Community reaction to terrible customer service

With the holiday shopping season behind us, and in advance of the CBC's Marketplace season premiere on Jan. 6 - all about rotten customer service - we asked CBC community members to share their tips for dealing with poor customer service.

Our non-scientific survey received more than 2,100 votes by noon ET on Thursday. The most popular response, netting almost 35 per cent of the vote, was to boycott the store.

Some of our readers explained the circumstances under which they would boycott a company:

• "If the bad service is a result of bad, self serving company policy, I boycott the company, and I tell my friends about my bad experiences with them. If the bad service is a result of a bad employee, I speak to the manager or write a letter to the company." - Aulden Gray
• "In just about everything, I go by the 'three strikes you're out' mentality. Wherever I may go, be it a store, restaurant, bank, etc, I use it and it works. The first, it may be the person who is supposed to be helping me having a bad day. The second, I may be having a bad day and therefore may be more short-tempered or don't have patience. The third though tells me what I probably know. If after three tries, I am still not satisfied with what I'm getting, then it's goodbye." - Northern Princess
• "If the problem is a staff member, I'll generally ignore it, mutter under my breath and then chastise myself for being uncharitable - everyone has bad days! However if it's a store policy or overall lack of consideration for the customer, I simply don't buy OR ever return again. I also make sure my friends & family know the how and why of it." - wytrvn

But others questioned whether boycotts are effective:

• "I've never really been one to boycott a store - I've known people who do, and I don't really see the point in it. One bad experience doesn't write the entire place off for me - I've been in stores where I have received both the top and bottom levels of service from different employees.

  But if I feel like I am getting jerked around, or given wrong information I will indeed leave and do some research myself, or come back at a later time and talk to someone else." - apsham

One reader thwarts poor customer service by avoiding stores altogether:

• "I'm generally more surprised nowadays by good customer service than bad. There is an element of professionalism that is lacking and definitely has encouraged an increase in internet shopping on my part." - Cyreen

Many of you said you consider it important to reward good service in addition to punishing the bad:

• "I live within walking distance of two grocery stores, both large chains.

  I go to the one where the clerks say 'Hello' to me and seem to want to help.

  It is a little closer but if they were snarky with me I would go somewhere else pronto." - jessiej

• "The other side of the coin is missing from these comments. You need to reinforce good service as well. I take equal time to call a manager and compliment a customer service rep's excellent service as well as call attention to a rude or disinterested clerk." - Kkaty98

More than 11 per cent of respondents said they ignore the poor service and assume the clerk is having a bad day. Some commenters suggested that customer service might improve if people were generally nicer to the people who serve them:

• "I have been in the customer service industry most of my adult life. I know darn well that the clerks are normally at the bottom of the pecking order and paid poorly. I see how they are often treated by unruly customers, too. I voted 'other" because I tend to study the clerk a bit and show some interest in the person. I find something to compliment her/him on, be it earrings or a terrific outfit, a great hair cut or whatever or just show some compassion and understanding of the day she/he is probably having. This usually brings a smile and gives everybody a better shopping experience. I also find it much more pleasant to shop in the smaller stores rather than the big box stores. You tend to get much better and friendlier customer service." - Lee'sBrew

But one former customer service rep argues against that:

• "I've been on both sides of the counter. When you are friendly and helpful in customer service and work hard, you can get a better job out of it. Twice I have been offered jobs by customers I served. I don't buy the overworked, underpaid people are allowed to be grumpy argument. That won't get you anywhere in life." - RiflesN'Roses

Finally, some of you told us that while you dislike poor customer service, there are more important things in life:

• "Life is too short to get your knickers in a knot over some poor customer service. Next time you are about to get frustrated by poor service just think: that lazy or rude sales clerk you are about to get annoyed at is working in retail, likely for minimum wage or close to it. As annoyed as you are in that moment, you can console yourself with the fact that at least you don't have their job. I'm not excusing poor service, I'm just saying it's not worth getting upset over." - truth2000
• "It is a very competitive world and life is too short to get caught up in petty squabbles with ham-fisted, mediocre clerks or supervisors. Find stores that put customers first and give them your loyalty. There are plenty out there on Main Street on on the Internet." - Kensington 1

Thanks for following our coverage. Feel free to continue the conversation in the comments!

Watch Marketplace's season premiere on Fri., Jan. 6. Canada's Worst Customer Service: The Store Edition airs at 8 p.m. ET on CBC News.

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourcommunity/2012/01/community-reaction-to-terrible-customer-service.html

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