Two bad customer service experiences in the last two weeks having me wondering if the general level of customer service is getting worse, or if I am just getting more irritable as I get older?
Here’s the first one: I was at Kroger picking up a few items, including two packs of Kraft American singles. For each pack I had a 50 cent coupon, which based on their policy should have been doubled. Of course the coupons didn’t double, and when I point it out to the cashier she just nonchalantly says “it just does that sometimes”, making no attempt to fix the error. I then ask for a supervisor, who comes over and basically says the same thing, making no attempt to fix it. I finally ask for a manager, who I think will surely make this right, who gives me nothing but a line of BS. She first says they can’t double it because the manufacturer won’t let them, and then when I point out that there is no restriction stated on the coupon to prevent doubling she gives me a line that it must be coded into the barcode. When I specifically ask her to adjust the total for the coupons she refuses, saying she doesn’t have the authority to make any adjustments. I had them take off the cheese and give me my coupons back, and followed the incident up with a letter to their corportate office in Ohio. At this point, I haven’t received any acknowledgement or response.
The second incident was at Randalls earlier this week. In their sale that ended Tuesday, they had two really good meat sales: one for bone-in pork chops for $0.99/lb and the other for 80% lean ground beef, also at $0.99/lb. Surprisingly they were out of both, and when I asked at the meat counter the butcher said that I just needed to get a raincheck in the front. OK, fine. I finish my shopping and check out, and tell the cashier I need to get a raincheck for the meat sale items that are out of stock. She then tells me I need to go to customer service for a raincheck, which has a line of about 12 people and is showing no signs of moving. Noting it is ridiculous I should have to wait another 30 minutes to get a raincheck for something they should have had in stock in the first place and that all my cold items would be warm by the time I was done, I asked for a manager. The manager comes over and when I explain what I need and that my cold items will be hot by the time I get through the line at customer service, he tries to stick to the line that all rainchecks must go through customer service. After a few minutes of arguing and me threatening to void the sale of the other $50 of items I was getting, he finally points me to the head cashier who is standing at the next register with the raincheck book ready to go. I ultimately got what I wanted, but I found it incredible how much of a douchebag the manager was about the issue.
So is anyone else seeing the level of customer service decline as much as I am, or is it just bad luck on my part?
Everyone is grumpy. Ironically in the two examples you gave, you actually have answered them yourself before at least on one of them.
Example 1 – coupons. You had this posting about coupons, accepting them and values. It does come down to the fact sometimes wrongly they think its their money if the price is reduced, coupons don’t act as money or maybe the price will be too low in their view. Make something up but say no. You have no defense.
In the second one, hopefully I assume which I can read between the lines – I’m sure the person said no again after your polite explanation so you had to ask for a manager. Naturally since you bothered him, of course he is going to make you stand in line. Petty actions that make the customer unhappy. Most places try to get you a rain check as it will make you a return customer.
Overall, the environment of this economy is making everyone grumpy.
I got one for you on the flip side in a pharmacy I experienced. Either the people are techs, students working on 6 years of school to be Drs. of Pharmacy or its the Dr. of Pharmacy that went to school for those 6 years already. When something goes wrong with the insurance or its not covered, yelling at the crew does not help yet it happens all the time. I sometimes wish there was a drop door in the floor for these rude people. The best one is once I picked up my meds and I had a whole basket of grocery stuff. The person in front demanded to be checked out. The pharmacist was working alone at pickup, dropoff, filling and answering the phone. Before that customer left, I said to the pharmacist as I stepped up within hearing – I just want to pickup as you didn’t go to school to be a doctor to ring out my groceries.
Courtesy and respect if it went both ways would make everyone help each other more. I think its the economy that is doing it.
And yes – that pharmacist said to me she never had anyone say that for her and offered to ring me out. I thanked her but said no, got my meds and walked to the main checkouts.
I think you are probably right about the economy souring everyone’s moods. Even if it hasn’t directly affected you it still creates worry and stress that spills into other areas of our lives.
Yes, I only asked for the manager when it was clear the cashier couldn’t/wouldn’t help me. This incident surprised me a bit because Randalls typically has excellent customer service, which is the only way I guess they can justify their high prices on non-sale items.
I am typically as nice as can be until the person on the other side of the counter starts giving me crap, and then and only then do the gloves come off. It is amazing how you can avoid a lot of issues by just treating others with respect.
I’d never want to work as a retail pharmacist. I’ve never sent anyone with a cartful of groceries demand to be checked out, but I’ve left the pharmacy a few times thinking to myself, “boy, I sure am glad I don’t have that job!” Those people take abuse like you wouldn’t believe.
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