Customer Service Complaints

[Independent Gal]

Do you complain about bad service?

I was recently at a designer warehouse sale where they had put down warped floorboards. I saw an older lady trip and fall, and then I caught my toe on a corner and it practically ripped the nail off. YUCK! So I decided the next day to call the manager of the designer''s local store and suggest they try to fix the flooring before someone REALLY hurts themselves. I was polite and constructive. Not complaining but suggesting, and pointing out the danger of harm to their customers.

OK, so I guess it might count as nosy or something?!?! Because the manager basically told me to go screw myself, but not in so many words. She was just really impatient, obviously pissed and dismissive.

So I wrote a letter to the company saying "Uh, WHAT KIND OF SERVICE IS THAT???"

Now I feel like maybe I''m just a busybody.

What would you have done? Do you make suggestions or complain when something''s not right?

 

[Skippy123]

IG,
I do not think you are busybody. Heck, if my grandma fell I would be mad! Older people''s bones don''t heal well and if you got hurt that would also be horrible!! You did the right thing so kudos for caring!

 

[musey]

Usually I just don't give them my business anymore. In the grand scheme of things, my lack of patronage doesn't really affect them, but I'm always sure they get complaints from other (more outgoing) patrons--like you (and NO, I certainly don't think you were out of line).

If it's a restaurant or store that's listed on citysearch, I certainly am not averse to the idea of posting a scathing review--nor am I innocent of doing so on occasion

 

[scarleta]

IG you did the right thing.The manager must have another higher up he should have never been so rude to you.I don''t like if someone treats me like this and I would take it to a higher level.You did him a favor by pointing it out and good suggestion to fix it.He should thank you for that.I would aks him who writes his pay cheque and take it to a higher level if you have time and energy.In any case you did them a service you are absolutely right it could happen again and someone could break a bone easily..

 

[Madam Bijoux]

The store manager should have thanked you for pointing out the problem. If someone had been seriously injured, the store could have been sued for major $$$.

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 7/25/2007 1:29:57 PM
Author: Madam Bijoux
The store manager should have thanked you for pointing out the problem. If someone had been seriously injured, the store could have been sued for major $$$.

Exactly!!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 7/25/2007 1:36:02 PM
Author: Kaleigh

Date: 7/25/2007 1:29:57 PM
Author: Madam Bijoux
The store manager should have thanked you for pointing out the problem. If someone had been seriously injured, the store could have been sued for major $$$.

Exactly!!

And thritto. I would take it higher still to an area manager as the store manager was unhelpful and rude!

 

[SuzyQZ]

IG:

No you are NOT a busy body at all!

I would have done exactly as you did, voice my concern and if it fell on deaf ears, then definitely a letter to the company.

Too many people don't want to get involved, don't want to say anything for fear of being seen as complainers or troublemakers. I think it's our civic duty to bring attention to unsafe public environments.

The result is no one voices their concerns and therefore nothing get fixed and the "standard" of customer service has gone down the drain.

The squeaky wheel does get the grease. If enough people voice a concern about a situation, change will happen. If we say nothing, then we have nothing to complain about because as far as the store is concerned, everything is ok!

I saw a woman slip and fall becasue there was a small puddle of water on the floor. The sales person just looked at her and said, "well I guess I should clean that up, huh?" YA THINK SO????

Duh!! No apology, no help getting the woman back on her feet again, no offer to call the manager over to see if she was all right. Just this blank stare, totally void of any concern whatsoever.

I went over to the woman (who had already gotten up, by herself!) and told her to go talk to the manager and inform him of what had happend, if for no other reason than to make sure the sales staff kept the floors safe for pedestrians. She said she was fine and that it wasn't a big deal. (I think she was embarrassed). She just left the store and didn't say anything to anyone. I told the checker as I was leaving what I had seen and she said "Well I'm sure they've cleaned it up!"

 

[chiefneil]

That''s how McD''s ended up on the hook for the customer that got burned by hot coffee. Turned out that they''d ignored numerous complaints about it being too hot. You''d think that lesson would have been learned by anyone with a lick of sense.

 

[DivaDiamond007]

I''m with you IG. If I go somewhere and the service is bad I will complain and I will not feel bad about it. I''m not afraid to send a letter to the company or to the BBB and/or file a complaint with the FTC

. If the service is really horrendous then I will not go back.

Jess

 

[strmrdr]

I would have called the fire Marshall and had them shut down.
When you see unsafe conditions like that the quickest way too shut them down is the fire marshal tell them it interferes with safe exit in case of a fire.
They are required to investigate in most areas and will slap a lock on the door until it is fixed.
Second call would have been a local TV station.

 

[luckystar112]

I think in a case like that, enlightening the manager was the right decision. The fact that the manager blew you off is NOT okay in my book.


But I also think there are times when grown ups need to stop being babies and get on with their lives.
Here are some examples--all from my last job:

You''re at lunch with your girlfriend, and both of you decided to bring your kids. They are running around like maniacs with no shoes on. (They threw them off and mommy didn''t notice) Manager (ahem, me) has to stop your kids and TELL them to stop running, since you''re obviously to into the town gossip to look up from your plate. Manager is on the way to tell you to get shoes on your children, when one of them stubs their toe on a table and falls face first to the ground. Child is bawling. You throw a fit and tell off the manager and then call the owner later to complain about the "sharp edges" in the restaurant.

You go out to eat to a place that has plastic silverware. It was a busy lunch and the restaurant unexpectedly ran out of knives, but the manager sent an employee NEXT DOOR to the grocery store to pick up more. You''ve ordered your child chicken strips and just CANNOT BELIEVE that there are no plastic knives. You don''t feel like waiting two minutes. Manager asks if you want the cooks to cut the chicken strips into bite size pieces for you. No...you don''t. You''d rather sit and be mad. You ask the manager how old she is, and when she tells you 23 you say, "that explains a lot".


You pay a $15 cover charge to watch a fight on pay-per-view at a restaurant. The fight ended in a knock-out within 3 minutes. You want your money back. Manager obviously tells you no. You come back 10 minutes later with beer all over your suede (yes suede) shoes. You claim the shoes were $400. Puh-lease.



I could probably go on all night, but let''s just say that I am SO glad to be out of customer service and I have no plans on going back......EVER!!! It was just two depressing to me. NO ONE ever said anything nice to you...ALL DAY LONG! It was awful.