kilkennys worst customer service experience

wigster29

hey every one what was your worst customer service experience

Stephen

This is going to quickly descend into unsustainable claims against local business that might well get boards in trouble.

wigster29

did i mention names? im just asking for experiences

Stephen

As long as nobody goes landing us in hot water the thread will remain open.

wigster29

i had a friend of mine was trying to buy tiles at a shop in kilkenny and they messed her around big time filled her with bull**** any way tiles never existed they were on display but they were out of stock for at least 2 months and never told her just kept saying oh they will be here next week and so on how the hell can buisness treat people like that

jiggajt

I bought a laptop in a certain KK computer store and was encouraged to pay an extra 300 euro for the extended warranty. 18 months later the power cable socket at the back of the laptop broke.
When i brought it back they wouldnt honour the warranty as they claimed that i must have tripped over or pulled the power cable in order for it to break. When i stated that i hadnt i was told that i must be mistaken.
I will NEVER buy an extended warranty on anything ever again and would encourage everyone to do same.

Sully

I think I know the store you might be talking about. Its all about comission so they aim big with sales. I was in with a friend and his gf once (in a waterford store) and they persauded them to do the exact same thing (ignoring my advise - I really got on the sales assistants nerves ) even tho both of us repaired computers anyway. She managed to persuade both of them that even we couldnt fix it. :rolleyes:

Kashkai

We stayed in a "family friendly hotel that wouldn't take bookings from stag/hen parties". So my wife, my 2 year old daughter and myself went down for a weekend break. We were put in a room right beside reception and didn't get a wink of sleep from the noisy stag and hen parties in th eadjacent bar and reception area. We complained to the desk staff at several points during the night/early morning and apart from some shushing noises, they did nothing to quell the noise.

A complaint to management the next morning had us moved to another room at the far end of the hotel but at that stage we were so knackered that the weekend was a wash out for us. Upon checking out, I asked to speak to the manager and he was unavailable, even though he had been talking to the guy in front of me 5 minutes previously. When asked if we enjoyed the weekend, I let them know that it was the worst weekend we'd ever had. She just shrugged her shoulders and gave us the bill. I asked for a reduction due to our disturbed night and she refused. I wrote to the manager when I got home and he denied there were stag/hen parties in the hotel (even though my cousin was a guest at one of them - I'd met him when we were in the restaraunt earlier) and that we should expect some noise from reception - so much for it being family friendly.

Needless to say, we've never gone back to Kilkenny.

Raze_them_all

Prosperous Dave wrote: »

We stayed in a "family friendly hotel that wouldn't take bookings from stag/hen parties". So my wife, my 2 year old daughter and myself went down for a weekend break. We were put in a room right beside reception and didn't get a wink of sleep from the noisy stag and hen parties in th eadjacent bar and reception area. We complained to the desk staff at several points during the night/early morning and apart from some shushing noises, they did nothing to quell the noise.

A complaint to management the next morning had us moved to another room at the far end of the hotel but at that stage we were so knackered that the weekend was a wash out for us. Upon checking out, I asked to speak to the manager and he was unavailable, even though he had been talking to the guy in front of me 5 minutes previously. When asked if we enjoyed the weekend, I let them know that it was the worst weekend we'd ever had. She just shrugged her shoulders and gave us the bill. I asked for a reduction due to our disturbed night and she refused. I wrote to the manager when I got home and he denied there were stag/hen parties in the hotel (even though my cousin was a guest at one of them - I'd met him when we were in the restaraunt earlier) and that we should expect some noise from reception - so much for it being family friendly.

Needless to say, we've never gone back to Kilkenny.

to be honest you'll never get a hotel in the city that doen't have a hen or stag.

Random note. I used to live where your from:eek:

Kashkai

Raze_them_all wrote: »

to be honest you'll never get a hotel in the city that doen't have a hen or stag.

Random note. I used to live where your from:eek:

The point is that they advertised their hotel as being "family friendly" and that they wouldn't allow stag/hen nights - bs on both counts.

