9 Worst Customer Service Stories of 2014
9 Worst Customer Service Stories of 2014 – Check out these nine Customer service fiascos of 2014:
9. Manager fired for poor responses to negative reviews – After receiving online complaints from Customers, a hotel manager posts responses such as “What do you expect for so little cash?” and “Thanks for your money, sucker. Long may the idiot line continue.” Manager fired for poor responses to negative reviews
8. The 2014 Customer service Hall of Shame – See who made the 2014 Customer Service Hall of shame list compiled by 24/7 Wall St.
7. Kids can be seen, but not heard – A restaurant banned guests with strollers, high chairs, or booster seats. In addition, it displayed a sign that read, “Children crying or making loud noises are a distraction to other diners, and as such are not allowed in the dining room.” Kids can be seen, but not heard
6. Major league baseball team owner tells unhappy fans to stay home – The Colorado Rockies owner sent fans messages such as, “If the experience is that bad, don’t come to the games.” Major league baseball team owner tells unhappy fans to stay home
Related: You now can have the 2014 Secret Service Summit speaker audio
5. Hotel Receptionist ask naked guest for his ID – This is not only poor Customer service on the hotel receptionist’s part, but hilariously funny. A male guest puts his food tray in the hall way and inadvertently locked himself out of his room. When he arrived at the front desk completely naked, the receptionist would not give him a new room key without seeing his driver license.
4. Cable company rep bullies Customer trying to cancel service – Comcast Customer service representative makes it almost impossible for a Customer to cancel his cable service. Cable company rep bullys Customer
3. Hotel charges Customers for negative reviews – A hotel in Hudson, New York, charges guests $500 for writing negative reviews online. Hotel charges Customers for negative reviews
2. Company fines for negative online review – KlearGear fines Customer $3,500 for negative online review. KlearGear fined negative review
1. Fast food employee shoots unhappy Customer – A Taco Bell employee shot an unhappy Customer with a BB gun and then pistol-whipped him after the Customer became impatient.
The following is content taken from John’s soon to be released book The Customer Service Revolution: Overthrow Conventional Business, Inspire Employees, and Change the World (January 2015 Greenleaf Books)
The Golden Rule is a dangerous Customer service compass
I love the Golden Rule: Treat others the way you would like to be treated. However, you don’t want your front-line employees treating Customers the way they want to be treated. Let’s consider my oldest son, Johnni. He is a junior at Ohio State University. Johnni is the nicest young man you could ever meet. However, if you hired him today and threw him in a Customer-facing, front-line position and told him to treat Customers the way he likes to be treated, you would probably see him greet people with, “Hey, what’s up, dude?” He just may give them a fist bump, and you might have to ask him to pull up his sagging pants higher than he is wearing them. He is a typical college student; this is what they do. It’s how they like to be treated. Now give him a few weeks of soft-skill training and he will be one of the most genuine, hospitable employees you have. For servicing Customers, it is the platinum rule that we need to focus on: treating others how they enjoy being treated.
It isn’t their fault; they don’t know any better
I have this sweet niece whom I bugged for years to come work for me. She has those qualities any business would love in an employee who comes in contact with Customers: always smiling, very friendly, and outgoing. We were celebrating a holiday at my house and I asked her what she was doing. She said she had been working at a restaurant as a hostess/receptionist. She also explained that one of her responsibilities was to police the restrooms. I told her that the cleanliness of the restrooms was so important to the image of the restaurant. She said, “No, that’s not what I mean by policing the bathrooms. My boss says it is my job not to let anyone use the restrooms unless they are paying Customers.” My eyes lit up. I said, “Really?” She replied, “Yes, we even have a sign on the door that says so. In fact, last week I saw someone who hadn’t purchased anything headed to the restroom, so I ran after him and made him leave.” I was horrified! This is my sweet adorable niece with the same DNA as I, and with the same last name. How could she think like this?
You may be thinking how wrong I am about my niece being a wonderful employee. Actually, she may be too good of an employee. Her boss (sadly, the owner of the restaurant) has told her, “Your job is to not let people take advantage of us,” and she says, “Okay!” And she does what she is told, protects the business like she has been instructed. Each of us has plenty of employees currently working for us who have worked elsewhere and have been influenced by other bosses who don’t think like world-class Customer service companies and leaders do. They are more concerned that people are out to take advantage of them than they are of taking care of the Customer. It is not a new employee’s responsibility to have high Service Aptitude; it is the company’s job to teach it to them.
John’s new book! ! The Customer Service Revolution: Overthrow Conventional Business, Inspire Employees, and Change the World (January 2015 Greenleaf Books) – Be the brand people cannot live without. Learn how numerous companies have made Customer service their biggest competitive advantage, are dominating their industries, and are making price irrelevant! Learn ways to teach every member of your organization to have influence and compassion for their Customer, internally and externally, which builds relationships and creates emotional connection and brand loyalty.
Order yours today – The Customer Service Revolution is certain to be best-seller and will be available January 2015. Pre-order your copy of The Customer Service Revolution.
Holiday Gift ideas – looking for something to give to your clients as a gift? Give them a gift-wrapped copy of The Customer Service Revolution. To purchase in bulk at a discount contact nicole@thedijuliusgroup.com or 440-443-0028
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