The Sweet Service Award goes to Dermalogica, and its Head Office Manager Marja Basson, who did an amazing service recovery to make good the dreadful service I experienced at its Wembley Square branch. I received a text message, inviting me to test a new eye treatment cream, with options of a branch and a time that suited me. My appointment time and date was confirmed. I arrived slightly early, was told to take a seat (at the counter) and was offered a glass of water. Therapist Salma was busy with a client in an open space close to me, and when it was 12h20 she carried on without apology to me, and appeared very slow in taking payment from the client. Salma was 15 minutes late for my appointment, did not apologize when she began my treatment, blaming a double Continue reading →
Tag Archives: Dermalogica
Twelve Apostles Sweet Service and Cape Town parking guard Sour Service Awards
The Sweet Service Award goes to The Twelve Apostles Hotel for their The Spa launch function earlier this week. Guests received a personally delivered invitation, were given directions as to where to park some distance from the hotel, were driven in courtesy cars to the function venue, received a generous gift pack of Elemis, B.AFRICA and Dermalogica product samples, and met the charming hosts Toni and Victoria Tollman, all on a picture perfect afternoon. Delicious and healthy light snacks were served with champagne and water. The three local Red Carnation Hotel chefs Henrico Grobbelaar from The Twelve Apostles, Kevin Joseph from the Oyster Box (he says that Princess Charlène and Prince Albert look really happy when the cameras aren’t around), and Floris Smith from Bushmans Kloof did the food preparation.
The Sour Service Award goes to the Cape Town parking marshalls, who are becoming increasingly cheeky, rude and even aggressive, as I experienced in Sea Point outside SPAR recently. After parking, I was followed by a parking marshall, who touched my arm, and told me that I was not allowed to ‘f…ing’ park where I had parked in a legitimate parking bay. He refused to give me his name, and had removed his name badge when I had returned to my car. The rude behaviour of parking marshalls is a major deterrent to doing business at shops and restaurants in the city centre, in Sea Point, and in other suburbs of Cape Town. Sharing the Sour Service Award is the City of Cape Town, which did not react to a Tweet, in which I asked for a contact person to report the incident to!
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.
Dermalogica Sweet and Standard Bank Sour Service Awards
The Sweet Service Award goes to Dermalogica and its Western Cape Manager Cindy Lee Rogers, for the invitation to a special Dermalogica Face Mapping session, which identified different skin conditions, included a quick mini-facial done by Lexi, and recommended the ideal Dermalogica products to address the conditions, at their new concept store at Wembley Square. The concept store also refers one to beauty salons at which can can enjoy a full Dermalogica facial.
The Sour Service Award goes to Standard Bank in Stellenbosch. An attempt to open a Money Market-type account cost half an hour in time, and reflected total disinterest by the staff in the new account. Excessive minimum balances of up to R25000 were requested. It was an issue to see a printout with the interest rates offered for the different packages, and the employee would not let us take this document home with us. An easy solution to this wasteful exercise was to open a Savings account via internet banking, with almost equivalent interest rates, without a minimum balance required.
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.