I go out of my way to look for things to compliment people on at their workplace. If I get some good customer service, I will thank them, by name and tell them I appreciate their support. I have even asked to talk to a store manager in some cases where an employee really stood out in customer support. One time, a young mechanic actually received a $$$ bonus at our local Fleet store because I reported some outstanding service he provided to me.
Lately, however, I had some interactions with employees that were not very good, at all. I complained to management about the poor service by that employee and have seen neither one of those employees at the stores in the past 6+ weeks. I don't know if my complaint caused them to get fired (I hope not), or if the employee was on their way out anyway and I just got a dose of negativity from them that day. Both employees had been working at their stores for years, and it is unusual for me to shop there and not see them.
First case: Fleet store. One weekend, I needed to get some old paint purchased last year shook up so I could paint the chicken coop. The lady at the counter refused to shake up my paint cans because she said they had an explosion of paint on a previously opened can and it really made a mess. This made no sense to me because if you have the paint tinted, they have to open up the can, add the tint, then shake it up. So then this lady asks me if I wanted to clean up the mess if the can explodes in the paint shaker. I told her no, that I am not allowed to use their equipment, but their equipment should have built in protection to keep the lid on. Then she tells me it was store policy not to shake up previously used cans of paint. To which I asked her, when in the last 30 years did that policy change? Her response was to tell me that she refused to shake the cans and walked away from me to the back room employee only section.
I went to the customer service desk and asked to talk to a floor manager. A manager came, listened to my side of the story, and went back to the paint counter with me and she got the paint cans shook up for me. That employee that was supposed to be there had not returned. Anyways, I thanked the manager and left the store.
A couple days later, I was back at the store and asked to talk to the store manager. I said I wanted to compliment the floor manager for helping me with the paint situation. I asked why the employee had refused to help me and walked away from me in the process. He informed me that there had been no change in policy in shaking the used paint cans, they would still do that. Additionally, he stated that there had been a real mess with a paint can lid coming off the paint can, but it was a brand new paint can, and the employee had failed to use the equipment properly.
Bottom line, I have not seen that employee at the store in the last 8 weeks, since I made my complaint.
Second case: Home Depot. I was at the customer service desk purchasing a few items. The store internet was not working properly, and I could not access the military discount QR code on my smart phone. After a few minutes of trying, I showed her my military id card and asked her if she could enter the discount on machine. She told me she could not. I found that very strange. So, I held up the line as I continued to fumble with my smart phone and their internet was not working. I refused to step aside until my transaction was completed. After about 20 minutes, the line behind me had grown as far as into the paint department. I did not care at that point. I would have stayed there another half hour just to make it as painful for Home Depot as they were making it for me. Finally, after seeing people upset that had to wait in line for this situation, she she pressed a few keys on her till and my military discount was magically added to the transaction! Took her less than 20 seconds. So I took my stuff and left the store.
Somewhere, on the way to the car, I got even more upset about the transaction. So I went back into the store and asked some guys at the "Pro Desk" to call a manager because I had a complaint about the customer service desk. I told the store manager what had just happened to me, and that I did not understand why she had insisted I must use the Home Depot app to get my military discount when their in-store internet was not working, I clearly was trying to access my account on my smartphone, but she waited for about 20 minutes before entering the magic code herself that took her only a few seconds. The manager said that was unacceptable, that he would look into the situation, and thanked me for taking the time to talk to him.
I was in the store a week later, and had my military discount QR code on my smartphone, but the self-checkout machine was not reading it properly. I called over one of the employees for help, and believe it or not, he now had a military id QR code badge attached to his employee vest, scanned his badge, my military discount was applied, and I was out the door in no time! What a change! I like to think my complaint had something to do with their new procedure.
Anyways, I have not seen that first lady at the customer service back there in over 6 weeks. I am thinking she might have moved on, or been forced to move on as well.
