Is Customer Service/Common Courtesy a dinosaur ?

by AK - Jeff 22 Replies latest jw experiences

• 

  AK - Jeff

  I have lamented for a long while about the lack of customer care in our area. Fast Food restaurants have taken the fast food out it while the price keeps moving up. Service Stations no longer exist - replaced by self fuel bays in front of a so called 'convenience store' - and typically manned by a grumpy cashier.

  'Thank you sir for your order' - has been replaced by a gruff 'there ya' go'.

  Last week I visited here:

  

  Plastered on all the windows of the store was a large banner stating that 'Biscuits and Gravy' were just 99 cents. I ordered some. After waiting nearly 10 minutes I got my order, headed to my table, and took a first bite. It was luke-warm at best - actually cold IMO. I returned to the counter and politely informed them. The so called 'manager' took my food and shoved it in a microwave - on the same Styrofoam tray they they had served it on. I told her I would not accept food microwaved on Styrofoam for health concerns. She look disgusted, and stated sharply that 'All our gravy is the same temperature, and we are out of biscuits right now'.

  My anger flared. I looked her in the eye and said 'Ma'am, that is your damned problem, not mine. I expect the healthy, hot food, for which I paid. Not something microwaved on plastic, nor something too cold to eat.' I turned on my heel and went to sit down. Another 10 minutes later, here comes some fresh B&G, and a curt 'There ya' go', as she slid it in front of me.

  It was if I was somehow errant to expect what I paid for. And that she had righteous anger that I dared to do so. I was livid. I have not returned to that restaurant yet, and likely will not do so for a long time to come. All I can do is vote with my feet. The thing is; I shouldn't have to vote myself out of that restaurant, of only the employees of these firms understood what common courtesy to the customer was all about.

  Today, I visited here:

  

  And though I was treated fine [no particular exceptional kindness mind you, but ok], the guy standing next to me was furious. He had been waiting for several minutes. They couldn't get his food order right. The cashier was absolutely rude. The manager was just as bad. I felt sorry for the guy. When he asked for a little courtesy, a guy in line said to him 'Hey buddy, that's few and far between nowadays.' Finally they got his order right and he left mumbling all 'I want is good service and common decency', the cashier stated for all to hear 'Well, they don't pay me enough for that!'.

  Good God - what is this country coming to? We pay double what we should for products that are inferior, service that is poor or non-existent, and there is not even enough respect to the paying customer to show kindness when we hand them our money [and thereby keep them employed].

  Don't get me wrong - some customers are way out of line and rude also - and that doesn't help. But niether me or this other fellow were of that sort IMO - just expecting respect and service. Will it ever return to this country? Or are we just doomed to pay and ignore this sort of conduct?

  Sorry for the rant. I wonder how many feel like this today. Would you pay the extra for a FF restaurant that went out of it's way to show hospitality like we used to see? I would, but it seems nowhere to be found!

  Jeff
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  Barbie Doll

  We don't eat at Arby's. PEC went to the bathroom, the guy that works there didn't wash his hands. We was going to eat there, PEC came out of the bathroom and said lets go.

  

  Kentucky Fried Chicken, I go in there they give me dirty looks, I don't know why. Kindness is out the window, don't you know that.lol lol
• 

  WTWizard

  It works both ways. All too often, customers demand something that is impossible and will not take no for an answer. If you are going to ask for something that has a very low chance of being possible, you should accept that you are highly unlikely to get it (sort of like checking a Starbucks, McDonald's, or Wendy's for possible Christmas/Easter decorations--it might help to chat with the clerk, but being demanding of said items will get nowhere if they do not have the said item). Likewise, asking for a cell phone in a grocery store is likely to result in nothing. (And yes, I have had people ask for the cell phones at a supermarket and not take no for an answer).

