When did the service industry decide to ignore the word "service"? There seems to be an epidemic of "the customer be dammed" lately.
Last week, lunch at one of my favorite restaurants, the server ignores us in favor of the adjoining table which is 100% male. Once we do get her attention she bungles our order and then manages to further ignore us and avoid all eye contact , while being most attentive to the table next to us. The hostess is to busy flirting with yet another man to address my complaint. Letter of complaint in the mail within 24 hours.
This evening I stop at a Starbucks, lots of folks at the tables but there is no line. 2 Baristas argue loudly over who is going to wait on me. I like feel like an intruder and does not give me a warm, fuzzy welcome feeling. E-mail fired off to corporate within 24 hours. And isn't Barista the most pretentious word in the world? No matter how you slice it and dice it, Starbucks is a coffee shop!
I'm in the service biz myself - a good school librarian is at the beck and call of every teacher in the school since our job is to support theirs. I have very high standards for myself and consequently expect the same when I'm on the receiving end.
Perhaps they are to high?
5 comments:
I have a few friends who work at Starbucks and when you complain about service at one of their stores, the manager hears about it a.s.a.p. I say this in hopes of making you feel a little better.
Hey, you go, girl! I've gone as far as to file reports on Planet Feedback, and when you do that, you get results the next day. From the CEO.
I say, don't put up with it. That's one reason bad service is so rampant; people 'take it.'
Not us!
Hi- No, I definitley don't think your "standards are too high!" I've worked many jobs in my life, many of which invovled "service." I often ponder what happened to that old-fashioned one-on-one caring that accompanies service. I recall thinking of that even before the automated recording systems when I truthfully wish to speak to a person. It's interesting that manys a time, even a person, sounds like a robot! Sad, too...
Standards are definitely not too high. Good job for giving the feedback! Let us know if you hear anything back.
Good for you! Imagine them arguing over who was going to wait on you- as if it isn't their job. The nerve...
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