How Important is Customer Service to YOU?

[Ntharotep]

Inspired by This Thread, I was curious of how much people value customer service in this day and age and how it effects their being a customer.

When discussing this with friends, coworkers, family- I hear a lot of different opinions. One of the arguments that seems to rise more and more (and more) is:
"Well look at how much they are paid and how they are treated by their employers..."

My problem is that I've worked a range of jobs over the years, some good jobs and some crappy jobs with crappy management. I have very rarely if ever taken this out on the customer. It is simple logic to me. If I have a crappy boss that isn't the customer's fault so why provide anything less than good customer service?
Everyone has bad days, of course, but these days it seems less and less expected that the service industry treat you like a customer unless you are paying hundreds or thousands of dollars (and even then you might be treated like an inconvenience).

So is it a big deal? Is being treated well as a customer a thing of the past to fall to the wayside like Disco?

Paing is the new paying...oops.

 

[haymarket]

Good question. Customer service is very important to me and I prize it highly. for example, I only buy Apple computers because they have superior customer service where I can walk in with the product and get fast help from a professional - an actual GENIUS :mrgreen: - and get my problem taken care of.

 

[Cardinal]

Hugely important. If you have a choice in the matter why would you buy a product or service where you're treated poorly? It's not simply demeaning, the larger problem is that you're almost certainly going to get an inferior product or service.

That said, when I was with Bank of America, never have I been treated with greater care and bigger smiles while they were raping me.

 

[Gaius46]

Very important.

Even for goods and services that you can differentiate on quality - like restaurant food - good customer service matters very much to me.

When I first started in the computer field I worked for a company that was know for its stellar customer service organization. Customers paid for it to be sure but the service they got was unparalleled in the industry at the time. Looking at the customer service I get from typical PC vendors these days I have to laugh. None of them have a clue as to what real customer service is.

 

[winston53660]

Had a client dying from liver problems and she wanted family photos. I did the gig but for her things took a turn for the worse and she was hospitalized. And the prognosis was grim. So I hurried my little ass up got the images done and actually delivered them to the hospital. It was a good thing because it made her really happy and shortly there after she passed away.

 

[Cephus]

It's important, I don't think it's the most important thing most of the time. It depends on the circumstances. If I'm shopping for a product and the employees aren't too obnoxious, I'm fine with it. I'm not there for them. If I'm in a restaurant and the employees are obnoxious, then yes. There are restaurants I will never go back to again because of horrible customer service. And yes, I have absolutely sent food back to the kitchen if there was something seriously wrong with what I was brought. But then again, I grew up in a time when being polite was the norm and the expectation. Today, kids don't have a clue what being polite is. They just don't care and it shows in their work a lot of the time.

 

[ttwtt78640]

Customer service is important but does not make up for product quality or price in most cases.

 

[Ntharotep]

Customer service is important but does not make up for product quality or price in most cases.

I was going to ask about this as well.
An example here in Florida is our chain of supermarkets called Publix. They have, at least locally, the most outstanding customer service and their custom foods (produce, deli, baked goods, etc) are usually higher quality than, say, Walmart. I also have had some bad service encounters at the local Walmart, certainly more than at Publix.
However. Walmart is typically cheaper for a large scale grocery quest. Sometimes, I just can't afford to shop at Publix which is too bad really.
I have a feeling I'm not the only one who sometimes or often puts cost over service. Considering how popular Walmart is.

Just an example, nothing really against Walmart as a whole or to worship Publix...though if they keep making that lemon pepper chicken...

 

[Dittohead not!]

In restaurants, I appreciate a good waiter and generally leave a much better tip than for a mediocre waiter.

Calling/emailing customer service, I detest having to wade through a bunch of robotic voices with lists of "menu" items that have nothing to do with why I'm calling, then hearing "We're experiencing an unusually high volume of calls...." then finally getting someone who has such a thick accent I can hardly understand them.

 

[Lutherf]

Hugely important. If you have a choice in the matter why would you buy a product or service where you're treated poorly? It's not simply demeaning, the larger problem is that you're almost certainly going to get an inferior product or service.

That said, when I was with Bank of America, never have I been treated with greater care and bigger smiles while they were raping me.

