Recently I experience (for the third time) a bad experience from a service professional. I guess I should have learned by the second time to not go back for more. I think the excuse was that I just didn’t have time to find someone else to go to. After leaving the shop I realized that the service I received was faulty to a point that I couldn’t really been seen in public, not with professional look anyways. I called the shop owner and expressed my concern. She told me to come back to the shop and she would fix the problem. This is great and appreciated that she would be willing to fix the mess she made, but I was already half way across the city. In my opinion she should have offered to come to my location to fix the problem. I ended up trying to salvage the mess once I got home, so I called back and told her to not bother with my rescheduled appointment, knowing that this was the final straw.
Being a business owner myself, to me this type of service and offer to fix a bad situation is extremely poor. If that was my business I would have offered to go out of my way to fix it, not to expect my loyal 10 year customer, to have to drive half way across town again to fix the problem. Am I out of wack? Is this something that business owners should do? Or is it not worth the hassle? Is the cost of going out of your way greater than the cost of keeping a client happy?
Sometimes I really question how some people stay in business. Like really?? If others can do it and survive providing half assed service, I should be hugely successful.
So I ask you…do you go out of your way to fix your mistakes or do you leave your customers to suck it up and be more inconvenienced if they want a fix?
by Julia Rosien, on January 7 2008 @ 1:36 pm
I agree, the business owner should have done more. But you could have avoided the problem by speaking up before you left the shop as well.
I am terrible at doing this, so I understand.
I recently blogged about this issue after I visited a spa in Florida: http://www.gogirlfriend.com/reviews/spa-101-when-your-therapist-lets-you-down-2860
The incident I wrote about should never have happened, but I should have been more vocal before paying my bill.
Here’s to speaking up when we need to!
Julia Rosien
Editor, GoGirlfriend.com
by Denise Feltham, on August 26 2008 @ 5:54 pm
Your experience is a perfect example of the importance of trust and relationship in generating sales. I am in the Self Employment Benefits Program with the Toronto Business Development Centre, which has an excellent entrepreneurial training component. We recently finished marketing and sales, and the most important factor that was identified is relationship building and trust. Mistakes happen, but it is how the business owner responds to that mistake that makes the difference between a satisfied and dissatisfied customer. Apparently, the quality of customer service in Canada is poorer than that in the States. I, myself, am establishing a service based business (employment assessment and counselling for people with disabilities), and know how important it is to meet the consumer’s needs. Respect, honesty and credibility are the keys to developing a trusting relationship between client and service provider. It sounds as if you felt that your feelings about your experience were not validated, and the credibility of the business was compromised. It is a good lesson on how not to do business.