Oh yes one of my pet hates when I eat out in the UK.

Reminds me of something else. Am I correct in thinking that in canada you can not get served at a bar UNLESS you are actually siiting there? I.E. if you are seated at a table you have to order your drinks with a 'server' who brings them to you?

Oh my God Iain, I am agreeing with you again

The thing is, when you actually need help to find things or have a problem the Sales Assistants seem to be either busy or will just ignore you over here.
Shop Assistants are not trained at all well in their jobs and that is why courtesy and politeness have disappeared from the British Shop. Just as an example years ago when you gave a £5 note to pay, the shop assistant would count back your change so that you knew it was correct, now all they do is get a fistful of money and shove it into your hand and its upto you to start looking at it to see if it is right, how good is that ?
Also when you pick things up to buy in a clothes store, you go to the till and the majority of the time they won't even say hello, good day or hi, a grunt or grabbing the clothes off you maybe all you receive.
Customer serviece maybe a little over the top in the USA but is certainly "under the top" in the UK, I would hope there is a happy medium as a model somewhere in the world, is Canada like the USA, UK or somewhere in between ?

My biggest pet hate is when you are looking at two similar products. You look at them, compare them, compare what is on the feature list next to the price, but still can't make up your mind.

You then think "I know, a sales person will be able to help me".

So you eventually manage to call one over, and ask them what the difference is. They grunt, look at the feature lists, and just say "well this one has.....<insert feature list for product A>, and this one has....<insert feature list for probuct B>".

I feel like shouting "I can read you <expleatives deleted>. I want MORE information. That's where you are supposed to come in! <expleatives deleted>"



Chris

Well, I like customer service over here in general, I think there is more to it than just what happens in shops... As mentioned by someone else, I got an exceptionally toady (and somehow smarmy) guy in the Brick who made me decide to pay more else where if I have to. On the other had the following comes to mind...

1. We bought my 4 year old daughter some trainers whilst in Quebec, the first time she wore them (in Halifax NS) she complained that they hurt her feet - we took her into a children's shoe shop to have her feet measured to check. The assistant found the Quebec pair too small and replaced them immediately saying that they carried the same make/model and it wouldn't be hard to slip them in with a batch of returns.

2. My son (18-months) disgraced himself in a Halifax restaurant by shouting and throwing his food all over the place, the one thing he didn't do was eat anything... When the build arrived along with the "Was everything ok today?", we said we were happy apart from the embarassment of non-eating child. When I went to pay, his meal had been removed from the bill, when I asked why the reply was "He hasn't eaten anything, we are not charging him."

3. I'm about to move house - I called my cable suppliers to tell them I'd need to cancel my services and ask what kind of notice period I needed to give - "Just call us on the day you move out." was the response - try doing that with someone like NTL in the UK (who are still trying to charge us occasionally four months after we left) or Sky TV both of whom require a months notice - why? To take an extra month money from the consumer, I know it's in the contract, but there is no reason to do this, it takes a few key taps to kill services like this.

I think 1 and 2 are beyond what is required, 3 is just obvious but unavailable in the UK...

I don't find many sales staff too pushy here (Could be that I take my iPod shopping ) and obviously they don't really care "How I am..." when they ask, but they at least give the impression they give a sh*t about something and they smile!

I prefer it here.

Yeah. Looks like the classic limey nit picking and whingeing over trivia. Did you register a complaint with the store?

Just remember what George Carlin said - "Don't sweat the petty stuff ... and don't pet the sweaty stuff"

Given the immigration numbers from the UK are at record levels, maybe it's a good thing some want to replace us!

First of all, as regards No 1, most staff would not even contemplate that in an English shop as they aren't given any responsibility and have to stick to rigid rules made by their employers or they think they do !

Regarding No 2, that is a really amazing thing that happened in that Restaurant but that's what customer service is all about, one thing they have made sure is 1) You will never forget it and 2) It is likely that you will go back again because they did that particular thing 3) You will tell all your friends how good and friendy they are

And your 3rd point is another example of how the British company has become so greedy, they will try and make it most difficult to get out of paying for a service and just think ho wmuch cash they are making because people forget to give ample notice before moving house, etc and are paying for 2 services, one at the old and one at the new house. BT recently dumped me with a cancellation fee for a number I had installed at a rented property just because I had it for less than 1 year, and for that fee they have had to do nothing, not even do anythng to the line.

And what about the Very Greedy Credit Card Companies or Banks who now charge you £25 if you pay late on your credit card on top of their whopping interest rates. I had a balance of £37 in December (with MBNA) and was a few days late paying due to forgetting over the Jolly Season of Christmas and they slapped my balance upto £62 in one go even though I did pay something off just after the statement date. Or even the banks that slap you in the face with £25 for going overdrawn by 1p (Barclays for one); AND they will do that for every cheque or transaction that takes it further O/D e.g. If you have 3 x £5 cheques drawn then tehycharge you not £25 but 3x£25=£75, how many people knew that ? Is that extremely greedy or what ?

This is pretty much my experience too.

I think what Ziggy is describing above is proper good old fashioned service and helpfulness....with a scattering of friendliness thrown in.....these days we get so entwined into thinking that service = sales and vice versa.

Sales people think we will be duped into being won over by their 'helpfulness' as they encourage us to lighten our wallets.

Too many corporate pressures on margins, returns, refunds, contracts, warranties etc. Not enough thinking of the customer, which is actually the source off all business. Interesting concept put simply:

Executive A thinks the business is run solely to generate profit.
Executive B thinks that when the business is run effectively, profit is a by-product of successful and positive customer contact.
"A" is the in majority, but in principle of economics and trade "B" has the correct philosophy and is of more value to the business.
"A" is isolated and looks from the business outwards at the world (the busines market) but "B" looks at the customer (the market) inwards and figures out how to make it all work. Typically "A" will sit at the head of the business oir in the 'hierarchy' and be isolated and aloof whereas "B" may have the same status but be fully integrated into the business, suppliers, customers, marketing etc. "B" is what we used to call a hands on manager. "B" is always more popular amongst their staff, and should have more influence over customer service as they see the customer perspective more clearly.

Rich.

They don't do that because it would take too much time. Can you imagine how much other customers would complain?
I prefer to be 'ignored' in shops. That way I can actually look and think about what I'm buying. In Canada there's no chance of that. As soon as you enter the store 10 people decend on you like vultures, you can't even get a word in edgeways sometimes.

More Bullshit. Where on earth did you shop! Even when the assistant asks if they can help I have never, ever, had one persist after saying, "no thanks, just looking"

Oh well. Ignore list

The big futureshop's are terrible they never leave you alone. They have way too many staff doing nothing

Gap used to be the same but I think they must have listened to feedback from customers and they leave you alone now. Although baby Gap hasn't changed that policy.

Went to Hard Rock Cafe once in Niagara Falls had to tell them to stop coming as they just wouldn't leave us alone.

Iain,

Fancy Joining my new Anti-David Party?

There are some total idiots on this forum.
Why don't you grow up and stop acting like a complete f**king a**hole?

Why reply to my message then?
Idiot.