Customer service - Choice survey

[Gasometer]

Harvey Norman has scored the poorest customer service rating of all Australia's major retailers in a new survey by Choice.
The consumer group used 'mystery shoppers' to rate the customer service of ten top retailers including Harvey Norman, Myer, David Jones, Target and JB Hi-Fi.
One of the biggest complaints made about all retailers was that sales assistants were too busy having conversations with each other to serve customers

http://www.skynews.com.au/finance/article.aspx?id=799230

Surprised or not surprised?

 

[JuddsABlue]

I'm surprised people actually care about this shit

If you want help, ask for it.

If they laugh at you and tell you to work it out on your own, then you've got something to complain about

 

[Quivorir]

I'm surprised people actually care about this shit

If you want help, ask for it.

If they laugh at you and tell you to work it out on your own, then you've got something to complain about

Agreed. Shits me when I walk into Bunnings ever ****ing person asks if I need help. If I want it, ill ask for it. Piss of and leave me alone. Same with self serve checkouts. I use them because I dont want to talk to anybody, so don't try and start a conversation with me please.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

I don’t think many people would be complaining about staff not talking to them unsolicited. Used to work in retail and the biggest gripe everyone always has with service is when (a) they can’t find someone when they need them, or (b) everyone is too “busy” with other shit (talking to each other) to serve them.

I’m a little bit the same, I’d rather just do my own thing and browse... but the issue of too many people approaching me isn’t as bad as not being able to find anyone at all when you need them. That’s infuriating when you really need help. If I don’t need help, saying “nah I’m right looking” really isn’t that hard.

In any case, this can’t be right – the reason for the performance of Harvey Norman is the lack of tax on internet purchases – it has nothing to do with the fact the store are filled with over-priced shit and staff that either CBF, or don’t know what they’re talking about.

 

[Roobs321]

I have noticed Harvey Norman especially seems to have a lot of co-worker conversations.

But the flipside is annoying, being bombarded with 'can I help you?' Usually in big department stores where the employees dont know someone asked you the same question 10 seconds ago. Just give someone a section of the store to look over individually.

Not being able to find help when you need it though is much more frustrating (especially during xmas shopping season), and much more likely to affect sales as well.

I also hate those clothing store changing rooms that are locked with a key, so you have to ask someone just so you can try clothes on. Like, I can see why that is the case, but it's annoying.

 

[Simple Jack]

Agreed. Shits me when I walk into Bunnings ever ******* person asks if I need help. If I want it, ill ask for it. Piss of and leave me alone. Same with self serve checkouts. I use them because I dont want to talk to anybody, so don't try and start a conversation with me please.

It's drummed into them at day 1 induction. One of the 5 'keys' of customer service (I can't remember any of the other ones).

I always found that people would do it for 15 minutes when they first started working at Bunnings and then realise it's over the top and stop. Bad luck for you if you're still getting it.

 

[Caesar]

Mystery shoppers are given criteria that they are supposed to rate customer service on. Those criteria, and the weightings that they are given, don't necessarily correspond to what individual customers are looking for.

For me, what I am looking for even when I go into different shops is different. Pretty much every time I go to Bunnings or JB Hi-Fi I need help, because I can never find anything. If I am in Myer then most of the time I don't need a sales assistant until I am ready to pay for my purchases. Heck, even within Harvey Norman it differs - I need a salesman to help me with computer specifications, but I'm perfectly capable of deciding on a couch by myself.

I agree that salepeople not approaching me is a minor gripe. If I can't find anyone to help me (or worse, the only person I can find says 'oh that's not my department') then that's a far bigger issue. It's the single biggest reason I hate hardware super-stores.

 

[Gasometer]

Agreed. Shits me when I walk into Bunnings ever ******* person asks if I need help. .

Once used to be the case; my regular is a ghost town for service and the other one I frequent is not much better.

