Cracker: Every Time A Coconut
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In Wellington last weekend. On the way back to Auckland my hubby couldn't find his wallet. He assumed it was in the suitcase somewhere. Didn't unpack suitcase for a few days (he doesn't use his wallet much!) but assumed it would turn up. Got a call on Wed night from Mt Albert Video Ezy. They'd received a call from Matterhorn to say a customer had left a wallet with one of their cards in it and could they track down the owner. Video Ezy obliged and they passed on to me the Matterhorn phone number and the name of the person looking after the wallet. Matterhorn is posting the wallet to us. Discovered that Video Ezy guy also left a message on our phone Tuesday night when we were out.
Cheers Mt Albert Video Ezy and Matterhorn. Great service. and all before we realised the wallet was even missing.
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I'm looking for GOOD customer services stories for once... f
But complaining is so much more gratifying.
Ah, now I re-read I see that I interpreted the "Best' in "Tell me your Best Customer Service Experience" as meaning 'Most entertaining'. Will try and find some good customer service asap...
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Come on Damian, did you get her fired? You brought her into your story, how did it end for her?
Since you're harping on about it Shep :) No, I didn't, or at least I don't think I did. I don't really have a vested interested in getting some Air NZ staffer fired - but Air NZ certainly know who it was, and everyone who reads this blog knows what she said, so it's up to the company how they handle their internal stuff. I dare say she's not up for promotion any time soon...
Louise: I really like your story. It's simple, and it shows how good customer service should work. It was your husband's mistake, but a little 'above and beyond' service from both Matterhorn and Video Ezy meant everything worked out great when it could've easily been otherwise. You're on the short list.
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When we were staying at a "Room with a View" in Vanuatu, we had a 5:30am check-in for our flight home. The proprietor, Justine, already had a car full to take to the airport, and couldn't make two trips, so she gave us 1000vt to pay for a taxi.
Hey, I also really liked the way the Customs man said, as he handed back the passport, "Welcome home, Brent" - made me feel real glad to be home.
Cheers,
Brent. -
Brent said:
Hey, I also really liked the way the Customs man said, as he handed back the passport, "Welcome home, Brent" - made me feel real glad to be home.
Those Customs guys can see how much tax you owe and how many fines you've got outstanding these days. Ever thought they could be on commission? Last time I only got out coz I knew one of them....She used to be the manager at the Eden Epson Tennis Club and I slipped her my shiny white shoes....I figured as I was skipping Auckland I wouldn't need them any more. I heard a similar story from chick in Chch, though she'd totally done the OTT cognitive dissonance rationalisation thing, by pretending she didn't actually like shoes...Think her name was Bummer or something...No Emma...that was it. Emma.
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I actually have some really good stories about customer service, in fact many.
The truth is that if someone gives me their time and understands what I need, we become friends and I will deal with them for the rest of my life. I will always recommend them to those that ask but this is a small country.
So. I wont be telling those stories because I feel that would break the respect of the very special relationship I have with those people.
If, on the other hand I am treated like a number on a form then I feel free to tell all and sundry about their lack of respect for the hands that feed them.
I think that will do. As you were. -
(sshhh - what's happening over here?
W'e're watching Damain's star power. Willing it to grow and willing those dicks who keep disrupting this sensitive semi-commerical thread to buzz off...Oh Why's that then? The thread actually seems to be a proof-of-concept regarding the indirect monetization of PAS for the guys....I think they're trying to use it as a stepping stone to bigger and brighter things, if only people wouldn't get interrupting....so please be quiet unless you've got a great story regarding good customer service.) -
The first time round I mentioned the great customer service that is the norm from Arthur at Thorndon Pharmacy in Moleworth Street, in particular a time of great stress when he was particularly helpful. I've been in there a couple of times since and it continues - he's the sort of gentlemanly health professional you can trust with all your pharmacological secrets.
But the first time around I also mentioned the great customer service in the bigger sense that we get from some of our MPs. I have been thinking of this since and that every so often there is a law change that causes a cultural paradigm shift, and MPs usually do this work at great personal cost. Fran Wilde's Homosexual Law Reform Bill two decades ago was one. Sue Bradford's Child Discipline Bill is another. In a generation we will look back at this and marvel that people thought it was OK to hit children. Helen Clark has copped a lot of the flak for this from the pro-hitters, but Sue was the one who plodded away on it for years. If you think of customers as the citizens of NZ, including disenfranchised children, then this is really great customer service.
