I am tired of poor customer service

[stevedmatt]

I am tired of many things in the service industry, customer service being one. IMHO, you may have been slightly over the line by going to the manager. This isn't poor customer service as much as standard customer service. It was also effective service. While I don't like this approach by a customer service professional, I usually disregard it in all service areas except where they work for tips. Then I let the tip show that I think the service was poor.

The restaurant industry is the absolute worst. It's tough to find a place that has everything, good food, service, and ambiance. One of my favorite places, and yes I continue to go, has slightly below average customer service. But the food is good enough to overcome that for me.

I have a list of at least a dozen restaurants within 15 miles of me that I will never go to again for various reasons. There are also many retail stores I will no longer visit. I voice my displeasure by no longer soliciting the establishment.

 

[barndweller]

stevedmatt, You have the right approach. In America it is all about the bottom line...money. No one pays attention unless it hurts their wallet. It used to be about doing a good job and feeling a sense of accomplishment. Somehow, during the last 40 years or so it has become okay to only equate success with money. It's not that way everywhere or with everyone but certainly it is the prevailing attitude in the US. We are suffering the fallout now.

 

[Danette]

IMHO - I think you did the right thing. You asked direct questions of an employee and she totally ignored you. Yes, there can always be extenuating circumstances, but her behavior affects the customer's perception of the business. The manager needed to be aware of that.

 

[pjrose]

Hmmm.....well, in this case I probably would have gone over the top to repeat "Hi" and "Thank you!". I wouldn't have walked away with my bags until I got a response to my second - or third - "Thank you!" Maybe I would have been obnoxious enough to say "Excuse me, I'm not sure if you heard me? I said Thank You!".

I often do that at places like McD's where many counter people have perfected the art of staring just over the customer's shoulder. Usually - not always - a slightly louder smiling repetition of "Thank you!" results in a startled "yeah" (rarely a real "you're welcome")

I don't know that I would have gone to the manager about this lack of response, as opposed to a really rude response - but I would have filled out a card or online comment that the store remind its employees to make eye contact and make the appropriate polite comments.

 

[sandesurf]

I would be interested in the training in customer service a cashier at Kohl's gets vs the training someone who works for a well known department store gets.

But heck, complain if you want. I wouldn't.

The "training" I got was through Mervyn's, which I believe is related to Kohl's? (That was 10 years ago, but I heard they still do the training for all new employees. You sure can't tell!)
The other store was Sears. I started working there right after highschool graduation in 1974! I stayed for 15 years. The customer was always right, even if I didn't like it!:annoyed:

 

[Wonka]

Of course you did the right thing. Why not?

IMHO, you did the right thing. There are too many people that'd like to have the cashier's job, and would be better, more customer-service oriented employees.

Kohl's pre-opening near Sarasota resulted of hundreds of people in line for jobs.

I'm sure the Manager would like to have more feedback from other customers. Surveys simply don't work as well as immediate feedback.

Would I have done the same thing? Maybe. Sometimes the lack of basic customer service or courtesy can be very frustrating, since it's so darn prevalent these days.

Why anyone would suggest your actions were improper in any way is beyond me. It's just something most wouldn't take the time to do because they don't view it as that important in the scheme of things. That doesn't make your action wrong.

 

[janapur]

I still don't think it is necessarily "poor" customer service when the cashier doesn't speak to the customer. Now, if you'd been asking a question and they refused to answer or gave you wrong information, that's something else. If this had been a high-end department store I might also expect a higher level of courtesy. Or, maybe I just have low expectations and as long as someone doesn't spit at me I figure the service is just fine.

I have to disagree here. The cashier should always say "thank you." My husband and I just remarked about this issue today. More often than not, I as the customer find myself thanking the clerk. One time the clerk said "yep" in response and it felt so odd that I had to say something. Nothing too harsh, I think I just said "how strange that I'm giving you money and thanking you."

As an employer I would appreciate the customer bringing this to my attention so that I have the opportunity to make things right, rather than have an angry customer leave without my knowledge of a fixable problem.

 

[falmouth3]

Just today I completed a survey for Burger King. They wanted to know if the order taker greeted me, looked me in the eye, smiled, got the order correct etc. A lot of details on customer service.

At another store that I frequent, there is one cashier who always acts like she is about to keel over from exhaustion or something. She's not friendly, is always slow... The first time she waited on me, I though perhaps she wasn't feeling well.

I agree that I'm usually the one saying thank you. And "yep" doesn't take the place of "you're welcome".

Customer service has declined big time. Although there are some people working who do have some sort of "problem", I think most of the poor service and poor attitudes are because managers and customers put up with it.

Sue

 

[abbekit]

Yes you did the right thing. Speaking to the management to let them know about your experience (good or bad) is a fine way to give them feedback.

