Customer service in Ireland

beagle001

Is the friendly Irish customer service a thing of the past.
Had some American friends over and they were not impressed by some of the attitudes in shops or restaurants.
Could not understand some staff and said others never smiled.
What's peoples opinion on this as I do think it's gone down hill in the past decade.

DrumSteve

It's dem forners fault.

Sykk

beagle001 wrote: »

Is the friendly Irish customer service a thing of the past.
Had some American friends over and they were not impressed by some of the attitudes in shops or restaurants.
Could not understand some staff and said others never smiled.
What's peoples opinion on this as I do think it's gone down hill in the past decade.

Was it ever there in the first place?

John Mason

LMAO and you are surprised cos......................

RedXIV

In fairness, I've been to America and the staff there are almost too friendly.

If you grew up with that, it'd be hardly surprising to find Irish staff lacking.

jester77

RedXIV wrote: »

In fairness, I've been to America and the staff there are almost too friendly.

If you grew up with that, it'd be hardly surprising to find Irish staff lacking.

If tips were as prevalent in Ireland as they are in US then you can be fairly sure the staff in Ireland would be friendlier

NothingMan

I think this is a non issue. I've worked in retail and obviously had many customer service experiences same as any one else. You get some friendly people and you get some ass hats. A good company will make sure the ass hats are polite, which is usually when you get that snooty fake smile crap and some companies generally don't seem to care.

This is the way it's always been, I have noticed no discernible difference in ratio of rude : Polite staff over the last 10 years anyway.

beagle001

jester77 wrote: »

RedXIV wrote: »

In fairness, I've been to America and the staff there are almost too friendly.

If you grew up with that, it'd be hardly surprising to find Irish staff lacking.

If tips were as prevalent in Ireland as they are in US then you can be fairly sure the staff in Ireland would be friendlier

There issue was with some of the banter,they said the waiter or waitresses were mainly foreign and would not engage in banter.
The shop assistants in the tourist areas were gruff and seemed rude.
I have noticed the lack of banter from eastern European workers here but you will get a smile and hello.
Maybe that's the difference in America they make an effort.

FatherLen

i have always found that the majority of people involved in customer interactive jobs to be quite friendly.

beagle001

beagle001 wrote: »

There issue was with some of the banter,they said the waiter or waitresses were mainly foreign and would not engage in banter.
The shop assistants in the tourist areas were gruff and seemed rude.
I have noticed the lack of banter from eastern European workers here but you will get a smile and hello.
Maybe that's the difference in America they make an effort.

You're not there for banter. If you want banter, make some friends.
general "you".

Dangerous Man

I would say from my own experience in Ireland that the majority are fairly indifferent, some are good, and some are bad. There are far too many who are bad too. This isn't restricted to Ireland, though.

CrazyRabbit

So long as the person does a good job, I couldn't care less about how friendly they are. I'm not there to become friends with them.

genie

Customer service is, and has always been very poor in Ireland, and particularly atrocious in Sligo. :rolleyes:

Chinafoot

bluewolf wrote:

You're not there for banter. If you want banter, make some friends.
general "you".

This tbh.

There are few things more irritating than being very busy in a retail/customer service job and having someone (mostly Americans ime) insist on attempting to drag you into a conversation with them. Yes, staff should always be courteous and friendly but there is a limit, particularly when there are other customers in need of attention.

Engaging in 'banter' is not a requirement of customer service. Also, as another poster pointed out, Americans make more of an 'effort' because they rely heavily on tips. We don't.

_feedback_

I don't work in retail but have a couple of friends who do. The stories they tell you about the assholes they have to deal with all day every day is incredible. I think the majority just harden up and close up and just aim to get the transaction out of the way as quickly as possible.

Ireland isn't that bad though, I have found some european countries to be worse, in particular Poland, which has atrocious customer service.

Buddinplant

genie wrote: »

Customer service is, and has always been very poor in Ireland, and particularly atrocious in Sligo. :rolleyes:

the phrase, 'Keep your head down, and we'll get through this lads in one piece!' just pole vaults into my head when i walk into some business in that town.

krudler

I hated some American shop assistants while I was there "hi, oh my god where are you from what can I get you are you ok sir?sir?sir?" arrgh! just let me pay for my Jolly Ranchers and leave! nothing wrong with politness, but then it goes into irritating overhappy, I'm too miserable for that lark :pac:

ArtyC

Dealing with the public has become so difficult in the last two years. I've worked behind a bar and counter for the last 5 years and used to really enjoy it. Now I hate it. People use this recession to complain and whine. I always thought i'd stick with a job dealing with the public. Now I just want a factory job. Anything. Not to listen to people. I still try and maintain a chatty cheerful attitude but I find it difficult

Latchy

What's acceptable in Ireland may not be in other countrys were if people are happy in their job ,be it as shop assistant, bar person, waiter/waitress etc , it should and does reflect in their smile and their manner and not just put on as '' part of the job '' . Some people who work in the above and other jobs dealing with the public as just pleasent and helpful while other are just miserable fcukers with a ' pfft ' attitude to all public they come into contact with .

sollar

I have stopped going into a shop i used regularly because the most grumpy sour woman i have ever encountered works on the till there. Her rudeness just depresses me so i avoid the shop.

