A tale of two people – or is it two companies?

RBS Fraud Prevention Department called me last week to check some recent transactions on my credit card. We went through the most recent purchases and I told them they had missed one out – for a hotel I had stayed in the previous night. “Oh, that one didn’t go through, it was referred.” I don’t think so, I replied, as far as I was aware it was all okay. No-one at reception told me any different, anyway what reason would there be for it being rejected? “Well we told the merchant five times to call us so that we could make sure it was you and they didn’t so I’m telling you it wasn’t authorised.”

The conversation went downhill from there and included phrases like “What do you want me to do,” “What do you expect me to do about it” and “No I can’t give you my surname”.
What. Even after I’ve told you my full name, account number, shoe size, mother’s maiden name and the name of every goldfish I have ever owned. What happens if there is more than one Mary in your global operation?

It finished with that well-worn phrase from me “Can I please speak to your manager?”

Compare that with my call last night to British Gas Homecare. I had a visit from an engineer yesterday to repair my tumbler dryer. It seemed to be working but now my washing machine wasn’t. He’s been a few times already, to assess the damage and to bring and fit a spare part. The girl I spoke to couldn’t have been more helpful. She upgraded the call to priority to expedite a new visit and then called the engineer who had visited to ask if he would call me to see if we could find an easy solution. He called – even although it was 9pm and agreed to visit first thing this morning before he started his work for the day.

Two companies, two very different conversations. From the beginning of the call from my Bank I felt as if I was fighting them – even although they were supposed to be helping me by preventing my card being used fraudulently.

British Gas, on the other hand, couldn’t have been more helpful. Their objective was to make sure my washing machine worked, and the girl I spoke to did everything she could, and more, to ensure that happens.

I know which conversation left me more satisfied.

But why the difference? Does British Gas only employ friendly helpful staff while my bank employs only surly unhelpful people? Does my bank need to look at its training programme in customer service? Does British Gas care more about what its customers think than RBS?

Or is it simply that I spoke to one person when she was having a good day and the other on a bad day?

And if that’s the case, should it be? What standards should I expect from companies that are providing me with a service?

Complaining Calmly

I find that it’s remarkable what a difference it makes in a shop if you mention the Sale of Goods Act. Staff are likely to assume that you know what you are talking about and will back off accordingly. One of the most important things to remember, and please don’t think I’m being patronising here because I’ve forgotten this rule myself on countless occasions, is to stay calm and don’t get angry, no matter how annoying and unhelpful staff are becoming. I have a friend, with a very public profile, who called a call centre recently to complain about something. Forgetting that he had given his very well known name at the start of the conversation, which wasn’t going his way at all, he ended it by telling the ‘customer service operative’ that he “should f*** off and get a proper f***ing job.” I’m sure it kept the whole place going for hours afterwards!

Many of the complaint letters I see are wordy, lengthy, cheeky and arrogant. Not the ones sent to me, you understand, but the forwarded copies of the ones that have gone to the companies concerned. While there is always a temptation to show what we know and record every aspect of a transaction in minute detail, I have always found that the letters that generate the best, and quickest, response are concise and polite. Simply detail what you bought, where you bought it and why there is a problem. Set a deadline by which you should receive a reply, and outline what you will do next if no reply is forthcoming. Keep an accurate record of any telephone conversations you have had, noting dates and times as well as names of anyone you speak with. Use these details in your letter of you think it will help.

Always write to the most senior person you can. Call the company concerned and ask Switchboard for the name of the Chairman or MD and address your letter there. And always follow up within the timescale that you set at outset.

Happy complaining!

What makes for good customer service?

We’re very quick to complain these days so in an effort to reward good service rather than criticise poor service Moneysucks is looking for your stories of exceptional customer service where companies, or individuals within companies, have taken that extra step to help.

Kirsten Easdale kicks us off by telling Moneysucks “We bought a futon from Futons First. Unfortunately the metal frame broke about 4 months later. Futons First were very helpful and sent a new frame (with a different, stronger design, which arrived 2 days later. No fuss, no hassle. I would recommend them for top customer service.

What’s your recommendation for top customer service? And what did that company, or individual, do that stood out for you?

The last word on Ryanair – for now at least!

“Michael O’Leary, head of Ryanair, goes into a pub in Dublin and asks for a pint of Guinness. The barman says “That’ll be one Euro please, Mr O’Leary”. Somewhat taken aback, O’Leary replies That’s a very competitive price,” and hands over his money.

 “Would you be wanting a glass with that sir?” enquired the barman.”

 We like stories like this about Ryanair. Thanks to author Quintin Jardine for the words. To read more of Quintin’s words go to http://quintinjardine.wordpress.blog/.

If you have any more Ryanair stories then please feel free to add them here!

In praise of Ryanair – Not this time I fear!!

No surprise really that two days after writing a piece in praise of Ryanair I get to take it all back after some disgraceful treatment at Prestwick Airport on the way to Girona. John Gahagan and I dropped our carefully weighed bags at check-in and after a relaxing coffee for me and beer for John we went to the gate to board the plane at the allotted time.