 

[Scotland]

I find whenever I go to Bunnings to pick up a bag of fertiliser or something equally simple there is an army of red shirts hanging around wanting to chat, but when I want to go to the trade desk or pick up a large/irregular item they are nowhere to be found. I don't have any major gripes with their customer service though. There is usually someone around who has a vague idea what I'm asking about. I think people forget that Bunnings staff aren't qualified tradespeople hanging out there in their spare time. I expect them to know where the nails and timber are, but I don't expect a detailed run down of every application for every product in store. As a regular customer I'd be more annoyed if they were constantly sold out what I want to buy.

As for Harvey Norman, their product range and prices and the fact that the bloke that runs the company is a massive ****wit are more of a concern than their staff.

The businesses that shit me more are the small operations that compete with the likes of Bunnings. They generally aren't price competitive (to be expected), but when they have a ho-hum product range, clueless staff and poor service standards you have to wonder how they stay in business.

 

[checkraiseulite]

It's annoying because the sales people at these stores (harvey norman, jb hi-fi) never know anything about the products that they're selling.

There's really no point in having them there at all.

The best salespeople (who generally work at specialist stores) have knowledge of the products they're selling, will politely greet you when you walk in the door and let you know help/advice is available should you need it without being annoying.

Harvey-norman/dick smith types are generally idiots/uni students who have no idea and will just say 'yes' or 'i don't know, google it' to any product specific questions you have. How these clowns justify commission on sales is beyond me, though I guess there are a lot of gullible old people susceptible to pressure selling out there.

 

[Messenger]

It's annoying because the sales people at these stores (harvey norman, jb hi-fi) never know anything about the products that they're selling.

I don't find JB Hifi too bad knowledge wise. but Harvey Norman varies greatly from store to store.

Bunnings can be a disaster knowledge wise.

 

[Caesar]

Bunnings is shocking. There's never enough staff patrolling the floor during peak periods, and when you get them 9 times out of 10 they're only capable of directing you to where the products are located.

I'm not expecting tradie-like knowledge but it would be nice to be able to get some assistance on which type of glue out of the dozen on the shelves is best for a particular task. And no, I am not asking you to read the backs of the packets for me and say "this one says you can use it on metal".

Mitre 10s and Thrifty Links may not have the range, but at least they're generally informed about the products they do stock.

 

[checkraiseulite]

I don't find JB Hifi too bad knowledge wise. but Harvey Norman varies greatly from store to store.

Bunnings can be a disaster knowledge wise.

To be fair to them they're generally pretty good on music, dvds etc. When you start getting into phones, computers, tvs, speakers and especially cables and accessories and compatibility with other products they've got NFI.

I recently bought a router from there and I had some pretty specific requirements. I asked the guy and he was like 'yeah definitely this is exactly what you want'. Got home, opened it and it didn't work and i did my own research and found out it wasn't compatible with the purpose I wanted it for.

So I had to go back to the shop and get a refund, which again, to be fair to them was handled very well. It's just annoying to get told something that was blatantly incorrect when I actually needed the product to work quickly.

 

[Simple Jack]

Bunnings is shocking. There's never enough staff patrolling the floor during peak periods, and when you get them 9 times out of 10 they're only capable of directing you to where the products are located.

I'm not expecting tradie-like knowledge but it would be nice to be able to get some assistance on which type of glue out of the dozen on the shelves is best for a particular task. And no, I am not asking you to read the backs of the packets for me and say "this one says you can use it on metal".

Mitre 10s and Thrifty Links may not have the range, but at least they're generally informed about the products they do stock.

Do you go during weekdays?

The guys who do have an idea what they are talking about are generally there Monday - Friday 9-5. That's at least how it used to be.

 

[brucetiki]

The businesses that shit me more are the small operations that compete with the likes of Bunnings. They generally aren't price competitive (to be expected), but when they have a ho-hum product range, clueless staff and poor service standards you have to wonder how they stay in business.

Stratco is a good example of this.