  Probably even worse is that the bosses are too demanding. They will not empower the employees to tell a customer "no" to an unreasonable request. At the same time, they cut help so there are fewer people to answer to an influx of customers at the same time. Backlogs are thus common, as a cashier can only move as fast as the register will allow. People are stuck waiting in line, and service suffers. Then the bosses get the complaints that are justified (toward the establishments for cutting service, not toward the clerks that are usually doing their best). That puts stress on the clerks, and makes it next to impossible for them to keep their composure. They might only be able to handle 5 orders comfortably in a given time (assuming they don't get some jerk that keeps scrambling or changing orders, or otherwise creating trouble), and they are supposed to handle 10 or more in that time.

  I think it's right to boycott establishments that are consistently poor in service. It is not a bad reflection on the clerks, who are often beyond their limits. (I do not call it poor service when I check for something that has only an outside chance of being available and it isn't). It is a bad reflection on upper management, which makes the decisions for the store-level managers to keep things so tight. If you get lousy service at one Arby's because they are short staffed, for instance, one might boycott all Arby's until they improve their staffing. That way, they will not be getting CEOs making hundreds of millions of dollars while the clerks are busting their butts making minimum wage.

  And they wonder why people are unemployed. The damn CEOs are fattening their wallets at the expense of the workers.
• 

  david_10

  Hello there, Jeff. Well, customer service is still not too bad here, but it's slowly getting worse.

  What galls me more than anything is being addressed as "Ma'am." "Thank you, Ma'am, come back and see us." They try to slur it so that it sounds like "Thank you, Man", which is still rude IMO, but nothing like "Ma'am." I've heard other men complain about the same thing, and here while back Tom asked me if his voice is sounding like a woman or something, because at drive-up windows, the kids will call him Ma'am. Can you believe it? Anyway, I googled it and did a little research, and discovered that calling a male customer Ma'am is sales-clerk-speak for "bitch." When I saw that, I saw red. I wrote the owner of Toot'n'Totem and complained about it, and I got a nice reply apologizing and promising that it will never happen again. And it hasn't, and that's been 8 or 9 months ago. I guess he really clobbered those kids. If it happens anywhere else, I put my goods on the counter and tell the punk that I'm not a ma'am and he can give me my money back or I'm raising hell all over this store. Boy, that pisses me off.

  David
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  brinjen

  Having spent a good part of of my working life in customer service, I can say there are problems on all three sides (customer, employee, manager). It was only yesterday I last served customers at the supermarket where I work. Don't normally work on the registers but yesterday, we were short staffed.

  The arrogance of some customers is unbelieveable. We're required to say something along the lines of "Hi, how are you?" If the purchase is $5 or more, we are required to ask the customer if they are part of our customer loyalty program, if they are carrying a bag that is large enough to hold a loaf of bread, we are required to ask the customer to open the bag for us to check. If they purchase 1 or 2 items, we are not to offer them a plastic bag, unless they ask. We're required to close the sale with something like "Have a nice day."

  Yesterday, I'd say at least half of the customers I served either got nasty or just plain ignored me with the opening line. Ditto for the customer loyalty program part, it's a royal pain for the cashier, but if we serve a mystery shopper, and don't say it, it's a big black mark on that cashier's name. Checking their bag? A lot of them seem to think we have a personal interest in their belongings but once again, we have to ask. While, the plastic bag, a lot try to grab one while you have the til open, with their hand barely an inch away from it. Then they wonder why you ask them not to do that, as aparently, it is our job to provide them with one. I just politely point to the sign that's right in front of their face explaining the policy. Most still storm out in a huff anyway.

  There's also the type who think they can call you whatever they want, treat you anyway they feel like, and you have to smile politely and serve them no matter what (which, by the way, is not the case where I work, we are actually allowed to walk away from the customer if they get that bad). Or the kind who have trouble reading the shelf price and think the price two shelves over should count and scream blue murder if you try to say different. Or the kind who change their mind about certain items and stuff them in the confectionary and magazine stands, leaving you with a nice mess to clean up (or better yet, dump a refrigerated item on a non-refrigerated shelf which to the store is as bad as shop lifting). As another poster has already mentioned, the kind who go off at you because you don't have a particular item.

