Re customer service?

[Mojitowithextrarum]

AIBU or is customer service often a bit rubbish at smaller businesses and independent organisations?

Just called somewhere where I have arranged a service and on our email exchange they had asked me to call to pay as they don’t have online payment. No problem, I called and conversation went as follows:

“Hello, it’s Mojito, I need to pay my invoice please for X service” Person answering the phone sounds surprised and a bit inconvenienced.

“Oh... er.... right. What was it for again?”

“X service, on X date”

“Oh ok. What was your name again please?”

“Mojito”

“Right ok. You need to make payment in advance please”.

“Yes, that’s what I’d like to do please”

Payment commences.

It’s nothing drastic, it doesn’t really affect me - but it does influence my opinion of a company I am paying quite a lot of money to, even if subconsciously.

Is it me or are lots of calls handled surprisingly badly? Sometimes I feel like I’m being a nuisance just by booking an appointment!

Actually AIBU - it’s often rubbish at larger organisations too! And sometimes excellent at smaller ones

I think there’s just a general culture of not listening to others (this is nothing new) and anticipating what you expect them to say then responding to that. Drives me batty, truly.

If you class that as bad then you must lead a charmed life! You're paying for a service, not a chat.

I wouldn't class that as bad.
They wanted you to clarify details.
Someone being rude, nasty, hanging up is rude.

YANBU, service in general is awful. I was once greeted in mothercare when collecting a parcel at the click and collect desk with 'what is it that you want?'.

Then you get the odd diamond in the rough that really stands out.

Blimey - if someone was rude and nasty to a customer wanting to book and pay surely they’d have no customers at all?

I agree it’s not horrific and I don’t expect a chat but it’s being made to feel like a nuisance for calling to make a payment that I find surprising. I know that if my employer were listening in to that conversation they’d want to give the employee some coaching as in that kind of industry a large percentage of revenue comes from repeat business

It won’t stop me booking again personally because I don’t really care, but then again if I came across somewhere with a great experience and easy to use payments I’d probably end up switching

I just find it surprising!

Yesterday I popped into the vet
Can I have some hairball medicine please?
-ok, what kind of flea treatment did you have last time?
No hairball stuff please, I don’t want flea treatment
-ok (lots of typing). I don’t think we do a herbal flea treatment
No, I don’t want flea treatment, I want HAIRBALL treatment

Finally get hairball stuff (which idiot cat is refusing to even sniff)
I can understand mishearing herbal and hairball, but not the rest

So... they weren't rude or aggressive, what you wanted was established within a few sentences, and you managed to pay without further incident?

Yep, so I’m not unhappy with the whole experience. Some people might have felt intimidated by being made to feel like an inconvenience.

They might be more successful if a business if it went a bit more like...

“Hello, it’s Mojito, I’d like to make payment for X appointment please”.

“Hello Mojito, that’s great thank you. It’s X amount please”

Payment commences

“Thanks for your payment - did you want to book and pay for your next one while you are on the phone?” (Not applicable in this case but as an eg - I can promise you if it applied the operator wouldn’t have suggested it)

“Well, actually yes I might as well” = more business

It’s not me missing out, it’s the businesses! It’s a bit like a beauty salon that recently told me it’s much easier for them to book things a certain way, fair enough, but it isn’t for me so I just go somewhere more convenient now instead