Long
waiting times in queues, lack of stock, poorly informed assistants and staff
shortages can all be very annoying, but the situation can be lightened a little
by apologies, explanations and generally polite service. Why is it then, that
time and again, some assistants forget this basic rule?
Several
days ago, my husband called in at a branch of Boots (Strood in Kent to be
precise) to pick up some pain relief tablets for me, as I was suffering a flare
up of my joints. He arrived just in time for opening, which was unfortunately
delayed due to the pharmacist being held up.
 |
| Bad service makes me mad! |
That in
itself is fair enough. We all get caught in traffic at times or suffer some
other setback and, by law, shops offering pharmacy services aren’t allowed to
open without a pharmacist on site. What was unforgivable, however, is the way
the situation was handled by the person who was seemingly in charge – an
unhelpful individual named Richard.
A line of
customers patiently formed outside the store, but at no time did Richard, or
anyone else for that matter, pop their head out to offer an explanation or even
post a notice on the door.
When
Richard did open up shop following the arrival of the tardy pharmacist, instead
of issuing a polite “excuse me” to customers so that he could push back the
doors, he ‘shooed’ them away with an irritated gesture.
Things
didn’t get any better. When he served my husband with the requested medication,
he grudgingly muttered ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ through gritted teeth, exuding
an air of “I don’t really want to serve you and I don’t like you”!
Needless to
say my husband was seething when he returned home, having received such
appalling treatment. We immediately looked up the contact details for Boots
head office and emailed a complaint.
This is
where I can report some happier news. The area manager of Boots stores phoned
my husband with an apology and assured him that she would be visiting the
branch to address the situation. And let’s face it, when we make this kind of
complaint, that’s exactly what we want – an apology, an explanation and reassurance
that our bad experience will not be repeated. A positive response to our
complaint can make the difference between us returning to a store or shopping
elsewhere.
It’s true
that we don’t know whether Richard was having a bad day. There may be horrors
in his life, problems galore – but these should never be taken out on
unsuspecting customers, who just want to be served politely and go on their
way.
As
customers I believe that we always have the duty to report bad service, so that
it can be improved for ourselves and others in the future. In turn shops have a
duty to respond appropriately.
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