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I always thought they were supposed to work for us, like employees. We pay them to do a job.
The problem now, of course, is that it all got "corporationy" we are now their clients and we get "serviced" as opposed to service. -
Jon @ What you term " semi-commerical thread " might equally be called extortionary.
Damian @ You claim to be a journalist, I expect you to follow up. I also expect that people don't use their positions to extort goods from others in order to widen their popularity. (Sounds a bit English Rugby Teamish to me).
Fair enough investigate and call to task, but to run off after "Milly" who, however hamfisted, only ever tried to help you.
That line about "I'm here to educate..." was mantra by Air NZ Trainers. That she didn't have the clues not to use it isn't her fault.To recap she was the 4th person you spoke to and the one thing we can be sure of is, she didn't lose your bag .
I have never heard of Air NZ giving away two return tickets for tvl anywhere in NZ for people not involved any incedent themselves.
Public Address have had some proud moments, crushing the little people and extorting goods at their expense (she'll pay for this, be sure) to ingraciate yourself isn't one of them.
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Jon @ What you term " semi-commerical thread " might equally be called extortionary.
Who's got a good WINZ customer service story to provide a little non-commercial anti-extortionary balance? Should be worth a pair of socks.
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Oooo! I've managed to think of another place that has great customer service. Tyreworx Grey Lynn. They also go out of their way to help out. Some examples : Went in with a car I'd just bought that had Mag nuts on, and the seller had lost the socket for them. After checking them, and making some enquiries, they said it was unlikely that it'd be possible to get the socket for them. They then sent a good 20 minutes getting them off for me (including having to drill one of them to bits to get it off), and gave me four old wheel nuts to replace them. When I asked how much, they replied it was all part of the service, and sent me on my way.
Actually, I just remembered Target Road tyres (I'm on a roll now :-). Went in there once and the owner apologised that it'd be quarter of an hour before he could help me out 'cos he had a mercy dash to perform. He headed off to fit one of his wheels to the car of an Asian woman (with poor english a toddler and a baby), so she could drive it in and they could fix the puncture (which they duly did). They then only accepted the $10 for the puncture repair, even though the woman wanted to pay them more.
I guess both of these stories highlight how NZ has changed in the last 20 years. These would be typical for many businesses back then, but in these days of user pays, acts like these are noticeable. (I always think "It's great to find these old-fashioned businesses" - maybe I just don't have enough dealings with owner-operators ...)
Cheers,
Brent. -
@ Steve, Joe and Shep
You dicks, you just had to it.....Now I have to make the comment about wanting to start a PR firm for myself.
It's gonna be called "Pee'd PR". It's a guerilla PR firm, that goes and pisses on organisations that give bad customer service, or organisations (like loose associations of bloggers) that do something bad when they should know better. ( There, I feel SOO much better now!)
The PAS team have worked hard to make this a good/interesting place and have I think worked hard to turn it into something that will put a bit of bread on the table and perhaps support/progess their other creative endeavours. Then dicks like me come along and mess it up. Maybe Hadyn needs to try a bit harder at being the "honeypot", or include a few more links to that other blogging site where being a dick seems to be...well more the norm?..so we don't end up with this occurring all the time.
I don't see why a WINZ story couldn't be a winner. Cho-ice!
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Trivial aside:
My darling wife, who is for the most part a generous, loving soul, has a problem with telephone customer services. She thinks that whoever is on the other and of the line is some lackey capitalist conspiring to ruin her life. The situation is not helped by the fact that my wife can sniff out bullsh*t from mile away and hates vague don’t know/care answers with a passion. We have a rule now, where if the account is in joint names she has to brief me before calling customer services.
It was with some fear that I heard the phrase “I phoned *rc*n customer services today” (we’ve just shifted) – “they’re really good” wha? thud……(sound of jaw hitting floor).
Apparently the answer phone wasn’t working, even after she had followed the instructions and set it up….it seems that our previously unused home unit was picking up the latch first. This was determined after some ringing backwards and forwards. But here’s the clincher - the services rep looked up the phone model on the internet in order to tell my wife how to turn the other answer machine off. This was all managed with out trouble or offence. Service, that’s good, disarming my wife, that’s special.
