Customer satisfaction

I know it's been ages since I've posted.  I always think about manners, etiquette, and great ideas for posts, but with a full time job as a wife and mama, another full time job, and all the other that stuff life brings, I just don't prioritize the blog like I should.  Just know that I think about The Pink Teapot and you often.  I also host a lot of etiquette dinners for youth which takes up some significant time.

What brings me to actually typing this morning is an experience I had yesterday combined with one I had this past weekend.  They were reminiscent of so many that I've had and I figured that since this happens to me so frequently, it must happen to others as well.  Let's see, shall we?

I was in a retail clothing store yesterday (one of my favorites) and I needed to return a pair of pants and a top.  I had spent a significant amount when making my original purchase, but I don't think that should matter; but I have found that sometimes retailers will treat me kindly when they know I'm a good customer (as in I will spend money).  I asked the sales rep to look up my purchase.  The details are tedious and unimportant, but I was treated like she was doing me a favor by giving me store credit (their policy by the way).  She was condescending in her tone and spoke slowly so that I'd make sure to understand her.  Even after verifying that I was, in fact, following "return procedure", she was annoyed that she had to look up my purchase and went as far as to say, "when you come in and just want to return something and you don't know how you paid for it or when you bought it..."  I was taken aback (I did know how I purchased it- it was a store card that I had already given her; I also knew the date), I smiled, I thanked her (she did give me store credit with which to purchase even more stuff) and I proceeded to spend said credit (and a little more).  I felt like I didn't want to be in that store any longer.  I love the clothes, they fit me well, but the energy was so negative (I braved through it for a couple of pairs of shoes and a top).

This past weekend, I was in search for the perfect woman's bag.  I needed something that I felt I could use every day for my computer and as a personal handbag (a zip top) and by the way, unless it's a diaper bag, this seems to be very difficult to find.  This would be my every day bag (I have a collection of bags, but I needed a trusty uniform-bag-briefcase).  I went into a store where I've purchased many handbags and I was greeted.  The sales rep asked me if I knew what I was looking for and I indicated that I did and explained what I wanted.  I went right to the bag I thought was going to work.  I explained what I was looking for and even gave preferences for color and she gave me *one* option.  I saw one bag on a shelf that seemed to meet my needs, I walked over to it, and she said, "well that one is on sale, I guess if you want one that's on sale..." (um...who doesn't want a sale...seriously?).  It turned out that after looking at 5 or 6 bags in that store, she simply said, "There's nothing that would work for you in here".  Now I'm a fan of honesty, but turning away business?  Maybe not.  I felt like she could have directed me online, asked some questions, anything.  There were probably 100 bags in that store.  You're telling me we couldn't have found one that worked?

Here's the thing that got me:  She acted the entire time like she was doing *me* a favor.  That's the same experience I had yesterday at the clothing store.  The entitlement that some of these people seem to have just blows my mind.  I'm not of the school that a sales rep should be treated poorly, and I don't think the customer is always right; but I do think it's a customer service reps' (sales reps) job to make the shopping experience a pleasant one and perhaps even go so far as to make the customer feel like you're happy they're there to shop.  What a thought!

We need to be considerate as consumers, and I've talked a lot about that, but it's difficult to be considerate and kind when the person who is helping you is rude, entitled, snotty, and vapid.  Thank goodness for lots of choices in where we shop, although isn't it the worst when your favorite stores  are the ones that you dread entering because of poor customer service?

I think the US retail clothing industry has become far too complacent in training employees to be good customer service representatives.  I also think that the generation that is currently in the work force (vague, I know) largely feels entitled, empowered (not in a positive way), they seem to have a superiority complex.

I plead with employers, please interview carefully.  Please ask how someone would handle a difficult customer, and then follow through with proper training and appropriate consequences/rewards for performance.

It seems to me that retailers largely just don't care.  I'm not sure why since the US apparel industry is a 331 *billion* dollar per year industry!

I think we've largely gone online (and quite frankly if I could have exchanged the clothes and looked at the specks of the handbag online I would have), it's become common place to spend time and energy there as retailers.  I personally think that's no excuse to let customer service slide.

My two (or five) cents.

PS  Thanks Coach for having the perfect women's work bag.  Not a diaper bag (nothing wrong with them, I'm just out of that stage), but a working, zip top, well priced bag!  Thank you also for being so polite, friendly, and professional; and no, I didn't get a bag for free, I just feel like it's nice to point out the positive!

Customer (UN)satisfaction

I love getting those surveys that talk about customer satisfaction and I stay up way too late to make sure and fill them out because I should be sleeping, but someone has to.  It's my duty, isn't it?  Well it should be someones!

My parents have often told me I'd be a great secret shopper or critic- not because I'm mean but because I have a sense of what should be, what works and what doesn't, and in the food arena, I just love good food, but that's another blog entirely that I will never get to write (never say never-another thing my mother says).

