Customer service, good/bad in Limerick.

Reputable Rog

tippman1 wrote: »

Any place where the staff say "Are you ok?" really gets under my skin.

That's fine if you're after collapsing, or banging your head or getting sick all over the floor but as an opening greeting to potential customers , it's pretty poor imho.

'Hi' 'Hello' or 'Can I help you' sounds so much more friendly and professional.

Maybe I'm just gone too old and grumpy?

That irritated the **** out of me, barman in City West asked me "yur reet?", i said "great and yourself" and he walked off. I then called him back and told him that I wasn't alright and that I wanted serving and wasn't standing there for the craic.

seachto7

Reputable Rog wrote: »

That irritated the **** out of me, barman in City West asked me "yur reet?", i said "great and yourself" and he walked off. I then called him back and told him that I wasn't alright and that I wanted serving and wasn't standing there for the craic.

haha, what did he say to that?

Are you okay is an Irish thing though, or maybe a UK/Ireland thing?

I always thought good bar service was, when you were almost finished a pint, the barman would give you a nod, you'd nod back, pint would come on board then. No words exchanged. A lot of locals are like that where I suppose the barman and customers would be regular and be on speaking terms.

McSween

Lana Raheen the other night - no thank you when handing over the takeaway. Also when I asked the owner did they do catering he just said 'no'.

Any member of staff who has a conversation with a colleague when they are supposed to be giving the customer attention is a dickhead. Many times they have their hand held out for your money before they turn their head away from their conversation.

Mc Love

Good few places actually put the money on the counter which in my mind is downright rude too.

philstar

^^^^^^^^^^^

maybe they don't want to pick up germs??

i notice some staff at the shannon tunnel toll use latex gloves

Jofspring

The germs would be on the money so placing it on the counter doesn't really save them from germs.

I have seen the toll using them alright but there again that is because they are handling money all day. The dirt on their gloves just shows how bad it is.

jbkenn

tippman1 wrote: »

Any place where the staff say "Are you ok?" really gets under my skin.

Anyone approaches me with that salutation, I tell them "Grand, just shoplifting", usually gets rid of them

Comhrá

I was in Bobby Byrnes today for lunch and the service there is always excellent....in fact, it's almost too good.

They always have nice food but when I'm walking to a table, and one of the staff offers to carry my tray, it always makes me feel like I'm a frail little old pensioner.

I'm just not used to that level of attention in any hostelry or eatery I've ever frequented, but still they do try hard so well done to them.

Parchment

The workers in the parcel collection An Post depot on the Dock Road are really lovely.

Parchment

Parchment wrote: »

The workers in the parcel collection An Post depot on the Dock Road are really lovely.

Sound lads. Great craic too

paulers06

The staff in Starbucks are really nice and friendly. Always a pleasure.

mgbgt1978

tippman1 wrote: »

I was in Bobby Byrnes today for lunch and the service there is always excellent....in fact, it's almost too good.

They always have nice food but when I'm walking to a table, and one of the staff offers to carry my tray, it always makes me feel like I'm a frail little old pensioner.

I'm just not used to that level of attention in any hostelry or eatery I've ever frequented, but still they do try hard so well done to them.

Used to drink there years ago, and loved it.
Went in for lunch with the Family twice in the past 6 months. Both times it was a saturday at 2ish. Despite the extensive menu on display (outside and inside) all I "could" chose from was whatever was left at the carvery, which on both occasions was very little.

Bye, Bye Bobby's.

mgbgt1978

Sully777 wrote: »

Once a year??? But if a stretch to call it a pet hate. 1st world problems?

Ah here, in fairness this whole thread only concerns First World Problems. I don't see any Syrians complaining about the long wait for a Latte in the Starbucks in Aleppo .

Swiper the fox

mgbgt1978 wrote: »

Used to drink there years ago, and loved it.
Went in for lunch with the Family twice in the past 6 months. Both times it was a saturday at 2ish. Despite the extensive menu on display (outside and inside) all I "could" chose from was whatever was left at the carvery, which on both occasions was very little.

Bye, Bye Bobby's.

The extensive menu kicks off at 3 O'clock does it not, I'm almost certain the menus you referred to say that,until then it's carvery, I'm sure there's a good reason for this and I don't see why they should cook to order for anybody.

Sorry for the tone of this post but your last line really annoyed me, bye bye yourself.

orm0nd

a grumpy old culchie/farmer here who spent a lot of time in the city in my younger days both socializing & for business, however I rarely frequent the city now.

a few places I still call in to are Noel's & Kennelly's in Wickam street, Michael Gleeson's & Limerick Sport's Store Willliam st, and Peter Ferguson Catherine St., where I'm always assured friendly efficient service & a brief chat.

