Good customer service

Banking and Saving strategies, maximizing interest rates, budgeting, GICs, HISAs.
Jaunty
Veteran Contributor
Veteran Contributor
Posts: 1539
Joined: 19 Feb 2007 16:41
Location: Niagara

Re: Good customer service

Post by Jaunty »

I have bought and installed 4 or5 toilets from HD. Seats had to be picked out separately each time.
twa2w
Veteran Contributor
Veteran Contributor
Posts: 2054
Joined: 22 Feb 2005 13:08

Re: Good customer service

Post by twa2w »

And I bought 4 toilets over the last year and all came with seats - 3 Home Depot and 1 Rona
User avatar
scomac
Veteran Contributor
Veteran Contributor
Posts: 7788
Joined: 19 Feb 2005 09:47
Location: The Gateway to Wine Country

Re: Good customer service

Post by scomac »

We have just completed a bathroom reno as well. The toilet was ordered from a plumbing supplier and the seat had to be specified when the unit was ordered, IOW it was separate.
"On what principle is it, that when we see nothing but improvement behind us, we are to expect nothing but deterioration before us?"
Thomas Babington Macaulay in 1830
User avatar
Bylo Selhi
Veteran Contributor
Veteran Contributor
Posts: 29493
Joined: 16 Feb 2005 10:36
Location: Waterloo, ON
Contact:

Re: Good customer service

Post by Bylo Selhi »

biker wrote:Home Hardware...Almost never .....you have to pick out the seat you want.
All three seem to carry the same popular brands like American Standard etc.
We bought three American Standard toilets at Home Hardware. They came with matching seats. I recall that when we were looking for toilets at HD, HH, et al, some came with and others without. Typically the more generic models came with and the fancier designer models came without. There were some exceptions in both cases, e.g. some of the high-end models came with custom designed seats, presumably because standard seats wouldn't fit.

Bottom line: it depends.
Sedulously eschew obfuscatory hyperverbosity and prolixity.
biker
Veteran Contributor
Veteran Contributor
Posts: 2488
Joined: 19 Feb 2005 08:57

Re: Good customer service

Post by biker »

twa2w wrote:And I bought 4 toilets over the last year and all came with seats - 3 Home Depot and 1 Rona
I now know that these came from Lowes and were in the box. Lowes will exchange them tho'. Lot of decisions to make with a bathroom reno . With toilet alone/height 14-17 inches/1 flush or 2/design/seat type/overall length/location of paper roller..
These will see us out......... as my late mom used to say.
Live like you are dying but invest like you are immortal.

"Men do not quit playing because they grow old ; they grow old because they quit playing" Oliver Wendell Holmes
User avatar
Shakespeare
Veteran Contributor
Veteran Contributor
Posts: 23396
Joined: 15 Feb 2005 23:25
Location: Calgary, AB

Re: Good customer service

Post by Shakespeare »

Get the higher one. :thumbsup:
Sic transit gloria mundi. Tuesday is usually worse. - Robert A. Heinlein, Starman Jones
j831robert
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 752
Joined: 01 May 2005 14:12
Location: SW Ontario

Re: Good customer service

Post by j831robert »

Story time and begging the subject. One buys a property and the lady of the (new) house immediately must put her imprint on it. We went shopping for a replacement toilet, each of us with some special requirements. Madams main concern was the very obvious fact that all flush toilets were obviously designed by men who never had to clean them (exteriors - all manner of curly-ques and ugly bolt floor fasteners. Seems to take forever to find an easy clean design (smooth all around with securing bolts covered). Having lived in Europe I wanted to add a foot-washer (bidet to the uneducated) but really not room in the new bathroom. I like to read in the "John" so an elongated, comfortable seat was my insistence and we finally found one called "Princess" which serves to this day, but I never got around to installing the music box works attached to the seat which was to play Handel's Watermusic when the seat has lifted. The service angle comes in at the expression on the face of male salespersons when asked if they ever cleaned the toilet at home - ranged from incredulity to disgust and I don't recall ever finding a male who would admit to having done so.
tedster
Veteran Contributor
Veteran Contributor
Posts: 8515
Joined: 27 Feb 2005 10:11
Location: Montreal

Re: Good customer service

Post by tedster »

j831robert wrote
I wanted to add a foot-washer (bidet to the uneducated)
Your feet are in a strange place. :rofl: Foot-washer?
j831robert
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 752
Joined: 01 May 2005 14:12
Location: SW Ontario

Re: Good customer service

Post by j831robert »

tedster et al: Wife and three daughters - family joke appreciated by the two sons. Sort of a 'foot in mouth' thingee (there - just wanted to beat someone to that comment).
tedster
Veteran Contributor
Veteran Contributor
Posts: 8515
Joined: 27 Feb 2005 10:11
Location: Montreal

Re: Good customer service

Post by tedster »

j831robert wrote
Sort of a 'foot in mouth'
OOOOOPS! Is that how you eat. :rofl:
j831robert
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 752
Joined: 01 May 2005 14:12
Location: SW Ontario

