Your best and worst customer service experiences [rant & praise]

Kalimah

smccarrick wrote: »

While she could have been more polite- their systems cannot split a payment across multiple cards. If you wanted to do this- you really should have split the shopping up into two separate batches- or used cash to cover the balance due from one or other of the two cards.

Its poor form to be so rude to customers- if she'd taken 20 seconds to explain things to you- all would have been fine- she could even have scanned in x amount of your groceries until you bankrupt the pre-paid card for example. It was ignorant of her to be rude like that........

Exactly. I didn't mind them not being able to do what I'd have liked. I know systems are set up in particular ways so no issue on that score. It's the bad attitude I find difficult to deal with. I emailed them anyway....

Plankton1

Meteor. Oh sweet Jesus, Meteor. Below is the worst phone network customer service I have ever experienced.

One day my phone lost signal for no reason. After a few hours, I rang Meteor to ask was there a problem.
"It's because you switched to Vodafone" they replied. Cue stunned silence from me. I had done no such thing. The told me to ring Vodafone.

Rang Vodafone who told me someone in Meteor had obviously made a mistake -- they reckoned a customer had gone into a shop to switch network, an employee messed up and typed in my number instead of the real number. Vodafone said they couldn't do anything about it as I wasn't registered with them.

Rang Meteor back. Had to explain whole scenario to new call centre girl. Her name was Lauren. She said it was Vodafones fault, and if I didn't have any luck with them, to ring Meteor back and ask for her.

Vodafone denied it. I rang Meteor back. Was kept on hold for 12mins. Got through to call centre. Asked for Lauren. Was told "no such person working here."
"no", I said. "That was defo her name"
"No, you're speaking to LaVerne," the new woman said. "My name is LaVerne."

"Yes LaVerne but I previously spoke to Lauren"

"No such person here! This is LaVERNE!"

I then had to explain whole scenario to LaVerne who, after the 10min story, just said "It's Vodafone's fault."

AAGGH!

So I was in phone limbo, with nobody able to reach me and no network taking responsibility, for FOUR DAYS. At this time, I was waiting for a call from a college to see if I had gotten into my Masters. But all anyone got when they tried to ring was "this number is no longer in service".

I'd say I rang Meteor approx 25 times trying to get this sorted, speaking to a different person each time, and Vodafone about six times. I wrote an irate letter to Meteor and after the fifth day, my number was restored.

Got a phonecall a few weeks later from someone high up in Meteor saying they would like to give me 60euro credit for the hassle caused.

Tempted to tell them where to stick their 60euro but I was a broke student so just took it

Nanazolie

I treated my husband to a weekend in the Carton House, co. Kildare, in late 2010. When we arrived, there was a girl at the reception desk, she was all smile, it was a delight to see her. She was so radiant she put a ray of sunshine in the room. When we checked out the next day, she was there again and again she smiled and smiled.
Actually, all the staff we met there were fantastic. I sent an email to the manager to compliment him and make sure he would pass our comment to the check in desk girl.

If only all businesses dealing with the public could learn from that. It's so simple, a smile when you greet people who come in a restaurant. Works a treat everytime

the groutch

Just want to giv some praise to Amazon.
Placed a large order on Tuesday night.
Half of it arrived this morning, with the other half due on Monday.
Also their tracking is great, updating quicker and giving more details than even An Post's site.

Neyite

Blacoe Jewellers in Galway
I was given a chain with a pendant at Christmas, and a couple of weeks due to my own fault broke the chain. I brought it in for repair and happend to mention it had been bought at Christmas, and I thought it had been bought there. No reciept or box or anything with me at the time

She asked the brand name and I pointed it out to her. She took a chain off another pendant in the range and handed it to me saying that it would save me coming back into them to pick up the repaired chain and besides, a soldered chain would still have kinks from the repairs and not look as good. Didnt charge a penny.

Very friendly, and went above and beyond in terms of service. Well Done!

lazygal

Another shout out to amazon.co.uk here. I've been ordering a fair bit from them and every time the stuff has arrived on time (even ahead of time for a boxset over Christmas) and they've resolved any issues (mistakenly ordered two of the same book, my fault 100%) really quickly.

bcirl03

lazygal wrote: »

Another shout out to amazon.co.uk here. I've been ordering a fair bit from them and every time the stuff has arrived on time (even ahead of time for a boxset over Christmas) and they've resolved any issues (mistakenly ordered two of the same book, my fault 100%) really quickly.

+1 on that also - amazing how quick the stuff arives and a lot cheaper too

hdowney

lazygal wrote: »

Another shout out to amazon.co.uk here. I've been ordering a fair bit from them and every time the stuff has arrived on time (even ahead of time for a boxset over Christmas) and they've resolved any issues (mistakenly ordered two of the same book, my fault 100%) really quickly.

same here. my stuff came before i was expecting it. delighted

Discodog

lazygal wrote: »

Another shout out to amazon.co.uk here. I've been ordering a fair bit from them and every time the stuff has arrived on time (even ahead of time for a boxset over Christmas) and they've resolved any issues (mistakenly ordered two of the same book, my fault 100%) really quickly.

