He’s a good man, stay with him!”. Not bad for Bob! My sister vows to buy every pair of shoes, from now on, from Zappos.”. So, I hope you enjoy your Jay minifigure with all his weapons. Bungie, you have played a huge part in making this smile! Proving that they’re a company that knows how to have a little fun, this story from Sainsbury’s supermarket highlights how your support team should spot great opportunities to do things that are quirky and out of the ordinary. With a little assistance from mom and dad, she wrote a letter to Sainsbury’s customer service department. Daddy said to send you a email to see if you will send me another one. It’s tough out there in the world of customer service. Customer service, learnings, and product updates, Customer service insights, organized by theme, Deep dives spanning the customer lifecycle, Live and recorded sessions with industry experts. Every customer in a branch at 2 p.m. received a $20 bill. We agree, and throughout the rest of this guide, we’ll take a close look at some memorable customer service stories in an effort to highlight those businesses who “walk the walk” when it comes to delivering the kind of service that wins a customer over for life. 8 min) so he gets angry. We are forever grateful to have met such a beautiful, selfless soul.”, “She is a brave girl and it was a pleasure having you and her both onboard with us,” Southwest wrote back on her Facebook photo. Fresh AskReddit Stories: What's your best "customer isn't always right" story? The 89-year-old Arby’s employee draws fans from all around, the local press even giving some well-deserved attention to a woman who was truly passionate about making people’s day: “Whenever anyone—young and old alike—steps up to the counter, Weaver waves a blue-and-white pompom and chirps “Hi everybody, welcome to Arby’s!” writes Lara Brenckle. “At one point she opened her eyes, and I think she recognized me,” said Drake, who spent the night at the hospital. I open up to find not only a Portal mouse pad signed by the Gaben himself, but a copy of the book The Sacrifice with a ton of signatures from Valve employees. This next story comes from a longtime fan of Valve and their highly popular games. While great customer service stories can be a dime a dozen if you’re looking for them, you can’t help but think that some of these tales seem especially calculated. Porterhouse steak, an order of Colossal Shrimp, a side of potatoes, one of Morton’s famous round things of bread, two napkins, and silverware.”–Peter Shankman. A customer service rep named Jill—fitting since she worked at JackThreads—has managed to win me over despite the fact that I’ve only ever seen her words on a screen. He didn’t ask if they were ready to order food. What really makes this a great story, however, is the follow-up. Those are the kinds of results you can get when you automate processes in a human way and use them to enrich, not replace, your customers’ experiences. I swear, I just have something in my eye! Knowing the customer was certainly right in this instance — and spotting an unusual opportunity to do something fun — Sainsbury’s changed the name of the bread and put signs around their stores that give a humorous nod to Lily’s original idea. Last week, we took a look at some absolutely WILD stories shared by Reddit users about the weirdest reasons a customer got mad at them on the job. If there was ever a customer service hall of fame, Ritz-Carlton would be one of the first inductees. Sometimes, you need to go even further and extend empathy and a helping hand. Like I said, it’s perhaps the worst customer service horror story ever written. So far, all of the customer service stories I’ve mentioned are about out-of-the-ordinary examples of great customer service, but what about the companies who consistently offer great customer service, every single day? Superb service is not limited to out-of-the-ordinary circumstances. It is really good. Here’s a few customer service horror stories from 2018 and 2019 that will make you want to pull your hair out in frustration just reading them. 102 Employees Share Their Worst Client Stories And Some Of Them Will Infuriate You . 6 Funny Customer Service Stories to Restore Your Faith in Humanity. In refusing to let red tape get in the way of a customer in need, Trader Joe’s shows that customer service doesn’t need to be about the fanfare; it can simply be about doing the right thing. When Kerry Drake got on his United Airlines flight, the mother he was en route to see was facing her final hours. Paige DiFiore. She was excited to celebrate his return to the land of real food. Weaver herself attributes her attitude to her upbringing. One of my favorites actually comes from a larger company, J. card classic compact. My. Drake, we’ve been expecting you,’” he said. A scalable service action is one that can be implemented as part of normal operations, that can be executed with most customers most of the time. When they got the check, they first thought the $0.01 listed was a mistake. This Redditor’s husband, fresh off a root canal operation that left him unable to eat real food for days, was dying for some diner fare. In a heartwarming story shared on Reddit, a service rep tells the tale of an older customer who called in because her netbook wasn’t working. And that’s precisely why the discount is so powerful. Well, WOW Air certainly knows how to make an exit. save • Posted by 5 minutes ago. After that, Joshie headed over to the pool area to relax. Kay Jewelers is my worst customer service story. While at an airport, Shankman realized that if he didn’t grab a bite to eat he’d be stuck riding the plane back on an empty stomach. Knowing that red tape shouldn’t stop her from taking care of a customer in need, the support rep quickly exchanged the netbook for her (sending her a new one), and even spent the extra time helping her set up the old passwords and account names, in addition to re-downloading Skype so she could talk with her family. “As one of 11 children,” she says, “there was always plenty to do.” In a service business, it’s crucial to have people on your team that do more than represent