At least you got the smiles. Wells Fargo just rapes you. They specialize in customer disservice.

 

[Phys251]

Customer service vs. worker's rights is, IMO, the core of the microeconomic struggle. Not workers vs. management or customers vs. the company. I've been intending to start a thread about this topic. But justifying this claim here would be a thread derail. So suffice it to say, I believe in a balance of satisfying the customer vs. supporting the laborer.

 

[radcen]

I was going to ask about this as well.
An example here in Florida is our chain of supermarkets called Publix. They have, at least locally, the most outstanding customer service and their custom foods (produce, deli, baked goods, etc) are usually higher quality than, say, Walmart. I also have had some bad service encounters at the local Walmart, certainly more than at Publix.
However. Walmart is typically cheaper for a large scale grocery quest. Sometimes, I just can't afford to shop at Publix which is too bad really.
I have a feeling I'm not the only one who sometimes or often puts cost over service. Considering how popular Walmart is.

Just an example, nothing really against Walmart as a whole or to worship Publix...though if they keep making that lemon pepper chicken...

Here there is a grocery chain called Hy-Vee. Their slogan is "A friendly smile in every aisle"*, and they play it up big time. Note no mention of price and/or value.

That's great, and it is a good place to shop, but they're also about 30% higher than the Walmart down the street. I would prefer to shop at Hy-Vee all the time, but I have to protect my own financial interests, as well. Hence, I shop very selectively at Hy-Vee.

*- I have observed over the years that if a company touts everything in their marketing except price, then even they know they're gouging you. That's what Hy-Vee does, IMO.

 

[radcen]

Customer service is important but does not make up for product quality or price in most cases.

Right, but it can be a tipping point if all other factors are roughly equal.

 

[Carjosse]

Good question. Customer service is very important to me and I prize it highly. for example, I only buy Apple computers because they have superior customer service where I can walk in with the product and get fast help from a professional - an actual GENIUS :mrgreen: - and get my problem taken care of.

You also pay several arms and legs for that. If it was not an Apple computer you could just fix the problem yourself and not have to talk to anyone.

 

[radcen]

Inspired by This Thread, I was curious of how much people value customer service in this day and age and how it effects their being a customer.

When discussing this with friends, coworkers, family- I hear a lot of different opinions. One of the arguments that seems to rise more and more (and more) is:
"Well look at how much they are paid and how they are treated by their employers..."

My problem is that I've worked a range of jobs over the years, some good jobs and some crappy jobs with crappy management. I have very rarely if ever taken this out on the customer. It is simple logic to me. If I have a crappy boss that isn't the customer's fault so why provide anything less than good customer service?
Everyone has bad days, of course, but these days it seems less and less expected that the service industry treat you like a customer unless you are paying hundreds or thousands of dollars (and even then you might be treated like an inconvenience).

So is it a big deal? Is being treated well as a customer a thing of the past to fall to the wayside like Disco?

Paing is the new paying...oops.

Customer service is very important to me. It doesn't replace price, but it's up there.

That being said, I don't like to be hounded. If I do need something, have somebody reasonably available for me to find. I'm good with that.

I have done my own personal boycotts of stores over customer service. I will not boycott over social issues, because I figure if I look deep enough they'll all piss me off one way or another, but I will boycott over crappy service.

 

[ocean515]

Inspired by This Thread, I was curious of how much people value customer service in this day and age and how it effects their being a customer.

When discussing this with friends, coworkers, family- I hear a lot of different opinions. One of the arguments that seems to rise more and more (and more) is:
"Well look at how much they are paid and how they are treated by their employers..."

My problem is that I've worked a range of jobs over the years, some good jobs and some crappy jobs with crappy management. I have very rarely if ever taken this out on the customer. It is simple logic to me. If I have a crappy boss that isn't the customer's fault so why provide anything less than good customer service?
Everyone has bad days, of course, but these days it seems less and less expected that the service industry treat you like a customer unless you are paying hundreds or thousands of dollars (and even then you might be treated like an inconvenience).

So is it a big deal? Is being treated well as a customer a thing of the past to fall to the wayside like Disco?