  On the other hand, there is bad customer service. Just a week go a mate spent $50 buying fuel from a self serve petrol station. To cut the story short, the pump mustn't have been working as he broke down not far away, out of fuel. He went back and politely explained and asked for a refund. It was refused on the argument he couldn't prove no fuel came out of that pump. I'd have at least grabbed a jerry can and tested it myself.... There's a certain supermarket I sometimes shop at where you can stand at the cigarette counter, waiting to be served while there's several employees standing just a few feet away, having a good old gossip and ignoring you.

  Then, there's the manager who is required to keep the store on budget and pushes the staff to do more and more for less. Quite a problem here, as most of the supermarkets lose a lot of their profits to freight, so they have to run on less staff then they would like to.
• 

  Sad emo

  Alas, it may be becoming so Jeff - manners and service take time and time=money - on both sides of the shop counter!

  Like brinjen, I've seen it from both sides. In my shop, I ALWAYS greeted everyone who came in and said goodbye when they left - no matter how they'd treated me! IMHO, there is NO excuse whatsoever for lack of basic good manners - and yet my greetings would still sometimes be met with stony silence and a scowl which said 'how dare you speak to me?!' Whatever lol!

  If I walk into a shop, I make a point of smiling and saying hello and goodbye to the person who serves me - from my pov I'm acknowledging to them that they're a human being and are appreciated for their service - again, I'm sometimes greeted by stony silence, although more often they're suprised!

  I suspect that the assistant who microwaved your gravy thought you were being awkward - sorry to say that! - in spite of your expressed genuine concern, which should realistically have been properly addressed, again as brinjen says, unfortunately its all sales and time driven in some places.

  I don't know, maybe some folks have just never learnt to appreciate showing and accepting good manners - its not part of the instant gratification we expect these days. Or maybe we're turning into machines devoid of real human emotion and incapable of sincere interaction
• 

  Open mind

  Hi Jeff. I feel your pain.

  Just thought I'd share a tiny bright spot from the dark swamps of the fast food industry.

  In-N-Out Burger

  http://www.in-n-out.com/history.asp

  They're only located in CA, NV and AZ.

  I'm not a huge fan of the food, but their customer service and "How can I make it right?" attitude is legendary.

  They're known for paying $2-3 per hour more than what the big national corporations do.

  They are always packed with customers, but the line moves at lightning speed and you have your order usually within a couple minutes.

  OK. All the Christians on board get ready to rub your hands with glee.

  On the bottom of every cup is printed: John 3:16.

  Family owned. No plans of going public.

  I don't particularly care for a business plugging religion and I don't really like the food that much. But I still like going there to see a well-run business where good service, courtesy and respect are the norm.

  OM
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  beksbks

  OM, you have crushed me. I eat fast food about once a year. I've said more than once, "no if we're going to a drive thru, at least make it an In-N-out. Drive another 10 miles." I like the burgers, the fries are real, I was happy to see they pay 10 bucks an hour, but the important part is the vanilla shake!!!!! They're CHRISTIAN!!!!????Ohhhhhh it burnsssssss ussssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!
• 

  beksbks

  Jeff, as to your original question, customer service is dead. My niece and I began to notice this several Christmas's ago. I'm not exactly sure what is causing it, but we humans need to address it somehow.
• 

  darkuncle29

  I hear ya. I also was in a service job for over ten years.

  If you still need to have satisfaction or closure, write a letter to their corporate office. Write exactly what you wrote here, simple and short. That WILL get results.

  While I was in the grocery biz, I did recieve a few complaints that were written to corporate, and I had to explain my side of the story to the store manager each time. I also received dozens of good letters from customers, and these were often passed down the chain of command so to speak and I eventually got them. I still have them. I hated that job, it was not who I was meant to be, but those letters from customers were a positive thing for me.

  I write one or two letters a year to businesses or corporations about their service, some good some not. I do not easily take offense, and I try to even allow that a good person can have a bad day.

  I think your question of common courtesy is the heart of the problem.