your current culture—you need to have people who push the culture you have forward. Another customer waiting on food thought that she had just come in to the restaurant and got her food before he did, when he’d been waiting (approx. That’s why Jimyz Automotive deserves an honorable mention on this list. An incredibly illuminating reddit thread revealed just how nasty and entitled certain customers can be, and it'll trigger memories for anyone who's been a veteran of fast food service. Being a good citizen is about more than giving people discounts or refunds when they’ve had bad experiences. It can be incorporated into the very fabric of your business, showing up in even the most common of instances. The customer bought six pairs of shoes from Zappos, and her mother tried them on and found two that she could bear to wear for long periods of time. And it was the wrong side dish. In the coverage of this story on CNN, consumer advocate Christopher Elliot said: “Airline employees are evaluated based on their ability to keep a schedule. Amazon's good customer service gets an upvote on Reddit. Of course the family was delighted. Customer service, learnings, and product updates, Customer service insights, organized by theme, Deep dives spanning the customer lifecycle, Live and recorded sessions with industry experts. Peter Shankman knows a thing or two about customer service. That’s what Bob did here by recognizing something crucial. This story certainly fits the bill, and it is bound to inspire you to take some extra time to surprise a valued customer every once in a while. The whole time, she’s shifting her feet and sighing impatiently, obviously in a hurry. #reddit #customer #service Music: Kevin MacLeod None in stores have the "spa" sounds & I've never slept better! And they didn’t just win a customer for life; they also bought plenty of goodwill with folks at the conference (and beyond) who subsequently heard about the story. Customer, crew, manager, and this lady. First things first: They knew Joshie couldn’t just be aimlessly wandering around the Ritz without a staff card … so they made him one! “Around 4 a.m. she had a real moment of coherence, a last rally, although we didn’t know it at the time. So she asked a fellow employee to take her position behind the customer service counter, and she spent two hours guiding the customer (lovingly nicknamed “Mr. Another, with a sick daughter in Trinidad, received a plane ticket. I was ringing a transaction for a woman in her late 30s. Gabe (often affectionately referred to in the PC gaming community as “Gaben”) has to be one of the most responsive CEOs when it comes to talking with his fans. With an almost legendary reputation for service, one has to wonder: Do they really live up to the hype? To top it all off, the Ritz sent Hurn and his son a booklet filled with information about Joshie’s stay, as well as a host of pictures showing what a good time he’d had. r/TalesFromTheCustomer | WORST Customer Service Stories | Reddit Cringe | Here are some tales from the customer! 0 Has No Reservations About Making Death Threats. Losing a favorite toy feels devastating to a young child. Here’s the entire screenshot of a Netflix customer who contacted support via their live chat. “Customer service isn’t about telling people how awesome you are, it’s about creating stories that do the talking for you.”. You may get everything you wanted precisely the way you ordered it. “You reaffirmed that there are still companies out there focused on great service, and you’ve made a lifelong fan out of me.”–Christina McMenemy. With all my money I got for Christmas I bought the Ninjago kit of the Ultrasonic Raider. Connect with him on Twitter and LinkedIn. You’re witnessing someone going out of their way to make a customer’s day, week, or month, and that’s an important part of customer service that shouldn’t be forgotten. To make up for missing out on playing Halo, the team built him a custom helmet based off of the main character and sent it — along with shirts, toys, and custom art from the game’s designers. When they used the machines, however, they found that these Automated Teller Machines were actually Automated Thanking Machines. To her surprise, waiting there was the woman on the phone, holding a card and a teddy bear with a hula skirt: Zappos customer service is the stuff of legends. His father later posted a thank you thread and a collection of images on Christmas day, which was when Bungie visited his son in the hospital and brought the gifts. "I once put a cup of water in the microwave, but the cup was too tall...so, I poured some water out and tried to put the cup back in thinking it would fit." Get me that price or I’ll kill you!” Get me that price or I’ll kill you!” I hung up and called the police, supplying them with all of the personal information that the genius had conveniently provided to make the reservation. Resigned to her fate, she attended the conference and let the alarm clock hunt go. No wonder so many of their customers stay for life. Lily Robinson (who insists that she is three and a half years old) was quite confused by one of Sainsbury’s products called tiger bread. We’re always dodging around customers.’. Crew. For the sake of not stopping the relentless pursuit of customer happiness, the B. Dalton representative actually called their competition (in this case, Borders) to reserve a book for the customer and printed out directions to where she could pick it up! share. This is a short tale that we wish we had more information on. Ritz-Carlton is one of those few large companies that is held to high standards from their consumers. “The whole plane clapped for her,” her mother reported afterwards, “It was a wonderful experience on Southwest. The WOW Air Debacle . That said, even the greats of the customer service world will have a hard time topping this next story. The belief that you should do your best to “make things right” with customers in tough situations is a recurring theme among those companies with legendary customer service. In an all-star effort to make everything right for their customer, the staff at the Ritz created a series of photographs that included all of the activities Joshie had been involved in during his “extended vacation.”