What are some general issues you experience with companies' customer service?

Season_of_Mist

This new attitude certain stores have about not wanting to deal with customers at the till. What’s that all about?

My local Co-Op is a big-ish store, not the corner shop kind. Started with lockdown last March, this might be exaggerating but they almost make it a hostile environment for shoppers, their message is very much a case of: get what you need and then get out ASAP.

Staff are never behind the till now, they just float round the store holding what are obviously personal phone conversations on their head sets and god forbid if anyone politely interrupts to ask if they can help at the counter.

I was in there last week, needed something from behind the till (batteries), was waiting patiently for someone to appear and then one of the employees pretty much yelled at me “Do you actually want something?” Polite reply that yes I did, please, was met with a huff and a mutter as if it was a really big deal. Then I made an even more outrageous demand when I offered a £10 note to pay, this was snatched out of my hand.

I don’t think I’m particularly over-sensitive but quite honestly they have managed to make picking up some shopping there a really unpleasant experience. 

Murphybear

When most of the lockdown restrictions were finishing  we went to M & S food hall as a treat.  Ahead of us in the queue was a lovely old couple who must have been 90 if they were a day.  A spare member of staff packed their shopping and had helped them count out their cash (it came to a lot).

There was no shuffling of feet and annoyed looks from the rest of the queue, people were very patient.  

On the way out a member of staff was calling a taxi for them and when we walked past M & S 5 minutes later the same member of staff was helping them into the taxi.

this is a very rural area, not a city or large town.  I almost felt glowing seeing that the art of chivalry is not dead.  

IvanOpinion

My main issues would be that
- they don't read or totally fail to comprehend what is being asked
- they use stock answers totally irrelevant to the questions being asked
- they lie to you and try to obfuscate the issue

The most recent culprit of this behaviour has been the admin team of this site, so I am sure they could give loads of help

Tokmon

IvanOpinion said:

My main issues would be that
- they don't read or totally fail to comprehend what is being asked
- they use stock answers totally irrelevant to the questions being asked
- they lie to you and try to obfuscate the issue

The most recent culprit of this behaviour has been the admin team of this site, so I am sure they could give loads of help

I think it's quite rare for a company to openly lie to you because the employee doing that would face disciplinary action if they had loads of complaints for lying to customers.

IvanOpinion

Tokmon said:

I think it's quite rare for a company to openly lie to you because the employee doing that would face disciplinary action if they had loads of complaints for lying to customers.

A lot rarer than it used to be but still happens.  Not all companies hold employees accountable, and in smaller companies it isn't an employee you are talking to.

OceanSound

Imparting advice in dribs and drabs. 

contacted Fineco Uk bank to ask when my gbp debit card and eur debit cards expires and by which date I need to tell them if I do not want them to issue renewed cards 

Receive reply with expiry dates (date,month and year) and that it's two months before expiry that I need to 'inform' them. 

I email back well ahead of time. Then they reply saying I have to call or send written signed letter. 

I complained to Fineco Uk bank about this. Received reply exacty 8 weeks after sending complaint basically dismissing it saying I was informed about need for written request on initial contact. I clearly wasn't. 

They didn't even tell me I had the right to complain to financial ombudsman service (fos). I've now Complained to fos, they passed complaint back to Fineco. I wrote back to fos and told them fineco isn't entitled the privilege of even more time than 8 weeks. Then I receive fos reply saying 'ok.adjudicator will look at your complaint. But it may take 4 months'.

A couple of days ago i receive email from Fineco saying their response was due to a mistake in communication and that they agree to pay my compensation (it was just the postage amount for letter to fos that I claimed)

What a mess the fos created due to their initial bias to favour the business.