The other day, I ordered some last minute outfits for my two youngest girls for their first day of school. I am not an "in-the-store" shopper when it comes to my kids if it can be avoided (for me it's an entirely different story).  If it's a special occasion for my kids, it's a blast.  If it's for massive amounts of school clothes with a markdown, FOR-GET-IT (can I hyphenate that?)!  Especially here in Utah where everyone has multiple children (exaggeration but it feels that way) and people are willing to fight over a Gymboree sale (or any sale and it can get UGLY)...I'd rather shop online (or out of state). My older two were taken care of, but my littles had still not picked out their first day of school outfits and time was running out.  I knew I'd have to pay overnight shipping at this point but I knew I could get it done.  I placed my order (just under the gun) and relaxed as I felt with confidence that my order would arrive the day before school (arrive on Monday, school started Tuesday, placed the order on the previous Friday incidentally at 9:46amMT-important deets for later).

Monday came, as did many, many, many packages, school supplies flew through the air, boxes were everywhere, clothes were tried on, Cayden's shirts (purchased at www.roadkilltshirts.com which I'm not recommending necessarily because some of their shirts are vulgar and I had to get to the actual pages of the shirts I liked before C could even see the them however they are REALLY FUNNY...breathe) were laughed out loud at, not one but two back to school nights were attended but still no package.  My FEDEX man was outraged (well maybe not but having been to my house he knew I was but still loves me) and the day had passed with no first day of school outfits for two cute little girls.  Now, were they any less cute on the first day of school?  Of course not!  But, were they a bit deflated?  Yes.  They handle disappointment well.  I am, after all, their mother.

I called Gymboree the next morning after I took their pictures and send all my babies to High School (had him when I was 12), Jr High, and elementary school.  I was thrilled to get someone on the other end who obviously was (not) well versed in Gymboree's shipping policies; which are as follows:

All orders received prior to 12 p.m. (noon) ET, Monday through Friday, are processed the same day upon credit card validation, and delivered via Fed Ex the following business day before 3:00 p.m. Business days are Monday through Friday, excluding Holidays. Orders placed after 12 p.m. (noon) ET on Fridays will ship out on Monday, pending credit card validation (unless Monday is a Holiday). Next Business Day Delivery is limited in select areas. For details on service locations, visit FedEx.com. Next Business Day Delivery is not available for shipments to P.O. Boxes, AK, HI, APO/FPO addresses or U.S. Territories.

The part she kept repeating was, "Orders placed after 12pm (noon) ET on Fridays will ship out on Monday, pending credit card validation (unless Monday is a Holiday)."  She was explaining that they used Friday as a processing day in my case and that they were well within their rights since I placed my order ON A FRIDAY.  I kindly (as kindly as I could muster) asked to speak to a supervisor several times which she denied me the opportunity of doing.  She said their policy stated that orders placed Monday through Thursday before Noon ET would go out that day....but Friday didn't count.  I wondered why.  She placed me on hold several times.  Finally after a 20 minute conversation and holds with this representative and her apparent frustration with me (and mine with her), she came back on the line and said, "we are going to refund your next day shipping as a courtesy because you're so upset."  I said, "wait...I don't want it refunded if I made a mistake, but as far as I can tell, 9:46amMT is 11:46amET, and I got the confirmation email and my card had already been debited, so obviously it wasn't a card issue...but if I'm wrong, I don't want you to refund my shipping.  I only want it refunded if there has been a mistake, which you keep saying there has not been.  You have spent the last 20 minutes telling me there has not been."  

She simply told me the refund would appear on my card within the next 30-60 days (thanks) and I was (emptily) told to have a nice day.  BTW- true to my Pink Teapot self, no yelling or rude behavior took place, I just wanted to understand why my package wasn't shipped and why they refused, absolutely refused to take responsibility or even apologize for the inconvenience.  (Are you guys still with me?)

So, at the risk of making this a REALLY long post (and yes, I know I'm breaking my own rules by using all caps, but rules are made to be broken today).  

I bought a brand new iPhone two months ago and along with it I bought the cutest C.Wonder case for like 35.00 at the Apple store.  I have taken the case off 3 times exactly at the behest of Apple customer service to see if it improved my microphone (peeps keep saying they can't hear me very well).  I went to put it back on today and it is broken in two places.  I called C. Wonder and not only did the rep cut me off (C. Wonder, not Apple), she told me that it wasn't her problem, it was Apple's because that's where I bought it.  She said (in a condescending tone like when you're speaking to a stupid person), "You know how when you buy something and it's defective?  You always take it back to the store...you never contact the manufacturer."  Oh really? Now I know that's true sometimes, but not always and InCase (another brand of cases for iPhones sold at the Apple store) has replaced Cord's cases several times even after like 2 years.  They back up their product- That's a company!  I contact manufacturers all the time.  Samsung, Apple, Michael Kors,Vitamix (I'm looking around but you get the idea).  It's the manufacturer's responsibility to make sure their product isn't defective and I've had the case for less than two months and it's clearly defective!  I was thrilled with the level of devotion from her. 

