Good & bad customer service
Discussion
Apologies if this type of thread has been created before, the pistonheads search is next to useless, but i had a great bit of customer service today from Yale.
I have one of their Connexis L1 smart locks installed in a HMO, the type where fobs are required for entry, auto locking etc. Its now out of warranty and the motor has given up the ghost so i rang up to see if Yale had any aftersales support where i could buy a new motor.
Chap on the other end of the line said not to worry, send a photo of the part in an email along with address and they would send one out free of charge. Bonza!
5 mins later, "sorry sir we dont have any motors in stock so im sending you a complete new unit free of charge, expect it in 2-3 working days.
Top marks Yale.
On the other end of scale, on my way home, some silly little tramp in Sainsburys petrol station that somehow got the job. Customers appeared to be a nasty interruption to her conversation with another colleague, no hello, good bye etc just scan and yap. i dont ask for much when buying some bits and bobs for dinner but at least put some effort into your job you rude t
t!
I have one of their Connexis L1 smart locks installed in a HMO, the type where fobs are required for entry, auto locking etc. Its now out of warranty and the motor has given up the ghost so i rang up to see if Yale had any aftersales support where i could buy a new motor.
Chap on the other end of the line said not to worry, send a photo of the part in an email along with address and they would send one out free of charge. Bonza!
5 mins later, "sorry sir we dont have any motors in stock so im sending you a complete new unit free of charge, expect it in 2-3 working days.
Top marks Yale.
On the other end of scale, on my way home, some silly little tramp in Sainsburys petrol station that somehow got the job. Customers appeared to be a nasty interruption to her conversation with another colleague, no hello, good bye etc just scan and yap. i dont ask for much when buying some bits and bobs for dinner but at least put some effort into your job you rude t
t!Best was Macy’s in Beverley Hills, went in to pick up a suitcase as ran out of room in mine, picked up a samsonite one that was $120 dollars (one of the cheapest suitcases!), went to the till and without haggling she says “I’ll just see if there’s a discount” taps some buttons, “that’ll be $70 please”. Customer service in America was great generally anyway but that stood out.
Worst, sadly was a GP receptionist (I used to be one myself, so have a lot of time for them, sadly the witch at my surgery is something else, she has the nickname pig faced cow)
First encounter I go in to pick up a prescription, she ignores me and chats with a nurse about holidays, after about 2 minutes I get annoyed and say “sorry to interrupt but can I get my prescription” she had a face like thunder that i had dared interrupt her, I wouldn’t have done if it was work related, though I’d always acknowledge the patient who is waiting, “I won’t be a minute” doesn’t hurt. My prescriptions go straight to Boots now, which is so much better, their customer service is good!
Second encounter with her was a bit worse, my Dad died not that long before, and I’d just gone back to work, it wasn’t successful and one of the GPs at my workplace sent me home and told me to get a sick note for a few weeks.
Popped into the surgery and to my horror pig faced cow was at the desk, I’d been speaking to a GP for a few weeks who had been very helpful, so I asked if a message could be sent to her for a sick note. She said with an awful attitude “no you need to see her” “ok is there any appointments with her?” “no, you can ring at 8am for a same day appointment but it won’t be her” “I don’t need a same day (ie urgent) appointment and I know those are with a practice nurse who is unable to issue a sick note”, this resulted in a glare and a grunt so I did the “just don’t bother” and walked out.
The surgery is part of a group so that afternoon I popped into a different one and again asked if a message could be sent to that GP, a much nicer receptionist said “it’s not the normal procedure but in the circumstances I think we can make an exception”, GP rang me the next morning and I got a sick note.
Worst, sadly was a GP receptionist (I used to be one myself, so have a lot of time for them, sadly the witch at my surgery is something else, she has the nickname pig faced cow)
First encounter I go in to pick up a prescription, she ignores me and chats with a nurse about holidays, after about 2 minutes I get annoyed and say “sorry to interrupt but can I get my prescription” she had a face like thunder that i had dared interrupt her, I wouldn’t have done if it was work related, though I’d always acknowledge the patient who is waiting, “I won’t be a minute” doesn’t hurt. My prescriptions go straight to Boots now, which is so much better, their customer service is good!
Second encounter with her was a bit worse, my Dad died not that long before, and I’d just gone back to work, it wasn’t successful and one of the GPs at my workplace sent me home and told me to get a sick note for a few weeks.
