If I'm not happy with something, I will let it be known. I'm not prepared to suffer in silence, especially when it comes to customer service, and I'm not going to lower my standards because somebody else refuses to raise theirs. Over the years I have honed my complaining skills into something of an art form. I've received free phones, meals, vouchers, products, upgrades and refunds.
My first job was working in a sandwich shop at the tender age of 15. I was paid £3 an hour and after my shift on a Saturday the £27 I clutched in my coronation chicken stained hands may as well have been a million pounds. The shop in question was, and still is, a popular independent store in the town centre. When I got the job I was told in no uncertain terms that the customers pay my wages and they were to be kept happy. No customers = no business = no job. It's a viewpoint that has stayed with me my entire working life whether in the sandwich shop, in law firms or where I am now. Apart from when I was at the NHS, any role I've had has involved some kind of client liaison either on the phone or in person.
The problem is that very few people seem to care about how customers are treated these days and it feels as though every few weeks I'm complaining about something not being right. From surly staff and poorly cooked food through to faulty goods and incorrect orders - it's all been going wrong.
I'd like to point out that I don't complain at the drop of a hat, there are rules. Making a fuss over something the staff have no control over is ridiculous. I remember a woman going mental in New Look because there weren't any changing rooms available. I'm not sure what she wanted the girl at the door to do, she could hardly kick someone out. Equally it's worth remembering that floor staff have no say over stock or prices. Raging at a 16 year old Saturday girl in a supermarket because they haven't got your favourite cheese just exposes you as being a jerk. Also, everyone is entitled to a bad day. Nobody is perfect and you have to cut people some slack. I make mistakes at work as I'm sure you do too so it's unrealistic to expect someone to be perfect all the time.
To make a good complaint you need to explain how the company has upset you (i.e rude desk staff), why it has upset you (i.e loyal customer) and what you had to do to fix it (i.e go elsewhere). You need to be calm and polite because it's likely that the person you're speaking to or writing to had nothing to do with the incident and you need to stick to the facts. Don't bring up stories you've heard from other people because they have no bearing on your experience that day. It's best to put things in writing because you have a record of what you've said and it's easy for things to get heated on the phone.
I also believe it's important to praise people when they do something right rather than always focusing on the negative aspects. It was a while ago but in December I went to the MAC counter in Beales in Bournemouth with my mum as she was going to kit me out with new make-up for Christmas now that I had a healthy glow again. The man who did my make-up was fantastic. He was friendly, professional and obviously had a vast knowledge of the products he was using and selling. I wrote to MAC and to the store to thank them for the great experience and to let them know they had such a wonderful member of staff. I received two nice letters back and MAC also sent me a free limited edition lipstick, lip pen, lip glass and make up bag just because I'd taken the time to send them some positive feedback.
If you complain to a company and they try to fix it, you should let them know whether it worked. A couple of months ago we tried to visit a chain restaurant for breakfast but they weren't open despite what their website said. I wrote to highlight this and was given a £30 voucher as an apology. We used the money, had a lovely meal and decided that it had obviously been a one-off hiccup and we would be returning. I wrote back to them and explained how nice the waitress had been and that we'd enjoyed our food so we would be repeat customers. You have to give credit where it's due.
I think it boils down to this, you are entitled to expect the service and goods that you are paying for. It's your hard earned money and you shouldn't have to part with it for something you aren't satisfied with. I had a meal at Frankie & Benny's recently and it was awful. I asked for no tomato but they made it without mayo instead and left all the tomatoes in. I told the waitress but also said it was ok as I'd take them out myself but then I found a large piece of fryer detritus on my plate. I informed the manager that it wasn't the standard I expected and I wouldn't be finishing or paying for my food. She agreed and it wasn't a problem.
If you're not happy with something you have to let them know. Without you they wouldn't have a business and it's up to them to fix it. We're told from a young age that we should treat others as we want them to treat us and it's the same for customer service. They should treat us the way they would want to be treated in another store.
People are spending less and less at the moment and I know that I'm not parting with my cash if I'm not 100% happy with what I'm buying. Settling for second rate service and goods should no longer be an option for us consumers.
Or perhaps my expectations are too high. Maybe I'll have to change my name to Romoany in honour of all moaning. What do you think? Are customers being taken for granted or am I just unlucky?
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