“You can’t take that instrument on board the plane” said the stony-faced guard at the gate after John had placed his fiddle in the ‘cage’ to check it for size.

“But I always take it on the plane”, replied John. “In fact I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve taken it on planes through this very gate over the years. Has your policy changed on the size of bags allowed in the cabin?” he asked.

“No, it’s maybe just never been followed properly before but as I said you can’t take it on the plane when I’m on duty. You’ll have to put it in the hold.”

(My glib remark that “Maybe we should come back when someone less vigilant is on duty” didn’t go down too well and remembering that might is right in the case of airport ground crew I slipped into the background and John continued his discussion!)

“Okay. I don’t suppose I have a choice then.”

“Actually you do have a choice,” said stony-face. “You could buy another seat for your fiddle. Then you can take it on board”

“Could I not just put it on the seat next to me, the plane doesn’t look too busy? You do know that the hold could ruin this lovely instrument?”

Obviously unimpressed with John’s concern, and sure that he was going to put the fiddle in the hold, stony-face started to write a receipt for the obvious exchange of money that was the next part of the story.

“No, I don’t want it.” He said as John tried to hand his beloved instrument over in return for the proffered receipt. “You pay me £35 and then go through to the next gate. The guy there will take your instrument from you.”

The cash was duly handed over and we wandered off to the next gate where we passed two ‘guards’ talking to each other and ignoring that fact that John was carrying an ‘oversize’ package that had by now supposedly been booked into the hold, and that they were supposed to take care of for him.

It was only after we passed these guards that we realised they had not asked John for his fiddle as we were told they would do, and we were approaching the stairs to the plane, John still carrying his fiddle that he had paid to be put in the hold!

The cabin crew checked our boarding passes and said nothing as John proceeded to put his fiddle in the overhead luggage racks.

 The plane filled up – well it didn’t fill up since it was only about one-third full meaning that there were plenty of seats for John’s fiddle had it not fitted in the overhead rack, and plenty of room if it did – which we knew would be the case anyway, and presumably happy man at the gate would have known as well since he had a passenger list!

The captain welcomed us all on board and we taxied and took off on time.

Which only left a couple more questions for us.

If the fiddle was booked in as hold baggage, which presumably it was since the guard at the gate gave John a receipt,  why did the ground crew not realise that there was a piece of baggage missing when they did their final tally?

If they did realise then is that not a major breach of security having a fiddle wandering around an airport on its own?

And lastly, why did we just jump on the plane on the way home 5 days later without anyone at Girona asking any questions at all about the fiddle? Had it suddenly shrunk?

*By the way the words used by John, me and stony-face might not be exactly as used on the day in case anyone reading this decides I’m being in any way defamatory! But you get the picture!

A word in praise of Ryanair

There you go, that’s a sentence I never thought I would see myself writing. Just shows you, eh! I booked three flights to Spain the other week and unfortunately one of our party had to change his plans at the last minute due to a death in the family. I called the ‘customer assistance centre’ expecting an argument and a hard time getting them to understand what I wanted to do.

My experience was the exact opposite. A very friendly voice at the other end of the phone asked how she could help and after some fairly straightforward security questions were answered I explained my dilemma. No problem she said, we’ll just create another booking reference for your friend and he can call and let us know what he wants to do, and we’ll sort it out from there.

I had read on the Ryanair site that they would expect to see a death certificate in these sorts of situations and when I asked where I would have to send it she just told me it didn’t matter and I didn’t have to bother my friend for that at this time.

No doubt it will be business as usual tomorrw when we try to get our instruments in the cabin but let’s keep that for another time and for the moment I’ll sign off reading the headline again and wondering if I’ll ever get to write another like it!

Who is going to help me out?

Who indeed? And more to the point who should be helping you? This is one of the most common problems I have to deal with and you would be amazed at the number of people who try to return faulty goods only to be sent like a ping pong ball from retailer to manufacturer to retailer to manufacturer. It happened to me recently when I purchased a new printer and I was told that I should buy an extended warranty or I would have to send my printer, if it broke down, back to the manufacturer. I patiently explained that under the Sale of Goods Act I would bring it right back to the shop, but again I was told that I couldn’t do that. I had to take the manager aside and ask him to ensure that his staff were better trained to understand basic consumer legislation. That went down really well!

Legislation on this issue is quite clear. Your contract is with the retailer and any problems should be dealt with by them, not the manufacturer. Having said that, the primary legislation that covers this contract is the Sale of Goods Act and while this allows you to ask the retailer to solve your problem you should also have a Manufacturer’s Guarantee that covers the first 12 or 24 months from the date of purchase. Technically, therefore, you have two avenues – retailer or manufacturer. I would tend to go down the first route to begin with because it is often easier to return goods to the shop you bought them from rather then send them back to a company based at the other end of the country!

As a back up, and assuming you used a credit card and spent more than £100 but less than £30,000, you could make a claim against the credit card company under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act. This basically says that if goods aren’t up to scratch, or if a company goes bust and can’t deliver, that you can make a claim against the credit card company instead.

So plenty of options but the important point here is not to be bullied into sending goods back to the manufacturer just because the shop you bought them from can’t be bothered dealing with their own problems!