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

Menas

Jcgobrien wrote: »

they are very rude to customers ad seem to have no time for them once they 'look like there working' that's all that matters.

Why do the customers need to look like they are working?

dudara

Merged into the Best/Worst Customer Service thread.

OP - this is not the forum for discussing HR matters, it is the Consumer Issues forum

dudara

homer911

solas111 wrote: »

Dreadful customer service at Allied Irish Banks.

They closed down a very busy branch and kept open a little place in a distant town that just cannot cater for the customers. The only explanation I can see for this is that there was political pressure brought to bear to keep this particular branch open. The customer area is not much bigger than a decent sized kitchen, with no privacy, insufficient queuing space and only two chairs for anyone who has to wait.

I visited their large branch in the main county town several weeks ago and the service there was just as bad. I only wanted to use the ATM but it was not working so having plenty of time on my hands, I joined the queue inside. It took 50 minutes to get from the door to the counter (where there were only two people on duty) and while I did not mind as I had plenty of time that day, surely that is just treating the customer with contempt.

The standard reply to any complaints is that you now have internet banking and wait for this – they have a mobile bank doing the rounds once per week. Well, it may come as a surprise to the suits at AIB but there are plenty of banking transactions that you cannot carry out on the internet, not to mention the fact that many of their customers cannot use or do not have access to the internet. As for the van doing the rounds once per week, I will leave that one to the people who write comedy sketches.

Hopefully another bank will soon enter the Irish retail banking market. There is an opening there for a bank that gives at least some consideration to the needs of the customers.

What are people’s experiences with Bank of Ireland as I was thinking about transferring my business to them?

AIB's strategy seems to be to actively drive customers out of the branches - the handling cost is "too high" Danske bank have gone the full extreme and simply closed all their branches - now they only have a handful on "contact centres" where you need to make an appointment to see someone

Jcgobrien

MYOB wrote: »

Why would a customer want something from the HR department? Are you by any chance a disgruntled former employee?

No I'm a girlfriend of an ex employee that stood by an watched

L1011

Jcgobrien wrote: »

No I'm a girlfriend of an ex employee that stood by an watched

So not a customer, regardless.

LynnGrace

Arnotts is hit and miss with customer service in my experience. Had another mediocre experience with customer service in Marks and Spencer yesterday. It would probably pass as okay, in other places, but because Marks is generally good, I noticed it.

Fiolina

I am sitting here crying and shaking with anger over my dealings with Chill insurance. Wtf kind of mickey mouse opereration are they running?
I've had car insurance with them for last 2 years. It was due for renewal three days ago. I never got any letter from them re my renewal. Rang them about 2 weeks before renewal was due and after about 5 attempts (being put on hold, getting cut off) I got a verbal quote which I was told would be sent out in post. I never received it. Sent numerous emails to them, never got a reply.
In the mean time I've got three letter from them saying " we haven't heard from you re your renewal..." As I need to drive my car, I ended up going with another company, did deposit over phone etc. In order to proceed with this new company I need to get my details from Chill - no claims bonus etc. so in essence, they are blocking me from getting insurance. I finally got through to a (rude) supervisor two days ago and demanded that details be sent. I assumed they would arrive this morning but they didn't. So now, just off phone after being put on hold while they "look into it". Got cut off, rang back, put on hold and cut off again. I know it's stupid but I'm soo stressed out over it. If I don't receive post tomorrow do I physically go out to their offices in Blackrock and demand my details. Sorry for long rant but any advice greatly appreciated. Thanks

ABajaninCork

Tell Chill that unless the NCB information is supplied in 48 hours in order to insure your car, then a complaint will be raised with the Ombudsman. Keep records of e-mails and phone calls (who you spoke to, when, time of the call). I'd also be dropping the supervisor in it with their senior management too.

Fiolina

Thanks for reply. I have record of all calls etc. I'd say senior management aren't worth their weight in sh*te if the rest of the company is anything to go by.Anyway, I've calmed down a lot since earlier, being able to rant here helped a lot.