I'm not from Prosperous, I'm a blow in from de northsoide of Dubalin

Threadhead

There's a certain 'tourist friendly' 'nostalgic' ****hole of a cafe in Kilkenny that has persisted in ripping so many people off over the years. The last time I was in there (3 years ago) I was given sandwiches on stale bread, hard ham and the worst leaky pot of tea I've ever seen. When I complained the obnoxious staff just refused to listen to it. I wouldn't mind but it was the first time I've ever felt compelled to complain in an eaterie in Kilkenny. I haven't been there since then and if anyone asks me for a recommendation, I tell them definitely not to go there. Rude stuff, exorbitant prices and bad food mean it's just not worth it.

Firetrap

There's a certain newsagent that shuts its doors earlier than other stores in the same place. I was once in there with another customer around 8:45 browsing and they more or less threw us out. A woman walked into the shop and they were horrible in the manner they sent her back out. I've never gone in there since.

djScarey

A recession can be a good thing, putting power back into the hands of consumers with long memories and large social networks.

brettmirl

Threadhead wrote: »

There's a certain 'tourist friendly' 'nostalgic' ****hole of a cafe in Kilkenny that has persisted in ripping so many people off over the years. The last time I was in there (3 years ago) I was given sandwiches on stale bread, hard ham and the worst leaky pot of tea I've ever seen. When I complained the obnoxious staff just refused to listen to it. I wouldn't mind but it was the first time I've ever felt compelled to complain in an eaterie in Kilkenny. I haven't been there since then and if anyone asks me for a recommendation, I tell them definitely not to go there. Rude stuff, exorbitant prices and bad food mean it's just not worth it.

Do they still serve Mr Kipling buns/cakes in there and try to pass them off as "home made"?

Threadhead

Oh they pass a lot of crappy past its sell by date bought in food as 'home made'. All the fancy trinkets in the world aren't going to make up for a sick stomach and a raped wallet.

Nightwish

I havent eaten in there since I was charged £3 for out of date cheesecake. The prices are horrendous and are liable to change, depending on who serves you. It was across from where I worked, and at the time one of the few places open on a Sunday. There was a league table for the highest price charged for a can of coke. Receipts were put on the notice board as proof and the record was €2.20!

My worst customer service experience in KK was in a well known restaurant in town about 3 months ago, where food arrived late and was cold. Drinks and desserts that were ordered never showed (but were on the bill!) and the worst was mid meal, we were asked to stand up and physically move our table by a waitress. She said she needed more room to accomodate a nearby table of 10. We complained and got nowhere with the staff and then got the manager who knocked 25% off the bill, but nevertheless, I will not be returning.

swanvill

A Barbers (near Eurospar) who closing time was 17:30, had locked their doors at 17:20 and was refusing to let any other customers in.

Then there are certain hardware stores who close their shops for lunch between 1 – 2pm, very customer focused

Two years ago I rang a builder to get a quote to build a boiler shed and he said that I was too far away to do the job, the job was 45 minuets away for him!

Stephen

Heh, he'd be gagging for the business now!

I can understand the barber's closing the doors 10 minutes before closing time, considering it'll take at least that to cut your hair, take payment, etc.

ergonomics

Went to a car parts shop for power steering fluid for my Ford. I asked for help and the salesperson rolled their eyes and said 'power steering fluid is power steering fluid, they're all the same' before handing me a bottle. So off I went and just before I put it in my car I read the back of the bottle where it said 'For use in any type of car, except Ford'. So off I go and try to return it but they're having none of it. Argue with the manager for a while and eventually they go off and get me a different bottle. And it was still wrong.

ztoical

Stephen wrote: »

I can understand the barber's closing the doors 10 minutes before closing time, considering it'll take at least that to cut your hair, take payment, etc.

+ 1 Most shops will start closing up about 10 mins before closing time, depending on the type of shop they will stop letting people in at that time otherwise they won't be finished in time.

As for the hardware store I don't see any issue with it closing for lunch, guess I'm one of the few here who grew up in a small town were every shop use to close for lunch and also closed for a half day on wednesdays [know a few shops who still do that] and would only open for a few hours saturday and didn't open on Sundays. We've got to use to shops being open 24/7.

I know the hardware you mean and the guy who owns it could either hire someone so he could stay open all day or close for lunch - I'm guessing the amount o business he's losing in that hour would not be the same as paying a second person wage.

Plug

ergonomics wrote: »

Went to a car parts shop for power steering fluid for my Ford. I asked for help and the salesperson rolled their eyes and said 'power steering fluid is power steering fluid, they're all the same' before handing me a bottle. So off I went and just before I put it in my car I read the back of the bottle where it said 'For use in any type of car, except Ford'. So off I go and try to return it but they're having none of it. Argue with the manager for a while and eventually they go off and get me a different bottle. And it was still wrong.