. In her eyes, the bread didn’t resemble a tiger at all, and, in fact, looked very much like a giraffe. Unfortunately, our registers don't allow for that. Trader Joe’s Delivers (Literally) An elderly man, 89 years of age, was snowed in at his Pennsylvanian … 20 Somethings Customer Service Food Service Horror Stories Humor Oh My God Retail Service The Internet Worker workers Writing & Expression More From Thought Catalog Chloé Longuet Wants To Dispel The Myths Surrounding HS: “The Pain Is Not In Your Head” Nine-year old Gabby, a type 1 diabetic, was severely anxious about being on an airplane. Having recently suffered two strokes, she explained that she was struggling with writing, and she was forced to call in due to her malfunctioning netbook. by Isha Bassi. Servers are the only ones making any money . Virtually all of them thank TD Bank, express their amazement at this event, or suggest that they will or have switched to TD Bank after watching it. 1. Sensei Wu also told me it was okay if I sent you a new Jay and told me it would be okay if I included something extra for you because anyone that saves their Christmas money to buy the Ultrasonic Raider must be a really big Ninjago fan. But upon returning to her room she was surprised to find not one but two spa clocks and a letter with her name on it. Their waiter—“Bob”—hurriedly took their drink orders. Is somebody cutting onions in here? The story was posted on Reddit under the appropriately titled topic of “I have never in my life seen this level of customer service” and included this genuine, thoughtful thank-you note. r/TalesFromTheCustomer | WORST Customer Service Stories | Reddit The service rep initially explained that the traditional thing to do was to mail it in for repairs. 556K views. Restaurateur Danny Meyer, whose restaurants have consistently beat the odds in a very rough industry, talks about hospitality in terms of “good” vs. “great.” With a “good” experience at a store or restaurant, things may go fine. This story takes place during a busy period halfway through my 8-hour weekend shift. Truly remarkable customer service goes beyond fixing bug or handing out discounts. A party of 4 came in last night. Due to a medical condition, her mother had very sensitive feet and was often in pain when wearing hard-soled shoes. She had nearly given up hope when she messaged the company’s Twitter page during her most recent trip to Opryland. While this is a well-intentioned piece of advice for good customer service, it doesn’t mean it’s true! “He was absolutely shocked when he saw the custom helmet from Halo Reach! We’re telling stories of companies spearheading a more thoughtful way of doing business, while showing the world you can be successful without sacrificing your values. My kid will always remember Trader Joe’s as the place he danced.”. I was so damn excited. And that was it — DANCE PARTY, indeed. Junior Staff Writer, Australia. These bad customer service stories are newsworthy because of how relatable they are. Valve is an amazing company for quite a few reasons, not the least of which is their Handbook for New Employees and how they can manage as a billion dollar company with no managers. When Drake finally sat on the second flight, he realized how much went into getting him onto the plane. Some customers are less than friendly, but businesses have a responsibility to deal with complaints with integrity and a touch of class. After an experience like that, do you think this particular family would even consider staying somewhere else? If she’s off for a week, people ask about her.”. A rigid attitude might just be the antithesis of great customer service. 6 Funny Customer Service Stories to Restore Your Faith in Humanity. 13 retail workers share horror stories that prove the customer isn't always right. Given the extreme circumstance, they told her that they would gladly deliver directly to his home and even suggested additional delivery items that would fit perfectly with his special low-sodium diet. Everyone might not agree with Harry Gordon Selfridge’s oft quoted “The customer is always right, ” but it is certainly never a good practice to simply assume that a customer is wrong. Upon hearing a blind customer needed help navigating the store and filling his cart, Walmart employee Brittany Walton felt the need to assist. Walmart Customer Gets Kind Help From a Personal Shopper. To avoid the dreaded ‘viral’ nightmare customer service story (and to avoid appearing in blog posts like this one), your team must handle each and every request clearly, quickly, and politely. These wacky stories … Many years ago, before Internet purchases were common, we ran a travel agency. By Chenda Ngak October 24, 2011 / 3:58 PM / CBS News Amazon.com Inc. is getting into the app-selling arena by … May 18, 2017; Bad customer service is all the rage these days. I worked as a customer service rep at a cell phone company in college and would hear terrible things all the time but, the worst would have to be when I heard a man literally almost beat his wife to death. My Daddy just took me to Sainsbury’s and told me to leave the people at home but I took them and I lost Jay ZX at the shop as it fell out of my coat. Greg is a writer, marketing strategist and alum of Help Scout. Who would’ve thought that you’d be seeing two tales of exceptional service from fast food companies? Me: “Ma’am, this ticket can be held for twenty-four hours. He contacted his mother-in-law, and asked that she buy the products and fly to Bali to deliver them, which she agreed to do. My name is Luka Apps and I am seven years old. Having recently suffered two strokes, she explained that she was struggling with writing, and she was forced to call in due to her malfunctioning netbook. Rather than balance checks or cash, they only spat out gifts. Reminder: Please blur all personal info before posting screenshots. In fact, there's a whole website devoted to exposing the truth behind the myth, aptly named Not Always Right. 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