Customer Service is dead

[clazman]

Is customer service dead in Australia ?

My experiences in the past 24 hours

ANZ shut my local ATM and expect me to drive 20 minutes to withdraw cash..... should i really pay $2:20 to use another bank. Spoke to ANZ support and they basically said they could do nothing and i should take cash out at retailers, end of conversation.

Filled in the form on the Qantas website with the question about how do I book two tickets to NY from Perth, with one on points at cash for the other. Selected on the form, please respond by email. I get a phone call 6 hours later saying my form had gone to the wrong department and they couldn't help me or transfer me.

Thought seeing I had no access to a ATM i would change banks, yes I will have a 100K Qantas points.... tried 5 times to get past the security code validation and failed, tried IE and Firefox.... clicked upon live chat...... shut till Monday

 

[coles525]

Simple answer in refards to cash out: Local supermarket, just get the cash out.

No need to purchase anything, only time thay may be unhappy is when they don't have the cash. (Ie: $432.85 please)....

Also, might have a till limit of less thwn $400 allowed, if so, just goto all the checkouts separately!

 

[medhead]

Answer to the flight question. You can mix classic awards and paid tickets now on Qantas.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Is customer service dead in Australia ?

My experiences in the past 24 hours

ANZ shut my local ATM and expect me to drive 20 minutes to withdraw cash..... should i really pay $2:20 to use another bank. Spoke to ANZ support and they basically said they could do nothing and i should take cash out at retailers, end of conversation.

but conversely the same thing happened to me with Westpac (ATM out of action) and I went to another bank's ATM. Called Westpac and they verified the ATM was out, and refunded the additional fees.

 

[lovestotravel]

Cash out ? I can't remember the last time I have used an ATM

Every purchases goes on credit card!

 

[Happy Dude]

I believe it is dead, along with literacy. I recently emailed Oztrail to enquire about the degree of wear and tear a gazebo is showing and received a return one-liner email stating that normal "ware and tare" is not covered under warranty.

Whilst normal wear and tear is expressly excluded from the warranty, my gazebo is rusting after just 5 uses. I simply asked if that was considered normal. The response from Oztrail would be hilarious if it wasn't so dismissive and pathetic.

Similar experiences recently with ASUS and Nikon only add weight to the notion of the death of customer service.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Whilst normal wear and tear is expressly excluded from the warranty, my gazebo is rusting after just 5 uses. I simply asked if that was considered normal. The response from Oztrail would be hilarious if it wasn't so dismissive and pathetic.

that's probably an easy one for consumer protection laws?

 

[Cossie]

Just went into that bank you know the one that can't. I wanted to add extra euro on to my travel card. two people to greet and meet, one person behind the counter, Told the meet and greet people what I wanted, reply was 'you can do that online through bill pay'. my response, I'm here I would like to do it now. They say you can logon over there, pointing to computers and do it using bill pay. I say I don't want to use bill pay as it takes several days for the money to go across, ok they say, there are x number of people in front of you, have a seat.

My whinge is, why have two people to meet and greet? Here's a suggestion, how about all three people behind the counter, ok I realise skill levels may be different, but for two people to ask what I need and then two people wishing me to have a great day when I'm leaving!

 

[lovestotravel]

I believe it is dead, along with literacy. I recently emailed Oztrail to enquire about the degree of wear and tear a gazebo is showing and received a return one-liner email stating that normal "ware and tare" is not covered under warranty.

Whilst normal wear and tear is expressly excluded from the warranty, my gazebo is rusting after just 5 uses. I simply asked if that was considered normal. The response from Oztrail would be hilarious if it wasn't so dismissive and pathetic.

Similar experiences recently with ASUS and Nikon only add weight to the notion of the death of customer service.

Just the standard pathetic responses from an after sales service team who have no idea about consumer laws!

Bunnings are no different, had a drill that was playing up after one week of purchase, took it back and they said they couldn't help me and I'd need to deal with the supplier directly. Basically the battery was going flat after 5 mins of use, when it should last about 120 minutes. I demonstrated this to the staff, via a video I took of a fully charged drill then going flat after 5 mins.

Basically they kept saying I would need to send it off to the manufacturer/supplier!

Asked/demanded for a Manager who eventually came and gave me the same cough. I then reminded him of the consumer laws that apply and showed the Manager Repair, replace, refund | ACCC on my mobile phone. Also said I am more than happy to make an ACCC complaint against "his store" and see what happens then!

Eventually he caved in and said "Just this once" you are allowed to get a refund but it's a once off, I laughed and said OK and went and purchased another drill from Masters out of spite


VS


I had a North Face puff jacket purchased 2 years ago in the USA!!

The zip was faulty/a little piece broke off when I went to use the jacket! Now having purchased this jacket in the USA I was slightly worried, so rang the Aussie call centre and they said send it to them for assesment, and just provide ANY proof that you purchased a jacket from North Face in the USA. So I sent them a piece of my credit card statement which stated a few purchases from North Face Lake Tahoe USA.

Got an email back a few days later saying they were happy to replace the jacket with another brand new one. It's basically too hard to replace the zip due to all the stitching and puff inside the jacket, I was quoted $150 at an alteration place as it was a very hard job!

It will be posted out this week and I'll have a brand new jacket to replace a 2 year old jacket with a broken zip!

Amazing customer service from North Face, backed by their lifetime warranty, which is great

I would say this is because they are a USA company who looks after their customers!

