To think customer service is SHIT in the UK

[PMTsickandtiredofyourshit]

•All phone lines are automated and take up to an hour to get through. They usually have some nonsense excuse answerphone message about Covid 19 causing ‘higher than normal call volumes’ that hasn’t been changed in years.

•restaurants are increasingly taking ages to serve and give the impression you’re on a time limit at your table. Wait staff less charming/ less people skills/ less cherishing of customers.

•Today I went to mountain warehouse to get DD some snow boots. Every question I asked the staff they couldn’t answer. I asked if they’d had shoe fitting training because I couldn’t tell which size DD should have. The staff just shrugged and said they had no training. Finally found a good pair but it had a sharp bit sticking out of the inside. I asked if they had the same pair without the fault and was told no but they’d give me a discount! Obviously I wasn’t going to buy my DD a pair of boots with a metal shard sticking out of the interior!

•Then I went to Aldi where they had loads of new self-checkouts which I was heartily encouraged to use by one of the staff, despite the fact I had a full trolly of food. It was a fucking nightmare and took a good 30 minutes. Every other item didn’t scan, there was no where to fit my DD, my trolly and myself without being in the way of the people trying to get out, there were boxes and crap dumped on the floor in front of the trolly. It was incredibly stressful and made me resolve to stop using ALdi and just bankrupt myself by using a nicer, less stressful supermarket.

•Finally I went to Neros where the queue was its usual mile long glacial paced scenario with three women behind the counter, one who was having a huge scratch of her scalp then serving pastries. She got in a huge muddle when selling me two gift cards and was completely baffled by the fact that the two gift cards were to be given to two separate people so I would need two separate gift receipts. I have no idea if these £30 worth of gift cards have actually been credited.

Even trying to book an appointment with my Dr, I have to be given the Spanish Inquisition by one of the receptionists who seems to be qualified to triage the doctor’s diary in the most brusk, patronising non-compassionate way ever. I’m sorry if I don’t want to tell you the ins and outs of my vaginal thrush problem whilst stood outside my office in earshot of my colleagues having been on hold since I was getting dressed at home Janet! FFS. 🤦‍♀️

I just don’t know what has become of customer service these days. It’s as though people who work with the public actively hate them.

How can this be changed!?

yambu but some European cities are just as bad. Waited 39 minutes for coffee, No apology just “ticket was lost” when I asked how long it would be. Ppl don’t care about customer service. Some seem to work to socialise themselves and be paid for it.

It’s not been my experience. Recently I’ve found customer service amazing for online returns. They’ve collected from the house and even printed the label. Also had brilliant experience with doctors and hospital staff.

You are not wrong, OP. There was a time when you could say this country is plagued by mediocrity. Now it’s just crap standards wherever you look. The bar is low for everything. Products, services, people. The fast decline into a 3rd world hellhole continues.

On the whole yes. There are pockets of really good service. Most recently we had great service at Centre Parcs, all the staff were fantastic. You tend to get really brilliant service at high end restaurants or shops. Beyond that, it’s very hit and miss.

It's gone really really bad since the lockdown.

I suppose, shit wages, awful customers, lack of training, and bad management, all add to it.

It's definitely got worse, and I would say it's since lockdown. However, I'd like to shout out to Fortnum & Mason, who have unbelievably good customer service i would bloody hope so given their prices.

You are spot on, OP.

The phone line thing is depressing and when you finally get through and it's some offshore call centre your heart sinks because you know it's going to be a long drawn out ball ache.

It's strange isn't it. If a factory in, I dunno, South Wales closes and 300 jobs are lost it's all over the news and papers. Yet 1000s of back office jobs in banking, insurance, utilities etc are outsourced to India every year and no one gives a shite.

I find if I’m nice to people, they are always nice to me so no, I can’t say I experienced poor customer service.

Have you ever worked in a customer service role? Years ago at the start of my career the awful, entitled, shouty and unreasonable ones were few enough that we gave them nicknames and it was a small, frustrating but funny part of our working day or week. I'm now full time self employed but still in touch with my colleagues from various of those jobs and the intervening 20 or so years, including lockdown, mean that now it's the odd lovely customer that is cause for comment, in a sea of demanding, rude, angry and impatient people.

Obviously this is anecdotal not scientific but I can imagine being less inclined to be lovely if statistically you know you're going to be met with rudeness and anger anyway :(

I've worked in retail and call centres and I'm always nice and polite to people but, yes, customer service on the UK is awful.