Bepolite

Good

Knocking on the door is very underated in this country in my opinion. A polite but firm arrival of a customer at recpetion in some cases is just what the doctor ordered in my opinion.

Thoie

Excellent service in Avoca, Rathcoole today. A relative had bought the wrong thing there recently, and my mother had called to see if they had the right thing in stock. I dropped out to return the item, and despite having the wrong contact number taken down, they had put the right thing away. Because they hadn't been in touch, I just showed the original and asked if they had the alternative. Lady behind the counter made the connection, and produced the reserved item.

Teagwee

Bepolite wrote: »

Knocking on the door is very underated in this country in my opinion. A polite but firm arrival of a customer at recpetion in some cases is just what the doctor ordered in my opinion.

Bepolite

Good

:rolleyes:

Fiolina wrote: »

If I don't receive post tomorrow do I physically go out to their offices in Blackrock and demand my details. Sorry for long rant but any advice greatly appreciated. Thanks

oscillating wildely

Bepolite wrote: »

Knocking on the door is very underated in this country in my opinion. A polite but firm arrival of a customer at recpetion in some cases is just what the doctor ordered in my opinion.

My father spoke to some guy in AIB Visa card section one morning who seemed intent on winding him up and terminated the call by saying "f*ck ya" to him. Being retired but still active, allied with a short fuse, father arrived at the reception desk and kicked up blue murder until this guy was forced into making a face-to-face apology.

I think in this country we are too lenient on the these guys and in my experience most call centres should be re-termed "anti-customer services".

Bepolite

Good

It's rarely the advisors that are at fault to be honest, although clearly in the case described, he was. Kudos to your father, more people should follow suit.

These place are so poorly managed, the staff so poorly trained and supported, and the whole business run on bikini statistics that they are horrible places to work, and very difficult to support the customers. Add to this, many customers don't help themselves. That said when a legitimate gripe does arise, there is a (excuse the pun) disconnect as it's all over the phone. Furthermore the supervisor is likely to hear everything second hand from an advisor.

I work part time in a call centre to supplement my income while I pursue other avenues, which deliver a very meagre income at best. I'm very lucky to work in a place, where unless it is bonkers busy, average handling times, and thinking out side the box are not criticised. The problem most places have (as they cost 10 times more than relocating to India) is that they run on shoe string, with staff not having time to complete the work let alone time to effectively deal with complicated issues.

Senior management in many companies have no foresight to the damage this does to a brand, and the knock on effect that has on the bottom line, whith which they are so fixated.

/rant off.

Lucena

Bepolite wrote: »

It's rarely the advisors that are at fault to be honest, although clearly in the case described, he was. Kudos to your father, more people should follow suit.

These place are so poorly managed, the staff so poorly trained and supported, and the whole business run on bikini statistics that they are horrible places to work, and very difficult to support the customers. Add to this, many customers don't help themselves. That said when a legitimate gripe does arise, there is a (excuse the pun) disconnect as it's all over the phone. Furthermore the supervisor is likely to hear everything second hand from an advisor.

I work part time in a call centre to supplement my income while I pursue other avenues, which deliver a very meagre income at best. I'm very lucky to work in a place, where unless it is bonkers busy, average handling times, and thinking out side the box are not criticised. The problem most places have (as they cost 10 times more than relocating to India) is that they run on shoe string, with staff not having time to complete the work let alone time to effectively deal with complicated issues.

Senior management in many companies have no foresight to the damage this does to a brand, and the knock on effect that has on the bottom line, whith which they are so fixated.

/rant off.

What are bikini statistics?

Bepolite

Good

Lucena wrote: »

What are bikini statistics?

What they show aren't nearly as interesting as what they hide.

Tenshot

My father spoke to some guy in AIB Visa card section one morning who seemed intent on winding him up and terminated the call by saying "f*ck ya" to him.

Surprised to read this - AIB Visa is one of the relatively few large organisations I've always had a good experience with. I call them 4-5 times a year and they're always extremely helpful and polite.

Similarly FBD Insurance's service line is great; I've no qualms at all about picking up the phone to them.

