I Want Your Unhappy Customer Experience Stories …
Had a great experience today of someone turning an unhappy experience into a great one and I want to know if you had an unhappy experience that was turned around ...
Let me give you mine. The usual restaurant my wife and kids go for lunch on a Sunday had an item on their menu changed by their "corporate head office" and it's my favorite sushi ... it arrived and I was unhappy.
So, when the manager came over, he made a really quick decision and took action. He said, sir, let me make you the old one on the house right away ... happy customer, will return and buy again.
Simply put he took action to turn an unhappy customer into a happy one. I'd love your story to help with a new training program on turning unhappy customers into happy ones ...
Thanks ... Brad ...
PS. If you want help turning your unhappy customers into raving fans, speak with one of my ActionCOACH Business Coaches, as franchisees they know what it takes to run a business of your own ... www.actioncoach.com ...
I had a similar unhappy experience with a restaurant. It is a shame that it took the owner in both your case and mine to be able to make a $ decision probably less than $30 to keep someone happy. Why do business owners not delegate a $ decision to their team so that the problem can be solved in seconds rather than waiting for the “Manager” to show up??
I teach clients to allow the team to have a pre determined degree of authority to do so….
As somewhat of a customer service zealot. I’m always surprised and disappointed when any business neglects to keep their customer satisfied over relatively unimportant issues.
Recently I bought a Lexus. I did the deal at 2% interest,thank you GFC.
However Lexus then advertised the next month at 0% interest. I went back to the dealer, expressed my concern that effectively they had devalued my car by 2%.
Lexus sprung into action rewrote the one month old contract and issued a new one at 0%. Their statement was simple we can’t afford to have unhappy customers.
Well done Lexus. Will I tell people, you bet.
Regards, Brod Ivory
Most recent unhappy customer experience was a funny one too..
We wanted to get tickets to a new Night Club in Vegas so I figured it would be best to go straight there and pick them up on the night. Approaching the desk I was told abruptly that tickets were only available by ordering on line or over the phone – I elected to use the phone and was given the Booking Hot Line number.
I took a few paces away from the desk and called the number on my cell – it was answered by…. The girl behind the desk – when she needed credit card details I handed my card to her while still talking on the phone..
Systematize the routine and humanize the exceptions…
The boot can sometimes be on the other foot of having to turn around a situation in a business.
My husband and I own a Mechanical repair business and until recently employed a Manager to run the shop. Long story short but what we discovered was that our Manager took some customer comments literally and when they say, just do what ever my car needs, they usually mean within reason. Our Manager installed one mudflap on a vehicle and charged the correct amount of $280 (yes that is for one)…how unhappy do you think the customer was when he received his invoice?
To turn this around my husband agreed that it was ridiculous and offered him his next service labour free. He walked out extremely happy.
Keep the customers we have happy and they will keep coming back.
Brad,
Here’s both ends of the scale, from this past weekend while traveling with wife an teens (and to set the scale, we are NOT fussy travelers!):
UNHAPPY
Decided to try an outwardly intriguing-looking restaurant near our hotel, as we were starving and not inclined to drive on an eatery safari.The old adage about judging “a book by it’s cover” came to mind. The owner clearly invested more in an exterior to capture attention, than in hiring and training good people, or purveying better than average ingredients for his offerings. The all female, all teenage wait staff were both dense and surly, screwing up orders and absolutely not caring. Worse, the manager sat right there, listened to our complaints, and did nothing. My way of response? Certainly a boycott to be sure. But I’m a marketing guy too… the word is already rippling outwards about this place via this cute little thing called “the internet:. So if in Mt. Arlington, New Jersey and seeking a quick lunch, avoid Davy’s at all costs.
HAPPY
It’s the little things and attitude is one of them. trying to get back to drop off our rental car in Newark, I’m striving to seek a gas station to fill it prior to dropping it off. The streets of Newark are not exactly profuse with gas stations, and I’m getting (a) more aggravated and (b) more lost looking for one. Finally find a Hess station to fill up, but now have no idea how to get back to Liberty International. Enter a young lady called Dovi. Dovi was the cashier at this Hess station. She was smiling from the moment I walked up, and when I noted I was turned around, trying to get back to the airport, she took time to provide meticulous directions that were 100% spot on. And she smiled and was a joy the entire time. Dovi saved what could have a lousy start to a day, and I will think of her smile, bubbly laugh and her simple joy at working in a tiny Hess gas station whenever I get blurry on our own service stance for our clients.
United Airlines must be the absolute definition or “poor customer service” and unhappy customers. Like my golf game, they can’t tie a good drive to a good putt, with good strokes in between.