This all comes back to manners people.  They are not being taught in the home and so why would people use them in their workplace when they are not being used at home.  Why would one respect another in the workplace when they don't do it in the home?  Fundamental principles.  I don't care what kind of family unit you have, these things are not passé, they are not outdated, they are crucial.  We say to our son all the time that we are teaching him what respect is and that he can figure out what respect means to him when he leaves our home, but that when he doesn't have the respect to call us when he's late for curfew causing our worry, there are consequences.  That can change when he may have no one to answer to, although his boss may feel the same way as we do.  It's so basic and yet it takes far more work and follow through than just letting people do whatever they want.  

We are seeing the affects of a generation that has been allowed to do what they want (a general statement, of course there are so many wonderful people out there, but this is becoming or has become an epidemic).

Home party central

Utah seems to be a mecca for home parties...allowing for flexibility of women's hours and incomes as they strive to balance home, family, and income (whether primary or secondary).  Supporting these parties is (in effect) like helping to support the family, however there should never be any pressure and if any of you are like my husband...the more the pressure comes out, the less interested he is (he HATES a pushy salesman- excuse the yelling).  

We talked about it today on Studio 5 and I hope I given you some good suggestions.

I think the way that home parties (in my never-to-be-humble opinion) is that several vendors get together, staying there the entire time to represent their product.  They will have better attendance, a more casual environment, and you might be pleasantly surprised at the increased sales from that low pressure, conversing, environment giving ladies a chance to talk about the different products and shop...a mall of home parties all in one location- something for everyone!

I'm not saying I have the answer, but I think far more people would prefer one stop personal shopping than one stop- one genre of product shopping.  

My two cents

Dear Distracted shopper...

It was a little annoying (but mostly entertaining) to watch you try and purchase your items at the self check out last night. I can't decide if my favorite part was your yelling at all of us in the store, "does anyone speak Spanish?" as you tried to navigate your way through the self checkout line- after you had distractedly hit the "en espanol" button while talking on your cell phone- or if it was that even after you realized that an employee had come over to try and help you (at my request), you continued to talk on the phone and push the buttons in spanish to complete your transaction!

In the future, could you please do us all a favor and please get off your phone as you can clearly not multitask? We, the people patiently waiting behind you in line for 10 minutes, would greatly appreciate it if you, and those like you, who talk on your cell phones while trying to complete a sales transaction would realize that you are dealing with either a human being (the sales clerk) or a complicated machine (obviously complicated enough that it needed your undivided attention).

I can't wait until we meet again in hopes that your manners have improved and/or that you have learned to speak Spanish.

Sincerely,

Have a nice day

Traveling this past weekend was such an eye opening experience. There were a few things that I noticed that I thought worth mentioning. As I was at the airport, I was buying a few things in the gift shop and the sales clerk said, "have a nice day" after we had exchanged some small pleasantries, and I looked her right in the eye and said, "you have a wonderful day too". She was shocked. She said that she hears "you too" and that sort of thing in all kinds of tones, but how often do we think of how we respond to others who are serving us. Make eye contact, be sincere, and think about their day...truly be sincere about what you're saying, and see what a difference it makes to them, and to you.
The other thing I thought about while traveling: I had purposely avoided watching the news story about the plane going down in the Hudson because I didn't want to know, the night before we flew out. Once at my destination, I listened to my wise mother talk about all the amazing things that this pilot did to save these people and the precision and forethought it took, not to mention bravery, to carry out all those tasks. I don't normally talk about current events on this blog, but this exceptional event of courage and heroism is worth talking about. My mother was talking about how much the flight attendants do need our attention when we're sitting in our seats "listening" to them. We also should take very seriously sitting in the exit row and when a verbal confirmation is asked for when sitting in the exit row, give it solemnly and understand that you may be partially responsible for helping your fellow passengers to exit the plane safely.

I believe this ties beautifully into etiquette because it's about others. When dealing with retailers it's about thinking about their day, not just yours. When we're talking about flight attendants and airline travel, it's about courtesy in listening and accepting responsibility. I saw one man last night on his phone while the instructions were being explained to him (no doubt he's well traveled) and he felt that sitting in an exit row wasn't a big deal and he didn't need to listen and didn't need to verbally commit to the flight attendant. She asked him to get off his phone (which he did after several minutes) and accepted his responsibility. I want people who care about others helping me off the plane, how about you. Take care of each other with bravery, selflessness, and kindness.