Some time ago I mentioned I was very disappointed with O'Connor's Thomas St. however for convenience we had lunch there recently & must say there was a vast improvement on our previous visit, the better half had the house special while I had fish and chips, f&C could have been a bit better especially the side salad, but overall happy enough, service was fast & friendly

we were long time customers of Clancy's, O'Connell St. before they closed down & then moved on to Jack Fitzgerald's, however after a good start we had 2 very disappointing experiences (which I won't go into detail) & now we go to Soundstore where we find the staff very efficent.

On a side note herself & myself went to Cork & Galway during the "summer" & comparsion to Limerick is like chalk and cheese, both cities were alive from early morn. & the atmosphere on the streets was buzzing

colm_mcm

So strange, I came to this thread to comment on O'Connors on Thomas street, find the staff really friendly and genuine. Brought my toddler in there and they're always so nice to him. It's not the swankiest or modern of places but there's something nice about it.

Phoenix Wright

The Good: Penney's in town are pretty good imo, especially considering how busy they get. The Cornstore was an enjoyable place to eat. The owner of the Fitto Cafe is a gent, but can be a bit much if you're looking for a quiet coffee. Gold Converters in town are really helpful and know their stuff. Musgrave have great customer service too. Future Sound and Vision were helpful and the same can be said for Elvery's out by Childer's Road.

The Bad: The owner of China-Ki by Westbury is extremely arrogant. Also, avoid getting passport pictures at the Fujifilm store by Cruise's Street. The rudeness and condescending attitude of the man working there is shocking. Elvery's in town and the post office at Upper William Street have caused me problems before also.

The Worst: N.P. Service around the back of Chicken Hut; I really don't know what the lad's problem is, but there's definitely something not quite right there. He fixed my 3DS, which was great. However, when I went to collect it I felt like he wanted to punch me. I've honestly never experienced anything else like it. He was rude beyond belief and I can't even comprehend what I could have possibly done to cause it. Avoid like the plague.

The Runner Up: One of the workers at the BOI branch at the Parkway seemingly made an intentional error that resulted in me going abroad without a properly functioning card. I asked for a new card prior to going abroad for four months because ATMs were often struggling to read it. I presented my old card and had to input my PIN to prove it was mine. She started questioning why I needed a new card and I explained the problems I was having. I got the impression she wasn't overly impressed, but I couldn't run the risk of my card breaking abroad. Somehow, the idiot got BOI to send me a reminder of my PIN?? Even though I clearly knew my PIN and spoke at length about why I was requesting a new card? If I had more time, I would have definitely spoken with the manager. I had to request a new card again and wait a couple of weeks before receiving it abroad. Needless to say, this caused myself and my parents a lot of stress.

black & white

Phoenix Wright wrote: »

The Good: Penney's in town are pretty good imo, especially considering how busy they get. The Cornstore was an enjoyable place to eat. The owner of the Fitto Cafe is a gent, but can be a bit much if you're looking for a quiet coffee. Gold Converters in town are really helpful and know their stuff. Musgrave have great customer service too. Future Sound and Vision were helpful and the same can be said for Elvery's out by Childer's Road.

The Bad: The owner of China-Ki by Westbury is extremely arrogant. Also, avoid getting passport pictures at the Fujifilm store by Cruise's Street. The rudeness and condescending attitude of the man working there is shocking. Elvery's in town and the post office at Upper William Street have caused me problems before also.

The Worst: N.P. Service around the back of Chicken Hut; I really don't know what the lad's problem is, but there's definitely something not quite right there. He fixed my 3DS, which was great. However, when I went to collect it I felt like he wanted to punch me. I've honestly never experienced anything else like it. He was rude beyond belief and I can't even comprehend what I could have possibly done to cause it. Avoid like the plague.

The Runner Up: One of the workers at the BOI branch at the Parkway seemingly made an intentional error that resulted in me going abroad without a properly functioning card. I asked for a new card prior to going abroad for four months because ATMs were often struggling to read it. I presented my old card and had to input my PIN to prove it was mine. She started questioning why I needed a new card and I explained the problems I was having. I got the impression she wasn't overly impressed, but I couldn't run the risk of my card breaking abroad. Somehow, the idiot got BOI to send me a reminder of my PIN?? Even though I clearly knew my PIN and spoke at length about why I was requesting a new card? If I had more time, I would have definitely spoken with the manager. I had to request a new card again and wait a couple of weeks before receiving it abroad. Needless to say, this caused myself and my parents a lot of stress.

If that Fuji shop is the one across from Charlie Chaplins I think it's closed, I passed by on Tuesday and it seemed to be empty

Phoenix Wright

black & white wrote: »

If that Fuji shop is the one across from Charlie Chaplins I think it's closed, I passed by on Tuesday and it seemed to be empty

I suspected as much. I probably should have mentioned that it was roughly two years ago when it happened.

