Whatever happened to good customer service?

[gtaus]

1) I'm a big Ryobi fan, over 20 years, but recently I ran into an issue with Ryobi Customer Support with a new 40v 4.0Ah battery that would not fit into my old Ryobi chainsaw with a fixed battery compartment on top. I contacted Ryobi Customer Service and requested that they swap out my new 4.0Ah battery with a 4.0Ah battery that would fit into my old chainsaw. They would not give me the time of day. They told me that the battery would fit, that it was compatible with all their tools, and if I did not like it, I could return the complete kit I had purchased that included the battery.

I replied to their email responses (different rep every time) and told them that they just did not understand that what they were telling me was wrong - their new battery case was 1/8 inch too large to fit into my chainsaw. This went back and forth about 3 or 4 times.

So, I took my chainsaw, the original battery, the new battery, and talked to the manager of our local Home Depot. I told him that Ryobi insisted that their battery would fit into my chiansaw, and asked him to try it out. Of course, it was impossible and he immediately understood my frustration dealing with online Ryobi Customer Support telling me that I had no problem.

To the credit of the Home Depot manager, he took out every 4.0Ah battery he had in the store, including ones in other tool kits, and NONE of them fit into my Ryobi chainsaw.

Happy Outcome! After all the time and effort he spent trying to find me a battery that would work, he decided to take my 4.5 year old Ryobi chainsaw under warranty and replaced it with a brand new Ryobi chainsaw where the battery compartment is underneath the unit and it does not matter was size battery case you use. So, I got a new Ryobi 40v chainsaw kit - about $280.00 - in exchange for 4.5 year old Ryboi chainsaw!

Bonus Outcome! I continued to complain to Ryobi Customer Service support about this issue and it was elevated to a manager who is going to bring this issue to their tech support people. Maybe it will help someone in the future, or at least they can readjust their Customer Service replies with factual data. Don't tell me that the battery fits when I have both the tool and battery in front of me!

2) I was in our local Fleet store today to buy layer feed. There was a guy there working, but he seemed to have no interest in helping me. Anyway, I noticed that there was broken open bag of feed there, so I asked him, in another aisle, if they would mark it down their customary 25% for Oops! bags. He would not even look at me, and just barked out 10% off. OK, not very nice, but I responded that other broken bags around there were marked down 20%. He shot back, I haven't looked at it, so 10%. By now, I was getting a little annoyed, so I calmly replied, well, the bag is right here for you to take a look at. He just shouted back 10%, turned and left, and in the process threw some packing material across the store (not towards me). At that point, I had enough.

I know one of the store managers, so I flagged him down and told him, in no uncertain terms, that he had an employee that needed an attitude adjustment. The manager knew exactly who I was talking about, told me that they were getting a lot of complaints about him, that he could fire him because they have no other workers to replace him, that he would pass this complaint up to the general manager (again) and in the meantime he offered me 50% off the broken bag. So, I accepted his offer, loaded up the broken bag (still full - just broken open) along with a second feed bag, and left the store.

As I told the manager, if I had not been a regular customer there for the past 30+ years, I would have taken my business elsewhere and never come back to his store. Well, I suppose the manager is in a tough situation, but that sales floor person should not have anything to do with customer interactions. Maybe stocking shelves in the back warehouse is where he belongs.

Just rambling about things that have ticked me off this past week. And I'm not just a cranky old guy. OK outcomes in both cases, but I had to elevate my concerns to management to get appropriate service, I remember a day when the customer service reps were trained well enough to take care of complaints. Maybe those days are gone?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I remember a day when the customer service reps were trained well enough to take care of complaints. Maybe those days are gone?

Customer service roles usually are still trained properly and it sounds like you probably just got the short stick. It's possible that several things snowballed to result in the feed store one especially. Lots of places are still understaffed, which means that people might be working longer hours and dealing with more customers, who are not all polite. I cannot count on both hands anymore how many times I have been yelled at by customers for no reason, which makes me not want to continue being polite to them because why should I when I'm not only being overworked for low pay, but also being called names and scolded for things that are out of my control.

I'm sorry you seemed to have poor results, but it doesn't only mean that people aren't being trained properly

 

[gtaus]

I'm sorry you seemed to have poor results, but it doesn't only mean that people aren't being trained properly

In the Ryobi Customer Service example, I suspect they just read off a script. Again, I had about 4 email exchanges with them and got a different rep every time. It's like starting out on square one each time. They all gave the exact same answers, with only minor differences. Maybe they just want to wear a person down until they go away.

In the Fleet store example, they know they have a problem with that guy but they just don't have any other employees to replace him. Things are still not back to normal Post-Covid. I hope better days are ahead.

I see lots of turnover at most of our local stores. So, I seriously doubt anyone is staying around long enough to get properly trained. FWIW, I don't waste my time yelling at low level reps. I ask for a manager, and if I can't get a fair resolution, then I'm out the door and will patronize a different store. It's good to have options. Also, I don't think yelling or berating anyone has positive outcomes for anybody.

