There’s a local restaurant and lounge called The Fireside Bistro that became a favorite of mine when I discovered it a couple of years ago. I began going there once in awhile. I was a fairly regular Sunday morning customer, mainly because they had a wonderful brunch menu but also because of the uniqueness of the place. It is situated in an early century house that’s located in a beautiful old neighborhood. The menu is not inexpensive but that was always easy for me to overlook. That is until recently.
My girlfriend and I stopped in as we often did for a relaxing mid-morning Sunday breakfast. The main dining area was crowded so we opted for a table in the lounge area which we’d done before. It’s a nice looking lounge with a great view of the big elm trees outside. It also has the large fireplace that the place is named for. We sat down and quickly realized something. The four young adults with coffees that we noticed when we came in were cursing like drunken sailors as they chattered away loudly. When I say loudly I mean LOUDLY. Look, I’m no prude but it was not Saturday night in the pub, it was Sunday morning in a restaurant.
We waited for all of about five minutes before deciding to get out of the place and go somewhere else. We mistakenly believed that that something would get done about this now that we and another couple were seated in the lounge with menus. The serving person (who was also young – maybe a friend of theirs?) did nothing to correct an obvious issue, and worse than that, a gentleman behind the bar in the lounge who looked like he might be the manager also failed to address the situation. There’s simply not a chance they didn’t hear everything loud and clear. Simple decision for us – we left the menus on the table and walked out. The obvious question for me is why didn’t they at least tap those kids on the shoulder and ask them to cool it? I have no idea, but we were guests in their establishment – it was their responsibility to deal with it and they didn’t.
Because I really did like going to the place, I decided to write about the experience and sent it in an email to the owner. I didn’t rant – I simply described what had happened and expressed my disappointment in the actions (or lack of) by the staff that day. Now let me say that had I received a reply with any semblance of an apology, I would have written the experience off as one circumstance and I would have resumed my patronage. But I didn’t receive a reply to my email. That lack of response sealed my decision about spending any more money at The Fireside Bistro.
The combination of that awful experience, the failure of the staff to ensure the comfort of their guests, the inconvenience of having to drive to another place that day, and then the failure to respond when I took the time to formally complain, trumps everything and anything I previously thought and felt about the place.
Here’s the kicker: not only have they lost my patronage, they have also created a negative fan. Of course it’s not constantly on my mind, but it certainly comes up in conversation from time to time. I definitely don’t recommend the place to anyone, and I’ll actually take the time and effort to warn people off if they’re considering it. And I’m very sincere about what I say to others. I’m not bitter or angry, I just don’t believe that this establishment is customer friendly, which makes it a poor value in my opinion. That viral spread of a questionable reputation is quite often the price of a bad customer experience, but it does not necessarily have to be that way.
My recommendation is simple and straighforward. Nobody is perfect – if you screw up and you have an opportunity to make it right, then take advantage of it! It’s a gift. Not only can you possibly save that individual customer’s business, you may even turn them into a raving fan! Adressing a bad customer experience head-on and simply aplogizing to them could be enough. If you do something special for them as a make up gesture (which is exactly what all savvy companies do), then all the better. Everyone wants to feel like they matter, and when you address their concerns they don’t forget it. They may even end up being one of your most loyal customers. One thing will happen for sure – they’ll talk about it. That’s taking a bad customer experience and turning it into a good news story – one that will spread!
Filed under: Customer Service, Brand, customer comments, Customer Service, grant criddle, regina, restaurant, saskatchewan
August 27, 2009 • 10:10 AM 0
A Bad Customer Experience can be an Opportunity
My girlfriend and I stopped in as we often did for a relaxing mid-morning Sunday breakfast. The main dining area was crowded so we opted for a table in the lounge area which we’d done before. It’s a nice looking lounge with a great view of the big elm trees outside. It also has the large fireplace that the place is named for. We sat down and quickly realized something. The four young adults with coffees that we noticed when we came in were cursing like drunken sailors as they chattered away loudly. When I say loudly I mean LOUDLY. Look, I’m no prude but it was not Saturday night in the pub, it was Sunday morning in a restaurant.
We waited for all of about five minutes before deciding to get out of the place and go somewhere else. We mistakenly believed that that something would get done about this now that we and another couple were seated in the lounge with menus. The serving person (who was also young – maybe a friend of theirs?) did nothing to correct an obvious issue, and worse than that, a gentleman behind the bar in the lounge who looked like he might be the manager also failed to address the situation. There’s simply not a chance they didn’t hear everything loud and clear. Simple decision for us – we left the menus on the table and walked out. The obvious question for me is why didn’t they at least tap those kids on the shoulder and ask them to cool it? I have no idea, but we were guests in their establishment – it was their responsibility to deal with it and they didn’t.
Because I really did like going to the place, I decided to write about the experience and sent it in an email to the owner. I didn’t rant – I simply described what had happened and expressed my disappointment in the actions (or lack of) by the staff that day. Now let me say that had I received a reply with any semblance of an apology, I would have written the experience off as one circumstance and I would have resumed my patronage. But I didn’t receive a reply to my email. That lack of response sealed my decision about spending any more money at The Fireside Bistro.
The combination of that awful experience, the failure of the staff to ensure the comfort of their guests, the inconvenience of having to drive to another place that day, and then the failure to respond when I took the time to formally complain, trumps everything and anything I previously thought and felt about the place.
Here’s the kicker: not only have they lost my patronage, they have also created a negative fan. Of course it’s not constantly on my mind, but it certainly comes up in conversation from time to time. I definitely don’t recommend the place to anyone, and I’ll actually take the time and effort to warn people off if they’re considering it. And I’m very sincere about what I say to others. I’m not bitter or angry, I just don’t believe that this establishment is customer friendly, which makes it a poor value in my opinion. That viral spread of a questionable reputation is quite often the price of a bad customer experience, but it does not necessarily have to be that way.
My recommendation is simple and straighforward. Nobody is perfect – if you screw up and you have an opportunity to make it right, then take advantage of it! It’s a gift. Not only can you possibly save that individual customer’s business, you may even turn them into a raving fan! Adressing a bad customer experience head-on and simply aplogizing to them could be enough. If you do something special for them as a make up gesture (which is exactly what all savvy companies do), then all the better. Everyone wants to feel like they matter, and when you address their concerns they don’t forget it. They may even end up being one of your most loyal customers. One thing will happen for sure – they’ll talk about it. That’s taking a bad customer experience and turning it into a good news story – one that will spread!
Filed under: Customer Service, Brand, customer comments, Customer Service, grant criddle, regina, restaurant, saskatchewan