I also agree but you need to be careful that you are ordering from Amazon & not a marketplace seller. This is especially true to qualify for free delivery.

I have had items like a pair of boots arrive 2 days after ordering them & they came via Amazon eu rather than Amazon uk.

The free delivery can make a huge difference to say buying on ebay.

Zorbas

Discodog wrote: »

I also agree but you need to be careful that you are ordering from Amazon & not a marketplace seller. This is especially true to qualify for free delivery.

I have had items like a pair of boots arrive 2 days after ordering them & they came via Amazon eu rather than Amazon uk.

The free delivery can make a huge difference to say buying on ebay.

Always good price good delivery. Have just ordered a new laptop battery at £33 with free delivery so if they let me down will let you know.

AlmightyCushion

Zorbas wrote: »

Discodog wrote: »

I also agree but you need to be careful that you are ordering from Amazon & not a marketplace seller. This is especially true to qualify for free delivery.

I have had items like a pair of boots arrive 2 days after ordering them & they came via Amazon eu rather than Amazon uk.

The free delivery can make a huge difference to say buying on ebay.

Always good price good delivery. Have just ordered a new laptop battery at £33 with free delivery so if they let me down will let you know.

Not if your battery runs out before you can log into boards.

thesandeman

Kudos to LIDL. Bought a fan heater last year which died on me recently.
Ive lost receipt and couldnt remember when I got it exactly or how much I paid so shop couldnt refund.
Manager gave me freefone number of the Newbridge office who transferred me to Germany. German lad took model number and they are sending me out a new one immediatly no questions asked.

As an aside does anybody know what courier company LIDL Germany use just in case Im not around when it arrives?

The_Conductor

thesandeman wrote: »

Kudos to LIDL. Bought a fan heater last year which died on me recently.
Ive lost receipt and couldnt remember when I got it exactly or how much I paid so shop couldnt refund.
Manager gave me freefone number of the Newbridge office who transferred me to Germany. German lad took model number and they are sending me out a new one immediatly no questions asked.

As an aside does anybody know what courier company LIDL Germany use just in case Im not around when it arrives?

Last time they replaced something for me it was DHL.
Yes- they are great if something goes wrong......
Kudos to them- they may have a reputation for being cheap and cheerful, but they certainly do look after their customers!

gugleguy

Came into shop, security man and 1 shop assistant. This was Saturday 11th Feb 2.30 pm thereabouts
I asked for a 20 euro on and mobile and reeled off my number.
She said that she would give me a voucher and and could enter it myself on the phone. I said "ok, so the old fashioned way"
I paid for the Pay as you go voucher but this assistant was in complete SULLEN mode.
I should have gone to Meteor Henry Street branch instead.

booboo88

gugleguy wrote: »

Came into shop, security man and 1 shop assistant. This was Saturday 11th Feb 2.30 pm thereabouts
I asked for a 20 euro on and mobile and reeled off my number.
She said that she would give me a voucher and and could enter it myself on the phone. I said "ok, so the old fashioned way"
I paid for the Pay as you go voucher but this assistant was in complete SULLEN mode.
I should have gone to Meteor Henry Street branch instead.

is that your problem? you had to enter the code yourself....all 13 of them?

Jesus Wept

Two thumbs up for Nando's, great bunch of lads.

Tesco credit card, complete headwreckers.

jamesbil

Meteor!!!!! terrible customer service, 5 weeks trying to get a replacement phone out of them!

"call care", "no, go into a shop", just going in circles! read the full story here;

http://forums.meteor.ie/t5/HTC/Need-phone-fixed-asap/td-p/22465

can everyone please click the link to get my views up (currently on 432) maybe they will do something when they see how many people have read about their poor service!
(comment too if you can)

Thanks

daenerysstormborn3

Meteor are an absolute joke. They offer disgraceful customer service. Their managers are conveniently never reachable and you never get the callbacks you're promised. They are a joke. I cannot wait to get out of my contract with them. I would not recommend them to anybody but I would also say the same about Vodafone.

Elmo

pixiebean22 wrote: »

Meteor are an absolute joke. They offer disgraceful customer service. Their managers are conveniently never reachable and you never get the callbacks you're promised. They are a joke. I cannot wait to get out of my contract with them. I would not recommend them to anybody but I would also say the same about Vodafone.

Interestingly both cust care staff are provided by the same external company.

Jesus Wept

Tesco credit card.

Rude and unhelpful **** who don't respond to correspondence.
A torrid five months trying to do the most rudimentary of tasks.

I gave up.

booboo88

http://www.boots.ie/contact-us.aspx
this is in no way a reflection on staff in the stores, but i was kept on hold for 42minutes and I got so fed up of waiting i just hung up.