Sounds like a halfords job, why did you not just go to Penders? They would have topped it up for free.

Nightwish

Penders dont do anything for free :eek:

swanvill

Regarding the barbers the poor customer service was not the fact that they closed 10 mins early but the fact that she locked the door so she could avoid telling customers, they were not taking anymore customers, it was just the lazy way out and the least customer friendly. In a service business is your closing time, the last time that you take your customer or is it when you finish? I would imagine the people working there would still be paid til six as they have to clean up, balance their til etc...... anyway what irked me was the lack of communication by locking the door.

I find the majority of recruitment agents (except premier) very poor often losing CVs, posting up jobs that have been filled, one I know of is an internal audit role in Glanbia which was still live on one website 6 months after the job being filled, not returning phone calls, not disclosing all the relevant info re the job on its website and not knowing enough about your profession/industry to be able to discuss the job.

zootroid

Hopefully poor customer service will be a thing of the past now that businesses are struggling for business. An upside to the recession perhaps?

zootroid

Double post

Firetrap

I hope things have improved but a certain shop that involves a catalogue used to be a horror of a place to go into. The staff in there were more interested in talking to each other than to serve the customers. I've been in other branches of this chain in other towns and you'd be out of there in 5-10 minutes at worst. In this one it could be a long wait.

fabbydabby

I think I know which café people are bitching about. Stale, faux "home made" confections, staff of the most apethetic and obnoxious kind and a price list that bends your wallet over the till and buggers it without remorse can only point to one well known emporium. I don't know why I still go there, I really don't.

I have, in my 9 odd years as a mobile phone user... NEVER had a satisfactory transaction in a mobile phone shop. They are staffed by the rudest, most inept collection of mongoloids in the workforce.

Nightwish

Firetrap wrote: »

I hope things have improved but a certain shop that involves a catalogue used to be a horror of a place to go into. The staff in there were more interested in talking to each other than to serve the customers. I've been in other branches of this chain in other towns and you'd be out of there in 5-10 minutes at worst. In this one it could be a long wait.

Hey! I worked there for years. I was nothing short of courteous to customers. Except the ones who threw things like playstations or the odd microwave at me.

Raze_them_all

zootroid wrote: »

Hopefully poor customer service will be a thing of the past now that businesses are struggling for business. An upside to the recession perhaps?

too bad we cant afford to spend to get the new customer service :P

Firetrap

Nightwish wrote: »

Hey! I worked there for years. I was nothing short of courteous to customers. Except the ones who threw things like playstations or the odd microwave at me.

Customers 1 - Staff 1

mumsy

:D:D

ergonomics wrote: »

Went to a car parts shop for power steering fluid for my Ford. I asked for help and the salesperson rolled their eyes and said 'power steering fluid is power steering fluid, they're all the same' before handing me a bottle. So off I went and just before I put it in my car I read the back of the bottle where it said 'For use in any type of car, except Ford'. So off I go and try to return it but they're having none of it. Argue with the manager for a while and eventually they go off and get me a different bottle. And it was still wrong.

That's hilarious. A good mate of mine has just started his own business selling auto parts direct to the customer and great service...will deliver and give genuine advice on what your car may need. He has loads of experience and really looks after his customers. Kilkenny Autoparts Direct 085 7474788

highgiant1985

worst customer service... I'd agree with Threadhead on this -
'There's a certain 'tourist friendly' 'nostalgic' ****hole of a cafe in Kilkenny that has persisted in ripping so many people off over the years'

When I first arrived in Kilkenny went to this place once or twice... won't make the same mistake again

Lets be more positive... best customer service in Kilkenny (Can we name these?)

From my own experiences I'd say the staff in Bank of Ireland who I've always found v helpful (& before anyone asks no I don't work or know anyone who works for them :P)

That said I've v little dealings with people around kilkenny so limited pool to select from.

fabbydabby

Uncle Sam's for tasty pizzas cooked uber quickly by friendly foreigners

Try not to think about the fact that the bathroom *never* has soap in it and aforementioned friendly foreigners are kneading your dough though.