Brabantia (makers of fancy kitchen bins) also gave me excellent service recently -- the catch on our four-year-old bin broke a couple of months ago, I reported it on their website, and two days later, a brand new replacement catch arrived in the post, no hassle, no charge. The whole process, including fitting, took less than five minutes of my time.

On the flipside, Eircom and UPC are disasterous to deal with. They eventually get the problem sorted out, but it takes so many calls, delays, on-hold, etc. that you need the patience of a saint.

An incident with overcharging on UPC last year took six months to get resolved, despite everyone in UPC acknowledging from the beginning that it was their mistake (about €400 involved).

An incident with overcharging on Eircom took about four months and many phone calls before a refund was finally issued (€600 involved this time).

And don't get me started about Ryanair...

Interestingly, CPC/Farnell in the UK go both ways for me. If I ring their order line and a woman answers, my order is always handled perfectly and pleasantly. If I get a guy, the order is invariably messed up, and you also get the distinct impression the service agent would rather be doing something else. After about a year of this, I now just hangup & redial whenever I hear a male voice.

dudara

Bepolite & Teagwee If you can't post without squabbling then please don't post. Your posts are not contributing to the thread.

Also, please don't just emoticons on their own (particularly rolleyes). People prefer actual comments.

dudara

Dublincarey

I just want to give a bit of advice for new parents . I've been to a few baby stores (mother care etc.) and found the service 'fine' . I was a bit hesitant going into mamas and papas in blanch due to the high price reputation. However I was pleasantly surprised at how affordable the products can be.. They had a very broad price range catering for all budgets. I was looking for a buggy and a cot . I was given several demos on a variety of buggys . The staff I found even at the till were very helpful. Not once did I feel pressured to buy like i've read on some negative reviews . The store was well layed out and clean. I needed sizes in the maternity section and the young girl who served me went back to the stock room twice and was more than happy to do so. In the end I ordered a sola pushchair with the Aton car seat and footmuff , all of which were on promotion. I intend to return in the coming weeks to order my cot as I was too distracted with all of the lovely products they had . I had to nearly close my eyes leaving as there was do many lovely things to buy. Anyway I would strongly recommend this store to new parents , the staff were well trained and I came out knowing so much more about baby products and all the guidelines I thought I knew . Great store and great staff .

Bepolite

Good

Do they have a new manager by an chance?

Dublincarey

Bepolite wrote: »

Do they have a new manager by an chance?

I don't think so? I was dealing with a young girl and an older lady, assuming they weren't managers.

ibarelycare

Bepolite wrote: »

Do they have a new manager by an chance?

Was wondering that. Admittedly I've never had to buy a buggy or anything big, but I've got 4 nephews/nieces and I've shopped in M&P Blanch a LOT over the years. The only reason I shop there is because specific gifts have been requested from there by my sister/SIL. I've found it one of the most frustrating stores to shop in. I always go in the evenings after work and it seems they never have enough staff on. The shop has never been overly busy when I've been in but I've always been left waiting for ages, either to ask for help/advice, or even just to pay for something I've picked up. Often there has just been one employee on the shop floor who is off helping another customer, while I've stood beside the till waiting for them to finish.

BeerWolf

Worst CS ever off Ripplecom, made a thread of it recently;

LINK

jack of all

I've had very mixed experiences with Eircom in the past, as a residential landline customer but my most recent dealings with them were a pleasant surprise. I opted to avail of their eFibre broadband free upgrade and booked a provisional date for the technician to visit my home and carry out the upgrade/ installation. I got a letter and a follow-up phonecall to confirm the appointment a few of days in advance, followed by a text reminder a day or so beforehand- all good. On the appointed day the technician called me before he was due to arrive to confirm he would be calling and to ensure I still wished to proceed. He arrived bang on time and did a neat and thorough job (some of the previous DIY wiring was "patchy"). He had the job completed and tested in under an hour and left everything 100% and to cap it all he was a sound bloke and enthusiastic about his job. My broadband service is hugely improved with no more annoying dropouts so thank you eircom- you actually delivered a quality service to this longstanding customer, this time around!