If the manager is good they will handle this in the appropriate way (i.e if they know the employee is having some sort of personal problem or if they are just having a bad day or if the bottom line is that this employee is not treating customers in the manner of company policy). How else will the manager know if you just leave or even quit shopping there?

Usually I'm in too much of a hurry to get on with my errands but many times I have mailed in comment cards that many stores provide when I've had both bad and good experiences at their store.

I applaud your effort to make the world a nicer place!

 

[teepeeca]

This happened to my SIL in Lake Tahoe, at a Safeway store. She lives in the Los Angeles area, and this was her first time on vacation to South Lake Tahoe.

After (and during) shopping, "ALL" of the store employees that she came in contact were very friendly, and tried to make sure that she found "everything" that she was looking for. An employee asked her if he could help her out with the groceries. (Which she declined---just a small, light in weight---amount.)

In the parking lot, an employee, gathering the carts from the parking lot, said "hi" to her, and wished her a nice day.

When getting in the car, she queried me, stating "everyone" is SO NICE. and they "actually spoke to me" !!! "WHY" are they like that ??? I "did" have to explain what a "small town attitude" was like. She was amazed !!!

Tony

 

[Kay H]

I don't know if it is a case of "right " or "wrong" but what you felt you felt you should do at the time. I probably would not have done anything because it was not a big enough issue for me to react to. But I have other pet peeves and handle them differently.

One is when a physician who has never seen me before comes into the exam room and starts to ask me questions regarding why I am there. I always respond with "I'm sorry, I missed your name." Hopefully they get the point.

I don't know if that is right or wrong but I think it is a polite way for me to let him/her realize that I would like an introduction before an examination.

 

[Luanne]

This happened to my SIL in Lake Tahoe, at a Safeway store. She lives in the Los Angeles area, and this was her first time on vacation to South Lake Tahoe.

After (and during) shopping, "ALL" of the store employees that she came in contact were very friendly, and tried to make sure that she found "everything" that she was looking for. An employee asked her if he could help her out with the groceries. (Which she declined---just a small, light in weight---amount.)

In the parking lot, an employee, gathering the carts from the parking lot, said "hi" to her, and wished her a nice day.

When getting in the car, she queried me, stating "everyone" is SO NICE. and they "actually spoke to me" !!! "WHY" are they like that ??? I "did" have to explain what a "small town attitude" was like. She was amazed !!!

Tony

Don't know if it's "small town" or not, but that is the way Safeway trains their personnel. My younger dd worked as a courtesy clerk for them last summer.

 

[ricoba]

Don't know if it's "small town" or not, but that is the way Safeway trains their personnel. My younger dd worked as a courtesy clerk for them last summer.

I will agree that Vons (Southern California Safeway) provides excellent and very friendly customer service. I prefer them over Ralphs or Albertsons any day for this reason.

 

[falmouth3]

Don't know if it's "small town" or not, but that is the way Safeway trains their personnel. My younger dd worked as a courtesy clerk for them last summer.

I was in a Safeway in Seodona last week. I asked two employees where things were located in the store Each person told me which aisle to look in and then asked if I would like them to take me to the item. I was amazed. Although I do have people working in grocery stores in the Boston area who have offered to help me find things, I felt that people in this Safeway were especially helpful.

Sue

 

[Rose Pink]

.... I would like an introduction before an examination.

:hysterical: Oh, the mental picture you painted. :hysterical:

Now, that I've picked myself up off the floor, I do agree with you.

 

[happymum]

As a former mystery shopper for a large grocery chain I know that we were taught to evaluate whether EVERY store employee we encountered made eye contact and smiled, offered assistance, and personally escorted to the appropriate aisle when asked for an item location. Over all my evaluations were very positive.

 

[BSQ]

at many moderate department stores your training is on how to run the register and that's about it.

Some will have set expectations such as the cashier writes thank you and their name on the receipt, must walk around the register to hand you your purchase, and if you've used a credit card, must address you as Mr or Ms [insert last name].

Quite honestly, in stores where they have a central cash wrap I'm just thankful they zip through the line... couldn't really care if they've greeted me or asked how my day was going.

 

[caribbeansun]

I'm rather surprised at some of the responses to your question. My own opinion is that you did the right thing although I think the "report every transaction" part is over the top.

It's been documented that the single greatest cause of lost customers is perceived indifference well up the chart from price.

If the person had some sort of mental disorder as one poster suggested that isn't your issue nor is it your job to deal with that.

Accepting mediocrity is an excellent way to ensure that service levels will never change.

It's also been said that it's the customers that really care that will complain and tell you what you need to fix. I personally think that there's a lot of truth in that tempered by the fact that there are those that just like to complain which it seems doesn't fit the OP based on their description.

 

[laura1957]

Was the salesperson surly or rude? Was the problem that she just didn't acknowledge you? Had she waited on you before? Personally, I wouldn't have reported her. Unless there was something really horrible in the way I was treated I'd let it go. I don't think this was "poor" customer service, just kind of indifferent. You never know what kind of day this person was having and why she didn't talk to you. For all you know she could have just gotten some bad news.

