How important to you is it?
recently i bought a high item, but befor that i called around to check pricing and couple of the places acted as if they did'nt want my business, they were less than friendly like
i was a burden and should'nt bother them. Anyhow i ended
up buying from one company, very nice and seemed eager to help me, After a brief confersation I ordered and was told i
would'nt need a certain part. So as it went i instld what i got
come to find i needed those parts and had two wrong parts,
called them back to make a deal, I'll send back the wrong parts in return for the correct ones and the others i needed
Well the guy told me it would cost more for him to send me
a return addressed package for everything. So he said tell
you what i'll just send the correct parts and the parts i needed that didnt get and it would be all free of charge
and you can keep the extras. Now to me thats keeping the customer happy, and for i do more business with them.

 

The problem is that those other places probably deal with so many rude and inconsiderate customers that they can't be nice.. Everybody always wants something for nothing, and that doesn't keep buisnesses afloat.... I personally think that everyone should be forced to spend at least a year in a customer service job.. This would greatly open up people's eyes as to how rude, and downright stupid they really are.. A person can be very smart, but people are not... When you deal with thousands of rude customers a day it's quite taxing....

 

To clear myself up alittle when i called around I was not Rude
the poeple answering the phone had like attitudes of how fast
can i get rid of this guy, truely they should put aside there bad
day for a moment and be curtiouse to a perspective buyer.

 

Customer service seems to be going the way of the dinosaurs. Was at circle K the other day and the cashier couldn't get off the cell phone while she rang me out.

The reality is corporations (wal mart, home depot etc..) have little or no competition they don't care if you are satisfied. There's a million other people in line behind you waiting to buy.

I know it probably doesn't make any real difference but I try to spend my money with the small companies that "need" it the most.

 

I spent 32 years in the service business, the last 16 in sales. The successful service business knows that success comes from making customers, not making sales. I made very sure that our customers knew exactly what they were buying, and I made sure that they received what they paid for. I maintained contact with the customer after the sale and made sure they were happy with our response. My customers knew that their problems were my problems and that my help was a phone call away. I was their voice at our company. This policy resulted in a solid group of loyal customers that stayed with us despite the vigorous efforts of our competitors. It is a simple philosophy that is being lost.
Dono

 

Thats how i sorta feel.
When someone is willing to go outta there way to get what you
need or didnt have that company/person deserves return business
And the homedepot i go to seem to help me alot very nice people
at the one i shop at, infact when i get help from someone there over and beyond what maybe expected from them i call there boss
and let um know how there employee helped me. But thats not the company im refering to.

 

Dono you are exactly right and thats why a company will get my
return business. If you ack like you dont need it you wont get it
from me.

 

It is easy speak with your wallet.

When I went to get my wife her engagement ring the place was offering a 0% interest for six months and I thought that rather than taking the money out of my account then, I could get more interest and get a good deal. I go to the jeweler and inquire about one and I like it and state that I will take it. I was 27 and in a military town. The lady told me three times that the ring would be mine if I could qualify for the finance. I told her three times that I did not appreciate that assuring that I could not qualify and was becoming very offended. Well, guess what she did…yep, she thought she was being funny and stated that I should know if I was good in a little bit. Then I asked to speak with her manager and he asked what was wrong. I asked if they made it a policy to offend their customers and of course he said no. Well they got the report back and I was qualified to buy a ring four times more money and they also found out I had spotless credit. I then told the manager that I did not want the ring or their company and left. Got a better ring and a better price down the road and left one mad person and one very scared person.

A dealer did this with me also and I found another one that was better. I have bought three Fords from there so far.

 

I buy high-end cosmetics and I have made it a point to always go to the same representative, as I know they receive commission for sales. She'd usually give me samples of products and let me know about events that were upcoming. I hadn't been in to see her in about 3 months because I was at school and I'd have to make a special trip (about 100 miles out of my way just to go to her) so I held off buying my new stuff for as long as I could. I pretty much needed to replenish my whole collection, which was to cost about $150. When I finally got down there, she invited me to a special make-over day and told me as I was leaving to go ahead and bring a friend if I could. She said it's totally free, but if I wanted a photograph taken it would cost $10. I said that's fine since I wouldn't be there while the photographer was there anyway. I called a friend of mine who'd just graduated college and she met me at the mall. She didn't wear anything extraordinary, just a tank top (a bit too short) and some shorts, but everyone at the mall was dressed like this (except myself as I don't like to wear shorts) so I thought nothing of it. The woman performing my make-over finished before the one doing hers and so I got to sit and watch my friend's progress a little, and I kept hearing this woman saying that they had a special gift for her. I was wondering what that was all about, but knowing how nice my rep. had been with me, I figured she was just going to give her some free samples to try at home. Wrong. They asked us to stand by the register while the make-over woman got something from the back, and when she came back my rep asked her why there was over $300 worth of beauty products on the register. She pointed at my friend and said "This is for her" and my friend and I were just shocked. She tried to explain that she couldn't afford it right then and that she had just wanted a list of the products she'd liked so she could come back once she started her full-time job. Well, instead of backing me up that this was a free makeover, my rep looked me right in the eye and told me that the service was only free for me and that my friend would have to buy something. I was shocked. We'd both watched her do free makeovers on a few passers-by while we were sitting there, plus, there is NEVER a charge at a beauty counter for any services... so my friend ended up buying something, which we quickly returned. I was so embarassed... partially at myself for not doing more to point out the injustice while we were there. I emailed the store a complaint and will not be returning to this woman in the future.