Jess16

Has it occurred to these cash-flashing, holidaying Americans that maybe the people having to serve them don't have as much to smile about as they do?

curlywurly26

beagle001 wrote: »

friendly Irish customer service QUOTE]

What's this?

borderlinemeath

I was getting a flight out of the states when I witnessed the most ass kissy "customer service" ever.

I was checking my bag in and a man comes running up to the counter, ignoring the queue and starts to press the "customer service agent" about the "emergency" he was having.

"Hi, hi, Ma'am, I would be so grateful if you could help me. I missed my earlier flight and I HAVE to make the final flight out to Miami tonight. Please you HAVE to get me on that flight"

Delta Customer services: "Ok Sir, I'll do everything in my power to help you. Lets see, there's a flight scheduled to leave in an hour but it may be delayed with the snowstorm, possibly overnight"

Man: "Ma'am, you must understand, I HAVE to be in Miami this evening. I'm a lawyer, I've been in court all day, my wife and son have already travelled down ahead of me and I CANNOT miss my sons birthday"

Delta: "Ok Sir, but just to let you know that there are limited flights out of the airport tonight due to the snowstorm, We're sorry sir but we cannot control the weather"

Cue ranting and raving from the guy. Literally shouting at the girl about how he couldn't miss his sons birthday. She kept apologising and said that if it was delayed he would be put on the next scheduled flight.

He eventually bought the ticket and then followed with a smoozy, ass kissing complement fest, "Wow I love your hat" was the one I remembered as being the most false. She reciprocated with lots of "oh thank you, that's so nice of you to say!" and told him to enjoy his sons birthday, and how old was he, and "oh how cute" when shown a photo. blah blah blah

He eventually left the counter and the girl just smiled away and went back to serving me. I smiled at her and asked her did she have to deal with many idiots like him and she just said "Somedays it's one asshole after the next, you just gotta keep smiling!"

pragmatic1

Customer service is very bad in this country. Stop hiring fat teenage girls with no personality.

Mr. Denton

Phone based customer service in Ireland is terrible too. Tho that's partially my fault because I cannot speak Hindi, Bengali or Telugu.

zuutroy

People are nice enough for the most part. The remaining immigrant folk are generally much more friendly than the eastern ice maidens that roamed the Spars from '05-'09.

Better somebody being genuine than the 'Hi, I'm Crystal, I'll be your zombie today and will fill you with inane pleasantries until such time as you tip me 18%, otherwise I'll turn into a surly wagon'

snubbleste

If you are used to American customer service, then Irish customer service is non-existent.

InTheTrees

Jess16 wrote: »

Has it occurred to these cash-flashing, holidaying Americans that maybe the people having to serve them don't have as much to smile about as they do?

Life sucks huh?

Brendog

I work in customer service.

My attitude depends on the person I'm dealing with. If they are polite I will be polite and friendly back.
If they are short with me and don't thank me for my service, I'll be the exact same

but if they are down right rude and obnoxious....I'll be overwhelmingly nice and courteous, because that annoys them so much more

whatdoicare

I was in the crescent shopping centre, Limerick there last Sunday trying to buy this obscure vitamin my Dad was wanting and I have to say, out of the four shops I was in making enquiries - the only person who was in any way nice to me was in Boots, the girl didn't have what I wanted but proceeded to ring the manager in the city centre to see if she had it and if not, where I could get it, all without me asking.

In one shop the girl wouldn't even look at me, she said what she had to say while staring off into the distance and promptly turned around and walked off, I was left standing there like a spare wondering if she was on her way to get said vitamin or was she just done with me. It seems she was done with me, so I left the other items I was going to buy on the counter and left.

In another, the guy was just ignoring me while chatting to a girl at the counter and when I finally bought what I had to, I asked was the discount added as it wasn't apparent on the receipt. I obviously asked the question the wrong way as he stared me down and just said "No." Then after a long pause and me looking baffled - "it's half price." Making me feel a right fool. What would it have taken to say it to me in a nice way?

In the last shop I went into the girl just gave me one word and one word only, "No." I just about managed to say alrighty then and turned on my heel and wandered out the door.

Gotta say, if I had confidence in myself before going in, I had none going out!


Btw only one of these rude people was a foreigner.

Gary4279

Sometime you'll get bad customer service, but ive 3 years of retail experience in what would definitely be considered the busiest store in Ireland.

