Wither Customer Service?

 What the heck is going on with customer service these days? Is that companies are just hiring bad people, or good people are being little to no training in dealing with customers?

How about good training, but bad attitudes from burnout? Or bad training to good people that also get burnt out?

I just had an experience with a car dealers service center that left a bad taste in my mouth. Everything was good the first time around, almost. I had left a voice mail for the service manager, who never called me back. I finally got a hold of the assistant service manager who apologized, and said his boss was in the garage all day working on cars. Really? He doesn't make time to talk to customers?

So the assistant talked to me, and we made an appointment to bring in the car. The reason I was bringing it in to this dealership was because our regular car dealership claimed they wouldn't be able to diagnose the problem as their technicians were not as experienced. Okay, I can deal with that.

The new service center said the "after market" remote start was causing the problem of the alarm going off at random times, mostly at night. I told them it was installed by the dealer, so why was it considered after market?

Either way, they took it out, and installed some other parts. $757 later, the problem was solved, almost. Why almost do you say? Because sometimes the car wouldn't start. Ugh.

I made yet another appointment, and needed a loaner car. My daughter figured out what was wrong, and how to get around it. As it turns out, the button on the drivers side door handle wasn't working, and either were the buttons on the inside. I left a message for the assistant service manager, and he never called me back, so I didn't bring the car in. 

Hopefully our original dealer can fix it, and if not, I'll ask our regular mechanic.

The point here is why can't businesses deal with their customers in a respectful manner? If you get a voice mail, it should be returned as soon as possible. It's a turn off to NEVER return the phone call, and a great way to lose customers.

In my sales and management career over the years, I always endeavored to give the best service I possibly could each and every time, no matter how nice or annoying the customer may be. 

So I am very sensitive to the type of service I get, be it in a retail store, restaurant, doctors office or a service establishment. It can range from the absolutely fabulous to the downright awful, and I am not afraid to leave true reviews on Google Maps. The good ones usually get a nice reply, while the bad ones don't get a reply at all. Those are the ones that should be addressed first, addressing the problem and asking what could be done to make it right.

Okay, I'm off the soapbox now.