Thanks for letting me get some things off my mind. I don't want to get people fired, that's not my goal, but I think sometimes a well-argued complaint can be used to help a store improve their service to customers.
Lately, however, I had some interactions with employees that were not very good, at all. I complained to management about the poor service by that employee and have seen neither one of those employees at the stores in the past 6+ weeks. I don't know if my complaint caused them to get fired (I hope not), or if the employee was on their way out anyway and I just got a dose of negativity from them that day. Both employees had been working at their stores for years, and it is unusual for me to shop there and not see them.
First case: Fleet store. One weekend, I needed to get some old paint purchased last year shook up so I could paint the chicken coop. The lady at the counter refused to shake up my paint cans because she said they had an explosion of paint on a previously opened can and it really made a mess. This made no sense to me because if you have the paint tinted, they have to open up the can, add the tint, then shake it up. So then this lady asks me if I wanted to clean up the mess if the can explodes in the paint shaker. I told her no, that I am not allowed to use their equipment, but their equipment should have built in protection to keep the lid on. Then she tells me it was store policy not to shake up previously used cans of paint. To which I asked her, when in the last 30 years did that policy change? Her response was to tell me that she refused to shake the cans and walked away from me to the back room employee only section.
I went to the customer service desk and asked to talk to a floor manager. A manager came, listened to my side of the story, and went back to the paint counter with me and she got the paint cans shook up for me. That employee that was supposed to be there had not returned. Anyways, I thanked the manager and left the store.
A couple days later, I was back at the store and asked to talk to the store manager. I said I wanted to compliment the floor manager for helping me with the paint situation. I asked why the employee had refused to help me and walked away from me in the process. He informed me that there had been no change in policy in shaking the used paint cans, they would still do that. Additionally, he stated that there had been a real mess with a paint can lid coming off the paint can, but it was a brand new paint can, and the employee had failed to use the equipment properly.
Bottom line, I have not seen that employee at the store in the last 8 weeks, since I made my complaint.
Second case: Home Depot. I was at the customer service desk purchasing a few items. The store internet was not working properly, and I could not access the military discount QR code on my smart phone. After a few minutes of trying, I showed her my military id card and asked her if she could enter the discount on machine. She told me she could not. I found that very strange. So, I held up the line as I continued to fumble with my smart phone and their internet was not working. I refused to step aside until my transaction was completed. After about 20 minutes, the line behind me had grown as far as into the paint department. I did not care at that point. I would have stayed there another half hour just to make it as painful for Home Depot as they were making it for me. Finally, after seeing people upset that had to wait in line for this situation, she she pressed a few keys on her till and my military discount was magically added to the transaction! Took her less than 20 seconds. So I took my stuff and left the store.
Somewhere, on the way to the car, I got even more upset about the transaction. So I went back into the store and asked some guys at the "Pro Desk" to call a manager because I had a complaint about the customer service desk. I told the store manager what had just happened to me, and that I did not understand why she had insisted I must use the Home Depot app to get my military discount when their in-store internet was not working, I clearly was trying to access my account on my smartphone, but she waited for about 20 minutes before entering the magic code herself that took her only a few seconds. The manager said that was unacceptable, that he would look into the situation, and thanked me for taking the time to talk to him.
I was in the store a week later, and had my military discount QR code on my smartphone, but the self-checkout machine was not reading it properly. I called over one of the employees for help, and believe it or not, he now had a military id QR code badge attached to his employee vest, scanned his badge, my military discount was applied, and I was out the door in no time! What a change! I like to think my complaint had something to do with their new procedure.
Anyways, I have not seen that first lady at the customer service back there in over 6 weeks. I am thinking she might have moved on, or been forced to move on as well.
Thanks for letting me get some things off my mind. I don't want to get people fired, that's not my goal, but I think sometimes a well-argued complaint can be used to help a store improve their service to customers.
I sometimes feel like the dinosaur because I remember better days when customer service was so much better.
please don't get sick or take vacation. I don't want to put employee X on the sales floor.
