Bad Bad Service Stories

[charlieandkath]

Anyone got really bad service lately that they want to share their story? A bloke called Justin Herald in his book "How to Grow your Business Without Spending a Single Cent" (worth reading if you are a business owner) tells a story similiar to mine below.

Kath and I are looking for a second hand pewter Landcruiser wagon and we saw one in Orange the other day. I walk in and old mate (young fellow) leans back in his chair and first of all says nothing for about 20 seconds, looks me up and down and then says " what do you want" in a pretty rude fashion.

I say I wanted to look at that landcruiser. It was very inconvenient for him but we went and had a look. I said thankyou politely and then told him I was off to Bathurst to buy one there as he was so rude. I then ring the manager and tell him what happened and told the manager I was off to Bathurst aswell and Orange Toyota would never get any of my business again. Also told the manager that Lawsie would be ashamed of them (apparently he is back on the radio, should ring him up about this) and customer service very bad.

Have not bought yet but can't wait to drive back to Orange Toyota with my new or secondhand wheels and say stuff you. Made me so angry and takes a lot to get me angry usually.

 

[charlieandkath]

Must have been an extra bad service story jaycee???

 

[Amadio]

Here's a family friendly bad service story. But it's not recent - goes back to the early 90's when we lived in California.

Friend of ours sold his software business on Wall St netting him millions of $$.

First thing our friend did was to bicycle over (he's a bit of a fitness nut) to one of the luxury car dealership in Silicon Valley because he wanted to buy a Lotus for himself, an Aston Martin for his brother and a Lamborghini for his wife. Pocket change at this point in his life.

But he only ever wore shorts and a daggy t-shirt and looked like a gardener.

He walked around the lot and the security guard and manager came out and told him to get off the property. He explained what he wanted but they just laughed, said "Yeah right" and escorted him to his bicycle.

So he and his bro and his wife went up to San Francisco to that big main street up there which is auto row - and bought the 3 cars.

They all drove back to Silicon Valley, dropped into the luxury dealership which had unfortunately missed out on 3 sales - thanked for manager very politely for leading them up to SF where they got such good deals and drove off. We saw them that night and they were still laughing at the expression on the manager's face.

As a postscript - they only kept their toys for about a year. They found that they had to be too careful wherever they went - the cars got keyed constantly - and they felt like fish in a goldfish bowl. They now drive old 3-4th hand nerdy cars and he still dresses like gardener.

 

[jaycee]

Must have been an extra bad service story jaycee???

Apparently it's off topic to discuss it.

 

[joanmc]

I have 2 and both were with building companies!
1991 we went into GJ Gardiners display home . we had our existing house on the market and had bought a new block of land so we were looking at designs for the new place. We were told to go away and come back when we had sold our house. Needless to say we didn't build with them! still won't go into an office of theirs.

In 2006 we bought a block to build an IP. Went into a few display homes and decided on Coral homes. Went back to the display, I even had my cheque book in my hand to write out the deposit, and the woman serving (and I mean that VERY loosely) said they couldn't help us as the block was too awkward. It was 600m and not a perfect square but the other salesperson we had seen a few days earlier said they would jugle walls etc to make it fit.
I even wrote a complaint but didn't even get a reply!

I cannot stand bad service.

 

[jaycee]

I'm gonna try again.

Perhaps Keith can take a moment to write me a message this time and explain what is so disgusting about my post that I don't get, as I hate not understanding something and I run the risk of repeating the mistake otherwise......

I needed some rims for an old bomb of a car

I got suggested a place in Malaga, an industrial suburb, soudned good to me as lots of trade/wholesale that way, so I figured I might get ok product for ok price.

Not being familair with the area and not having the best sense of direction or even common sense sometimes, I wasn't sure which driveway to walk go down, so I parked my car at the front, got out & looked around.

Saw some guys in one of the factories at the down one driveway.

Before I could even ask a question one stood up and yelled something to me
with a swear word in the sentence, intimidating me as if I had done something wrong & got warned before getting hit, making me get back into my car and drive away as quick as possible.

I have no idea what they thought I was other than a potential customer

That was it, my disgusting non family friendly story

 

[Pa1nter]

I built a beautiful home with a private builder at Bargara and was very impressed with it all.

He happened to have a partner company at Toowoomba called "Top of the range builders"

I was determined to have the same plan/house built here as I liked it so much.

To me these people would build it to the same spec.I just wanted to make sure that they built in the lockyer valley,

I rang the number,a woman answered and I asked if I could ask a couple of questions about getting a house built?

She said no but to ring back office hours next day,I said it was a simple question and she said "RING BACK TOMORROW" and hang up on me.

I never rang back and never will

 

[Peter Parker]

Old news to people who use Google maps a lot, but there's an increasing number of businesses listed when you zoom in a bit.

