satisfaction. A lot of thought and planning goes into making sure everything is as perfect as can be- and we have systems to satisfy the guest even if it isn't perfect. I am proud to be a part of a company that still does business this way.
Visit a Nordstrom's sometime, stay at a Hampton or Hampton Inn & Suites, visit a Disney Theme Park, Watch TV on a DirecTv satellite dish... these companies still value customers by standing by their work.
But remember, if you focus on cheap prices, you'll get cheap service as well.
Reasonable prices get you resonable service.
Bryan Fykes
I hate that I'm there with my inquiry and money in hand, and the rep will answer the phone, not once but several times.
I NEVER go back to those places, and I tell them why before I leave, if I can get it in between phone calls.
Has anyone ever dealt with a business where the clerk talks on their cell phone/regular phone the entire time you are checking out? Unbelievable. It has happened to me several times and I even said something to them about it - they just looked at me like I was another planet?
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