Re: Good customer service

Post by j831robert »

tedster et al: Well, put a mark on your wall, you beat "Shakes" who is usually pretty darned quick on the draw. Nuff, I'm off to Vegas shortly and need my rest.
tedster
Veteran Contributor
Veteran Contributor
Posts: 8515
Joined: 27 Feb 2005 10:11
Location: Montreal

Re: Good customer service

Post by tedster »

Well watch where you put your feet. lol
User avatar
Bylo Selhi
Veteran Contributor
Veteran Contributor
Posts: 29493
Joined: 16 Feb 2005 10:36
Location: Waterloo, ON
Contact:

Re: Good customer service

Post by Bylo Selhi »

I ordered some stuff online from MEC. The package just arrived. Among the goodies I found a pair of "toe socks" that they'd sent in error instead of the hiking sock liners I'd ordered.

I called the 1-800 number and a human being answered on the first ring. I explained what had happened and before I could ask how to return the wrong socks, the guy says, "Don't worry about returning the toe socks. It will cost us more in postage to reimburse you for that. Just keep them and we'll send you the correct socks for free."

So...
1. A human being answered.
2. On the first ring.
3. They're smart enough to write off their mistakes when it makes economic sense rather than make me return the item so as to prove that I'm telling them the truth.
4. Even if the item was valuable enough to justify the cost of return shipping, they'd pay for that.

:thumbsup:
Sedulously eschew obfuscatory hyperverbosity and prolixity.
User avatar
kcowan
Veteran Contributor
Veteran Contributor
Posts: 16033
Joined: 18 Apr 2006 20:33
Location: Pacific latitude 20/49

Re: Good customer service

Post by kcowan »

Local merchant, Bed Bath and Beyond, said to DW. Please bring the pillow back that you do not find suitable for a full refund. We give these away as a part of our charitable programs. She bought another one and mine is fine. :thumbsup:
For the fun of it...Keith
thebigmacd
Newcomer
Newcomer
Posts: 1
Joined: 05 Sep 2015 22:38

Re: Good customer service

Post by thebigmacd »

Teksavvy

I had an Internet plan of 60 Mbps with a 300 GB/month cap. My brother-in-law lived in the basement and he used the bulk of the data, which was about 200 GB/month.

After my brother-in-law moved out, I went online and switched to a plan of 15 Mbps and 150 GB cap, since we didn't need the bandwidth nor the cap we used to.

The next morning I got a call from Teksavvy warning that my new plan had a cap lower than my previous usage and wanted to confirm I was aware of this before placing my order.

I was impressed that I could:
(a) Switch to a lower-speed plan, without speaking to anyone, at 1am, with no fees, and
(b) the company called me first thing the very next morning because they were watching by back.

Good luck getting that service from the big players. Love the company and the price.
User avatar
Arby
Veteran Contributor
Veteran Contributor
Posts: 3125
Joined: 20 Feb 2005 19:23
Location: Ottawa, ON

Re: Good customer service

Post by Arby »

I placed an online order on Sunday night for a new BBQ from Lowes. It was too big to fit in my car, so I requested that it be delivered. Most retailers charged around $70 for delivery, but Lowes offered free delivery. Lowes also had the lowest price for that particular model of BBQ. The new BBQ arrived at my door two days later. I prefer to support local businesses, but I don't know how a small business can compete with the price and delivery service offered by Lowes.
User avatar
Insomniac
Veteran Contributor
Veteran Contributor
Posts: 2802
Joined: 29 Oct 2011 19:01
Location: Vancouver Island

Re: Good customer service

Post by Insomniac »

The service at our local Rona is terrible. Maybe new management from Lowes will tune them up.
brucecohen
Veteran Contributor
Veteran Contributor
Posts: 13310
Joined: 20 Feb 2005 16:47

Re: Good customer service

Post by brucecohen »

My local Rona was horrible. There have been notable changes over the past year so now the store is merely terrible. Lowes is my favorite big box chain but I think they might have trouble absorbing Rona. My Rona store is quite small and so are many others. Also many Rona stores are franchises while Lowes stores are all company-owned, I think. Might be that Lowes converts or closes big Rona stores while putting all the small ones into a sub with its own management.
User avatar
scomac
Veteran Contributor
Veteran Contributor
Posts: 7788
Joined: 19 Feb 2005 09:47
Location: The Gateway to Wine Country

Re: Good customer service

Post by scomac »

We still have several smaller privately owned lumber yards in my vicinity. The closest store to me is a Rona. It's OK, but I suspect that's because it is a franchise that has been under several different banners over the years, but the same ownership/management. I haven't bought anything for a big project recently, but it seems to be suitable to me for run-of-the-mill home improvement/repairs.

When my BIL and I were getting my MIL's house ready for sale we pretty near lived at the local Rona and Home Hardware stores for our supplies. That was 5 years ago, but both were really good to us then.
"On what principle is it, that when we see nothing but improvement behind us, we are to expect nothing but deterioration before us?"
Thomas Babington Macaulay in 1830
Flaccidsteele
Veteran Contributor
Veteran Contributor
Posts: 4523
Joined: 06 Mar 2014 12:52
Location: Retired Gen Xer somewhere on the planet earth

Re: Good customer service

Post by Flaccidsteele »

Just a comment on the thread topic.

