In my last post, I complained about poor service from Vodacom. Well, would you believe it that after I sent the post to them (via their website feedback form), they called me back to let me know that:
So no orchids yet, but at least some of their systems seem to be working. At least they are trying (very trying at that)!
Several months ago I decided to subscribe to the Vodacom DSTV package (16 channels). The whole subscription went smoothly. However, it took me about a week to realize that if I was going to get DSTV, I should do it properly and get the full DSTV bundle with all the channels. So I made the necessary phone calls to migrate my Vodacom DSTV package to the regular DSTV package. So far, so good…
Then in December last year, I received two copies of the TV guide in the post. I didn’t really think too much of it (ok, so the mailing department messed up), so I didn’t do anything. In March, I realized that Vodacom had suddenly re-activated the Vodacom DSTV subscription, and they had been billing me since December (hence the two TV guides). I was paying for two subscriptions on the same smart card!
I called Vodacom to cancel the contract, and to request a refund for the four months billing. I was told it would all be sorted out, and I was given a reference number. I called a few days later, and they had no record of the reference number, so they gave me a new reference number, this time via SMS, so I had proof! The SMS also had the message “We will contact you within 1 working day…”
Today I called back, and the call centre was really busy. So, I dutifully pressed 9 to get them to call me back. Ten seconds later, my phone rang…
“we are transferring you to an agent” (canned voice)
“sorry, our call centre is busy ” <click>
What exactly was the point of calling me to tell me that the call centre is busy?
I am still waiting for them to call me back, and I have all but given up on getting through to an agent in the call centre. Good business tactic – provide such bad service that the customer eventually just gives up!
Three onions to Vodacom
I have spoken in the past about how the different between excellent service and poor service is often revealed when service goes wrong. Well, here is another example.
Recently our favourite Indian restaurant Gaylords in Muizenberg mysteriously closed. This greatly disappointed both Lois and myself, because it was the only restaurant that served a HOT curry when we wanted a HOT curry. So, we have been on the prowl for a replacement.
Last night, we tried a fairly new restaurant called Bihari in Westlake.
I ordered a butter chicken, and Lois had a potatoe curry. She ordered hers “Indian Hot”, and I thought that I would just have mine hot. We had to send both back because they were not hot enough. Shortly both meals were returned, but only slightly warmer (they had filled my half-empty bowl to the brim). “Oh well”, I thought, “it is not at all hot but very tasty, so no problem.” Besides, butter chicken is not really a hot dish.
After the meal, I mentioned to the waiter that I would have preferred it much hotter, but not to worry since I had really enjoyed my meal, but please make it hotter next time. Well, not five minutes later the head waiter was at the table apologizing, and he offered to arrange a really hot curry for me to take home as an apology. “Sure – lunch tomorrow”. I did start to get a bit nervous when they told me that it would take a few minutes, and they were “just grinding the chillis”.
About ten minutes later the meal arrived, all ready packed to take home, and they brought a little extra sauce for me in a bowl to taste. Well, it was blisteringly hot! I am not sure that I have had a hotter curry in a restaurant. So they can make a hot curry. I decided to throw it into the freezer and keep for supper one evening next week.
But the point of the story is that even though something had gone wrong, and even though I was not particularity concerned about what went wrong, the restaurant (under their own initiative) felt compelled to make it right. No questions, and no fuss!
Will we be back – of course – two orchids!
Last Saturday, I went to Dial-a-Bed to look at a new bed. Yes, I know that you can just dial and they will deliver, but I wanted to try one or two out first.
Anyway, they had no stock in Cape Town of the bed that I settled on, but the shipment was due to arrive from Johannesburg within the week. No problem, I could wait a few days.
But they phoned me on Thursday to tell me that the shipment was still on Johannesburg, and I had a choice. I could either continue waiting, or buy the other bed that I looked at, which cost R1000 more!
However, for my inconvenience they would discount the more expensive bed by R1000. Of course I was happy with that suggestion (I also got free delivery).
So, I am now sleeping on a brand new top of the range bed. Well done guys for the customer service. I will recommend you anyday.
Ps: It was the Tokai branch.
Update: the salesman personally phoned me today to thank me for the orchids (I hadn’t told them abou this post!)
Here is a great idea for our bookshops.
When I left Phoenix, I went to the local airport bookshop to buy a book for the flight and the last few days of holiday ( ok – so I was going to New York and hardly needed a book!). But anyway, the bookshop had a great policy.
If you bought any book and returned it within months, you get a 50% refund. All the books that had been returned were for sale in the bookshop at a 50% discount. So everybody wins.
So, Exclusive Books and your friends, how about a similar policy? I can see it working very well for the regular travelers, and it will generate more interest in books (especially with the local price of books!).
