By Rita R. Robison
How bad is customer service in America?
Sixty five percent of consumers interviewed are "tremendously annoyed" by rude salespeople and 64 percent of respondents said that they had left a store in the previous 12 months because of poor service, according to a new Consumer Reports’ survey. The report names Wal-Mart among the worst in customer service for its retail service in eight out of 21 industries evaluated.
Consumer Reports also found that 71 percent of survey respondents were extremely irritated when they couldn’t reach a human on the phone. Sixty-seven percent said they hung up the phone without getting their issue resolved.
"There’s a feeling on the part of Americans that companies are deliberately making it difficult for them by burying phone numbers, sidestepping calls, and steering customers to online FAQs instead of live human beings," Tod Marks, senior project editor for Consumer Reports, said in a statement.
Brokerage firms, eyeglass retailers, and pharmacies were among the highest-rated industries for service based on several years worth of subscriber-survey data analyzed by Consumer Reports National Research Center. Computer tech support, TV, phone, and Internet service providers earned some of the lowest scores.
In the report, Consumer Reports identifies the best and worst companies and service providers in each of 21 industries. Wal-Mart or Sam’s Club, and sometimes both, were among the worst in eight categories, including retailers for appliances, electronics, cell phones, and supermarkets. By comparison, Apple won praise for its retail service for cell phones, computers, computer tech support, and electronics.
How to complain effectively
The Consumer Reports survey found that for customer-service problems, one in five people favor the phone. Only 16 percent of Americans prefer to deal with the issue in person. Most of the respondents said that their preferred method of contact depends on the nature of the problem.
No matter how consumers choose to get help, Consumer Reports recommends some tips for reaching a live person and achieving favorable results:
Bypass automated phone menus. Websites such as dialAHuman.com and getHuman.com list customer-service numbers and tell how to bypass automated prompts to get a real person. Another free service, LucyPhone, helps consumers avoid waiting on hold by allowing them to provide their phone number and the service calls back when a live representative is on the line.
Keep a record. When calling customer service, consumers should keep track of the date and time of the call, the name and location of whom – and everyone – they spoke with, how many times they were put on hold and for how long, and the responses received. Having all this information provides a stronger case if there is a need for follow up.
Take it to the next level. Consumers who encounter a runaround should tell the agent they are speaking with that they want to "escalate" the status of the complaint. That’s a guaranteed attention grabber and a reason for a quick fix because agents can be criticized for bumping too many problems upstairs.
Be persistent. Speak loudly and often. Consumers should post their stories on social-networks sites if necessary. Companies can hide comments on Facebook but not on Twitter. When using Twitter, use hashtag keywords to make them searchable. Proper "netiquette" suggests good manners no matter what the level of annoyance.
Give praise. To avoid being branded a whiner, consumers who have complained, especially publicly, should thank a company for a good outcome.
For more information on the survey, see the July issue of Consumer Reports and online at www.ConsumerReports.org.
On June 2, 2011 I went into the Wal-Mart store at 2101 Princeton Road, Ottawa, Kansas 66067 to purchase a watch battery and showed the sales lady the watch. She ask if we had purchased the watch at Wal-Mart and I said no. She then said that because we had not bought the watch at Wal-Mart she would not be able to help me. When I talked to the supposedly “Manger”, she was no help either
It’s good that you’ve mentioned some tips that could really get the attention of the service provider. It’s often difficult to get a satisfactory answer to any of our queries, but using other means (like social networking sites) to get their attention could really make a difference for your current call.
On monday, December 6th, I visited the Walmart at 3225 Towne Center Blvd., in Lansing Michigan. I went to the paint department, where despite the hour, (7pm) I hoped to purchase three gallons of paint and supplies. After waiting fifteen minutes I went in search of an employee. The lady I located said she would call the Assistant Manager. After a short wait, Mr. Terry Meyette arrived and mixed my custom paint. Mr. Meyette explained that their evening paint personell had called in. Furthermore, to the best of his knowledge he was the only one able to complete the task at the time. Mr. Meyette apologized for my inconvenience, and gave me one of the gallons for free. Sincerely Sam Barnett Jr.
Thanks for the sharing of such information we will pass it on to our readers.
Most parking authorities regularly invest in improving their services and in dealing with systemic failures. Much as many customers may find this unbelievable.