Popped into the surgery and to my horror pig faced cow was at the desk, I’d been speaking to a GP for a few weeks who had been very helpful, so I asked if a message could be sent to her for a sick note. She said with an awful attitude “no you need to see her” “ok is there any appointments with her?” “no, you can ring at 8am for a same day appointment but it won’t be her” “I don’t need a same day (ie urgent) appointment and I know those are with a practice nurse who is unable to issue a sick note”, this resulted in a glare and a grunt so I did the “just don’t bother” and walked out.
The surgery is part of a group so that afternoon I popped into a different one and again asked if a message could be sent to that GP, a much nicer receptionist said “it’s not the normal procedure but in the circumstances I think we can make an exception”, GP rang me the next morning and I got a sick note.
Edited by carlove on Monday 18th January 20:23
My local curry house always rounds my bill down to the nearest ten pounds, the madras is superb.
https://www.just-eat.co.uk/restaurants-shadin-bs16...
https://www.just-eat.co.uk/restaurants-shadin-bs16...
pablo said:
My local curry house always rounds my bill down to the nearest ten pounds, the madras is superb.
https://www.just-eat.co.uk/restaurants-shadin-bs16...
I think I am outside their delivery area.https://www.just-eat.co.uk/restaurants-shadin-bs16...
Fer said:
pablo said:
My local curry house always rounds my bill down to the nearest ten pounds, the madras is superb.
https://www.just-eat.co.uk/restaurants-shadin-bs16...
I think I am outside their delivery area.https://www.just-eat.co.uk/restaurants-shadin-bs16...
carlove said:
she had a face like thunder that i had dared interrupt her,..................... this resulted in a glare and a grunt so I did the “just don’t bother” and walked out.
My mum was a chest consultant’s PA for over 20 years in the local big hospital. She had a great deal of liaison with GPs and their ilk to check on patient progress /general follow up etc.…. She said without exception, the most troublesome people she had to deal with in the NHS were the GP’s receptionists. Edited by carlove on Monday 18th January 20:23
Best customer service was a local windscreen specialist who I called in at, as my windscreen chip had suddenly grown a lot bigger, and I needed a new windscreen. He asked me who I would be claiming through, and he informed me that they wouldn’t be doing it, it would be someone else. He gave me a load of advice as to what to look for before and after, from which ever bunch of chaps it would be that did it. I was impressed as he wasn’t gaining anything from the transaction at all.
edited to add - it was Autoscreens in Aylesbury
Edited by bucksmanuk on Monday 18th January 22:15
My wife bought an Uppa Baby pram to be used on holidays only. We bought the second to lightest hoping it would get through one holiday’s worth of flights. It did remarkably well for a couple of years being beaten to crap by baggage handelers on about 10 flights.
The inevitable happened and a part broke. I called up to buy the part and they sent me.......the part and a new pram! I fixed the first and had a second which was perfect timing due to second child.
Something happened to the first pram so I called up again to buy the part. This time the apologized they couldn’t send me another pram but sent me the replacement part for free.
Good condition uppababy pram a keep their value well so even after many years use the main pram (one that didn’t go on holiday with us) returned over 50% of the purchase price. It makes what looks like an expensive product cheap to own.
Second example, I bought a gift from Tiffany’s for my wife and the package was stolen after it was delivered to my apartment building. I called them up to see if they could rush a second one, or even if I could pick one up from their distribution center which was up the road from my office. The first thing they did was overnight a replacement because they wanted to make sure it got out same day. Then they asked for details so they could file a theft report.
Conversely, Apple. I’m not sure where it all went wrong! It used to be they always exceeded my expectations. This time, I bought an iPhone 12 Pro and it got lost in shipping. I called Apple up and was told the order had 30 days before it was considered delayed. I waited 30 days and was continually lied to. I finally got through to someone that was useful. She confessed they have taken a lot of people in from the stores and they don’t know the processes so will say anything to get you off the phone. I was also told that when you ask to escalate all they do is pass you to another person at the same level. To get a manager requires a formal request and takes 2 weeks.
Making matters worse, I had accepted a trade in offer of $1600 from the service provider for 2 of my phones and the deadline was approaching. I ended up buying 2 iPhone 8’s for the trade in because they qualified for the same amount as my iPhone XS and XS Max.
The inevitable happened and a part broke. I called up to buy the part and they sent me.......the part and a new pram! I fixed the first and had a second which was perfect timing due to second child.
