Customer service - this time a shoeshop

[cruelladepoppins]

So. Local shoeshop with lovely lovely shoes, a bit pricey for me but have been promising myself a treat. I went in to check out the boots.

When I went in, the sales lady woman was yacking on her mobile - didn't look up. The lovely comfy sofa was covered in, I don't know, stuff - bits of cloth, handbags etc. I moseyed around the room, selected an armful of black boots, and asked the saleswoman (now off the phone) for my size. Away she went to the stockroom and came back with just one box. Didn't take the boots out for me, just dumped the box on the floor. I noticed on the box it said they were brown boots, and pointed this out. I tried them on anyway (couldn't sit on the cluttered sofa so just hopped about) and they were a good fit ... but not black. I selected another few and asked if she had those in my size. She shouted back from the stockroom, no they didn't.

So I waited till she came out and asked, were they likely to get any more stock in. She said, their other branches might have some. But she didn't offer to ring round (my other local shoeshop does this).

So nothing for it, I thanked her anyway and trotted on. She wasn't a youngster, she must be in her 50s, blonde, lovely hair and nails.

Then went to the other, less glam local shoeshop and found the right thing there at half the price.

AIBU to feel like contacting her firm and telling them what a no-hoper she is? Has anyone ever done this? Or should I have complained to her on the spot? [Oo-er, don't like confrontation]

Yes, if i was the manager/owner of that shop I'd like to know if my staff were that crap.

From the sound of her attitude, telling her to her face wouldn't have made a blind bit of difference. It doesn't sound like her behaviour was actually offensive or upsetting to you, so it's up to you whether you care enough to give her bosses a heads-up on her shoddy customer service.

I don't tend to complain, but I never go back to places like that.

From what you've described, I wouldn't complain or take it further. I would just not go back.

I'm not shy to complain, but I would only complain if there had been an actual mistake or offense caused (being charged wrongly, overly surly atttiude).

You're quite within your rights to point it out - after all it's useful feedback - but I wouldn't complain for "generally being a bit crap all round", which is what your experience was.

Go for it if you have time. FAR too many people in this country fear confrontation - you should live abroad for a few years so you can see how non-Brits manage to do complaints much more easily - not shouty or ranty, just generally a different expectation of service levels and experience in communicating it to people that provide it. Brits tend to be slow to complain, and when they do, it's ranty and ineffective or to the wrong person or they don't clearly outline what outcome they want - I know I'm generalising here, but I'm definitely in that group myself - so not in a great place to critique others' behaviour!!

Oh, and I say this working alongside two Australians - they've certainly shown me a thing or two when it comes to eating out in restaurants over the last couple of years at lunch, complaint making whilst managing to be quite sweet about it and you don't fear the waiter's popping off to gob in yer food afterwards. In all seriousness, I've got much better at complaining after watching both of them point out bad service, and how they went about it (on two different occasions).