My wife and I were traveling overseas last week. Our first contact with United was Ms. McKee at the First Class Check-in counter. We were ecstatic that there was no line whatsoever so we hauled ourselves right up to the counter. In retrospect, I suspect her reputation had already proceeded her, and her line, in fact, remains fairly empty.
Regardless, she was just downright mean. Barely spoke, did not smile, the only eye contact was to make sure we saw her rolling them at us. When I asked if there was a problem, she did not even look up. My wife said aloud, “if this is how ‘first class’ gets treated, I’d hate to be in the ‘coach’ line.” Still no response. I was beginning to think she was just deaf.
Because of her mean-spirited send off, I remained acutely critical of the entire “United Experience” for the rest of our trip. When we returned home, there was an email survey from United regarding our recent trip (a good stroke). I doubt I will ever hear from those folks, but I certainly let them know that I thought they missed a real opportunity to pick up a couple loyal customers.
I have already told 8 people this story and I have just started with the internet.
Unhappy with TIGER AIRLINES AUSTRALIA
I recently was travelling interstate with my brother. We were travelling seperately to the airport and enroute I encountered some longer than expected delays going through some roadworks. I spoke with my brother on the phone to let him know of my delay which would still see me at the airport prior to departure (I only had a small amount of carry-on). He spoke with the check-in counter to let them know that I had been delayed etc. & was promptly told that if I did not check-in with-in the next 1 minute, I would not be able to fly. I was 10 minutes away!
I arrived at the airport, ran in directly to the counter and was told by the Tiger Airline Staff that I had missed the check-in and would not be able to fly. Now here is the clencher… the aircraft had not landed and was some 15 minutes away! I had missed their 45 minute check-in time and could not fly even though the aircraft was nowhere to be seen & then it was late by 20 minutes. (keep in mind that my brother was at the airport prior to the close off and had told them I was running 10 minutes late for check-in)
I was infuriated that although I was at the gate, waiting for the aircraft to land, I could not fly. Its ok for them to be late be not me.
Never fly Tiger Airlines in Australia.
ps. they refused a refund or alternative flight and were quite abrupt in their dealings with me.
Bought some inkjet cartridges for my printer 6 months ago from a company called Choice Stationary here in the UK. Only came to utilise them last week & found that they contained a design flaw & one of the packages stated magenta & contained a yellow cartridge. Just at that moment in time, I really needed the printer. At this point, I’m ready to rip someones head off & spit down their neck!!! A phone call to their customer service department quickly resolved it. A couple of quick questions to clarify which product it was (without the need for invoice details, order number and the usual receipt information….) & replacement products were despatched FREE OF CHARGE on a NEXT DAY delivery as they were aware of the design flaw. Result, I’m no where near unhappy, as the replacments have cost me nothing. OK I had to wait a day to use my printer, but the upshot is, this company now has a RAVING FAN for the cost of 4 cartridges which would have cost them next to nothing to buy. How does that compare with the massive advertising costs of SRAPLES< PC WORLD and all the other massive high street retailers?!!!!!!
UNHAPPY STORY – 2 for 1 version
In January 2010, I signed up for a webinar with a “personal” coaching firm (www.breakthroughcoaching.cc) that provides a web site with tools and once a month coaching calls with the owner, Howard. After two months, I realized that I had gotten all I needed and all I would ever get. Thinking my service period ended the end of the month, I went to my PayPal account on march 26 to turn it off. Too late! I was billed on the 25th.
I emailed Howard. No response. I tried another email address. A few days later he contact me to say, sorry, too late for refunds. He agreed to “extra coaching.” I agreed. I tell him that I do not want any more of the service. He agrees. On April 25 PayPal bills me $229 again. PayPal’s only accepts emails through their website; that’s it; 18 hours later, an automated reply says, sorry no refund. The owner also says, No refund! He’s offended that I want to cancel. Yes, the PayPal account is closed and I file a complaint with the California AG.
VERY HAPPY STORY
My wife and I frequent Mimi’s for breakfast, a habit we picked up in California and continued when we moved to Colorado. For several weeks we ordered a breakfast sandwich that we both liked a lot. Well, it was dropped from the menu. The server told us it was a “seasonal menu item.” She then paused and said, let me ask the manager if we can make it. Within minutes, the server was back to tell us we could have it. A bit later, the manager came by to apologize for the inconvenience. She then gave us a bag of their coffee to take home. Was an apology expected from the Mimi’s manager? Of course not. Do we still eat at Mimi’s? You bet.
Now, back to the OWNER of http://www.breakthroughcoaching.cc, do you think he cares about his customers? By the way, he teaches a referral class!
My wife (a Matchpoint consultant) and I were glad to see you made it to Denver, Brad. Sorry about the winter weather.