So yeah, I'd have to agree that the importance of customer service has gone down the drain. It's like everyone thinks they're too good to serve others. They think a place of business is lucky to have so much of their time. Just horrible...

 

As long as a customer is showing courtesy, no company should ever mistreat a customer or turn him/her away. Now if a customer is being difficult (i.e. rude) then I feel it is the company's decision whether or not to serve a customer.

Respect in our society should never be a one way street. Courtesy and respect in general can only lead to good things, however everything goes downhill when people do not practice common courtesy. Courtesy should be the hallmark of all Americans. Nothing ticked me off worse being overseas when I was in the military among other foreigners than seeing loud-mouthed, discourteous Americans. That ought not be anywhere.

 

I used to be the punk kid who would act like a jerk if I wasn't getting helped the right way or not getting what I wanted, like I was more important or something (even though they were the ones with the job and I was the one buying with the 'rents money) I eventually found a job in the service industry, and if I could've found all of the people I was a punk to, I would've apologized to them all. A smile goes a long way. Even on the phone with utility companies and things like that...I try to keep my cool, and eventually crack a lame joke or something. I'm pretty sure the utility customer service reps get ZERO comedic relief at work, so making them smile is enough for them to at least be nice back.

The other day, I took my Nissan in for a brake job (yes, a Nissan...and yes, I didn't do the brakes...the rotors were stuck on)...anyway, they told me over the phone $175 or something like that. I was kind of shocked by the price, but went in and talked with them for a bit. Just shooting the breeze kind of stuff. 2 days and $80 later, I got my car back, and 2 weeks later, they sent me a Thank You card, thanking me for my business. I've since recommended them to everyone I know who needs something done...if you're in South Jersey, PM me if you need work and I'll direct you.

 

So it seems to me customer service goes a long way, and that
directly translates to more customers more business (word of mouth) and loyallty, the company im referring to will always
get my business first, unless they dont have what i need.

 

AS a wood floor distributer, we have to rely on good CS since we don't have the lowest prices in town.

I used to do tech support for a local ISP.
When people call up screaming that I deleted thier Email, when in reality they "store it in thier trashcan". it's pretty hard to keep a level head. I've also had to explain to people how to use thier mouse (this was in 03) I could go on and on about that job. Occasionally we'd get a caller who knew what they were talking about, but that was few and far between.

 

I never implied you were rude.. It's the other 2 million idjits they have to deal with.. Have you ever worked in customer service? If not go to the local wal mart, or sears and watch the morons that come in to the service desk.. THat or go to the local fast food chain and watch how rude people are to the employees.. This is why companies don't like dealing with individuals... THe company reps call, say hi I'm so and so with xyz INC, I need part numbers x, y, z... THey don't have to interact, or answer questions..

 

I work in customer service all day and it drives me nuts. Atleast 70% of the people who come into my store (Home Depot) know what they came in for and get it and get out. About 25% know what they need, just need some help finding it or have a couple informed questions and I'm more then happy to help them find everything they need. I've had customers come into the store, I've walked them all around the store getting them every product on their list and even loaded their car. I'm more then happy to do it, I get paid by the hour so the more minutes I waste the better

Now there are the 5% of customers that walk in the door who are determined to give you a hard time and will ruin your entire day. I work in Outside Garden and that in itself is like being a magnet for people who have no clue what they want no less what they are trying to do.

Here is an example of that 5%

- People who are confused why their Tall Fescue grass seed will not grow when it's over 100 degrees outside. Ontop of it in the middle of me explaining how it's too hot, they stop me and ask if they were supposed to water it.

- I had a customer the other day who asked me if plumbing was inside or outside of the store.

- They want to know why they can't use Potting Soil in their gardens or why can't they use Garden Soil in pots.

- I've had customers purchase plants or shrubs in March/April and bring them back in July/ August that were obviously never taken out of the pot. They tell me "it just died on me after I didn't water it for a couple days and it sat in the heat." Well yeah dude, if you leave it in the pot and don't water it, it has no source of water.

- My all time favorite thing I hear from customers is "why isn't your quikrete in outside garden?" Well there are a couple reasons, the most important reason is it's with building materials down in lumber. The other really important reason is that if it rains it will just turn into a massive block of concrete.

- You guys will love this one, we have customers who purchase those bags of Quikrete in the middle of a storm. They toss it into the bed of their truck, drive to the job site, figure out that it's hardened. Then they return it to the store and Home Depot allows them return the stuff. As if we can resell a block of concrete to someone, "oh it's now a piece of art."

Where do they get these people at?

- Chris