Paing is the new paying...oops.

Great customer service can cover a multitude of sins. Poor customer service can derail the best of products.

 

[radcen]

One minor pet-peeve: I get to the check-out and they ask, "Did you find everything ok?"

Even if the answer is 'no', at this point I have given up and no longer want it. If I truly *need* it, I would have asked someone before I went to check out. I have no desire to go back while one of your people helps me look for it. Not to mention I don't want to hold up the line behind me. Just check my stuff and let me go on my way.

 

[Cardinal]

At least you got the smiles. Wells Fargo just rapes you. They specialize in customer disservice.

If I could go back in time and correct just one injustice in my life, I would tell my past self to get out of regular banks and go with Federal Credit Unions.

 

[radcen]

If I could go back in time and correct just one injustice in my life, I would tell my past self to get out of regular banks and go with Federal Credit Unions.

I divested myself of Wells Fargo about a dozen years ago. I was somewhat disappointed that they didn't even ask me why I was closing my account. I guess they didn't care because, no matter what dissatisfied customers say, they're not going to change anyway. In hindsight, that's very telling of how much they value customer service.

 

[CanadaJohn]

Customer service is very important to me and it's why I treat company employees well. There's nothing so specialized that I buy that I can't get at several other locations so a good relationship with the staff and ownership is what makes my customer experience worth while.

 

[Cardinal]

I divested myself of Wells Fargo about a dozen years ago. I was somewhat disappointed that they didn't even ask me why I was closing my account. I guess they didn't care because, no matter what dissatisfied customers say, they're not going to change anyway. In hindsight, that's very telling of how much they value customer service.

One of Bank of America's favorite pastimes was to arbitrarily charge me monthly fees. I call them "zombie fees" because no matter how many times I had them remove those fees (which they did with a smile and a "yes, sir!"), several months later...bam, another monthly "maintenance" fee would come back to life. Often I would realize that those fees had quietly been there for months before I finally noticed.

Seriously, **** those guys.

 

[Lutherf]

I divested myself of Wells Fargo about a dozen years ago. I was somewhat disappointed that they didn't even ask me why I was closing my account. I guess they didn't care because, no matter what dissatisfied customers say, they're not going to change anyway. In hindsight, that's very telling of how much they value customer service.

I use Wells Fargo for one reason only, their credit card never gets turned down because I'm out of state and didn't tell the bank in advance. I was at a gun show a few weeks ago and had one of the guys haul out a pretty good supply of ammo. When I tried to pay with my debit card it got denied because the vendor is California based. I could have called my bank but it was a weekend so I just pulled out the Wells Fargo card. I told the guy as I handed it to him, "this one will work because Wells Fargo doesn't care".

 

[haymarket]

You also pay several arms and legs for that. If it was not an Apple computer you could just fix the problem yourself and not have to talk to anyone.

And I am more than happy to do that.

I realize you do not know me... but telling me I could fix the problem ..... thats pretty funny given that I owned pc's for over a decade and tried to do that over and over and over again. And sometimes it worked ---- briefly..... only to return like a bad cold sore.

I will stick with the Great God Apple and be proud of it.

 

[Cardinal]

I use Wells Fargo for one reason only, their credit card never gets turned down because I'm out of state and didn't tell the bank in advance. I was at a gun show a few weeks ago and had one of the guys haul out a pretty good supply of ammo. When I tried to pay with my debit card it got denied because the vendor is California based. I could have called my bank but it was a weekend so I just pulled out the Wells Fargo card. I told the guy as I handed it to him, "this one will work because Wells Fargo doesn't care".

Hahaha, that's awesome. Every once in a while my credit card will lock down because an attempted charge will look funky to them. Every time this happens I calmly call them, re-activate the card, and tell them "Thank you."

 

[Carjosse]

And I am more than happy to do that.

I realize you do not know me... but telling me I could fix the problem ..... thats pretty funny given that I owned pc's for over a decade and tried to do that over and over and over again. And sometimes it worked ---- briefly..... only to return like a bad cold sore.

I will stick with the Great God Apple and be proud of it.

To each their own I guess. No amount of customer service will ever make up for their pretentious attitude and horrible business practices for me.