ChristIsMurph

JOES TAKEAWAY!!!!!! definately the best customer service i ever got in kilkenny

Firetrap

A certain large anchor tenant in a certain shopping centre. Jesus wept. There are some people working in there who have sour pusses on them that would curdle the milk you're trying to buy. They're not in any great hurry to serve people that's for sure.

Nightwish

^^ I reckon I could name the person that served you! Some of the staff there are unbelievably surly.

road_high

Firetrap wrote: »

A certain large anchor tenant in a certain shopping centre. Jesus wept. There are some people working in there who have sour pusses on them that would curdle the milk you're trying to buy. They're not in any great hurry to serve people that's for sure.

Is that Superquinn???! I find their staff nice enough, broadly speaking. But I always use the self service, just too slow otherwise.

Speaking of poor customer service/ more accurately poor value; Fox & Goose Clara; €13.95 for a Chicken breat in a bap and a few frozen chips; hello? :rolleyes:. Never going there again, €10 would have been more than enough.

road_high

Firetrap wrote: »

There's a certain newsagent that shuts its doors earlier than other stores in the same place. I was once in there with another customer around 8:45 browsing and they more or less threw us out. A woman walked into the shop and they were horrible in the manner they sent her back out. I've never gone in there since.

Wouldn't happen to be in the Market Cross by any chance??

Firetrap

No...

fabbydabby

I'll wager my left testicle you are referring to a certain continental breed of Spar.

Typical Transaction

Customer: - "Hi howsa goin"
Ivana*: [dirty look]
Customer: - "That's a coffee"

[silence]

Customer: "how much is that?"
Ivana: [sighs] "one fifty"
Customer: "hold on and I'll see if i have it in change"
Ivana: [sighs and rolls eyes]


I actually know a guy who goes in there to get the paper most days and pays in ones and twos just to annoy certain staff.

*Randomly selected name. not a real person

ztoical

fabbydabby wrote: »

I'll wager my left testicle you are referring to a certain continental breed of Spar.

+ 1 work and live near it so shop there every day and every time I go in I ask myself why do I keep going there. The deli staff are the rudest I've ever had to deal with, the rest of the staff I find fine but ordering a sandwich in there is an ordeal. Go up to counter, see piles of chicken and tuna and egg mayo all over the counter, ask for sandwich and as they go to put down the bread on the dirty counter I ask "sorry could you please wipe the counter down first" Get dirty look followed by a snapped "I was going to do that" at which point they drop the bread on the dirty counter anyway and stalk off to get a cloth, giving me dirty looks the whole time.

It's the same every time. I've watched them when it's busy make several sandwiches on the trot without once cleaning or changing the cutting board, even though they've a whole pile of them to the side, not cleaning the knife, not changing their gloves. Watched one girl handle some raw meat in the back before coming and making a sandwich without changing her gloves. I'm not massively picky if a little bit of something else falls into one of the other containers and I get it in my sandwich but honestly they are taking the piss in there. Couple of months back one of the girls put chicken on my roll even though I hadn't asked for it, I kept saying excuse me, sorry etc but she ignored me, wrapped the roll and handed it to me, I just looked at her like she was mad.

Asking for anything out of the hot deli is almost as bad, you get stared at like you annoying them when you ask for something.

Jimmy Iovine

Probably the most annoying was going down town during lunch in secondary school. After being treated like ignorant cnuts at the deli counter then we would be herded through one till by the slowest staff member. We werent allowed to go to any of the other tills but they didnt have a problem with other customers coming into the "STUDENTS ONLY" queue

Firetrap

fabbydabby wrote: »

I'll wager my left testicle you are referring to a certain continental breed of Spar.

Typical Transaction

Customer: - "Hi howsa goin"
Ivana*: [dirty look]
Customer: - "That's a coffee"

[silence]

Customer: "how much is that?"
Ivana: [sighs] "one fifty"
Customer: "hold on and I'll see if i have it in change"
Ivana: [sighs and rolls eyes]


I actually know a guy who goes in there to get the paper most days and pays in ones and twos just to annoy certain staff.

*Randomly selected name. not a real person

Unnervingly accurate.

No, I wasn't referring to the Spar but to the lovely supermarket staffed by lovely people in a workhouse based shopping centre.

fabbydabby

Oh right. Never been in there so I can't complain....

Had a roll from Sparta this evening. Tasty, well made and the girl on the till was pleasant. So perhaps the bad experiences are over.

