It probably seems like I’m constantly whinging about customer service on twitter; I have my gripes the same as everyone else. I also try to keep things even, and tweet about fantastic experiences with companies as well. But sometimes the service is just SO bad you can’t help but really causing a scene.
Right now I’m in the middle of my latest bad experience. I dropped my bicycle on Wednesday afternoon for a service that was booked in on Thursday. So far they’ve forgotten my bike twice, not to mention the rest of the finer details that have made this a stand out for me. Here’s the full story:
History of events
- Rang Goldcross the week of the 29th (exact date unknown) to book in the bicycle for a service. Arranged for it to be booked in the following Thursday. Staff member (unknown) requested the bike to be dropped off the Wednesday afternoon beforehand, to which I agreed. Requested the brand name of the bike, advised I was unsure of the exact brand, suspected Repco but assured I would advise them of the correct brand when dropping off the bike. Staff member agreed. Also advised the wheels were buckled and would need repair, as well as a problem with the gears skipping. Staff member noted it would be detailed on the service form.
- Wednesday 31st March: dropped off bike as requested. Joel was on duty, and advised I could just leave the bike at the front of the store. I asked if he needed my name or any details, he said no, it was fine. Explained they didn’t have the brand of bike on file since I was going to let them know when I dropped it off, was again told it would be fine.
- Thursday 1st April: received a phone call at 3pm from Joel to let me know my bike had been booked in for a service today, and to query whether I had dropped it off. Said yes, dropped it off the previous afternoon. Was then asked if I had picked it up yet. Said no, that no one had rung to say it was ready. Was told “oh okay, we just had another bike here and wasn’t sure”. He said goodbye and hung up.
- Thursday 1st April: just after receiving the previous phone call, I rang back the store. I wasn’t confident they knew which bike was mine, and that it was going to be done by that afternoon. The first call they accidentally hung up on me, to which they apologised when I rang back. I was then transferred to Joel, who asked what colour my bike was. Said it was a blue/purple, to which he asked if it was the Apollo bike. Confirmed the details, he then attempted to end the call. I got his attention, and asked if it would be ready this afternoon and if they had it noted that the wheels were buckled and needed to be repaired, as well as a problem with the gears skipping. He hesitated, then said yes it was there and that it was going to be ready for pick up this afternoon. He did not provide a time that I would be able to get the bike, just informed me the store shut at 7pm. He then said goodbye, and hung up.
- Thursday 1st April: approximately 10mins after the last phone call I was again contacted by the store. I was informed the bike wouldn’t be ready until Saturday. There was no apology for the inconvenience, but I agreed to return then and pick it up.
- Saturday 3rd April: arrived at the store shortly after 2pm to pick up my bike. Dealt with immediately in the service department (a positive) by a gentlemen who retrieved my bike. Asked if the wheels had been fixed, and upon lifting the bike and spinning the rear tyre it was evident that nothing had been done. He checked the computer, then asked another staff member (later determined to be Joel) if anything had been done on the bike. It was confirmed the bike had not yet been fixed (and from what we could tell they had no intention to do so) but they assured they would repair the bike immediately and have it available for pickup within 2 hours. This was informed to us by another staff member, not by Joel. We explained to all 3 staff members (two members plus Joel) that we were extremely unhappy with the service as there had been several stuff ups already, and requested a discount. Joel advised the service would be done for $55, with the wheel repair done at no cost. We agreed, and left the store.
I’m praying that when I come past this afternoon to pick up my bike they’ll have done it all correctly. Mat will be going over it with a fine tooth comb checking what they’ve done, and he’ll also be lodging a formal complaint with the manager. Hence the extended details above – it’s been documented on paper to leave with the store so they have the full story of what’s happened.
I also want to point out that it takes a lot of me to complain to a store. I can hide behind my words on twitter and bitch pretty easily, but to come out and say something to a staff member is very uncharacteristic of me. In fact, I got in trouble from Mat by being too nice to the people at the store this afternoon when we discovered they’d forgotten my bike for the second time. When I do complain, it’sin a nice way and I try to be reasonable. I want them to understand where their service fell down, how they can improve. I want to be constructive, not just one of those customers that say “I’m unhappy, give me free stuff”.
Another point is that Mat’s involved in the automotive industry, and has previous experience as a service advisor. His job was to attend to customers as they brought their cars in for servicing and repairs. Reflecting on that, he compared the bike experience to his own work history when he said bluntly “if I ever accepted a car from a customer and didn’t get their name and details, I would be fired”. It’s as simple as that. If someone brings their equipment to you for fixing, you really need to know who it is that’s giving it to you! It doesn’t take much to get my name, and the fact I was refused when I queried this point really irritates me. It takes all of 5 seconds to hear me say “my name is ……”. Some stores go out of their way to find out your name just so they can personally bid you good afternoon. This guy didn’t really want to give me the time of day.
So anyway, we’re expected back at the store in just under an hour. Mat said that regardless of what they say to us this afternoon, we’re never going back there. His own bike is worth nearly $2,000, and if they can’t get it right to service a $300 bike there’s no way he’d be trusting them with his. He’d rather the inconvenience of putting our bikes in a car and taking them to a store 15mins away than to a store that’s only around the corner. I’m a little bit more forgiving, and would be willing to take a second chance with them, but we’ll see. This is the first time I’ve had my bike serviced in two years, so it’s unlikely I’d need anything done in the near future.
I just hope they’ve got some good news for us this afternoon.
**UPDATE**
When we picked up the bike this afternoon they told us all work was completely free. The buckled tyres have been fixed, and the gears no longer skip. My bike rides like a dream, like the day we first purchased it. So thrilled, and thankful they offered it to us at no cost. It made a painful process a lot less painful, and the work seems to be impeccable (most importantly). They might have just convinced us to go back, and that’s good news.
