Carrianne

For those who know me on this site most of you would be aware that I am a optimistic, bubbly, person. So moaning is not in my nature more the she'll be right attitude however.............

I would love to know and share some stories on what they have found customer service to be like in Qld and Australia in general.

In my nearly 4 years here I have experienced some of the most shocking service from a myriad of commercial enterprises. Being restaurants that take 1 hour and 20 mins for two slices of toast and a cup of tea. To being told, when trying to confirm some holiday accommodation that I was rude for trying to confirm the holiday, it was over a week from me booking it, they said don't bother staying then if you are going to be this much hassle. I was only trying to confirm dates and times after 6 calls and two e-mails

I have a list such as being asked to keep my knife and fork from my starters to eat my main at a posh restaurant. Evidently not that posh

I thought it was just me but when I get talking to my friends they seem to have the same experience. the lack of subservience for when things go wrong at the commercial entities side, it's well sorry (if you get one) and then carry on. Or making excuses rather than admit.

I understand we are a compensation nation in the UK, but sometimes compensation is befitting of the hassle and stress some companies cause. It does not seem to have caught on here as much. I would sometimes be happy with a, we are ever do sorry that ....... it was our fault, etc, etc.

Your thoughts would be interesting have I just picked the wrong commercial entity. Or wrong place wrong time If so good karma is required.

moneypenny20

Maybe we've been lucky but we've had nothing but brilliant service from all quarters in the two years we've been here. Nothing too much trouble, fast, good, etc etc. Only crap we've had was from Hardly Normal in Tweed but the HN in Bundall more than made up for that so no issue really.

From speaking with friends, both expat and locals, we do appear to be in a minority though.

beebopaloola

Coffee Club takes ages to serve coffee!! i walked out after a 25 minute wait, not a busy day either,
If people are rude just throw them offside by being super nice! it seems to work.
lack of competition and choice does not generate the "customer is right" (not all customers are right, but trying to please someone is surely the objective in a customer service role) attitude and people seem to accept it.
But, having returned to the UK recently, i think attitude and lack of basic manners is a global thing and not just in Australia.
since moving to Springfield we have found all people in shops, banks, post office etc to be extremelly friendly and helpful, so far!!

Pollyana

My latest experience of (lack of) customer service.........request Aus Post to redirect the mail for a year from the old house to the new one. Sounds easy? Yep, that's what I thought. It was only when the neighbours called to say that there were some parcels lying abandoned in the garden by a passing postman that we realised....it's not that easy. The Bloke rang them and discovered that Australia Post considered that any mail with MY name on it wasn't worth redirecting, and had calmly REMOVED MY NAME from the redirection request they had accepted 2 weeks before. No explanation, they didn't call us to ask if they could, and when The Bloke pointed out that our friendly local burglars were visiting the property every day in the hope of rich pickings and probably removing my mail from the mailbox, the only answer we got was "oh s**t someone here has taken your wife's name off the request."

That one really takes the cake! What the hell gives them the right to change a redirection request lodged and paid for, without even asking us! And as for their only "apology" being "oh s**t"....They need to think themselves lucky it was the Bloke calling them and that I was in Hobart too far away to arrive in their office with all guns blazing.

I have written to complain, but I'm not holding my breath........