Mouse over them and there's heaps of tales of joy and woe about anything from food to cars. Not so many about estate agents and property managers though

Not every business has these customer reviews but a fair few do.

Hundreds free for the reading!

http://maps.google.com.au/

 

[sash]

People like that absolutely drive me nuts....the best way to deal with a guy like that is to ....say..."Mate.....it don't how you expect to sell cars if can't even get your a$$ off the chair!!"

Anyone got really bad service lately that they want to share their story? A bloke called Justin Herald in his book "How to Grow your Business Without Spending a Single Cent" (worth reading if you are a business owner) tells a story similiar to mine below.

Kath and I are looking for a second hand pewter Landcruiser wagon and we saw one in Orange the other day. I walk in and old mate (young fellow) leans back in his chair and first of all says nothing for about 20 seconds, looks me up and down and then says " what do you want" in a pretty rude fashion.

I say I wanted to look at that landcruiser. It was very inconvenient for him but we went and had a look. I said thankyou politely and then told him I was off to Bathurst to buy one there as he was so rude. I then ring the manager and tell him what happened and told the manager I was off to Bathurst aswell and Orange Toyota would never get any of my business again. Also told the manager that Lawsie would be ashamed of them (apparently he is back on the radio, should ring him up about this) and customer service very bad.

Have not bought yet but can't wait to drive back to Orange Toyota with my new or secondhand wheels and say stuff you. Made me so angry and takes a lot to get me angry usually.

 

[hobo-jo]

Was planning to take first overseas holiday to Bali. Had been to Flight Centre to get a quote.

The next week we came across a Jetstar flight deal that would halve our flight costs, so I printed the details and during lunch break walked over to Flight Centre to book with the cheaper flights ("Lowest Airfare Guarantee").

Apparently we had to be looked after by the same person that did our original quote who was busy at the time... I left the printout showing half price flights with the manager as was on a lunch break and asked her to have the sales person call me. Had not heard from them by the next day so made a phone call, was promised a return call, never came. Next day I went back in, but again my consultant was busy. It was a few days before I could get in contact and by then the Jetstar flight special had finished. They told me they could do nothing. I was furious, but paid the extra just to get the thing booked (about $600 out of pocket due to their incompetence and inability to get back to a customer ready to book).

I wrote a complaint and got a $300 voucher back, still only half what we lost by their screwup. After using the voucher have never used them again and just book our own O/S holidays.

************************************

Another time, my 4 week old Nokia mobile (brand new model) had the battery start to bulge (looked ready to explode, but was still working). Went into Nokia Care centre, waited 40 minutes for them to tell me they needed the printed receipt rather than the shop hand written one I had (all I was given at time of purchase), ran across town to get the printout and back, waited another 20 minutes. Was told the battery would be over a week and they would need to take my faulty one. No mobile for a week? They said if the handset was faulty they had loan phones, I said the battery is faulty the handset is useless, just give me a loan phone, consultant refused. They said the reason it takes a week is it has to come from overseas. I say don't you have other Nokia care centres that might have a spare? They say they have to wait for O/S one to arrive. I leave my battery there to be replaced.

I go back to work and call around some Nokia care centres in Melbourne and source a store that has a spare. I then send a very heated email detailing my experience to their store email addressing the manager. She says they have spare batteries they can loan me and they will get the battery shipped from Melbourne (that I'd sourced myself). I went and got the loaner, new battery arrived from Melbourne the next day. So much for a week. If their useless customer service staff took the care their name implied then wouldn't have to do all the running around myself.

 

[Marty McDonald]

What about banks, all of them from time to time!

 

[rugrat]

18yrs old. walking around a little local suprmarket trying to decide what to buy. Dressed in trackie daks (ie daggy teenager) all cashed up from cotton chipping. Go to purchase a coke and leave. Get accosted by security guard and store manager, telling me that I had 'shoplifted'. News to me. Apparantly the manager is convinced I pick up 2 bottles of coke (why I would want two is beyond me) and that I must have stashed it somewhere, or drinken it in the shop and left the bottle somewhere (funny they can find no evidence of this). Cops are called. Even they think this manager is off his rocker. I get banned from the store, as if I would ever return to give them my customership ever again after that treatment.

This was the little IGA in Karabar Qbn for anyone who's interested.

 

[Amadio]

18yrs old. walking around a little local suprmarket trying to decide what to buy. Dressed in trackie daks (ie daggy teenager) all cashed up from cotton chipping. Go to purchase a coke and leave. Get accosted by security guard and store manager, telling me that I had 'shoplifted'. News to me. Apparantly the manager is convinced I pick up 2 bottles of coke (why I would want two is beyond me) and that I must have stashed it somewhere, or drinken it in the shop and left the bottle somewhere (funny they can find no evidence of this). Cops are called. Even they think this manager is off his rocker. I get banned from the store, as if I would ever return to give them my customership ever again after that treatment.

