Tag Archives: poor service

Waterfront Boat Company Sweet and Bird Boutique Cafe Sour Service Awards

The Sweet Service Award goes to the Waterfront Boat Company, for hosting a group of guest house owners on a harbour cruise on a picture-perfect Cape Town evening, accompanied by Boschendal Grande Cuvee Brut and their Le Grande Pavillon Brut Rosé, and then hosted by Waterfront 221 restaurant, to introduce the Cruise and Dine package which the restaurant and the cruise company have developed.

The Sour Service Award goes to Bird Boutique Café in Bree Street.  It was a first visit, and we sat in the entrance hall at a long table with benches.  A waitress took our order.  It took 20 minutes to bring tap water.  The food order for the second person was not given to the kitchen.  The orange juice had to be re-ordered.   The food was slow in coming from the kitchen.  I spoke to the co-owner Heike Stegmann, having asked for her, and spoke in German to her, out of courtesy to her, as I had read that she was German.  She immediately told me that I could not say “Du” to her, but had to say “Sie”, as I did not know her!   In South Africa most Germans would say ‘Du’, especially as I was older than she.   No disrespect had been intended.  There was no apology for the poor service, but we were told that we should have seen the note that customers must place their own order in the kitchen.  As we were not sitting in that room, we did not see the notice!  The waitress also did not tell us.  The menu was worn and partly torn, and we had a chipped glass in which the water was served.  The owners were in the kitchen, remaining hidden in the kitchen, behind a curtain.  We could not see the “boutique” in the name of the ‘restaurant’, especially with the crates for seating!  We bought 2 packets of home-made lebkuchen biscuits, and they were stone-hard when we ate them at home.

The WhaleTales Sweet & Sour Service Awards are presented every Friday on the WhaleTales blog.  Nominations for the Sweet and Sour Service Awards can be sent to Chris von Ulmenstein at info@whalecottage.com. Past winners of the Sweet and Sour Service Awards can be read on the Friday posts of this blog, and in the WhaleTales newsletters on the www.whalecottage.com website.

Mercedes Culemborg Sweet and Paarl Motors Sour Service Awards

The Sweet Service Award goes to Mercedes Culemborg, and was nominated by Eamon Mack, for the service recovery, after the appalling customer service he received when he went to collect his car.  “It had been towed in to Culemborg a week ago as it would not start. The fault was speculated to be the key or the ignition system. I was told my car will be ready at 4pm today. I took a taxi to the Foreshore and met the service advisor who was dealing with me. After a lot of hanging around she found the key for me, and presented me with a bill for R2300. I said fine, looking at it, and said that I’d pay 30% as I had one of those mobi plans. She said no, that I was due to pay 100%. I said, no, that I had spoken to a number of Mercedes people over the phone and they all had said 30% only was due.  She went into the Service Manager Peter Kruger who loudly said, “Tell him no, he must pay 100%, he has no cover as we do not pay for lost keys”. The service advisor came out and told me this and I stood my ground, explaining that I had not lost the key, but that it had malfunctioned.  At this stage Mr.Kruger appeared from his office with a bunch of files in his hand. I asked him what was going on.”You lost the key, you must pay 100%” he said. I said I had not. He asked where it was then, that they did not have it. I said it had gone in to Culemborg with the car. He denied this, saying that they never got the key. I protested and he said that the issue was between me and the towing company and that I had to pay 100%. He then turned his back on me and walked off.  At this stage I was left standing with the service advisor and a young woman who had spent the time while I was there ringing customers asking them if they had been happy with the service they had received, and to rate Mercedes on a scale of one to ten. How ironic.  She asked me what the issue was and I quickly explained, my blood pressure rising.   I recommended that they all sort it out amongst themselves and call me when they had a solution. I was offering to pay 30% of the bill and that was that. The service assistant said I must pay the full 100%, or I would not be allowed to drive the car away. I looked at her and reminded her that it was my car, and that I was going to drive away. She said I couldn’t as they were going to trap me in the garage by not raising the boom. I said I was going, and if they did not raise the boom I would drive through it. I couldn’t believe it!  Held hostage by Mercedes for a bill I did not owe. Incredible stuff.  I saw my car through the window, out in the garage and went over to it. I unlocked it and climbed in, started the motor, and drove towards the boom. Nothing happened. I wound down the window to ask the gateman to open the boom. I was prepared to give them one last chance. He didn’t budge.  I drove towards the boom, fully intent on escape.  Suddenly the customer services assistant appeared like magic at my window. ” Oh we’re going to let you go……..blah blah” I cut her off.  “I am very angry, young lady” I said, “and I am not going to finish this conversation with you now. Get your attorney to send me a letter”.  She raised the boom, and I drove off.  This is the worst customer service experience I have ever had in my entire life, bar none. I am still shaking with anger. Threatened with being trapped in Mercedes Culemborg with my car for a bill I did not owe.  Totally and completely outrageous and unacceptable.”  Eamon has since written, to say that the bill has been written off in full by Mercedes Culemborg, and an apology made to him.

