Customer service - wha....?
I had an interesting experience on Friday and because I've still got the sheets about it I'll post it here in the hope that this may relieve my feelings. In any event, it may serve as an interesting example of how not to deal with a customer!
Couple of weeks ago, I dropped into a business that sells doors and got them to give me a quote on two louvred pantry doors (and before you start, yep, I could make them myself but I'm not that interested in the tedium of producing a louvred door with very little in the way of automated tools). The bloke quoted me $170 plus GST for the pair.
On Friday, I went back - intending to order them. The bloke I had seen previously wasn't there but two other people were. I explained that I'd had a quote of $170 plus GST and said I now wanted to place an order.
While the bloke was writing out a docket, his female colleague looked up a price in price list book. She then told us that the price was $107.80, inclusive of GST. I queried this because I was absolutely sure that previously the quote had been $170. I repeated what I had been told on the earlier occasion:
"$170 plus GST for the pair."
"No, you must have mis-heard because the price is $107.80," she said. "See, it sounds similar: $170 and $107.80".
"Well," I said. "I'm pretty sure I didn't mis-hear. The price I was given was $170 plus GST. Are we talking about the same specification?"
We went over the details: size, type of timber, pick-up or delivery etc. The lady was adamant about the lower price and was treating me with that slightly condescending attitude you sometimes meet in people who are dealing in their own speciality. You know the attitude: you're a poor ignorant punter and can't possibly understand the technical sophistication and complex procedures involved. I have a fairly high level of tolerance for this sort of meaningless nonsense so I wasn't upset by the condescension - yet!
Once I was satisfied that the doors being quoted were the right size, shape and so on, I happily accepted the lower price. The bloke wrote out a docket for two doors etc and I paid a $50 deposit; doors to be ready next week, expect a phone call.
I drove away. Ten minutes down the road I get a call on the mobile. It's the lady from the door place. In a voice full of righteous indignation, she tells me that I should have made it more clear to her that I wanted two doors. The price she had given me and her colleague was for one door. This meant that the price was actually $215.60 - not $107.80. She repeated that if I had made it clear to her that I wanted two doors, this mistake would not have happened. :confused: I told her that I had made it abundantly clear to her and her colleague that I wanted two doors. Her colleague had written a docket for two doors.
"Yes, but if you had made it clear to me then I would have given you a price for two doors!"
I told her I wasn't happy with any of this. I had made it clear that I wanted two doors, I had queried the low price a couple of times. I had referred to the original quote.
Her reply was to tell me that if I wasn't happy I should cancel the order and go in and collect my $50 deposit! :mad:
So I told her that I agreed with her - cancel the order.
When I got home, I rang a couple of other companies and found one who quoted me $170 plus GST for two doors. What a surprise! Furthermore, the lady I spoke to wasn't a bit condescending about it.
On the way to pay my deposit to the new company, I called in and collected my deposit from the original company and got another bollocking for "Not making it clear to me that you wanted two doors!" :mad:
That just about did it. I held up my hand to stop the flow.
"Listen," I said. "I don't mind about the fact that you made a mistake. I don't even mind all that much about the fact that your final price was nearly $30 more than what your colleague quoted me a couple of weeks ago. What I mind is that you haven't apologised once for inconveniencing me and, in fact, you've taken the attitude that it has all been my fault! Because of that, you've not only lost this order but any order I might want to place for doors in the future."
As I was walking out, she was giving another lecture to my departing rearview about how inconvenient it is when customers don't make it clear what they want! :mad:
OK - I feel better now. :)
Col