The bookshop is called The Paradies Shops (sic), and they seem to be in most airports in USA. I never had the opportunity to make use of the policy – but well done on having it anyway – 1 orchid to you.
My camera has had a small black spot appearing on the photos for a while, and it has taken me a while to take it in for repairs. I was expecting the agents to keep it for a few days or to send it to Canon for repairs.
So on Monday I finally took it in to Orms in Cape Town, and the person who assisted me was fantastic! He took the camera, had a quick look, cleaned the image sensor, and I had my camera back in about 5 minutes.
And on top of that, all at no cost!
Orms, 3 orchids to you and your staff for the great service. You have become my supplier of choice, and I hope many others!
On Thursday I drove to George to visit a Toastmasters Club.
Yes I know – driving over 800km for a two hour meeting is a bit crazy, but it was important to me.
When I got to Riversdale, which is about 300km from Cape Town, I needed to stop and stretch my legs. Now, this stretch of the N2 is used a lot by holiday-makers, because it is the road to the Plett, Knysna and Wilderness resorts.
The petrol station where I stopped had a special patch of grass for the dogs to "stretch their legs", and a big bowl of water for them to drink from. In the "keep of the grass" attitude many places have, I am sure that many holiday makers and in particular their dogs are very grateful for this patch of grass.
I thought that it was a very small touch, but very considerate of them to do so. So Total Garage in Riversdale, thank you for your consideration, and althought I did not have any of our dogs with me this time, next time I may, and I will be sure to stop in.
I have just received a free presentation mouse courtesy of Microsoft. It is basically a mouse that has buttons on the bottom to use to navigate around the PowerPoint slides. It also has a build in lazer pointer. Thanks guys it is much appreciated and will be much used.
However, the packaging had a rather strange warning written on it, and I quote below:
“Important: You must install a newer software version from the Web (rather than the enclosed CD) for full device functionality. One step 3…install software version 6.02 from the Web instead of using the CD enclosed…”
What is the point of enclosing a CD that you must specifically NOT USE? I am not quite sure what the point of the CD is. Can anybody explain?
Over the last couple of months, I built both a new desk for my study, as well as a new cd rack.
I usually goto Mica or Chipbase to buy the wood, and to get them to cut the wood. Well, a brand new De La Rey hardware shop recently opened near my house, so I thought that I would give them a try.
So, on the Friday I went off to the shop, with my cutting list eagerly clutched in my hand. They had exactly the wood I was looking for, so I left the cutting list with them, and I was told the wood would be ready on the Monday. By the Wednesday, I was still waiting for the wood, and I asked the manager what was taking so long, and I was told by them that I had only dropped off the cutting list on Monday – not on Friday, and I had to wait a few more days.
"No, I dropped it off on Friday"
"Impossible – it only went in on Monday"
"Are you calling me a liar – shall I show you the till slip with Friday’s date on it?"
…and so on…I had already paid for the wood – none of the shops will cut the wood before you pay, so I was stuck with them.
Eventually, they promised me the wood on Thursday – which I collected.
When I started working on the job, I found that not only were a few pieces cut incorrectly, but they had put edging on some of the wrong edges!
Even worse, they couldn’t even cut the wood to the correct size – two planks of the same size were about 2mm different in width! Now this might not seem like a large amount, but the bench saws are very accurate, and this is a huge problem when you are trying to get all your edges to line up (you can see in the picture above).
The also did not cut the boards correctly, in that they splintered the edge of the chipboard. A good bench saw should not do that.
Next time I will goto Mica or Chipbase – you guys know what you are doing!
So, De La Rey – here are your onions!
Last week, I bought a new car. Part of my insurance arrangement is that I need to have a satellite tracking device installed in the car. I found out that it would be cheaper to install a brand new system from Netstar (the competition) and take up a contract with them than it would be to remove the Tracker unit from my old car and have it installed into the new car.
So, I telephoned Tracker to arrange to have my contract cancelled, so that I could go ahead with the Netstar installation. Tracker asked my why I was canceling, so I told them – the installation fee from Netstar was much less.
Without blinking, Tracker asked me if they arranged to remove the Tracking unit from my old car (on the same day), and to reinstall into the new car the next day, would I remain as a customer? This seemed reasonable, so I said yes.
About 10 minutes after speaking to them, the Tracker technician telephoned me to arrange to move the unit, and as promised, it was removed from my old car that afternoon. It turned out that the old unit was now outdated, so they installed a brand new tracking unit into my new car the very next day (as promised), 24 hours after the initial phone call.
This is outstanding customer service from Tracker, and service that all companies should strive towards. They were about to loose me as a customer, and they did everything reasonably possible (without question) to meet my needs.
Tracker – well done – here are your orchids.
Incidentally, I completed the online application on Netstar’s website about three days ago, and I am still waiting for them to contact me – so you have been awarded a single onion.
