The Sweet Service Award is shared by Woolworths and Multichoice, the latter having one of the worst customer service reputations! Word must have finally got to management about the shocking service levels, and they now send an e-mailed questionnaire once one has interacted with a staff member, referring to various aspects of the interaction with the staff member, mentioned by name and surname. One would have thought that the lady I spoke to did not know about the service evaluation, asking numerous verification questions when I wanted to cancel my M-Net subscription. Like so many of her colleagues, she was difficult to understand, and arrogant. The Woolworths survey was to rate the service in returning some clothing items, and it must have been one of my Woolworths cards which alerted the retailer to my visit to their V&A Waterfront branch. Scary is the ‘Big Brother’ feel thereof. But in general, asking questions about the service can hopefully improve the service levels of both parties.
The Sour Service Award goes to the Camps Bay Post Office. I wanted to advertise a furniture sale at my former house in Camps Bay, and called the Post Office to check the cost and procedure. They said I should print 400 leaflets, and a minimal charge would be levied. I did as told, brought the leaflets on a Monday afternoon, for the garage sale on the Saturday and Sunday thereafter. I was told that the leaflets would be placed in the Camps Bay post boxes on the following day. The response to the sale was exceptionally poor, so I called on the Friday before the sale. The lady told me that they did not have the exact number of leaflets (I had given her my phone number but she did not call me), and therefore had not distributed them! I begged her to organize it urgently, which she agreed to. On the Monday after the sale, I received a call from a regional supervisor, who said that the leaflets had all arrived at the Sea Point Post Office, but that they were not distributed, as the sale dates had passed! I asked her to return them to Camps Bay, and have them distributed there, a service I had paid for and which was to have been executed a week before. The Post Office person at the Camps Bay branch clearly is not able to execute her job competently!
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 whalecot@iafrica.com. Past winners of the Sweet and Sour Service Awards can be read on the Friday posts of this blog.
Chris von Ulmenstein, WhaleTales Blog: www.whalecottage.com/blog Tel 082 55 11 323 Twitter:@WhaleCottage Facebook: click here
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