I don't think I would have complained to management over this - I tend to agree with Luanne. Unless you shop here often and you always get this service from this salesperson.

The restaurant around the corner from my home has a waitress who has a pretty bad attitude - but only to me. My daughter used to be the hostess there and they were friends until the waitress borrowed money and refused to pay it back. I think the waitress somehow holds that against me!!

We have gone to this restaurant at least a couple hundred times since they opened 3-4 years ago and the service is generally very good. The owner/manager is ALWAYS there, if not - his brother is. This is a kind of place where the owner walks around and asks how everything is - very small town, but fairly large restaurant. We always tell the owner how good everything was - food, service... As long as he makes sure that we arent in "her" section!! Since generally she is a good waitress that seems to work for everyone

 

[dougef]

At the local branch of a mega-bank there was a teller who I actually tried to avoid by sometimes going to a different branch. First, it seemed to me that she wouuld take my deposit and when she saw how much was in my checking account, if the amount was relatively large, she would say to me "We have some excellent CD rates right now." I would say to her I have no interest in CD's. She did this several more times and I said - I think I've told you a copule of times, I am not interested in CD's. I have to assume that she got some sort of incentive for anyone that opened a CD.

The other thing that bothered me was she started to address my by my first name - the full version. How are you today Douglas?. Can I do anything else for you Douglas. Well I am in my 50's not a teenager. If she wants to use my name, it should be Mr. XXXX. I just found it annoying.

She eventually was transferred and the tellers I use at that branch are great. They smile and say hello (no name). They simply ask if there is anything else they can help me with that day. Then they say thank you, have a good day. Perfect.

Sorry for the rant. I thought about complaining about this teller, but never bothered. I am sure she felt she was doing her job in a positive way - it just bugged me.

 

[Chrisky]

I think you were right to complain. We all have our good and bad days, and we all have problems. But since you greeted her first, it's just good manners to reply with a simple hello. You're not expecting a long conversation. You are the customer and as such should at least be acknowledged. I also believe that after paying your bill, she should have said something to the effect of 'have a nice day'. I find more and more people are rude and there is a lack of common courtesy.

 

[geekette]

I don't go to our local Walmart because they hire indifferent help. I can spend 10 minutes getting my items and a half hour in line. It's not ONE cashier, it seems to be ALL of them. DH is fine with it, but I'm not, so I don't shop there. I will always pick Super Target over that Walmart.

 

[stmartinfan]

I hope that this wasn't a person with a functionally emotional, mental or even a hearing impairment condtion who is just trying to earn a living or regain some footing in life, "imperfect" person that she is.

I have a second cousin who is schizophrenic, but functional to the point that he bags groceries in the local large supermarket. He rarely engages in conversation or eye contact. He cannot bear it, but he does eek out a little life with his job and they understand and protect him there. He is trying to fit into a world where tolerance isn't always present as his "disbality" isn't apparent. He's a good employee, been there for 20 years and out only once when a car backed into him in the grocery parking lot. He get the job done without complaint.

B.

I would encourage customers to recognize that this may be a reason some retail employees respond differently than you might expect. As the parent of a child with autism, I'm around lots of kids whose social skills can be less than ideal. What's hard for casual observers to understand is that these kids are trying - it's just that they "see" the world differently. They also often have to deal with much anxiety and stress at being in work situations that require lots of interaction. They are uncomfortable with eye contact, don't easily make small talk, and may be trying to hide small tics or repetitive motions that help them calm themselves.

Was that the situation with the employee the OP encountered? Of course, I don't know, but just want to remind people that many people in the work force deal with "invisible" disabilities that make their lives challenging.

We have a friend whose son with Aspergers works the check out lane at a major grocery store. While he is able to do the required "greetings," he otherwise focuses only on scanning the items, taking payment, etc., There's no additional eye contact or conversation, and he has some funny motions he makes. I'm sure others in line think he's unfriendly, but he's just doing the job to the best of his ability. His managers really like him, because he's extremely reliable, accurate, and willing to come in to work whenever they need him. He tells his parents he likes the job because he only has to deal with one person at a time!

While these employees can seem less than ideal to the casual shopper, it's actually to all our benefit to have kids like him in the workplace. Rather than becoming a drain on society and having to live off disability, they are supporting themselves - and contributing to social security (for our retirements) rather than having to draw it themselves.

 

[happymum]

I would hope that in a case where a disability was involved, the manager would respond with a discrete explanation, if a customer complained. Most of us are understanding if there is a valid explanation for behavior.

 

[wackymother]

I would hope that in a case where a disability was involved, the manager would respond with a discrete explanation, if a customer complained. Most of us are understanding if there is a valid explanation for behavior.

Employers are not allowed to disclose a disability. Confidentiality is part of the Americans with Disabilities Act.