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So. Do we now call you "81st (two Answer Machines) Column ?
Oh, and anyway Jon-Knox. I never slagged of Damian cos he tried to give us stuff annat an any way whats wrong with being a tall poppy when yose got stuff from what you done cos they done summink to you like innit so don't go telling evryone that i done said he did when i didn't OK?
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Nah S'okay were just keepin one kinda in reserve....
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So it's, 81st (i have a spare answering machine) Column then?
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If you are at all curious it should be 80 is there really another column ?
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@ Steve, Joe and Shep...81stcolumn...
I'd be delighted if you would join me as foundation members of Pee'd PR.
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Okay. Back on track with a good service story. The Wellington City Council deserves a public thank you for its new tagging removal service. Our elderly and frail neighbour had his double garage doors tagged (badly and with no artistic merit) over one weekend. Rang the council on a monday - a very helpful and real person answered the phone within a few rings, took details and promised action. And within a few days - the garage doors were newly painted with white paint. That is a great service.
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Shit, I go away for the weekend and I come back and this thread has gone all feral.
First, and to be clear. With the exception of Air NZ, I just called a few places and said "hey I'm doing this thing on customer service, anything you want to throw into the prize pool for the PA readers?" I'm not getting anything out of it, there's no advertising spend involved, and it was really just to encourage some good stories, and maybe reward the people involved.
It only seemed polite to thank those people who donated the prizes, which seems to have irked some people.
Shep: I don't exactly think it's fair or reasonable at all to say I extorted Air NZ for tickets for a competition. In talking to the guy from Air NZ I mentioned that the conversation had turned to positive stories of good customer service, so something good had come out of it. I mentioned that I was on the hunt for prizes, and did he want to contribute anything?
There was certainly no "if you don't, I'll write more bad stuff", that's just ridiculous.
There's no hidden agenda here, no commercialisation by stealth, no extortion FFS. I was just offering some free shit to people who wanted it. I've done it before, I'll do it again.
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I have never heard of Air NZ giving away two return tickets for tvl anywhere in NZ for people not involved any incedent themselves.
Really? You've never heard of Air NZ offering up free travel as a prize in a competition? I can start sending you links if you'd like...
Fair enough investigate and call to task, but to run off after "Milly" who, however hamfisted, only ever tried to help you.
That's like saying every rude waiter, lousy shop assistant or call centre worker who simply doesn't give a f**k about you or your situation is "only ever trying to help" Shep. You know that's BS.
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Yes, a nice man from Air New Zealand got in touch after my last blog, we had a chat, he apologised for the bad service
Fantastic, glad to hear Air NZ finally came to the party! C'mon kids its not extortion its good PR/reputation management for any organisation - you can't let some numpty having a bad hair day destroy years of work. ....AND if Air NZ had done nothing it would have been a whole 'nother can of worms.
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"There was certainly no "if you don't, I'll write more bad stuff", that's just ridiculous.
There's no hidden agenda here, no commercialisation by stealth, no extortion FFS. I was just offering some free shit to people who wanted it. I've done it before, I'll do it again."
That's your whole style Damian.
You've run repeatated stories on this one issue and only stop the bad news when you get a "Prize" out of Air NZ. That's an extortionary practise.
"That's like saying every rude waiter, lousy shop assistant or call centre worker who simply doesn't give a f**k about you or your situation is "only ever trying to help" Shep. You know that's BS."It's fine for YOU to follow through personally, but to use your position to piss on the little people is not & that's what you've done.
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That's your whole style Damian.
Oh yes, those extensive campaigns I run on this blog...
You've run repeatated stories on this one issue and only stop the bad news when you get a "Prize" out of Air NZ. That's an extortionary practise.
Which might hold some weight perhaps, other than the fact that I wrote this...
I mentioned it briefly last week, I'm mentioning it now, but I'm unlikely to say anything further, if only because it'll bore you as much as it will bore me.
...and so was genuinely quite surprised to receive a phone call, after saying I wasn't going to say anything more.
But you're welcome to your interpretation. Extortion for prizes, yup, that's "my whole style". It's practically my middle name.
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