Bad Customer Service Stories

[RGR]

As I was searching some old topics (Christmas to be exact, so I don't know how this one came up!), I came across this one and thought I would share something that happened tonight.

The local hospital has a convenient care clinic for non-emergency patients that is open until 10 PM. My wife and mother had to take my son in tonight as he has a bad bruise and he's complaining of hurting. The doctor came in and pushed on the spot and ordered a shot. When the nurse came in, she had two shots waiting-she was trying to give him his and someone else's! Of course, that didn't fly very well. The doctor prescribed a round of antibiotics in a certain strength and when the nurse came back, she told my wife and mother that they didn't have that particular strength and that she was substituting another strength and had called her AUNT to make sure it was okay! To top all of that off, she didn't even use gloves when dispensing the pills!!!!!! I don't even think so!

[darkest_red]

As I was searching some old topics (Christmas to be exact, so I don't know how this one came up!), I came across this one and thought I would share something that happened tonight.

The local hospital has a convenient care clinic for non-emergency patients that is open until 10 PM. My wife and mother had to take my son in tonight as he has a bad bruise and he's complaining of hurting. The doctor came in and pushed on the spot and ordered a shot. When the nurse came in, she had two shots waiting-she was trying to give him his and someone else's! Of course, that didn't fly very well. The doctor prescribed a round of antibiotics in a certain strength and when the nurse came back, she told my wife and mother that they didn't have that particular strength and that she was substituting another strength and had called her AUNT to make sure it was okay! To top all of that off, she didn't even use gloves when dispensing the pills!!!!!! I don't even think so!

That's awful!

[RGR]

As I was searching some old topics (Christmas to be exact, so I don't know how this one came up!), I came across this one and thought I would share something that happened tonight.

The local hospital has a convenient care clinic for non-emergency patients that is open until 10 PM. My wife and mother had to take my son in tonight as he has a bad bruise and he's complaining of hurting. The doctor came in and pushed on the spot and ordered a shot. When the nurse came in, she had two shots waiting-she was trying to give him his and someone else's! Of course, that didn't fly very well. The doctor prescribed a round of antibiotics in a certain strength and when the nurse came back, she told my wife and mother that they didn't have that particular strength and that she was substituting another strength and had called her AUNT to make sure it was okay! To top all of that off, she didn't even use gloves when dispensing the pills!!!!!! I don't even think so!

That's awful!

Yep, this daddy is not a happy camper!

[Guest MartyBrendt]

WIP requested me to start a new thread concerning poor customer service. Receiving poor customer service happens to be one of my pet peeves, especially from waitresses. Let's face it, folks, if you're in the service industry you are there to cater to the customer to the best of your ability. And if you just can't hack it, then it's probably best for everyone for you to find a profession that limits your interaction with the public.

So here is one of my many tales of having received poor service at the hands of a person who was just not suited to serve the public.

Some 11 years ago or so, I walked into a Sears store to look for a new pair of pants. Now we all know that regardless of which side of a department store you are on, you are likely to have to walk through the ladies' section. This holds true even for Sears. In every Sears store there is only one entrance that is suitable for any man worth his salt to use. That is the entrance usually nearest the service center where all the tools are. But regardless of which entrance that is, you will invarably have to trek to the furthest and darkest corner of the store to get to the men's apparel.

So anyway, I go to the Sears to by a pair of pants. I trek through the perfume section, nearly avoided the lingerie, and finally found the men's section. I found a pair that was reasonably priced and proceeded to the checkout counter. Nobody there. In fact, nobody in the department. Must have been a slow day. So I stood there and waited......and I waited. Finally I turned around to look for another register and saw one right across the aisle in clear view of the one at which I was standing. And there behind the counter was a young lady of probably 19-22. She was on the phone. So I caught her attention and, with a bizarre series of movements only used by mimes in Central Park, communicated that I was in need of some service. She quickly motioned back to me as if to say, "Yes, I will get you somebody in a moment, I just need to finish this phone call." So then, again, I waited.......and I waited. By this time perhaps 10 minutes had gone by. So I thought to myself, "Aw, what the heck, I'll just walk over to her register and she can help me.

So I walked across the aisle, and as I approached the counter she gives me the, "Just a minute" motion. So I stood there waiting for her to get off the phone. Maybe another 2 or 3 minutes went by, during which I noticed that she was not talking on the phone to a customer at all. She was talking to a friend of hers - on company time! So I stood there looking like a moron, while chatty Cathy giggled it up with her friend. In a moment of frustration and sheer astonishment - honestly, I was astonished that I would do something like this - I reached over the counter and hung up the phone **reach...click**.

The next moment lasted about 3 seconds, during which she stared shocked into my eyes, and I stared back at her just as shocked and equally puzzled at my own rudeness. I rallied myself as her mouth moved in a small series of stutters. "Why did you do that?" she said, "That was so rude! I can't believe you--" I interrupted, "Excuse me, miss, but I have been waiting for over 15 minutes for someone to ring me up. Do you think that your boss would like to know that you were on a personal phone call while a customer was waiting to purchase an item of clothing?" She suddenly fell silent. I could see that she was just seething while she rung up my purchase. I mean she was totally ticked. But I paid for my item and left with the full satisfaction of a job well done.

