Is it just me, or over the last few years as the web has crept more and more into our shopping and retail psyche, has service become sloppy, service people rude, and multi-nationals, well, just not really giving a damn?
I guess we have become used to the occasional slip, but for some unfathomed reason I have come across what I would consider rather more than minor hiccups in these areas in just three days.
Case 1:
I have just come back from a short working holiday on Cocos Island staying at a complex of three apartments. On the second day, I was chatting to the cleaner-cum-handyman around the place regarding the local fishing spots and where to go. It must have been all of a 2 minute conversation, when the owner happened past and asked me directly if I was going to pay the wages of the cleaner while he was talking to me.
Of course, the correct answer is “Well yes I am, as I am actually staying here and paying you to do so”, but in reality, I was so dumbfounded at the question as to be struck silent. Which is unlike me.
Case 2:
Flying to Cocos I had a piece of PVC tubing about 1 ½ metres long and 100mm diameter carrying fishing rods and weighing just over 2Kgs. This was in addition to the two of us (myself and Jacqui my wife) having a suitcase each, well within the 23Kg limit per person.
I was informed the tube needed to go as oversize baggage, duly checked it in as such and thought no more about it.
On the return trip however, the airline representative was absolutely insistent I had to pay $150 excess baggage, and no amount of argument would sway her from that thought. This was despite it being proven I was not charged for this on the way there.
I currently have logged a dispute with the airline in question, so will see what transpires from that, but from past experience, am not holding much hope of getting my money back. But what inconsistency hey?
Case 3:
This was born from Case 2 – well sort of. The reason for the PVC tubing was that my saltwater fly rod, whilst breaking down into 2 parts, still won’t fit in a suitcase. I gave my good mate and saltwater fly fisherman extraordinaire, John Haenke a call, and suggested I go to a 4 part rod as these had been designed specifically for this reason. He even gave me a brand and size to investigate.
Looking it up online, and the combination of rod, reel and line was a special package available from a national sports store chain that happened to have a branch right where I live. It was even clearly stated that it could only be picked up from the shop and not delivered.
Upon going to said shop, I was notified this was not the case; I could only order it online and have it delivered to my home.
Apparently, the website defaults to a store in metro Perth where the terms and conditions I saw online do apply, and when I suggested this was a bit of bad form, was curtly told “I didn’t develop the website” And when we turned away to leave the shop, he clearly muttered a disparaging comment.
Now colour me green and call me a bus, but I was of the opinion that these days, it isn’t that hard for a website to know your location and set that accordingly, So to default to a suburb in the south east of Perth at the extreme edge of the metro area and well over 200Km from my location seems a bit naff, and anyway, how should I know it is going to do that?
The only way was to order the rod/reel/line combo was online, and when it was delivered, if I didn’t like it, I could return it to the local shop for a CREDIT – not a refund.
Now this is not a tee shirt or a pair of shoes. It is a $400 piece of equipment that you can only tell suits you by kicking the doors and banging the tyres, so this method of buying is not really the best way to approach it. So rather than buy from (or via) this store, I’ll simply pass.
Conclusion
So three strikes in less than a week. I have been involved in the retail / services industries for more than half of my working life, and I just cannot fathom how these sorts of attitudes have been allowed to grow. And I fear, with the current state of the nation, it will only get worse.
I understand the maxim “the customer is always right” cannot be strictly adhered to all the time, but at the very least, a compromise should be attempted or a solution sought, not just the issue to be dismissed, letting the customer make the same decisions I have made: viz on my next trip to Cocos not staying in those apartments again and certainly not buying fishing gear from that chain again.
In other words, talking with my feet.
As for airlines, well this particular one has lost the tender for the Cocos run, so we’ll see what the new operator does – but it can only be an improvement.
What sort of issues have you noticed of late?