Fortunately, after talking to the store managers, I have been able to achieve fair outcomes that I was happy with. There was a time, however, that lower level reps would have taken care of those petty issues without getting management involved.

 

[kcan2]

Interesting topic!

I really appreciate good and helpful customer service when it is encountered, as it does seem to be less commonly practiced.

Sounds like you stuck with the issues you encountered until you were able to find the right person to help, and got great resolutions in the end. But as you stated, this puts an unnecessary hard pull on managers to meet needs that could otherwise be handled by the floor reps.

Recently, I have noticed a tendency for reps to abruptly end phone calls and hang up before the customer. Understandably reps are in a hurry, and are probably handling a larger volume of inbound calls than ever, but inevitably the customer is left with an impression that conveys the unintended message: "My hurry is more important." However, I would much rather get someone who has an understanding of the issue vs. a scripted response!

 

[Sally PB]

I used to work for a company that was KNOWN for its superlative customer service. (I didn't work in CS.) Recently I talked to another former employee who was also a customer. She has had such crappy service that she won't go there anymore.

I think back to the times when people raved about, not just the service, but the quality, the turn around, the packaging... Sigh.

 

[Artichoke Lover]

I work a fast food job right now. I know our store and most of the other places in town that have entry level jobs are having a hard time finding workers period. Much less ones that will stay long enough to complete all of their training.
That leaves those of us that do stick around overworked. A lot of the time we are doing two peoples jobs plus supervising a trainee doing a 3rd job.

It also means that you can’t afford to fire bad employees and discipline is less effective since all you really have is empty threats since they know you can’t afford to fire them. It’s a pretty crappy situation all around.

 

[gtaus]

It also means that you can’t afford to fire bad employees and discipline is less effective since all you really have is empty threats since they know you can’t afford to fire them. It’s a pretty crappy situation all around.

No doubt. I'm not trying to get anyone fired.

With Ryobi Customer Support, I was just presenting a problem I was having with their product and the low level reps really had no idea what I was dealing with. I mean, when someone tells you that the battery does not physically fit into the battery compartment, why would you tell them they are wrong and it does - based on a script? That's why I brought everything into town and talked to a manager with a little show and tell to demonstrate my situation.

Even with the salesperson on the floor at our local Fleet store, I only suggested that the manager readjust that person's attitude for his own good. Turns out that others had already had talks with the manager about him. But the manager said he wanted to but could not afford to let the guy go because he was so short of workers. To the point, there are usually 2 or 3 people working the feed department, and today there was only one guy by himself. He may have been overworked and thus short with me and other customers.

Like you said, a crappy situation all around.

 

[gtaus]

That leaves those of us that do stick around overworked. A lot of the time we are doing two peoples jobs plus supervising a trainee doing a 3rd job.

I am seeing a lot of that, too. Not to pick on our local Fleet store, where I spend most of my money and it's probably my main store in town, but I also got peripherally involved with another situation a few months ago. I was heading back to the parts desk to get some info on parts and service, and the parts manager was really berating one of his employees out in front of everyone in that area. The employee was an older gentleman who was having some difficulty finding some part on the computer, and the manager was really dressing him down. It was so bad, that people were literally leaving that section of the store. As did I.

A few days later, I made a special trip into town and talked to a different manager about that situation. I had very positive interactions with the parts manager in the past, and I told that to store manager on duty. But I also stated that I had never seen a manager go off on an employee in front of customers like that and it really gave a bad impression of the professionalism of the store. Long story short, I have never seen the parts manager or the older employee at the store since - maybe 2 months. I guess both have moved on elsewhere. Probably why the store is so short of workers....

And just so nobody thinks all I do is complain, most of my talks with managers are about positive actions I have with their employees. When someone really helps me out, I make sure to tell a manager about the help I received and that we all appreciated good people who can help us. I know of at least one small engines repairman who received special recognition and a financial reward for feedback I gave to management. The repairman listened to my needs, suggested a course of action, and saved me both time and money and I got my riding mower up and running that same day without sitting in his shop for 3-4 weeks. That was service worth highlighting to his store manager.

Believe me, I go out of my way to look for good things to say about people these days when so many people are stressed out. We all need a good slap on the back for a job well done from time to time.

 

[gtaus]

She has had such crappy service that she won't go there anymore.

You know, I played that card with the Fleet manager when I talked to him. I told him that if I had not been a regular customer at the store for the past 30+ years, I would have left the store and never returned either. But I am a regular customer of 30+ years, and I have more invested in the store maintaining a high quality of service. So, I compliment when I can, and complain if I have to.

 

[gtaus]

Sounds like you stuck with the issues you encountered until you were able to find the right person to help, and got great resolutions in the end. But as you stated, this puts an unnecessary hard pull on managers to meet needs that could otherwise be handled by the floor reps.

At this stage of my life, I have the time to stick with some issues and make my case to higher levels of management. Don't always get the results I hope for, but I try. I just hate to see so many petty issues getting raised to a manager level, but willing to burn their time if they don't give the lower level reps the authority to solve problems. Persistency usually pays off, but not always. And, I can live with that, too.