 

[Xtreme]

I would rather it be self service centric (well up to the point of going up to a register and having someone complete the process). As per the usual, there is never anyone to help if you need it..... but when you don't need it, they all swarm you. I do my research and know what i am after, would only seek someone out to see if they would beat or match a competitor's price.

From past experience, staff will only leap up to "assist" if they think you are going to shoplift.I have walked up and taken a dvd player and made my way to the counter, only to get stopped and marched back so they could print out a docket that 1} stock was taken and 2) the person who grabbed me gets credit with the assisting or the sale gets ticked in his name (which is b/s as i didnt need his help to begin with!!!).

I get a kick out of being more knowledgeable than those that work in a store, not just with the tech specs of products.... but the way their own store sells certain items. A few years ago i purchased a few packets of dual lyer discs (containing 3 discs in each packet) it only cost me $50. One of the workers spots what i was doing and was trying to switch me on one of those "all in 1" spindle containers. I already knew that my method was cheaper than his but he was having none of it. He takes me to his counter area, and compares the price. My method: $50....... his method $120 .

Had another lol moment when i wanted a digital camera, i knew the model i wanted and how much it was going to be. But the person was trying to up sell extras turning a $399 purchase into $1,200. I opted out, and actually got it cheaper elsewhere..... for $360 - with accessories (well just a charger + rechargeable batteries) .



In terms of best vs worst stores, i am not sure.... all stores are pretty bad in my eyes. JB Hifi can be good at times, shocking in others. When a store has good "floor staff" i find that the counter staff lets them down.

 

[Poseidon]

I don't go to Harvey Norman but I've noticed the co-worker convo's are prevalent at JB HiFi.

Having someone come up to me and asking if I need help doesn't bother me, brush them off with the "Nah just browsing" line and they'll usually leave you be. On the odd occasion though I've had them hang around like a bad smell and ask me about the products I'm looking at. I know you're being helpful but **** off, do employees at JB and Dick Smith work on commission?

And yeah not being able to find someone when you need them pisses me off. Also I don't generally expect to be treated like a princess when I'm a customer in a store, but when I'm at the till making a purchase at least make the effort of going the length of our transaction without being sidetracked by a co-worker conversation. Had the cashier at Dymocks the other day not say a single word to me while chatting to her 2 co-workers behind her during a 2 minute transaction. Just shits me.

 

[Gasometer]

Whats with dot matrix printers at Harvey Norman? I suspect they are used for duplicates or triplicates?

Developed in the 1970s, the dot matrix printer delivered low-quality printouts for nearly two whole decades before inkjet printers offered an alternative that was slightly less hard on the eyes. The dot matrix printer will be remembered for its frequent paper jams; for its slow, noisy operation; and for the thin strips of perforated paper that you had to tear (carefully, so you didn’t end up with a document that looked as though it had come too close to a paper shredder) off the left and right sides of a printout once their work of keeping the paper properly aligned in the printer was done.

Are they in all stores still?

It's so 80's

 

[Scotland]

Not so much customer service, but what is the go with store-branded generic products taking over?

I went to a local centre the other night to pick up some electrical bits and pieces (power board, left sided double adapter) and some groceries. Admittedly I don't go there on a weekly basis but K-Mart seems to have less and less products that aren't store-branded. I wouldn't mind if the replacement products were good quality, but from what I've seen they are cheap for a reason.

Coles is similar, though when it comes to flour, milk (sourced from Brownes anyway) etc. I don't notice a huge difference. I wanted to buy some sliced cheese and there were about 3 modules of different Coles variants and a shelf or two of the brands I know.

 

[brucetiki]

And yeah not being able to find someone when you need them pisses me off. Also I don't generally expect to be treated like a princess when I'm a customer in a store, but when I'm at the till making a purchase at least make the effort of going the length of our transaction without being sidetracked by a co-worker conversation. Had the cashier at Dymocks the other day not say a single word to me while chatting to her 2 co-workers behind her during a 2 minute transaction. Just shits me.

Wasn't one of these two by any chance

 

[Punchy Bassett]

And people wonder why I use the net to do most of my shopping now