Good "Customer Service..."

I've been meaning to write about this topic for a while now. I guess it just takes something to push me over the edge to do it...

Have you ever thought about Customer Service? We deal with it everyday. Each place we shop delivers some sort of customer service. Whether you're ordering coffee at Dunkin' Donuts (for Chandra), picking up your dry cleaning, shopping at the grocery store, or filling up your vehicle with gas... you're receiving some sort of "customer service."


Now, my friends will tell you, once I receive poor service someplace (restaurant, store, service company, etc.), I usually invoke my customer rights immediately: cease and desist from being their customer!

Why not? I mean, in this economy, companies should be bending over backward to reach out to their ultimate buyor: the consumer. Those that do, get my business. Those that don't, too bad so sad!

Here's an example: For years, I was one of the "Cable TV drones" that accepted my fate: I was at their mercy. Even though there were shadows/ghosts on the screen, or it would go out for no reason whatsoever, I just had to deal with it. I even had the cable modem for my pc. THAT in itself was a nightmare. It would go out constantly. When I called, it was the same old story - they'd put me on hold forever and a day, and then attempt for over an hour to diagnose the problem... which would lead to an appointment of one of their "technicians" to come out to the house... which caused me (Mr. Singleton) to arrange for a time when I would be there (usually during the middle of the week) for hours upon hours.

I finally fired them!

I ordered Verizon FIOS for my internet (blazing speed and it's always up!) and DirecTV for my tv service. Man, what a difference! Now both companies were great installers at the time, and I'm still with them... so as you can see, no complaints. But recently I upgraded my service to HD for DirecTV, and the process was flawless. Reason? Communication!

I was floored by the amount of communication DirecTV had with me. After setting up the appointment, they called me within 15 minutes to confirm the appointment and if everything went ok with the person who I previously spoke with. When the installer was on his way, he called me to let me know. He showed up on time and did a bang-up job. After that, he showed me everything he did and gave me his cell phone number in case I have any questions over the next few days. Overall, excellent customer service.

Want to know why I'm writing this article? Because I recently received very POOR customer service...

Over the past year, I've been picking up my kegs from Mr. G's in Plano. Typically the process is this: Keg runs out, I call them up and give them 3-4 options on beers I'm interested in, they call me up when it's in the store, and I go and pick it up. Easy, right?

Well, as the year has gone on, I've noticed they wouldn't always order the keg when I called. Or they'd call me back a week later and say they couldn't get one. Or they simply wouldn't call me back.

This latest attempt was the last straw. Almost one month ago, I called an placed an order. After several days of not hearing from them, I called and discovered, "Oh... those kegs are hard to find. I'm having problems with my distributor." However, they said they'd keep trying. Another week went by and I called and was told my keg was in the store and I could pick it up. Great!

When I arrived, I was told they were mistaken. My St. Arnold's Spring Bock wasn't in. In fact, St. Arnold's was out. When I asked why they said it was there, the guy just rolled his eyes and said he was sorry (someone else's fault). He then said he would call and it should be in the store on Tuesday and he would definitely call me. He even shook my hand.

No dice... several days and no calls later, I called back. I found out that the keg was still hard to find. I said, "Can you get me anything else? What are my options?" He said he wasn't sure at this point what he could get, but he had a few other places to call. My next call came from him on a Friday where he said that the Rahr Bucking Bock was in: "They're driving the keg over tomorrow. I'll call you tomorrow afternoon." No phone calls on Saturday... grrr

Finally, last Tuesday, it hit the fan. I called and asked what was going on. He just said, "I'm sorry... maybe it'll come in tomorrow." I lost it: "Look, I'm just wanting some decent 'Customer Service.' Would you just call me tomorrow and give me some options on what I can get before this weekend?" He said he'd call... guess what? No call!

Saturday I switched to a new company: Kegs & Barrels. I went into their Plano store, spoke with the owner Susan, and explained my situation. She seemed to understand (I don't think I'm the first ex-Mr. G's customer she's had) and said she'd call me today with the order.

Let's see if they provide excellent customer service... will keep you posted!