Normally, I don't go to the extent of reporting someone. I have been treated like complete dirt by some people in the customer service industry, and I still have not reported them. I think just once I mentioned something about a person. But I did so only to help them out - it was about a waiter that I saw once in a restaurant that was combing his fingers through his hair while walking through the establishment with a plate of food in his hands. That was just wrong. So I told another waitress about it. But I never want to make a person's life even more miserable than it already is. Besides, I don't think that young lady would have learned her lesson by getting repremanded or fired. If a person is ignorant enough to jump on a personal phone call in the middle of a department store full of customers, it is likely that having her lose her job isn't going to help very much.

But that day I think hanging the phone up on her did do some good. Well.....at least I got some satisfaction out of it.

Grace to you,

~O

HAH, what a great story! I'm falling over laughing

[KeilanS]

GO OVEDYA! You sure showed her

Well I don't have any horrible experiances, sometimes I get people who just seem to be in a hurry to get rid of me. Mostly I'm just annoyed by electronic salespeople who don't know what they're talking about.

I live near a store called Future Shop, to get a job their you need two years experiances in retail and a high school decree. Often I walk in their, being a 15 year old, and know 10 times as much about the product I'm buying than these highly qualified individuals that work there... and I can't get a job there because I'M the unqualified one. Life isn't fair.

[darkest_red]

As I was searching some old topics (Christmas to be exact, so I don't know how this one came up!), I came across this one and thought I would share something that happened tonight.

The local hospital has a convenient care clinic for non-emergency patients that is open until 10 PM. My wife and mother had to take my son in tonight as he has a bad bruise and he's complaining of hurting. The doctor came in and pushed on the spot and ordered a shot. When the nurse came in, she had two shots waiting-she was trying to give him his and someone else's! Of course, that didn't fly very well. The doctor prescribed a round of antibiotics in a certain strength and when the nurse came back, she told my wife and mother that they didn't have that particular strength and that she was substituting another strength and had called her AUNT to make sure it was okay! To top all of that off, she didn't even use gloves when dispensing the pills!!!!!! I don't even think so!

That's awful!

Yep, this daddy is not a happy camper!

I bet! And for very good reason!

GO OVEDYA! You sure showed her

Well I don't have any horrible experiances, sometimes I get people who just seem to be in a hurry to get rid of me. Mostly I'm just annoyed by electronic salespeople who don't know what they're talking about.

I live near a store called Future Shop, to get a job their you need two years experiances in retail and a high school decree. Often I walk in their, being a 15 year old, and know 10 times as much about the product I'm buying than these highly qualified individuals that work there... and I can't get a job there because I'M the unqualified one. Life isn't fair.

That is so unfair! You can't get a job without experience and you can't get experience without the job! My boyfriend is in that position at the moment.

[LadyGunivere]

Folks,

I have been on both sides in food service to customer service on the phone. I have been called everything in the book and had food thrown at me......People all have their good days and bad days. Some people though take 20 mins to get drinks and then nearly an hour at food....This is at a Denny's in San Angelo TX. Talk about slow service. Please be kind to all you have no idea what side of the bed these people wake up on....The least amount I got paid was 5.35 an hour. The most I got paid was 8 an hour. No way can do it alone like this. So please be nice unless they are just downright rude.

Thanks!!!!!

[Guest Thomas I Believe]

This is my opinion. You don't have to accept it if you dislike it. DISCLAIMER: I am not a christian.

I really dislike waiting in line to pay them my money. If they want my money, why shouldn't they wait in line for it?

UndecidedFrog

I hear ya there !!

[cjrose]

I don't blame you for being peeved at bad customer service. If I don't get attention when I walk in a store, I leave immediately and do not go back. On the other hand I've worked retail and some customers were just plain rude for no reason other than I was there. So, so difficult to be nice to someone who is screaming at you because of the wrong size or trying to return something without the reciept and no tags on the garment.

This being said. I wanted to add that those who treat me with respect as a customer either on the phone, at a retail store, or the grocery store, I often make it a point to thank them for their smile and for always being so nice. They don't get praised enough and let's face it. Service is what keeps customers coming back. And tip well if the service was good!!

[RGR]

I went into the local Radio Shack store Friday afternoon to buy a can of contact cleaner. The RS there is a combo Rent One/Radio Shack job and I've never really cared for it. It's a franchise operation and the level of service is not good. Anyway, I went in, picked out my item, and stood at the counter waiting to check out. I couldn't get any help and finally some guy on the Rent One side asked if I needed help and I told him that I needed to check out. He proceeded to tell me that there was only one person working the Radio Shack side (even though it's a store within the Rent One store) and I've have to wait for 45 minutes or so for the person to come back from lunch! This is the 2nd or 3rd time that has happened to me and I promptly set my product down and told him that it was poor service, it wasn't the first time, and I would be calling corporate! I also told him that I wished the previous Radio Shack franchisee still had the business. For years, an old man and his wife owned a store in that town and you never lacked for help. He got into bad health and eventually gave up the franchise and is now dead. I really miss people like him. BTW, I did call corporate and they are going to get on the case of this franchise store!