I can tell you that the customer service you receive is up to yourself. If your going to walk up to a sales assistant and don't say please, or bark orders at them, or if you come off as snobby then you ain't going to get good service.

Sales assistants prefer when you let them be themselves and talk to them the way you would anyone else. If you need help a 'excuse me, you couldn't tell me if xxxxxxx'.

Also, if a sales assistant is in a bad mood, remember that they're people too, they have families, friends and problems. A close friend of mine recently had the head bitten off him for not paying enough attention. His father had passed away a few day earlier.

I have one rule for my service, 'treat me like a cúnt and i will be a cúnt'

Toby Take a Bow

Buddinplant wrote: »

the phrase, 'Keep your head down, and we'll get through this lads in one piece!' just pole vaults into my head when i walk into some business in that town.

I'd say that's the reasoning behind a lot of the 'unfriendly' customer service people as well.

I worked in retail for years, and would have to echo Gary4279, a customer will get the level of politeness he or she gives me, no more and no less. I was on just above minimum wage, and I'm not going to kiss ass if you're going to be rude in any way to me. When I was working in a cafe (years ago) there was a regular customer who was always surly and in a rush. She would (literally) throw her money at me to pay for her coffee. I would always drop her change, or make her the wrong coffee, sometimes I'd spill her coffee and have to start again. She must've seen how fast I could do these things, but never changed her behaviour.

Whenever I see a 'rude' or not-particularly-engaged shop assistant I would think (if I think about it at all) he's on minimum wage and probably has a **** manager.

Fulton Crown

Toby Take a Bow wrote: »

Whenever I see a 'rude' or not-particularly-engaged shop assistant I would think (if I think about it at all) he's on minimum wage and probably has a **** manager.

What a load of tosh !

If somebody takes a job be it on minimum wage or not they should be pleasant to customers.

Was a local shop near me staffed by a crowd of cows.. who had the nerve to ask for my support for local business..when a big supermarket opened up nearby.

First time they had actually spoke to me ...which I pointed out to them....and then said it would probably the last as my business would be going to the supermarket in future.

The shock on their sour faces...........:D

figarofigaro

It wouldn't suit me to work in customer service. I'd never be an ass kisser and I wouldn't expect perfect stranger to be kissing my ass either.

Fulton Crown

figarofigaro wrote: »

It wouldn't suit me to work in customer service. I'd never be an ass kisser and I wouldn't expect perfect stranger to be kissing my ass either.

Just being polite.pleasant and efficient pal...that's all that is required...is that so difficult ?

Where did all this as kissing come from.....

Toby Take a Bow

Fulton Crown wrote: »

Just being polite.pleasant and efficient pal...that's all that is required...is that so difficult ?

Where did all this as kissing come from.....

Like I said, the vast majority of people are given what they give. That was the case where I worked. I'm sure the people who were immediately rude to me (and to whom I was rude back to) probably thought I shouldn't be working in customer service. But if you were even just normal, you would've got above average customer service, every time.

In addition to this, you're in the shop to make a transaction. If they smack you in the face with your newspaper, then yeah, maybe you've got a reason to complain. Just because they're not (fake) smiling and feigning interest in your life shouldn't be too much reason for concern for you. I'm sure you've got family/friends/the internet to rely on for your emotional needs.

Fulton Crown

Toby Take a Bow wrote: »

Like I said, the vast majority of people are given what they give. That was the case where I worked. I'm sure the people who were immediately rude to me (and to whom I was rude back to) probably thought I shouldn't be working in customer service. But if you were even just normal, you would've got above average customer service, every time.

In addition to this, you're in the shop to make a transaction. If they smack you in the face with your newspaper, then yeah, maybe you've got a reason to complain. Just because they're not (fake) smiling and feigning interest in your life shouldn't be too much reason for concern for you. I'm sure you've got family/friends/the internet to rely on for your emotional needs.

Look pal...when I go into a shop...I go there to carry out a transaction...I like someone to deal with me who has the confidence to smile and say hello and look me in the eye and maybe make some appropriate comment.

It just makes the whole thing that bit more civilised don't you think ?

It's a confidence thing...sadly lacking in Irish teenagers...teenage girls in particular seem to be the most stupid vacuous disinterested people on the planet.

the groutch

Fulton Crown wrote: »

It's a confidence thing...sadly lacking in Irish teenagers...teenage girls in particular seem to be the most stupid vacuous disinterested people on the planet.

if it's only a part-time job, which they might only be in for a couple of years at most, there isnt the same motivation as a "lifer" with bills to pay and a family depending on them to put food on the table.

figarofigaro

Fulton Crown wrote: »

Just being polite.pleasant and efficient pal...that's all that is required...is that so difficult ?

That's perfectly reasonable, and that is all that should be expected. I mean that it wouldn't suit me to be in a job where you're under pressure to be over friendly, which is quite common seemingly.