What are "normal expectations" for customer service? Has a business done so well by you in the past, so the bar was set so high, and when they didn't perform once, you couldn't continue? Do you "put up with" bad behavior from certain places, and not others?
I just had such an experience.
My daughter got married a year and a half ago, and we used "ABC" as the rental company for all of the chairs, tables, glassware, flatware, etc. We were very pleased with everything involved. This created the "high expectations" bar for the future. They were very responsive, pleasant, on time with deliveries, and pick up after. They had created a set of expectations for me for the next time I used them for an event.
Yesterday, I called to see how late they were open, and the answer was 5 pm. As it was 4:30, I said, "I will be on my way now. I need to rent some things for this weekend."
Never was a word uttered about location. I assumed they were in the same location. When I arrived there, the building was dark and vacant, with nothing to indicate where they had moved. "Oh, no!" now I was running out of time, and had a really tight schedule from here on out.
I checked their website "ABC, Wilton, CT" on my phone - same address. Now what? I had ten minutes, so I drove up the street, hoping I would find where they had moved. I drove possibly 3 miles, saw nothing, and now it was their closing time. Frustrated, I pulled over to call. By the time I called, it was 5:02. No answer.
I went home.
This morning I called, and did voice my frustrations, and told my whole story. Never once did I hear an apology for my inconvenience. No one said, "I am so sorry that you had to go through that."
I think I will be renting the flatware, plates, and glasses for my daughter's baby shower from another company in town who have always given wonderful service.
© Copyright 1999 - 2024 Dagny's LLC.