Hi there,
I moved to the UK from Canada back in September and I have come to realize something: Customer Service here sucks big time.
At first, I didn't want to generalize cause I figured it was just one or two companies, but as time has gone on, I've realized it's always bad, it's just a question of how bad it is. For some reason, people just don't give a **** what your problem is, even if it is their personal fault. They couldn't care less. I always try to be polite but it can be so hard to keep calm when someone is a total idiot and can't do a simple task that defines their very job. The thing that pisses me off the most is that no matter how badly they or their company has screwed up, they NEVER EVER apologize. I honestly don't care if they personally hate me, but the companies should be telling their employees to apologize for mistakes. The apology comes from the company, not from the individual. But yet, I never receive any apologies for screw ups, and boy, have there been a lot of screw ups.
I don't want to go into too many details about what's gone wrong, because hey, mistakes happen everywhere. But what defines good customer service is realizing you've made a mistake, apologizing for it, and then attempting to rectify the situation. All three of those have been sorely lacking in any encounter I've had with company employees. After all, I'm offering my hard earned money in exchange for these services, so the least they could do is pretend to be grateful and provide me with the service I deserve.
In a particular order of hatred (first being most hated), these are some companies I have had the distinct displeasure of dealing with: NTL, Tekheads.co.uk, Parcel Force, City Link, DHL, Overclockers.co.uk.
To all Brits: Don't settle for mediocrity, Customer Service can be a hell of a lot better. I also know it can be a hell of a lot worse though, Italy probably has the worst customer service in the history of the universe.
That is all,
Adrian
P.S. If anyone knows of any computer e-tailers in the UK with oustanding customer service (especially dealing with RMAs), I'd love to hear from you. I've seen the rankings here on Hexus and I honestly can't believe Tekheads has such a high rating (4.3/5.0) after the way I've been treated.