The Sour Service Award goes to Paarl Motors, who have previously received three Sweet Service Awards.  The dealership’s Debtor’s Clerk Marietjie Brits handed a matter related to a cheque for a service to their lawyer, which had been rejected by their bank (Nedbank).  The Dealer Principal Jaco Kotze and the Workshop Manager did not try to intervene and resolve the matter.   The service from the Workshop has been outstanding over the past 5 years, and therefore the poor service received was disappointing.   Even more shocking was the attitude of Mr Kotze, who did the “my staff are perfect” customer alienation routine when called by the customer, without having taken the trouble to contact the customer proactively.   The client’s ABSA bank approved the banking of the cheque. No apology has been received from Paarl Motors.

The WhaleTales Sweet & Sour Service Awards are presented every Friday on the WhaleTales blog.  Nominations for the Sweet and Sour Service Awards can be sent to Chris von Ulmenstein at info@whalecottage.com.   Past winners of the Sweet and Sour Service Awards can be read on the Friday posts of this blog, and in the WhaleTales newsletters on the www.whalecottage.com website

England fans Sweet & African Eagle Sour Service Awards

The Sweet Service Award goes to the England supporters, who so bravely and in a sportsman-like manner accepted the outcome of their Round of 16 match against Germany just less than 2 weeks ago.   Despite the loss, they partied and no reports of hooliganism were received, something which has been associated with English soccer fans in the past.

                       

The Sour Service Award goes to Enver of African Eagle, for the poor service a group of Whale Cottage World Cup guests, who had booked the company to do a day-tour to Aquilla, received.   The company’s guide called the Whale Cottage Camps Bay Manager Marianna at 5h45 to obtain directions!   They called again, to say they could not find the house, and were given the correct address again.   It took a further 30 minutes for them to reach the guest house.   An hour later the guests returned, saying that they had asked to be returned to Whale Cottage Camps Bay, as the driver was still looking for other clients at 8h00, when they should have reached Aquilla already and had breakfast there!   It took Enver 24 hours to return Marianna’s call of complaint, due to a message that had not been passed on to him by his staff.  When he took ownership of the problem, Enver immediately apologised and explained that he had used a new Portuguese-speaking guide, who had been requested by other booked clients, but who did not know Cape Town well.   Enver promised to drop off bottles of wine for the Whale Cottage guests and chocolates for Marianna, to apologise for the poor service.   The guests have long since checked out and the promised wine and chocolates have not been received! 

The WhaleTales Sweet & Sour Service Awards are presented every Friday on the WhaleTales blog.  Nominations for the Sweet and Sour Service Awards can be sent to Chris von Ulmenstein at info@whalecottage.com.   Past winners of the Sweet and Sour Service Awards can be read on the Friday posts of this blog, and in the WhaleTales newsletters on the www.whalecottage.com website.