Blues over shoes...

This isn't really related to customer service in a direct fashion. However, it's a bloody good idea (in theory!) to increase the level of positive customer service. Actually I just want to give you an amusing picture based on my own small misfortune...

I am a regular gym user and as such have a fair amount of gym clothing/footwear. No, I'm not one of those who ponses about in a high visibility lycra bra and hotpants - on the contrary. I tend to buy my gym wear from outlet stores or sales and am lucky enough to have a UK size 5 foot so can easily slip into a child size shoe - VAT free! So, great hey I always manage to fit into my surroundings at the gym without too much notice. That is until this evening. Imagine my suprise when I looked in my gym bag just now and found to my horror I haven't packed my trainers - oh no! Hence the picture (this is not me but it might as well be, the shame!).

I can't possibly forgo my gym visit on the basis of such vanity, even though the whole reason I go is to look better, but you know what I mean. I do have a pair of kind of trainer things in my car, which I will have to wear wear - uuuuummmm I'm going to look so damn good with my cycling shorts and spatula feet!

So moving on to the new idea... Remember how, when you used to go ice skating, roller booting or bowling you were lent a pair of shoes? You get the idea? Lend out trainers you gym Directors you - solely for my own selfish reasons of course! As I stated at the beginning, great IN THEORY, but somebody elses sweaty plates of meat - yukkie no thanks!!

Annoying, maddening, infuriating, gggrrrrrrrrrr. Me, irrational? Never.....

Gggggggggrrrrrrrr..... Payday is here - wooppee! So why gggrrrrr? Here goes.....

Every payday I feel it is my right to treat myself to a little something new (there are of course many other occasions I treat myself but payday is the only one I openly admit to). Lunch time came and off I popped to the only clothes shop worth going to near work. Obviously I must make a purchase within the 30 minutes I get for lunch! So in I go, excitement bubbling over, eyes scanning as much as they possibly can between blinks, and almost immediately I come to a couple of promising items. Things are looking good, but here's where the problem begins. I now have my suitcase, ooh sorry my handbag, in one hand and have added to that 2 garments on hangers. Is the problem becoming apparent yet?

Well, tell me this... How am I supposed to sift through rails of clothes in a limited time frame (with one available hand) when everytime I move something, everthing falls off the end of the blinking rail?! To add insult to injury when the hangers do manage to stay on the rail, anything with a slightly wide neck, slinky material or generally anything I want to look at, falls on the floor too and I am left looking guiltily at a heaped mess which I (should) try to rescue one handed! My face starts to contort, anger sets in and for some reason this always makes my temperature rise (temper, temper Georgie, no wonder my nick name as a child was John McEnroe!)."If they can't even sort clothes out in an appropriate manner then they (the innocent shop assistants) can pick it up, they get paid for this, why should I do it rah rah rah", but I just can't leave it can I? I blame a touch of OCD for this inaqbility to leave things, that and guilt I suppose. So I set all my things down and begin the thankless task of tidying up the heap, knowing the next person to disturb this rail of irritation would be doing just the same in a few moments (hence ggggrrrrr).

Why is it somebody can't just design a rail which doesn't allow clothes to fall off (OK some places do have this) along with a method of keeping things on their hangers - I know it's genius! Efforts have been made, this I have noted, some hangers have rubber along the tops, but does they work? Do they heck......

Ooh, wiat an minute, I've just thought up a money making scheme haven't I? See you at the place where inventors go!!

Good customer service Indian stylee, courtessy of BT!

Around 8.30pm last night whilst in the midst of completing my hoovering (life in the fast lane hey?), I received a call from India - BT to be precise. As I listened, my mind telling me 'here comes the sales patter, wait for it, here it comes...' so it came!

The offer was essentially £2 off what I currently pay for my broadband and they would upgrade my download speed (at this point I began to become a little bamboozzled, download speed - techical talk yuk!), I would also be sent all the required CD Roms and modems etc. to give me a wireless connection. The catch? None, they are just keeping up with competition (lets face it BT is far from the cheapest, but I'm lazy and can't be bothered changing!). I like that kind of sales call. Best of all I didn't have to give them any of my details, they used their heads and looked on my files, a little miracle in itself - yippee for simplicity! Well done BT (see you do get compliments!) and thanks to the lovely chappie from India - bravo!

Carrie Bradshaw watch out - I may soon be armed with a laptop with wireless connection too......

I've got that friday feeling , will a Crunchie come my way?!!

Welcome to yet another fabulous Friday full of high spirits and longing for the wonderful weekend. Why is it I revert back to being like an 8 year old at a school disco every Friday? In my life I have experienced more than 1,500 Fridays so why are they still so exciting? You know what I mean, we all get it, that giddiness that slowly builds throughout the day. Don't get me wrong I love my job, just not so keen on getting up in the morning! Maybe Friday excitement is an inate quality which has evolved in the human being over the years? I wonder... ?

Today I want to get to the point of my blog. I feel people are all too ready to moan if they receive poor customer service, and so they should, I know I do! However, I also think we should praise those who impress us so here goes....

Last night I went out with some workmates for a meal at the chinese restaurant, 'Glamorous' on Oldham Road, Manchester. It's the real deal. Situated over a huge Chinese cash and carry with a secret (well not if you can read Chinese!) menu for Chinese people. I can thankfully say one of my work mates is from Hong Kong so I was lucky enough to be privy to this well kept secret - hurrah! He ordered for us and the food was like nothing I've ever tasted before - DIVINE! Their attention to customer service deserves real praise too. We must have been given at leat 3 clean plates each, copious amounts of hand towels (uuummm yummy, warm and lemony), rice served just as you become ready for it and lots and lots of smiles! They even took the time to teach me to say thank you in Chinese, albeit very badly! You know when you leave a restaurant and feel really satisfied with the whole evening? Well that's how I felt. Thank you Glamorous for being so cheery and attentive. In the words of Arnie... I'll be back!

Welcome to Candid Consumer Chat

I though it was about time we all got chance to share our views on what's wonderful and what's not in the world of Consumerism! If you have dealt with any companies who have been so good you just want to spread the word then come on - be candid!