If good customer service was a priority for consumers then it would be a priority for businesses but here we are.

Completely agree and empathise.

Every experience I have had recently has been negative. Just this week alone I've had issues with

NHS: misdiagnosed for 10 years, 1 year to get a rereferral, 12 month wait for appointment following referral then fobbed off with a disingenuous diagnosis on the basis of very little evidence and their inability to access all of my medical records/results.

Child maintenance service: owed 5k, 9 months following ex change of job for reassessment before receiving payment, 1 hour wait in queue to be told wrong department, back into queue for 1 hour then eventually told unable to help, would get a call back within 48 hours, week later still waiting.

Delivery services: couldn't unload van as package too heavy so had to return to depot as I was on crutches and unable to help.

Tesco: No fitting room to try on clothes, closed due to covid and never reopened due to no reason at all.

Local cafe: Repeatedly served carbonated water (4 times) despite returning the drink 4 times and then refilling 4 times, despite my stating the syrup may need changing and them agreeing, then telling me it had been changed before serving up carbonated water again. Taste the bloody drink yourself!

There is no accountability, no one gives a shit, a job is just a job and very few people actually seem to care or make an effort.

Perhaps if management pulled out their fingers, treated staff better, paid better wages and gave a shit themselves, staff might actually give a shit.

I think a lot of experienced staff have been lost since covid, it seems that the level of abuse and the lack of protection especially for shop staff has driven them away

I work in customer service. It’s not for the faint hearted. Some people can be very rude even when you are doing your best to help them as much as you can. People can be very entitled, they want the problem sorted and they want it sorted in that moment.

We answer the phones very quickly and we are based in the UK.

It's refreshing to read a post from someone with the intelligence to see that the UK is generally no worse than other places!

I agree that 99% of customer services in the UK are absolutely the pits but must praise Octopus Energy for their outstanding customer service. Replied to my query via email and resolved the issues within minutes

We were given the Feefo gold award for customer service where I work, so no, it's not always shit. We work very hard for it to be a good experience, so don't tar us all with the same brush.

It can be, but it can be literally in the world.. Even in the US, the epitomy of customer service because your tips make up the appalling shortfall of wages, I've had what I'd consider 'brusque' service.

Doesn't make it acceptable though.

Well I worked today, retail , supermarket and we open at 9:30 for people to come in and browse or fill their trolley but can't actually start serving until 10. By 9:40 I had been called a fat cunt for not opening the tills and serving someone. So maybe the way customers treat those providing customer service has a lot to do with it.

So staff admit they aren’t getting necessary training and you choose to blame them?

Have you worked in retail or customer service? I find being polite and friendly with staff goes a long way. Yes, staff should be helpful. But I can guarantee most retail staff are overworked in understaffed jobs.

It’s my experience that good customer service stands out because it is so rare. I’m always shocked these days when someone is able to help me resolve problems as I generally expect to wait for ages for my call to be answered, have a battle to be listened to, to be talked over and so on.

I don't know about other countries to compare, but I REALLY hate "we're experiencing higher call volumes than normal".

No. Higher call volumes are now normal for you, and you aren't staffed. Fine if that's your decision, but don't act like this is some unusually and unforeseeable situation and if I'd just called a few hours ago the call volumes would have been lower and I'd have got through quicker.

Where I work colleagues were recognised in the pub and had a drink bought for them because our shop is known for great customer service and friendliness. Negative attitudes to staff means you may not get the best service.

Find the chains are worse. E.g. Caffe Nero, compared to an independent place. Small businesses will usually be better.

My example this week. Was in Halfords trying to get my bike fixed. Absolutely useless. Had to book in an appointment for two days later. Turning up for appointment the staff looked gutted to see I had turned up. Phone call two hours later to say it will not be finished today but tomorrow. Phone call the next day to say mechanic is sick so will be the next day. Finally, next day email received to say it's ready. On collection they explained they couldn't fit the mudguards (half the job) so left that part of the job. Then tried to charge me for the full job with mudguards until I pointed it out, then knocked a bit off and said you will get receipt by email. When I get home and check the email they had overcharged me for the tyres. Had to go back to get partial refund.

Ended up going to Local bike shop for mudguards, did it within a few hours and cheaper too, with brilliant service.