If I hear "we're sorry, we're a little busier than normal but we'd really like to talk to you"




grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

daenerysstormborn3

Elmo wrote: »

Interestingly both cust care staff are provided by the same external company.

That would explain a lot.

It has been 16 days since I e-mailed Meteor with a pretty serious complaint (they are notoriously a nightmare to get by phone and although I have tried most days I just don't have enough time to stay on hold) and I have yet to hear back from them.

The_Conductor

123.ie and chill.ie - I've used their online quote systems a few times and asked for a callback to discuss cover- never heard from either of them.
Dunno- if they don't want my business, thats their tough.

AA- on the other hand- I enquired about cover 10 years ago. Every year at my renewal time- I get a letter with their current offers.

QuoteDevil: Graham

smccarrick wrote: »

123.ie and chill.ie - I've used their online quote systems a few times and asked for a callback to discuss cover- never heard from either of them.
Dunno- if they don't want my business, thats their tough.

AA- on the other hand- I enquired about cover 10 years ago. Every year at my renewal time- I get a letter with their current offers.

Please give one of our lads a call in Quotedevil.ie as I guarantee you that we want your business! 01 2541300

lazygal

I've actually had a very good experience with 123.ie. I have my motor and home insurance with them. I used the website as a new customer to see if I'd get a cheaper quote than the renewal one and I got an email and a text from them the next day saying they'd call me to discuss the quote, and they did. They also matched the lower price on the website.

Zorbas

Irish Rail - Think their service, trains and schedule adherence is terrific. Prices are a bit off the wall but thats my only BIG complaint.

LauraliD

I recently bought the Groupon deal for Harry’s On The Green, which seemed at the time to be a great offer - €50 worth of food and selected drink for just €20. It sounded almost too good to be true, so after purchasing the voucher I rang Harry’s and double checked with them that this deal wasn’t only valid on week nights or at specific times. I was told that the kitchen was open every evening until 9.30 and assured that with a booking, we would be guaranteed a table.

I went ahead and booked a table, only to discover upon arrival that myself and my partner were placed at what can only be explained as a ‘pop up’ table next to the busy bar. I was forced to sit on wicker sun chairs which looked like they had been taken out of someone’s garden. We initially felt a bit hard done by, and wondered whether we had been placed at the table because we had a voucher.

Anyway, nothing was going to ruin our night and we chose to have a giggle about the situation. However, the big clanger came when the dismissive waitress explained to us that the kitchen was closed and we could not be served food. She reluctantly suggested that we could reschedule, and before even waiting for an answer she was gone like the wind.

We couldn’t help but be upset by the situation, as firstly we felt embarrassed enough sitting at the misplaced pop-up table, which proved to be quite an obstacle to people walking past, and secondly because we were treated like absolute dirt. In my nicest and sweetest voice, I calmly approached the waitress, who desperately avoided eye contact with me, and asked why the signs say that food is served until 9.30.

At this stage I wasn't even stunned by her vacant respose. She replied saying that the kitchen shuts early when no bookings are made (It was 8.00 when we arrived!!). I was in disbelief over the situation, especially after the waitress continued to say, if I wished, I could go for a drink at the cocktail bar, but I would be waiting a while. When I explained that we had made a booking a week in advance, she just shrugged unapologetically and stated "Well as I said, you can rebook a table for whenever you want."

I left in shock, feeling upset and angry. It was a horrible experience and really put a sour note on the weekend. As it was a busy Saturday night we found in difficult to find anywhere to eat, and ended up in a fast food restaurant.

I would honestly not recommend this restaurant/bar to my worst enemy. Stay well clear, especially for food, and the Groupon deal.

Hope this helps anyone who has bought it!

Best of luck xx

dudara

Post moved from the Boards Deals forum and merged into Best/Worst customer Service thread in Consumer Issues

dudara

seanwindle22

Zorbas wrote: »

Irish Rail - Think their service, trains and schedule adherence is terrific. Prices are a bit off the wall but thats my only BIG complaint.

yes 123.ie gets the thumbs up from me too. i have both car & house insurance and i tried but could not find cheaper anywhere. the whole process was dealt with great professionalism.

Fey!

A big thumbs up for Laptec on Eyre Street, Galway.

Last year I brought them in a backup drive which had failed. They couldn't recover the information from it, with the result that they wouldn't charge me anything despite them having spent time working on it.

A few weeks ago I had to bring them my 12 and a half month old Toshiba laptop that the hard drive had failed on. It took about 5 weeks, but I just got it back with most of my information intact. I didn't feel that they overcharged me for the service either. Friendly to deal with, and willing to go the extra bit if necessary.

(It was a machine bought in PC World on 31/12/10 and which died on 9/1/12, but I didn't go back to them as the people who do their work would simply replace the drive, and I couldn't afford to lose a second batch of work. That's if they even took it in due to it being 2 weeks out of warranty! However, I have found the PC World tech guys in Galway very good and helpful to deal with in the past).


And remember kids, back-up, back-up BACK-UP!!!