New Twist on Customer Service

Friday, October 19, 2007

Page 11

AT THE SIDEBAR (Column)

New Twist on Customer Service

By J’AMY PACHECO

I sometimes patronize a local restaurant where customer service is apparently a high priority.

The restaurant keeps a big, old-fashioned looking bell by the door. Customers who believe they have been well-served during their meal are encouraged to ring the bell on the way out. When someone rings the bell, just about everybody in the restaurant at the time take a moment to applaud and cheer.

I thought of that restaurant recently after stopping in a local Starbucks to pick up a seasonal treat: Pumpkin Spice Latte. Decaf, of course. I don’t really consider myself a coffee drinker – but I don’t consider a beverage that tastes like pumpkin pie in a cup to be coffee, either.

I usually buy these at a bookstore that serves Starbucks products. But I craved the drink early one crisp morning, before the bookstore opened, and dropped into Starbucks instead.

When I got the drink, the cup felt light. I didn’t give it much thought, though, until I was driving away and noticed I had to tip the cup farther than I should have for a first sip.

I lifted the lid and discovered the liquid stopped a good inch-and-a-half from the top of the cup. Since I’d paid $4.40 for the biggest drink and got the mid-sized drink in a giant cup, I felt cheated. But I didn’t go back to complain.

A few days later, I stopped in the same store for the same reason. I got the same result – noticeably less liquid than I’d paid for.

I now have two choices – bring it up the next time I stop in, or quit going to that store. Since I don’t exactly thrive on conflict, I’ve chosen the latter option. Unfortunately, they’ll never know about my unhappiness with their service.

I had another baffling consumer episode a week or so ago when I stopped into a temporary store that liquidates items from Disney theme parks. A place like that would ordinarily be paradise for a rabid Disney consumer like me.

I browsed for half an hour or so, and finally decided the only real “deals” were some Mickey Mouse knee socks for $4.49 and a “Youth Retro t-shirt, blue, originally $17 now $5.29” that I knew my daughter would love.

When I paid, however, I discovered I’d been charged $11.49 for the shirt. I pointed out the error, even taking the clerk over to read the sign above the pile of shirts. She told me I’d selected the wrong shirt.

It was blue, it was youth sized, it had a retro Disneyland graphic on the front, and the attached price tag indicated the original price had been $17. But the clerk insisted the shirts described by the sign and priced at $5.29 were different, and had run out the day before. She blamed a mysterious “girl” for mixing up the shirts.

I remained unconvinced, pointing out the extraordinary similarities between the described $5.29 shirt, and the one in my bag. A more senior employee joined us, and advised the clerk that they were under no obligation to explain anything to me. They removed the price sign, and walked away. That was not the first time I’d had that experience at one of those clearance stores. It was, however, the first time I’d felt truly cheated.

So when I had to go to the Department of Motor Vehicles last week, I was prepped and ready for crummy service. As I expected, the line was out the door, and I knew it was going to be bad.

But I noticed a second line for people with appointments, got in it, and waited about a minute and a half to be served. That surprised me, but when the clerk handed me a form, clipboard and pen and told me to fill out the form and get back in line, I knew that was where they’d get me.

I decided to stand in line and fill out the form at the same time. Imagine my surprise when I reached the front of the line before I’d finished with the one-sided paper.

I thought the bad part would come when they told me to wait for a clerk to process my renewal payment, or when I had to get in line for a new picture. To my great surprise, I was done and out of the DMV in less time than I spent arguing with the salesclerk at the liquidation store.

I had a great experience where I expected crummy service, and felt cheated by people who should be masters of consumer satisfaction.

I think maybe it’s time to get a big bell for the DMV. Or have them start serving foofy coffee drinks and t-shirts.

Somebody’s got to be able to do it right!