Funny the big hoo-ha they made about their "bakers tray" bakery selection, how fantasticly amazing it is and how there isn't another like it in the country (they even brought that hurling trophy down for the grand opening) but most mornings when I go in there the crossaints 'arent out of the oven yet'.

Firetrap

Well, not everyone in my favorite supermarket is surly either. There are some very pleasant people working there but alas there are far too many ones who act like the place would run grand if it wasn't for the customers.

ChristIsMurph

fabbydabby wrote: »

Oh right. Never been in there so I can't complain....

Had a roll from Sparta this evening. Tasty, well made and the girl on the till was pleasant. So perhaps the bad experiences are over.

Funny the big hoo-ha they made about their "bakers tray" bakery selection, how fantasticly amazing it is and how there isn't another like it in the country (they even brought that hurling trophy down for the grand opening) but most mornings when I go in there the crossaints 'arent out of the oven yet'.

In Eurosparta they got a new pastry chef in. I used to work with him in a hotel. Makes the most incredible croissants ever..........

As for bad experiences, anyone ever ring Eircom? They try keep you on the phone asking the same questions over and over, rather than sending an engineer out to look at your problem they just attempt to get you pissed off so you hang up!

Dr.Sanchez

fabbydabby wrote: »

I have, in my 9 odd years as a mobile phone user... NEVER had a satisfactory transaction in a mobile phone shop. They are staffed by the rudest, most inept collection of mongoloids in the workforce.

I used to be one of them.. Fun times!

Although it used to bug be when idiots come in looking for an "indestructible" phone or when their phone comes back from repair water damaged and they ask: "how did it get water damaged?"

I once had a woman collecting her water damaged phone who was not happy, she made a big scene in front of everybody in the shop shouting: Water damage?!... Everybody uses their phone in the rain!!.. I calmly replied: "Would you watch your telly in the rain and expect it to work?".... That shut her up pretty quick!

fabbydabby

Hmm but what about when you go in for a phone, spend a while picking one out and then after a bit of rooting being told it's not in stock? The problems I have with this are as follows:

There should be a phone in stock
If it is not in stock, the staff should KNOW that

Then trying to buy it, but being told you don't have the required docs... so you get a list of everything you need from the guys in the shop, go off and get them and come back but you still can't buy it because you are still missing stuff, even though you were already told everything you were supposedly told you needed.

Then you ask them to recommend a bluetooth car kit with a mini-screen and they do, but when it is snstalled, the installer tell you that that perticullar model you picked out doesn't have a screen?

What then?

Cabaal

fabbydabby wrote: »

Hmm but what about when you go in for a phone, spend a while picking one out and then after a bit of rooting being told it's not in stock? The problems I have with this are as follows:

There should be a phone in stock
If it is not in stock, the staff should KNOW that

No company can guarantee they will always have EVERY item in stock, fair enough if its out of stock staff can check

Then trying to buy it, but being told you don't have the required docs... so you get a list of everything you need from the guys in the shop, go off and get them and come back but you still can't buy it because you are still missing stuff, even though you were already told everything you were supposedly told you needed.

Doesn't the phone operators website also state what docs are needed, what ever happened to a customer doing abit of research before buying something?

Then you ask them to recommend a bluetooth car kit with a mini-screen and they do, but when it is snstalled, the installer tell you that that perticullar model you picked out doesn't have a screen?
What then?

Bring it back, you were given incorrect advise by the shop

Cabaal

fabbydabby wrote: »

I have, in my 9 odd years as a mobile phone user... NEVER had a satisfactory transaction in a mobile phone shop. They are staffed by the rudest, most inept collection of mongoloids in the workforce.

Wow very nice generalization,
I've had a mobile for 10 years and I've never once had any problems with any mobile phone staff, I've also never had problems with my phones but thats mainly down to the fact that I look after them

For the record I've never worked in a mobile phone shop before anyone jumps to conclusions

fabbydabby

Hard to bring it back when it's installed in my car and already paid for! But Its my own fault for buying off the morons, I blame no one else other than myself for expecting a decent service.

Yeah OK I take your point about doing a bit of research, but it was a company phone, not my own and I was just picking it up thusly.

me: What do I need?
shop guy: You need A, B and C
Me: That's it?
shop guy: Yep

[drives off and returns with A B and C]

shop guy: "have you got D?"


etc etc.