Something happened to the first pram so I called up again to buy the part. This time the apologized they couldn’t send me another pram but sent me the replacement part for free.
Good condition uppababy pram a keep their value well so even after many years use the main pram (one that didn’t go on holiday with us) returned over 50% of the purchase price. It makes what looks like an expensive product cheap to own.
Second example, I bought a gift from Tiffany’s for my wife and the package was stolen after it was delivered to my apartment building. I called them up to see if they could rush a second one, or even if I could pick one up from their distribution center which was up the road from my office. The first thing they did was overnight a replacement because they wanted to make sure it got out same day. Then they asked for details so they could file a theft report.
Conversely, Apple. I’m not sure where it all went wrong! It used to be they always exceeded my expectations. This time, I bought an iPhone 12 Pro and it got lost in shipping. I called Apple up and was told the order had 30 days before it was considered delayed. I waited 30 days and was continually lied to. I finally got through to someone that was useful. She confessed they have taken a lot of people in from the stores and they don’t know the processes so will say anything to get you off the phone. I was also told that when you ask to escalate all they do is pass you to another person at the same level. To get a manager requires a formal request and takes 2 weeks.
Making matters worse, I had accepted a trade in offer of $1600 from the service provider for 2 of my phones and the deadline was approaching. I ended up buying 2 iPhone 8’s for the trade in because they qualified for the same amount as my iPhone XS and XS Max.
StuTheGrouch said:
GP receptionists at my local surgery are generally OK, but they now have the job titles of "care navigators". FFS!
Patient Care Co-ordinators here, they prefer being called receptionists. I've worked with GP receptionists for a number of years, they're mostly great, there's a few jobsworths, but then there always is in every industry.
My personal GP surgery, again most are fine, it's just pig faced cow who's horrible, and speaking to other people registered there, she's notorious. She'll also be bulletproof, these types always seem to get away with their behaviour.
But the way some patients speak to the receptionists is appalling, I've been passing through reception before, and have heard a receptionist getting a barrage of abuse and stepped in and calmly said that behaviour is not acceptable, I've seen receptionist in tears from being sworn at and insulted (after the event, they keep their composure during the barrage of abuse) . Fortunately being male and working in a GP surgery they assume you're a doctor when you tell them off and they start apologising, as I go hurry back to the safety of my office.
Bad....Currently BMW UK...email from them almost 6 weeks ago promising they would get back to me within 48 hours...still waiting.
Email to Graeme Grieve CEO almost 3 weeks ago. Reply stated relevant manager would be in touch....still waiting !!
A few years ago driving to the Drs for an appointment i took a phone call to say my mum had died. Naturally i pulled over.Arrived at the surgery 1 minute past my appointment time. Receptionist berated me in public and said i had missed the appointment and would have to ring the next day to make another !
Best. .local butcher. Fantastic meat and nothing is too much trouble
Email to Graeme Grieve CEO almost 3 weeks ago. Reply stated relevant manager would be in touch....still waiting !!
A few years ago driving to the Drs for an appointment i took a phone call to say my mum had died. Naturally i pulled over.Arrived at the surgery 1 minute past my appointment time. Receptionist berated me in public and said i had missed the appointment and would have to ring the next day to make another !
Best. .local butcher. Fantastic meat and nothing is too much trouble
We bought our Xmas turkey from Lidl.
It was clearly marked 'with giblets' on Xmas eve we found the giblets were missing. I rang Lidl and was told there was nothing they could do. I couldn't go back due to distance and time pressures so I emailed them. I was extremely snotty I'm ashamed to say but on the 29th a letter arrived dated the 24th with a voucher for £5. I thought that was good enough but my wife read the letter more thoroughly and they were going to refund the cost of the turkey too.
Nice turkey it was too.
Good for Lidl!
It was clearly marked 'with giblets' on Xmas eve we found the giblets were missing. I rang Lidl and was told there was nothing they could do. I couldn't go back due to distance and time pressures so I emailed them. I was extremely snotty I'm ashamed to say but on the 29th a letter arrived dated the 24th with a voucher for £5. I thought that was good enough but my wife read the letter more thoroughly and they were going to refund the cost of the turkey too.
Nice turkey it was too.
Good for Lidl!
fttm said:
I sincerely hope you replied publicly why you were late for your appointment ?
So do I to be honest, no excuse for that. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of someone being turned away for 1 minute. Generally you’re ok up to 5 mins late, anything more it’s up to the clinician as to whether they’ll still see you or need rebooking.
