Over the past few weeks I have seen evidence firsthand of abysmal customer service by some very big brands indeed. What the hell is wrong with these (and other) companies that continue to give customers a bum deal? Can't they recruit the right quality staff? Is there training that bad? or do they simply not give a crap about their customer's experience of their brand?
Wikipedia defines customer service as the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase. So in the spirit of an awards ceremony here are my Crap Customer Service Awards of the Month:
1st Place (By a long way!)
Virgin Media. They wouldn't know what customer services was if it bit them on the ass! They continually amaze me with their inability to use their CRM system successfully. They ignore any previous conversations you have had with them (including when they have agreed to do things for you), and are happy to be complete 'jobs worths' on the phone. Come on Richard (Branson) invest some money in your customer services please!! They will no doubt pick this up on Twitter, but I am sure their Twitter PR machine and their Customer Services team don't talk to each other, so it won't achieve anything.
2nd Place
Dixons / Curry's / PC World. (All part of the same group) They astound me every time I even enter one of their shops. They seem to have to take the approach of never having any of the stock they have on display, and then when you question this, they adopt the attitude of, " we can't stock everything you know!"
Unfortunately I have had the dis-pleasure of actually taking this up with a Store Manager in several of these stores....a mistake! Quite frankly, they didn't give a damn and told me to "buy something else then". Note to Group - invest training time in your Managers.....you need to!!
3rd Place
Costa Coffee. Shame to levy this at Costa, because I love their coffee. But twice this week in different coffee shops I have been on the receiving end of a "yeah, what do you want" attitude from the people serving my coffee. There was no attempt to give me any service - just my coffee. True, all I wanted was a coffee, but what is wrong with politeness and customer experience? Mine was rubbish - Cafe Nero or Starbucks for me next time!
Sorry to rant away, but as someone who strives to provide customers with a great experience, I get really hacked off with companies that don't do the same thing. I am not asking for a red carpet treatment when I am buying a product or have a service contract with a provider, I am simply asking for them to do what their job titles suggest they are - Customer Services Representatives. That's all.
Who would you nominate if you were compiling a top three?
