Why is customer service not important?

[JoyDivision]

This about a certain chain of snooker clubs.

We are regulars at my local one and they sent some vouchers today. When we tried to redeem then they accused of faking them as they have never seen them before, we paid £5 cash and £5 voucher, the bill was £9. We got no change because we used a voucher.

It says no where on the voucher that change will not be given and surely the change should be cash? We go there twice a week and these monkeys have made us extremely angry over £1.

In contrast my local irish club, some unkown accused my mate of spitting on her leather jacket so I got the landlady to sort it out, she said there is no way he would have done that and got the bouncers to chuck her out. She then apologised to use and said it was a common woman trying to cause trouble.

The landlady of the irish club managed to make us feel like really valued customers where as this snooker chain has made us feel like dirt.

It really makes me angry from a business point of view, do you really need to go to university to learn that treating regular customers like dirt is no way to run a business?

I always treat my customers with the upmost respect and as such I all the customers I have this week I have been repeats and I have only been trading a month.

Sorry about this rant, I am extremely annoyed .

[creative-keyrings]

I know how you feel,

Its like when i was in Burger King and i noticed someone had bit a chunk out of my burger so i took it back down to the manager asking for a new one and i got told that i was a liar and that nobody would of biten it.

They then escorted me out of the premisis!

Great customers service eh!

Most companys (big ones) just are rood and think they will always have another customer, this will hit home oneday when they dont have no more customers left!

Regards,

Callum

[JoyDivision]

My local butchers are a classic example.

Butcher store 1 - Fancy location, supply 5 star hotels, are rude to their customers, these days it is always empty and it seems half my local area think they are rude. I sent a polite email tot the MD explaining that I was treated like dirt because I only wanted some cheese and I won't be going back again. I got no reply. A year later and the place is always empty.

Butcher store 2 - Really nice staff, nothing is too much trouble, they make you feel special and I have to wait about 10 minutes to get served, I don't mind because they have lots of staff and they always aplogise. The place is a gold mine.

I just don't get it, I have only been running a business for 1 month but my family have for years. The biggest lesson I have learn't is look after your customers and they will look after you.

It is just a shame some big companies don't realise that.

[creative-keyrings]

Yeh they just have big heads thinking "its only 1 customers out of a million" but the reality is every customer has to be looked aftered.

[creospace]

I've been tryign to complain to a large chain of coffee bars here about there crap food and wonderful pictures that don't resemble what they serve. I have been polite but firm in my communication

First email - no repsonce but got read receipt
Second email followup - got receipt to say it was deleted instantly!

What hope?

[Jayne]

Gary,

Tell them you think something was dead in there coffee and you are off to the papers, bet they get back to you :lol:

Jayne

[JoyDivision]

We need to complain though. I complained about a certain bus company to GMPTE (a clue they run the student roads in Manchester are have red lively). I got a letter from saying they they keep recieving the same complaints and their they are on the brink on an investigation into their business practises. It seems all mancs know what a dodgy company it is.

The more people like me that stands against them the more they will lose business.

I am just really passionate about customer service but I am also very principled, if companies try and con me I will get angry.

[freecybermag]

One thing I can't stand is bad customer service. Usually I give the people a chance to treat me like a valued customer and if they don't I go all awkward on them and if they are rude, by god do I unleash the dragon :lol: :lol:

The other thing that really gets up my nose is when you call a company and a recep. says which department, no hello or anything. Then when you say a department they transfer you without saying one moment please. These tend to be in the london area. That really really p**es me off. :lol:


Chris

[Cornish Steve]

Customer service must be part a company's culture to be genuine. Have you ever visited a Disney theme park? Everyone who works there, no matter how minor the job, goes out of their way to please the customer. Disney's mission statement is "to make people happy", and it shows.

[WakingDragon]

"1 in 10 happy customers will tell a friend they liked your business. Every unhappy customer will tell 10 they didn't like your business."

Probably a myth but the figures certainly point in the right direction from all the research I have read on the subject.

[Simon.L]

Its not a myth!
I spent 20years in the licencing trade, I can tell you that my mum used to say "manners cost nothing, returned goodwill is priceless" so if you have a difficult customer be even more polite as it gets right up their nose!!

Simon

[ridders]

Maybe we should setup a website where everyone who has had a good/bad experience with a major organisation documents exactly what their experiences were !!!!!

[creospace]

Now that sounds a great idea. I'm now dealing with the Estonian branch with my complaint as Latvians are inept when it comes to dealing with customer complaints, genuine ones I mean!

Gary

[telemax]

Here's a good one

British Gas took £1125 from my account instead of £112.50 , totally cleaned me out a few years back. They wouldn't admit responsibility blamed it on barclays bank. Barclays blamed it on British Gas. I spoke to customer service people who couldn't give a damn.

It took me 3 days of Screaming ,for british gas to admit one of their operators put a decimal point in the wrong place and get a refund.

Ohh and by the way Barclays were really helpful (not!!) They were happy to let cheques bounce from my consequently empty bank account ( and charge me for the privelege)

This is the worst of many bad experiences I have had over the years of despicable customer service in the UK

Regards

Jonathan