During the first lockdown our local Indian restaurant started doing takeaways, my wife ordered or 7.00pm collection , I got there at 6.55pm and it was obviously very busy , I paid in full £35 and was asked to take a seat.
at 7.25pm I caught his eye and pointed at my watch then saw a look of panic in the managers face , he came straight across and apologised for keeping me waiting, about ten minutes later the food was given to me in a carrier bag and off I went home thinking it’s just one of those things.
When opening the carrier bag there was an envelope with a £25 voucher in it.
Great resolution and much appreciated but totally unexpected .
at 7.25pm I caught his eye and pointed at my watch then saw a look of panic in the managers face , he came straight across and apologised for keeping me waiting, about ten minutes later the food was given to me in a carrier bag and off I went home thinking it’s just one of those things.
When opening the carrier bag there was an envelope with a £25 voucher in it.
Great resolution and much appreciated but totally unexpected .
Couple of IT ones come to mind........
Amazon - laptop developed a fault. Return to Amazon. They did not subsequently have it in their possession whilst I had proof of postage. No quibble full refund.
John Lewis - laptop battery failed after 14 months. Manager not interested in the slightest. (Battery was £348 but HP would not sell directly to me).
Amazon - laptop developed a fault. Return to Amazon. They did not subsequently have it in their possession whilst I had proof of postage. No quibble full refund.
John Lewis - laptop battery failed after 14 months. Manager not interested in the slightest. (Battery was £348 but HP would not sell directly to me).
I have a similar story to the OP's regarding a petrol station cashier, it is my very local station, but it pains me to use them unless it is a dire emergency and I'm running on fumes.
The last time I went in there, the middle aged woman and a cohort were sitting behind the counter watching Coronation Street on one of those tiny handheld TV's that were all the rage for those old enough to remember them.
Pump No.2 please, I said, she didn't say a word nor look up from the TV, she pressed a button and the card machine beeped, did my business, receipt popped out, she ripped it off and handed it to me, never took her eyes off the TV nor said a single word to me haha! I was almost impressed with her complete disdain for the customer and her job, but I've never been back since then, that was the final straw, I'd rather walk to the next petrol station now.
Best I can remember was Black Dice watches, I don't think the company still trades, but they made some nice watches a couple of years ago, I had one with a black ceramic bracelet and stupidly dropped it one day and broke a link, didn't know where I'd left my spare links, so fired off an email asking if I could purchase some replacements, they sent 3 or 4 new links out FOC, no questions asked.
The last time I went in there, the middle aged woman and a cohort were sitting behind the counter watching Coronation Street on one of those tiny handheld TV's that were all the rage for those old enough to remember them.
Pump No.2 please, I said, she didn't say a word nor look up from the TV, she pressed a button and the card machine beeped, did my business, receipt popped out, she ripped it off and handed it to me, never took her eyes off the TV nor said a single word to me haha! I was almost impressed with her complete disdain for the customer and her job, but I've never been back since then, that was the final straw, I'd rather walk to the next petrol station now.
Best I can remember was Black Dice watches, I don't think the company still trades, but they made some nice watches a couple of years ago, I had one with a black ceramic bracelet and stupidly dropped it one day and broke a link, didn't know where I'd left my spare links, so fired off an email asking if I could purchase some replacements, they sent 3 or 4 new links out FOC, no questions asked.
Lakeland - Mrs bought another gadget and a part broke rendering it awkward but usable. Emailed Lakeland and they said they'd dispatched a new one FOC and to keep the old one or upcycle it.
Brabantia - the plastic locking clip broke on our bin and they sent out a new clip FOC. A couple of months later it broke again and Brabantia sent out a whole new lid just in case it was causing problems.
I think the reason these companies are so good is that the staff can make a decision on the spot rather than refer it to a supervisor or bring the bin back to store etc.
Brabantia - the plastic locking clip broke on our bin and they sent out a new clip FOC. A couple of months later it broke again and Brabantia sent out a whole new lid just in case it was causing problems.
I think the reason these companies are so good is that the staff can make a decision on the spot rather than refer it to a supervisor or bring the bin back to store etc.
Good:
Apple (specifically the Apple Store in Lakeside). The screen on my iMac started to go weird - 5 months out of warranty so made peace with the fact that I'd need to pay to get it fixed. Apple took it in an when I went to collect it, they said I didn't have to pay because it shouldn't have gone wrong in the first place. Plus they upgraded the memory/RAM for free too.
