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What
happens if you buy a kettle that turns out not to be what
you wanted and the shop assistant tells you it would be ‘illegal'
for the shop to take it back. Well, the shop in question should
really look at how to
Break
the Customer Service Rules
The
kettle in question cost just £25. However, I did not
realise at the time of purchase that the internal illumination
feature meant a horrid blue light permanently radiating from
the kettle whenever the power supply was switched on. I took
it back to the hardware store (part of a national chain) the
next day.
Lesson
1: Don't leave your customers in a situation where they are
going to be reminded of a bad service from you EVERY DAY
Because
I had filled it with water and switched it on, which was how
I knew I didn't like it, the assistant insisted that it was
illegal for her to take it back. The manager refused to come
and discuss it with me, so I have ended up with a kettle I
don't like and memories of a particularly unpleasant shopping
experience every time I switch it on.
Lesson
2: Don't send your customers away angry
I am
sure the assistant was correct in saying that she was not
allowed to take back a used kettle, even one that I had bought
less than 24 hours previously and was still in perfect condition
with box and receipt. The manager probably realised I was
going to make a fuss, and that it would not be helpful in
his busy shop. Instead of working with me to find a solution,
they left me to go away a very angry and unsatisfied customer.
Lesson
3: People will always report bad service to others
How
many people have I told about this experience? An awful lot!
I live in a small town, and a lot of people have heard me
rant about how this shop delivers shocking service.
It's
a well-known phenomenon that if you have a good experience
you're likely to tell four people about it, whereas if you
have a bad experience, you'll tell twenty.
Lesson
4: For most businesses, a happy customer is worth a lot more
than any single purchase.
How
much money has this shop lost? I estimate that I have spent
around £ 2000 in this shop over the last 3 years (garden
furniture, fixtures and fittings etc). After this incident,
I will not go in there again. Add to this the money other
people who've been put off by my story might have spent, and
the costs soon escalate.
Lesson
5: Give your front line staff some room to make decisions
The
shop assistant probably couldn't have done much to resolve
the situation. She simply applied the rules of the company
she works for. Allowing front line staff a little room to
make decisions in this type of situation could stop it escalating.
Lesson
6: Ensure your managers engage with customers if problems
escalate
If the
manager had come to speak to me, he probably could have explained
that they were not allowed to take back goods once they had
been used, but that he could make an ‘exception' in this case.
I would have been so grateful for his assistance that I would
have told lots of people how helpful the shop was, and probably
spent a lot more money in the shop straight away.
What
will I do next
Buy
my electrical goods from John Lewis where I am sure I will
get a better reception in future. Perhaps this is why John
Lewis is bucking the current retail trend and has achieved
great pre-Christmas sales figures!
Break
your customer service rules:
- Review your service guidelines no matter
WHAT your business
- Give your frontline people permission to
make decisions that are best for the LONG term, and are
not based on the single transaction in front of them
- Give them training, confidence and support
to recognise that good service is not just in the customer's
best interest, but is in the true best interest of the business
Have
a great week – and be careful if you are buying a new kettle!
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