Fey!

Easons in Galway today for a huge thumbs up.

I went in looking for a postal box, but I couldn't find one big enough for what I needed. One of the staff came up to get something for another customer and told me she'd come back to me.

I got my other bits and went down to the till, where the girl was very apologetic for not coming back to me (I wasn't bothered as I could see that she was still with the same customer). When she finished I asked if they had any bigger boxes, but they didn't. She pointed at a box behind her and asked was that the kind of size I was looking for (it was a box full of Easons bags). We measured it up and it was perfect, so she took all of the bags out of it and gave it to me.

I know that it was very simple, but it made my life a lot easier; I would have had to go out to one of the industrial estates to get what I needed if she hadn't done that.

ScouseMouse

ORIGO LTD, otherwise known as BOSCH power equipment.

Fair play to Jo in ORIGO, Citywest, for sorting out a power washer for the mother in law. We bought a nearly new power washer off a guy on adverts.ie who got it from JWC power tools in Cabinteely. Of course it packed up and when I went to JWC he knew who sold it to me, knew it was about 8 to 12 months old but wouldnt even look at it without the receipt.

A friend contacted Origo, the distributors, and Jo said to drop it in. Using the serial number, they were able to do a repair for free under warranty. Any more problems, we were told to bring it back.

Fair plays to Origo / Bosch.

Daemos

Argos are really annoying me lately. Bought a bed from them that turned out to be made of glorified cardboard, and is falling apart after only two months. Send them an email a few days ago showing them pictures to prove it, and they agree to exchange it for another item

Today I ring them up looking for the exchange. They tell me that, for some reason, they can't. I ask why, and the person I'm talking to, who in fairness isn't to blame, has to go away and find out what's wrong

After 20 minutes on the phone I'm finally told that, for some reason, the item I want instead is not in their system, and that she has to send off the request to someone else to process, and that they'll ring me back in the next two days

Now the item I wanted is on special offer right now, and that offer expires today. What are the chances I'll get it at the special offer price? Slim, I'd say :rolleyes:

Vincent50

As part of my business I wanted to advertise a small ten week course, a course which would have a gross income of approx. €2,500. I decided to advertise in The Irish Times and was quoted over the phone an advertisement for approx. €585.00 incl vat. I accepted this quote over the phone, subsequently was sent the copy of the advertisement and asked if this was what I wanted, the advertisement price had increased to over €,1700.00 and we were not informed of this, just asked was the advertisement what we required, the €1700.00 was on this ad but not mentioned, nor did we notice it at this time.

Subsequently when I received the invoice for €1,700.00 I queried the Irish Times as to why they did not tell us that they had changed the original ad and therefore cost.

Then all hell broke loose, The Irish Times refused to answer any questions relating to why they changed the ad and subsequent costs, All they would do is point to the fact that when they asked us if the ad was what we wanted we had emailed back yes. We had written to them to say we would pay the bill, just could they explain why they carry out business like this

We tried very hard to get an answer but to no avail, then the following happened;

1. They employed a debt collector
2. We offered €100 a month in payment, sent them first €100 which they cashed
3. Then they employed a solicitor (seemed very heavy handed for €1700.00. In the end I just paid them the full amount outstanding
4. Never received a receipt from The Irish Times for payment

Has anyone else experienced such bad business behaviour?

Dortilolma

I'm more than a little p**sed at Argos at the moment and just feel like giving out every where I can.

We ordered some items for delivery - all marked with 10 days delivery but after we bought them the delivery was scheduled for 3 weeks later. We grumbled about this but we accepted sometimes that happens.

Items are meant to be delivered in 48 hours and today got a call from Argos to say our items still weren't in the warehouse and they asked to push out the delivery by another 2 weeks! :eek:

All of this delays us moving into our new house and we've booked the van and everything!

I told Argos to cancel the order and we managed to get the items from Powercity and Matress.ie. I have to say the people at Matress.ie were lovely and checked for me to see if the items we wanted could be delivered by the weekend. They can an I'm feeling very warm towards them at the moment.

Anybody had similar experiences with Argos?