Personally I try to increase the odds that I get good customer service by being very friendly. Psychologically it's difficult for an employee to give bad service to a person who's friendly and interested in their life/hardships/etc. They'll fight harder for you and jump through hoops where, with a typically neutral/unfriendly customer, they would just spew a canned closing line.

If I didn't try to tilt customer service to my advantage I would be leaving it up to whether the customer service rep was having a good/bad day, is naturally helpful/friendly, company policy etc.

From refunds, to cancelling service, returns, cost deferrals, etc. it works well. Being a friendly listener has real-dollar value.
Stan_W
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 243
Joined: 26 Jul 2010 14:49

Re: Good customer service

Post by Stan_W »

Flaccidsteele wrote: Personally I try to increase the odds that I get good customer service by being very friendly. Psychologically it's difficult for an employee to give bad service to a person who's friendly and interested in their life/hardships/etc. They'll fight harder for you and jump through hoops where, with a typically neutral/unfriendly customer, they would just spew a canned closing line.
Flaccid is correct. Many years ago, I was a desk clerk in a major hotel. A big guy approached the desk and was an a$$hole from the word go. He was on a corporate rate, which meant that I could assign him any room. I gave him a room with twin beds.

The bellman took him up and two minutes later he called down and asked if had had a "room with a goddamn decent sized bed". I told him that the only rooms available with queen or king beds were deluxe rooms, so his bed cost him an extra 60%.

On the other hand, I gave deluxe rooms to families, just so they would have a little extra room.
User avatar
deaddog
Veteran Contributor
Veteran Contributor
Posts: 3422
Joined: 19 Jan 2008 19:59
Location: Central BC/Arizona

Re: Good customer service

Post by deaddog »

Stan_W wrote: Flaccid is correct. Many years ago, I was a desk clerk in a major hotel. A big guy approached the desk and was an a$$hole from the word go. He was on a corporate rate, which meant that I could assign him any room. I gave him a room with twin beds.

The bellman took him up and two minutes later he called down and asked if had had a "room with a goddamn decent sized bed". I told him that the only rooms available with queen or king beds were deluxe rooms, so his bed cost him an extra 60%.

On the other hand, I gave deluxe rooms to families, just so they would have a little extra room.
Did you gain anything? You probably lost a good cooperate client. And the family will be disappointed on their next visit when they don't get the same room for the same price and they won't be back either. Both customers will tell their friends.
"And the days that I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations, well, I have really good days" RW Hubbard
Flaccidsteele
Veteran Contributor
Veteran Contributor
Posts: 4523
Joined: 06 Mar 2014 12:52
Location: Retired Gen Xer somewhere on the planet earth

Re: Good customer service

Post by Flaccidsteele »

Once you realize that often-mistreated customers service employees don't care about lining the pockets of their corporate overlords, the easier it is to get good customer service. Anecdotally true and repeatable.

A nice idea tho. No company cares about 1 cog when they have 10,000 of them.
Stan_W
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 243
Joined: 26 Jul 2010 14:49

Re: Good customer service

Post by Stan_W »

deaddog wrote:
Stan_W wrote: Flaccid is correct. Many years ago, I was a desk clerk in a major hotel. A big guy approached the desk and was an a$$hole from the word go. He was on a corporate rate, which meant that I could assign him any room. I gave him a room with twin beds.

The bellman took him up and two minutes later he called down and asked if had had a "room with a goddamn decent sized bed". I told him that the only rooms available with queen or king beds were deluxe rooms, so his bed cost him an extra 60%.

On the other hand, I gave deluxe rooms to families, just so they would have a little extra room.
Did you gain anything? You probably lost a good cooperate client. And the family will be disappointed on their next visit when they don't get the same room for the same price and they won't be back either. Both customers will tell their friends.
When the hotel is going to be full, someone is going to get that room. There were several rooms on each floor with two twin beds. (This was the 80's). It was absolutely normal for a corporate client to get a twin room. Queens and kings were saved for couples.

Whenever I upgraded someone, I let them know so that I didn't set up expectations for next time.
Chuck
Veteran Contributor
Veteran Contributor
Posts: 2048
Joined: 21 Feb 2005 11:48
Location: Manitoba

Re: Good customer service

Post by Chuck »

I've seen this go both ways.

Starting at neutral, it may be true you can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar.

OTOH, I've seen people who kick up such a stink when they are unhappy they are given what they want (possibly more to get rid of them than anything). I'm not that good at this myself, but there seems to be a technique of "righteous outrage" where the disgruntled client does not quite go crazy, but conveys the message: I am prepared to argue this for hours, so pick your poison - give me satisfaction or be prepared to spend your afternoon dealing with me.

In the same vein as some employees don't care that much about corporate profit from the "happy customer" point of view, some employees also don't care that much about corporate profit from a dealing with hassles point of view (i.e. they will give discounts/refunds to make headaches go away).
Post Reply