O/T Do ppl feel that they are not getting quality customer service

If you want poor customer service you should come up here to Pt Hedland. The places get most of their business from BHP or associated contractors and aren't interested in small once-off sales. They get you in, do the job, exchange cash and almost ask you to leave so they can get back onto the BHP job again.

You can't blame them really, the overheads up here are huge, the only reason they are in business at all is because of the mines. They couldn't survive by relying on sales to the public.

You get retail chains up here and many of the salespeople don't know much about the products. They are short staffed and get anyone to work.

But there are some really good businesses up here. Spend a little bit of time here and you work out which ones they are and they get my repeated business.

I go back to visit family in the city and they complain about some shop that didn't do exactly what they wanted and it makes me smirk. The things some people think are important!

Barnesy

Hi Andrea, this has been a beef of mine for some time, being of an older generation I think I notice it more than perhaps my children (although they complain about it as well) I don't tend to blame the staff so much as the owners/managers of the businesses who should be training some of these younger staff members and at least try to teach them 'people skills' and knowledge of the products they are selling.

I guess it's not so much that they don't know what they are talking about but they don't care enough to go and get someone who does know. One of my biggest gripes is when I go to a checkout and the person (it's usually young girls who do this) on the till doesn't even acknowledge that you are there, starts putting your stuff through and continues to talk to the person on the till next to them about what they did last night and what they are going to do tonight!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now that's a lack of people skills right there.

My whinge for the day

Cheers

D

i think it comes down to training, i am in retail a bit but mostly manufacturing. i deal with my customers personally and they know what i say goes. but more and more people are trying to take advantage of small business in these tuff times. store staff don't get the chance to explore the products like they should and most cant make any decisions for them selves or not allowed to.
my Son is twenty two, who has a good job in the RAAF but with some of his mates its hard to keep track of the different jobs they do. they jump from one job to another, thinking the grass is greener on the other side. this also does not give them time to get acquainted with the products they sell. its a bosses nightmare.
i think the only way things are going to change is if you vote with your feet. but we should all keep in mind that politeness is the best policy.

Customer service has died a quiet death in most industries, in the old days you went into a store and asked about a specific product.

The salesperson would then ask a heap of questions (needs analysis) about how you were going to use the product and sometimes advise you on an alternative product. In all you were told about the product and it's capabilituies and limitations. You then made an INFORMED decision as to whether to buy the product or not.

Nowadays you go to a store and say I'm looking for product x, the sales assistant gets it off the shelf and rings up the transaction. If you ask a question they either tell you the instuctions are inside or that they don't know.

The shame is it is not their fault. It is the owners who are more interested in selling any product to anyone rather than the right product to the right person.

I would hate to be a sales person serving the baldman because I am a pain in the @rse customer. I will ask questions about what I am buying. I will ask about performance and its capabilities.

Guess what, the store that spends the time with me gets the sale and the repeat business.

Andrea, this is a product of our 'want it cheapest' majority of shoppers. To do this, the product is usually an import from Asia, with no information for the retailers.

These days people can search the Internet for the cheapest price and buy that, rather than go to their local store or trades person where the cost will be greater, but you can go back to him for help if needed.

When we replaced the fridge in our caravan, we shopped on the Internet (no local option for this type of product). We purchased from the dealer who gave us the most service. It probably wasn't a much dearer than the others, who just quoted on a boxed product, but could tell us absolutely nothing about it. Ian at boatandcaravan.com.au explained the subtle differences between the models. He emailed us pictures of the product so we could ensure it would fit without making caravan modifications. Prior to sending it, he ran it for a day or so to ensure it reached the correct temperatures, and checked everything was in the package. When we got it, he responded promptly any time of day, even at near midnight on a Sunday, to answer our questions about the installation.

You get what you pay for, and if you pay a little more for the vendor who offers before and after sales service, you may come out well in front.

Motherhen

Honestly, here in Rockingham, Perth, they couldn't spell service, last month I went to austin computers and as I left right on the corner at Autoban there was a car blocking a very tight exit. he'd abandoned it and left the car door open so I just couldn't get past so had to wait till he returned, as I looked at him he drew me the filthiest look, I was so bleep at this I fronted him and asked what his problem was and he launched into a load of abuse, as he was doing so I noticed the car had a REPCO sign on it, he realised I was looking at it and shouted out yes I work for repco and my name is Corey,and my bosses number is .............
I was so incensed with him I rang his boss, and his boss in Melbourne and the answer I got , we know all about it but cant sack him because we cant fill his job !!!??? WTF............
cant they see the damage he's causing to the company cant be measured ?
hopeless, what really is the point of training a moron ?
regards,
Dave

What's this term "customer service" mean ?
I'm on the Gold Coast....people here want the most gold with the least work.

After all, they're here today and closed and gone the next!

If you want customer service you need to seek out quality small bussinesses and not the BIG hardware and electronics enterprises.
It will cost more but you should expect to pay more for expertise.

R.