Jofspring

Ya it's closed and elverys in town is gone also. At least a year now.

Phoenix Wright

Jofspring wrote: »

Ya it's closed and elverys in town is gone also. At least a year now.

I didn't know that Elvery's in town had gone. BOI in Parkway is going soon as well. It's a shame to see branches close, even if I have bad experiences with some of their staff members. I was going to list HMV in the Crescent as bad and Crust Cafe as the good, but they've both closed as well.

Anonymagician

Phoenix Wright wrote: »

The Good: Penney's in town are pretty good imo, especially considering how busy they get.

Last time I was in Penneys I was buying those reusable ice cube things and the lady behind the counter goes to the one next to her "here look at these yokes...yeah I wouldn't buy them now would you? Don't know what they put in them like" and the other one goes "yeah I wouldn't trust those at all now".

And then she turned back to me, scanned them and put them in my bag :rolleyes:

Comhrá

Many years ago when Spaights was still in existance, I was browsing when one of the older male staff approached me and said "Well, Boss...what are you looking for there?" Such eloquent customer service is hard to come by these days.

Phoenix Wright

Anonymagician wrote: »

Last time I was in Penneys I was buying those reusable ice cube things and the lady behind the counter goes to the one next to her "here look at these yokes...yeah I wouldn't buy them now would you? Don't know what they put in them like" and the other one goes "yeah I wouldn't trust those at all now".

And then she turned back to me, scanned them and put them in my bag :rolleyes:

Maybe I need to stop judging customer service based on individual experiences

Sinead Mc1

I often buy hair vouchers on some of the deal websites and about 2 years ago I bought one for a half head of highlights in Powercut, Castletroy .
I remembered when I arrived the woman (who I now know is the owner) was chatting away with another customer she obviously knew. Dropping a few f bombs too - a total pet hate of mine.
When I walked in i was barely acknowledged. When she finally got to me she told me as my hair was very long she'd rather I brush it out myself! Not ideal but fine. Did that. She popped back to get colour.
When she came back she handed me the foils and asked would I hand them to her as she did my hair! Crazy. So basically there goes my "me" time. I downed my mag and began to help her do the job!!!
Finally, as it was a half head I asked would she throw a few lights in underneath and that I would pay extra. Now, 9 times out of 10 a hairdresser will throw these in free of charge but I have been charged a fiver extra before. Anyway when I went up to pay she charged me 20e! I couldn't believe it! The whole experience was horrible. I'd never go back. I actually felt she didn't give a **** cause I had a voucher so had already paid. I still kick myself for not challenging her there and then but I was pregnant and miserable. Just wanted to get home after it. Really really unprofessional.

AlanOB

Mc Love wrote: »

Good experience - LaPiccola Italia, Khing Thai, Widdess Pharmacy,

Good and bad: Some staff in Dunnes on Henry st are nice, others are just there to pick up the next cheque and dont even bother acknowledging you, even if you say hello.

Delighted to see all the - completely justified - praise for Widdesses Pharmacy in this thread. They've been fantastic to me for many years now and deserve all the business coming their way.

Agreed on Khing Thai too; the pleasant nature of the wait staff matches the quality of the food.

Slightly harsh on the Dunnes front though. I shop in there regularly, and have never had a problem. Quite a few of them come across as absolutely lovely, in fact, particularly the more established female staff members. Considering some of the nonsense they put up with from certain customers, they're doing very well to stay chipper IMO!

davo2001

Have to say, Lana in Raheen, the girls behind the counter are generally pleasant, but the owner/manager fella always has a massive sour puss on his face anytime I go in.

Puts be off eating there altogether.

Comhrá

I like the check-out staff in Dunnes Jetland. Always find them pleasant and helpful.

Tesco Coonagh don't seem to care a hoot either way. I always find them indifferent and po-faced. Never enjoyed the shopping experience there to be honest.

colm_mcm

black & white wrote: »

If that Fuji shop is the one across from Charlie Chaplins I think it's closed, I passed by on Tuesday and it seemed to be empty

It's merged with a chemists nearby as far as I know.

phog

black & white wrote: »

If that Fuji shop is the one across from Charlie Chaplins I think it's closed, I passed by on Tuesday and it seemed to be empty

Phoenix Wright wrote: »

I suspected as much. I probably should have mentioned that it was roughly two years ago when it happened.

colm_mcm wrote: »

It's merged with a chemists nearby as far as I know.

He's moved to Hogan's Chemist Upr William Street and I have to say I couldn't agree that he gives poor customer service.

I use him whenever I need something done and never had an issue. He's cheaper than Harvey Normans to print photos.