 

[harvyk]

Customer service no longer exists pretty much because we have collectively said we'd rather have cheaper products. True customer service is expensive, and since it's something which only a subset of your customers actually require (until something goes wrong), when you offer a product for $100, and the guy down the road offers the same product for $50, unfortunately the average consumer is not going to know that the extra $50 for your product pays for the customer service component if required. The end result is that you will need to drop your prices to compete with $50 guy otherwise you will go out of business, that does however mean that something needs to give, and typically that thing which gives is customer service (since it is expensive and only needed some of the time).

 

[lovestotravel]

Customer service no longer exists pretty much because we have collectively said we'd rather have cheaper products. True customer service is expensive, and since it's something which only a subset of your customers actually require (until something goes wrong), when you offer a product for $100, and the guy down the road offers the same product for $50, unfortunately the average consumer is not going to know that the extra $50 for your product pays for the customer service component if required. The end result is that you will need to drop your prices to compete with $50 guy otherwise you will go out of business, that does however mean that something needs to give, and typically that thing which gives is customer service (since it is expensive and only needed some of the time).

AKA

Tiger
Jetstar




But yes, as with most things, you get what you pay for!

As shown by my post above, a North Face jacket has a price premium over most other jackets, but a lifetime warranty more than makes up for it

 

[harvyk]

AKA

Tiger
Jetstar

Two perfect examples...

 

[serfty]

Just the standard pathetic responses from an after sales service team who have no idea about consumer laws!

Bunnings are no different, had a drill that was playing up after one week of purchase, took it back and they said they couldn't help me and I'd need to deal with the supplier directly. Basically the battery was going flat after 5 mins of use, when it should last about 120 minutes. I demonstrated this to the staff, via a video I took of a fully charged drill then going flat after 5 mins.
...

That sort of contradicts their web site: (Returns | Bunnings Warehouse)

...
Return/exchange of faulty goods

Faulty or damaged goods under warranties

In addition to manufacturers’ guarantees on selected products, Bunnings and its suppliers provide a guarantee of acceptable quality on every product, by law. You are entitled to a replacement or refund for a major failure, and to compensation for other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage. You are also entitled to have the goods repaired or replaced if the goods fail to be of acceptable quality but the failure does not amount to a major failure.

We recommend you retain your receipt, as we may require proof that you purchased the product from us. Our Team Members will be able to advise you whether a refund, exchange, repair or replacement is available.

 

[Buzzard]

I went to the local hardware on the weekend and spent a lousy $15. The owner provided such great customer service I would rather go there than a large chain store.

 

[Happy Dude]

that's probably an easy one for consumer protection laws?

Yes. And the guy at BCF thought so too. He changed it over for a new one on the spot. I don't know what the Oztrail rep will say to him though!

 

[Julesmac]

I had a problem with a brand new iPhone 4 purchased from JB HiFi. it just wouldn't work at all, took it back, they said I'd have to go to the Apple Store. Long story short, it was 2 x trips to Apple, 2 x trips to JB, 1 x to the friendly local computer/Apple store who told me it was what they called 'DOA' - and the supplier had to give me a whole new phone....wish I'd got it there instead! Back to JB, no joy. Finally I rang Choice who pointed me in the direction of the relevant section of the consumer law (which I photocopied and highlighted, of course, for the benefit of the morons at JB).

The tag that caught my eye in the consumer law is that an item must be 'fit for purpose'. Another thing to note is that when they say repair or replacement - they do not necessarily replace the item with a NEW one. The folk at Apple were prepared to 'give' me a replacement phone - which would have likely been a (faulty) one that had been returned.

Choice also told me that when you get the run around like Bunnings did in the earlier example, you remind the retailer that the contract of sale is between customer and retailer, not customer and the supplier or manufacturer though of course that's where they'd like to bounce you. Much easier! If the bloody phone had worked I could have downloaded the consumer law app!

Needless to say I would not buy anything from JB ever again! It's not the fault of the sales staff in many places, management have not instructed them on correct laws and procedures.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

... they said I'd have to go to the Apple Store.

and that's the amazing part... that consumers aren't fully aware of their rights. We had a computer die 13 months after purchase. A major chain also claimed they couldn't help as (a) the warranty had expired and (b) we'd need to contact the manufacturer.

Ten minutes later after talking to a manager and explaining our rights they took the computer off us and were sending it on our behalf to get repaired.

It might however be helpful to contact the manufacturer directly in a case such as Apple if they happen to have a store close by. It could mean your product is back in your hands much quicker by cutting out the time it takes for the retailer to process the paper work, send it off and then wait for it to be sent back. So the choice is there for the consumer.

 

[UP4014]

As others have said, know your rights and always ask for the staff members name.

I'm a bit surprised the OP has only just noticed a decline in customer service. :mrgreen: It's been happening for years.

Look at airlines, we are installing self serve boarding pass kiosks, you can now tag your own bag and put it on the conveyor, they tell me this is to improve my service. Wrong!



Matt

 

[medhead]

Look at airlines, we are installing self serve boarding pass kiosks, you can now tag your own bag and put it on the conveyor, they tell me this is to improve my service. Wrong!



Matt

Isn't this the dichotomy of self service check in? The whole process can happen much quicker, without waiting in queues. (Check in pole swipe, dump bag with Q tag in the chute = done) Thereby, allowing the airline to claimed they've serviced the customers needs better. But it is the customers that have provided the service to themselves.

 

[Steelo]

It is the year 2014 - service is provided across a range of business by electronic means - where we us technology to provide a better product or service. Are you really sure that all of this is a decline in service - for example do you want to go back to the days when you queued in a bank to get money out - in fact I recall the same complaints being made about ATMs when they first came in - as people are making about self service baggage. I am sure it will continue to change over the next decades. Such technology allows us to obtain premium products at a much better price and for the supplier to make a decision as to where they think the most important elements of "personal" service need to be delivered.