Have you recently spent your hard earned dollars and received poor service in return? The last time you visited a restaurant, car dealership, grocery or convenience store, hotel, a clinic or anywhere else did you get the service you expected for the money you spent?
Did you answer, "yes" to the first question and "no" to the last question? I answered those questions the same way you did, it's enough to make me want to pay businesses to allow me to mystery shop for them! I believe every business should hire mystery shoppers often to find out what the paying people are really experiencing.
Good service. Does good service exist these days? I search high and low for good service while I'm visiting restaurants, car dealerships, clinics, etc. I am careful to study the employees, products and services that I receive. Why? Well, because I am paying. There was a time when I'd spend my money and excuse bad service and/or poor quality but now, it's unacceptable. I don't mind taking the time to call the manager of the store, calling the toll free number on the bag or making contact via the internet. Why? Well, because...
That's MY Money (and yours too), that's making them richer!
I recently planned a weekend trip and made reservations at what seemed to be a nice hotel from the online pictures. I was more impressed with the nice, manicured yard and the size of the hotel when I pulled into the parking lot. As I entered the hotel to check in everything in the lobby was shining, surely this was the place to be for the weekend and I was there!
Suddenly, my mood changed as I turned to go to my room and I heard the desk clerk say to me from behind, “If your room isn't clean, just give me a call.” I didn't have any idea why my room wouldn't be clean, after all, I was an expected guest. This was no surprise visit. They knew I was coming for at least a week before my arrival. They had had plenty of time to clean my room. But, I would find out minutes later why the desk clerk gave the warning and I'm sure I was not the first guest that she had warned.
And, if I would've allowed the elevator to be the first sign that this wasn't going to be the place to be for the weekend, I would've never made it to my room. The elevator floor was dirty and I believe the paint on the walls had even given up on life. A problem that could've been solved in less than an hour but, the hotel obviously didn't understand the importance of a clean elevator.
My crew and I reached our two suites and immediately, we realized that there was nothing sweet about these suites. One couch had slits in the cushions, surely a needle and some thread could've taken care of that, perhaps a patch? We carefully searched for the hide-a-way bed under the loveseat and I do mean carefully for fear that a rat might jump out at us!
There was a blanket between the folded mattress that had probably been balled up in the mattress since the 90's. Nasty looking. The toilets had rings wider than the equator and I really just couldn't and didn't want to imagine actually using the one in my room. And then there was the shower. The dripping shower head and mildew on the shower walls too?
I had really seen enough at this point but then of course, there were the beds and my curiosity grew. I pulled back the comforter on one bed hoping with everything inside of me that I wouldn't find hairs or anything that forensic scientist could gather DNA from. Amazingly, it seemed to be the cleanest area in the room. But, I was convinced that if I slept in that bed overnight I would surely wake up with something that I didn't have the day before. Lice. Ticks. Fleas. Ring worms. You name it.
My group and I gathered our things and checked out in less than thirty minutes. I don't know where they took the pictures of the rooms that they used online but one thing I'm sure of, it wasn't the rooms that they gave us. I tried to contact the hotel manager over the next couple of days, it has been a month and a half and I'm still waiting to hear from him. I wonder why? My gut feeling tells me that I'd have a better chance of meeting up with the President of the United States than receiving a phone call from that hotel manager.
I'll leave you with these two Poor Service Points to Ponder.
Poor Service. An employee that handles a customer's money (money that has probably been around the world and back) and then turns, grabs a pair of gloves (without washing his/her hands) preparing to make your food while the outside of those gloves are now just as contaminated as their bare hands isn't concerned about your health. I've witnessed this over and over again. I've walked out a few times after seeing employees do this but, there has been times when I've asked them to go and wash their hands before preparing my food.
Now, I have to admit that that is a little embarrassing for me to do. It's embarrassing for me and I'm sure that it's embarrassing for the employee. I am never rude about it but, I've decided that if a food service worker doesn't care about my health and the possibility of getting me sick, embarrassing him or her is the least of my worries.
Poor Service. The cost of your insurance and co-pay continue to go up from time to time but, doctors often still seem:
- Unconcerned
- Clueless
- Ready to get to the next patient
- ___________ (You fill in the blank)