This was the little IGA in Karabar Qbn for anyone who's interested.

How humiliating - to be accused of shoplifting when you didn't.

PS - what's cotton chipping?

 

[mrsdawnrazor]

Company I work with calls their customer service department the A S S department (after sales & service). Pretty apt I think.

 

[Macca]

Hi,

Car Dealer, advertises a lot on TV so in I go. Take the car for a test run, have to move 3 cars to get it out which they do, Good.

OK, like the car, lets talk money, salesman starts to list every feature on the car, I says, Mate I know the car, I have read the brochure and driven it, how much to swap over, drive away.

Keeps going on with all the features, I says, do you want to sell a car or not? Yes ! Then tell me the change over price, I don't have time for all this Cr*p.

Then he says "Are you going to buy the car now?" I say "well until you tell me the changeover price, how the hell would I know !"

Then he starts on the features again, again I say just give me a price etc eventually I stand up and say loudly, Do you want to sell a car, if so stop wasting my time and give me a price Now!

(by this time I am starting to enjoy myself, no way will I buy a car here, my wife knows I am now just stirring is getting P'd off with it all)

Hovering Sales Manager rushes over and says can I help you ? I say who are you, he says SM, I say well this bloke here needs a lot of sales training because he is hopeless and as you are doing his training you probably aren't much better but I will ask anyway, How much changeover to buy the car?

He starts with the are you going to buy one today and I just crack up ! I say why do you waste time and money with all the ads on TV when you don't want to sell anything. He says We do, we do (in a shrillish voice)

I say does your Dad or Uncle own this place ? He looks at me puzzled, I say you are a worse salesman than him, you couldn't sell ice cream in a desert and start to walk out and they follow me to do the door telling me what a wonderful car it is.

Never did find out a price after asking about 6 times over a 30 min period.

We bought the same sort of car the next day from somewhere else. Later I noticed a neighbour with the first car dealers sticker on the window and asked him about his experience, he said a fleet deal but the after sales service was awful, so I guess the whole place is a shambles.

 

[alplant]

This was quite a few years ago, but it was a classic.

My partner's son was staying with us for a few days and took a phone call from a vacuum cleaner salesman who must have been offering some sort of incentive to book an appointment so he did. By the time the appointment rolled around partner's son was long gone and we got stuck with the very young, just in from the bush, teenage salesman who was dropped off by his boss who said he would be back to pick him up later.

Hours rolled by and the boss was a no show. We ended up feeding the kid and were thinking we might have to offer him a bed for the night when his boss finally showed up. And no, we didn't buy a vacuum cleaner.

 

[charlieandkath]

Funny how most of these stories are about car salesmen. Bloody disgrace. Just had a thought, has anyone run into a female car saleswoman. Big opening here I reckon. I think women would be good at selling cars. What do you reckon?

 

[JoshyBoi]

Just had a thought, has anyone run into a female car saleswoman. Big opening here I reckon. I think women would be good at selling cars. What do you reckon?

They'd have to overcome the misconcieved preconception that women don't know anything about cars...


Hell...most women I know, know more about cars then i do...

 

[pennyk]

Hi,

Then he starts on the features again, again I say just give me a price etc eventually I stand up and say loudly, Do you want to sell a car, if so stop wasting my time and give me a price Now!
.

Broke the cardinal rule of sales...... "when you've got the sale, stop selling!"

Its amazing how many people do this though, even when trying to negotiate with the boss etc....

 

[mary&mat]

Went to Silt restaurant in Launceston last night - looked up reviews & its own site advised it was child friendly (we have a 19 month old).

Daughter spills her water on the floor before we're seated & Mat gets a tea towel from the kitchen to wipe it up. Head waitress is aghast at what's happened & when Mat asks is his cleanup job ok, she all but gets down on the floor, checks his work from various angles & says 'hmm, it'll have to do'.

Daughter starts walking around a bit with me in tow. (Preface this by saying we've been to some really haughty restaurants & never have we been made to feel unwelcome or that Daisy is a pain.) She's not disturbing other diners, she just wants to have a look around. Waitress again comes up to us saying 'could we please keep Daisy out of the high traffic area' where we've been walking. (There were about 8 tables, a really wide aisle & there was little to no 'traffic' in this area bar one serving waitress who we kept well clear of.)

She gets us high chair & pretty much abuses Mat b/c he doesn't know how to do up their stupid straps...anyone with kids will know any child product is designed to be as confusing & difficult to operate as possible.

Then when we pay, she makes a comment about being glad when this night is over & she's not looking forward to cleaning up. I assume she means when the restaurant closes, but no, she clarifies by advising she's not looking forward to cleaning up after Daisy.

Mat then 'helped' Daisy be as messy as possible with the rest of the food left on her tray. Made sure floor was littered with food & sauce when we left. Petty, I know, but it felt good after a night of rudeness.