Bad:
I'll shift the paradigm and quote and example of poor customer service as a result of being too good. Bear with me.
Have a MiniBus / Van thing for work that is a bit old and a while back required the attention of Green Line. Call them to send someone out. Then get a text to say the call has been logged. Then another 10 mins later to tell me the name of the bloke who's going to come. Then a phone call to say that he's just finishing another job but will be there soon. Then he calls to say he's on his way. Then a text to say that he's on his way. Whilst he's working on it, I get a call to ask if everything's going alright. As soon as he leaves, I get a text to say thanks for using Green Line. Then later, an email asking me to rank my experience with Green Line.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not Mr Grumpy and I guess it's better than no communication at all but does seem excessive nonetheless.
Apple (specifically the Apple Store in Lakeside). The screen on my iMac started to go weird - 5 months out of warranty so made peace with the fact that I'd need to pay to get it fixed. Apple took it in an when I went to collect it, they said I didn't have to pay because it shouldn't have gone wrong in the first place. Plus they upgraded the memory/RAM for free too.
Bad:
I'll shift the paradigm and quote and example of poor customer service as a result of being too good. Bear with me.
Have a MiniBus / Van thing for work that is a bit old and a while back required the attention of Green Line. Call them to send someone out. Then get a text to say the call has been logged. Then another 10 mins later to tell me the name of the bloke who's going to come. Then a phone call to say that he's just finishing another job but will be there soon. Then he calls to say he's on his way. Then a text to say that he's on his way. Whilst he's working on it, I get a call to ask if everything's going alright. As soon as he leaves, I get a text to say thanks for using Green Line. Then later, an email asking me to rank my experience with Green Line.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not Mr Grumpy and I guess it's better than no communication at all but does seem excessive nonetheless.
Buster73 said:
During the first lockdown our local Indian restaurant started doing takeaways, my wife ordered or 7.00pm collection , I got there at 6.55pm and it was obviously very busy , I paid in full £35 and was asked to take a seat.
at 7.25pm I caught his eye and pointed at my watch then saw a look of panic in the managers face , he came straight across and apologised for keeping me waiting, about ten minutes later the food was given to me in a carrier bag and off I went home thinking it’s just one of those things.
When opening the carrier bag there was an envelope with a £25 voucher in it.
Great resolution and much appreciated but totally unexpected .
What’s the madras like?at 7.25pm I caught his eye and pointed at my watch then saw a look of panic in the managers face , he came straight across and apologised for keeping me waiting, about ten minutes later the food was given to me in a carrier bag and off I went home thinking it’s just one of those things.
When opening the carrier bag there was an envelope with a £25 voucher in it.
Great resolution and much appreciated but totally unexpected .
vikingaero said:
I think the reason these companies are so good is that the staff can make a decision on the spot rather than refer it to a supervisor or bring the bin back to store etc.
When I worked in retail whilst at Uni, our manager was great and let the staff do refunds, warranty claims etc. Customers generally feel much happier if the person they are dealing with is empowered to make a decision irrespective of their grade/role. It’s something that all staff should be trained or empowered to deal with Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 19th January 08:08
A couple more i forgot for the good service list.
Sky engineer came around September time to fit sky Q, i asked her to leave me enough cable to be able to route it up through the loft and down into my new av cupboard. Left about 20m of cable. Drilled the hole through the wall for me too whilst up fitting new dish. She also gave me a second remote for free after noticing i had 3 of the older ones.
Also around Sept time my phone decided it was no longer going to charge via its cable, rang samsung up and the following day they had an engineer out to my house and repaired it in his van on my drive. New pcb so all data lost but he handed me a usb stick with a file backup on just incase i had forgot to backup before he got there (which i had).
Sky engineer came around September time to fit sky Q, i asked her to leave me enough cable to be able to route it up through the loft and down into my new av cupboard. Left about 20m of cable. Drilled the hole through the wall for me too whilst up fitting new dish. She also gave me a second remote for free after noticing i had 3 of the older ones.
Also around Sept time my phone decided it was no longer going to charge via its cable, rang samsung up and the following day they had an engineer out to my house and repaired it in his van on my drive. New pcb so all data lost but he handed me a usb stick with a file backup on just incase i had forgot to backup before he got there (which i had).
Edited by NextSlidePlease on Wednesday 20th January 10:47
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