Bad customer service or just bad customers.

SlowCooker

Money-Saving-King wrote: »

How? There is not a single business in this country which uses the slogan "the customer is almost always right".

Have you dealt with every single business in the country?

Money-Saving-King

SlowCooker wrote: »

Have you dealt with every single business in the country?

Find one then!

Not a single one would use it as it's just asking for someone to try take advantage. All business's will know this hence not a single one will use that slogan.

SlowCooker

Money-Saving-King wrote: »

Not a single one would use it as it's just asking for someone to try take advantage. All business's will know this hence not a single one will use that slogan.

I believe the way you understand the slogan is different from mine. It shouldn't be taken literally. It simply refers to providing a satisfactory experience to the customer. When customers take advantage of this generosity, they can be denied the service in the future.

Money-Saving-King

SlowCooker wrote: »

I believe the way you understand the slogan is different from mine. It shouldn't be taken literally. It simply refers to providing a satisfactory experience to the customer. When customers take advantage of this generosity, they can be denied the service in the future.

What companies tend to do is have thing like 100% happiness guaranteed etc. The slogan the customer is always right could never be used as it would have legal implications, people very easily could take advantage and if a company has that written a website etc they'd struggle to deny any request.

Once upon a time you'd see signs in shops/bars with this but you no longer do. It would be nice if it worked as you say but in reality the people who would then go on to abuse that saying are sadly far too many hence why you no longer see this slogan being used by any business. The only people who use it which we frequently see on here are people with a want, want, want attitude which really as this thread discuss's aren't good customers.

Jellybean85

I think it definitely goes both ways. I am always totally polite, non confrontational person and I have had some really rude customer service before. Things like people chatting away to the person next to them, which I don't mind as I know it must be a boring job at times, but at least acknowledge me first! On the flip side on the coin customers who continue to chat on a mobile while they buy something seems so rude to me.

I brought something from a high street store recently and the women serving was totally rude. Practically grunted at me, rolled her eyes when I accidentally dropped my bag, (there was no queue so I wasn't holding things up) and pushed my shopping at me across the table with a sigh. I guess she may have been having a really bad day and I shouldn't take it personally but I did nothing to warrant that kind of behaviour and similar has happened to me over the years.

I do know that people do have to put up with awful customers though, I saw a women having a go at someone recently. I don't know what started it but she was saying "I want to see the manger" over and over and over the poor women was replying "I'm the manager". I just wanted to go and tell the lady to shut up and leave her alone but I didn't want to make things worse and I didn't know the full story. Still whatever the story the women was being beyond rude, I think I would have used a few expletives if I was the manager I don't know how she kept so calm.

Powered_By_Pies

Money-Saving-King wrote: »

How? There is not a single business in this country which uses the slogan "the customer is almost always right".

Whilst I don't think they use it as a 'mission statement' per se any more, Selfridge's were one of the originators of the phrase and I think a lot of their company morales are based upon the slogan.

Similarly John Lewis seem to have a 'customer first' policy for their returns and the such.

So whilst you won't find anyone who I think specifically uses that phrase, a lot of companies still base their mantra's around it.

rustyboy21

IMO, people who say they are promised a call back from a company and say they did not receive one, are not telling the whole truth a lot of times.


I deal with one manufacturer who have a land line number to ring them on. If they ring me back, it always comes up as a mobile number. If it wasn't for the fact that I have to answer every call that comes into my shop, then I may do what a lot of people do and that is think it is a junk call, they don't know the incoming mobile number and refuse to answer it. Not a lot of companies will leave a message too, as they fear breaking the data protection laws etc.


Most large companies either have an exchange like mentioned above, or the come up as no caller ID, unknown number etc, so there again, they don't get answered. They get special tariffs as businesses, the one I have mentioned above, gets free calls via the mobile numbers, so the exchange at the company, directs the call via mobile network, even though they are ringing from a landline handset.


So I think a lot of these posters who complain are victims of their own doing most of the time. It wont come back with the same number you have called them on.

Money-Saving-King

rustyboy21 wrote: »

So I think a lot of these posters who complain are victims of their own doing most of the time. It wont come back with the same number you have called them on.

Wouldn't surprise me at all!

Morglin

Money-Saving-King wrote: »

Resolved in what way? I can imagine in reality very little if anything happens you just get a nicely worded letter making you think it has.

If the firm has not fulfilled it's contract properly, or is not doing what it is supposed to be doing, I have always had the situation resolved, in ways I can see, and sometimes, although I don't ever request anything other than the situation to be resolved, vouchers, credits etc.,

I don't complain unless I have cause though, and until after I have tried to resolve it politely - people make mistakes, we all do, and they should be given a chance to put things right, before any complaint.

You would be surprised how effective a proper letter, addressed to a CEO can be - much better than getting stroppy with someone in a call centre.


Lin

Money-Saving-King

Morglin wrote: »

You would be surprised how effective a proper letter, addressed to a CEO can be

The effect being?

You might get a voucher but as I said very little else probably happens.