The Sweet Service Award goes to Mark, the Manager at Willoughby & Co in the V & A Waterfront, for reversing a potential Sour Award into a Sweet Award. A customer went to Willoughby’s just after 22h00, after seeing a movie, wanting a quick calamari meal. Initially she was completely ignored. A waiter then asked how she could be assisted, and when she said what she wanted to eat, he apologised, saying that the restaurant was closed, even though all the doors were wide open. He was adamant that the kitchen had been cleaned up already. According to him, the kitchen closes promptly at 22h00. The customer asked whether it was possible to have sushi instead, and the sushi chef agreed immediately and made a hand roll most promptly. Just at that point Mark arrived at the restaurant, and had heard that there was a problem, and came to the customer. He expressed surprise that the closing time had been communicated as 22h00, as it is 22h30. He immediately offered to have the calamari dish prepared. It was delicious. The “crowning glory” was that Mark refused to accept payment for the meal, a most generous make-good, and a sure way to build brand loyalty.
The Sour Service Award goes to Daniel of Planet Fitness in Durbanville, for calling a guest house in Camps Bay at 15h00 on a Sunday afternoon, to check if it had received undefined vouchers. Daniel made it sound as if he was a long-lost friend, and as if the recipient of the call would know who he is. He was told that direct marketing calls on a Sunday afternoon for business purposes were not professional. His boss Heinrich agreed and apologised. However, a day later, another person from Planet Fitness in Durbanville called, with the same question. The recipient of the call had to explain to the caller that it was extremely unlikely that a Camps Bay resident or guest house guest would drive all the way to Durbanville, a journey of 30 – 45 minutes, depending on traffic, to use the gym!
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.
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[…] Chris von Ulmenstein wrote an interesting post today onWillougby & Co Sweet and <b>Planet Fitness</b> Sour Service Awards <b>…</b>Here’s a quick excerpt […]
[…] Chris von Ulmenstein wrote an interesting post today onWilloughby & Co Sweet and <b>Planet Fitness</b> Sour Service Awards <b>…</b>Here’s a quick excerpt […]