Your Best/worst Customer Service Anecdote

[esllou]

some ATM in pueyrredon, took out 1000, bank next day showed 2000 withdrawn, go into bank, had to see 3 people and was finally handed a sheet of photocopy paper and told to write my "details". I put everything relevant I could think of, took it back to counter, was told I had to put my ATM/credit card number on the paper too.

I presumed they just wanted the last four digits...oh no, they wanted me to write my whole credit card number on a tatty bit of paper that would then be put "somewhere". Told them there was ZERO chance I would be doing that, security code present or not. "Well there's nothing we can do then" he said. "I'll just get the thing reversed by my bank in the UK".

and I did: 5 minutes on phone, money back in account within an hour.

 

[La Fleur]

some ATM in pueyrredon.... "Well there's nothing we can do then" he said. "I'll just get the thing reversed by my bank in the UK".

and I did: 5 minutes on phone, money back in account within an hour.

You had bad luck with the Argentine bank and good luck with the UK. My bank story is one of my few GOOD SERVICE stories in Buenos AIres (ignoring large bank queues etc for now). Several years ago I put my card in the machine and asked for 1,500 pesos (when that was still a reasonably large amount of money). The machine said 'Take your cash' - and then closed. And I had no cash. I banged on the door of the bank - this being after 4pm - and a staff member opened the door. I told him what had happened, and after only a few minutes of forceful conversation he got a manager to come out. I insisted that the bank shut down the machine, in case another customer got my money. Since the manager was reluctant to do that (they don't believe you in ANY country) I asked him to put his own card in the machine and try it for 10 pesos. Which he did. And when it gave him no cash, he shut down the machine.

Then he gave me his business card, and his cellphone number. He assured me that the machines are audited each day and that when the machine was opened tomorrow (not by the bank's staff) he would ring me to say whether or not the machine had my money as an extra. And he did! He called at the time he said he would, and assured me the money was there. And gave me his email address so I could give it to my own bank (outside Argentina). My own bank then took THREE MONTHS to give me the money back, despite having all the details, and there being no dispute that my money had gone from my account, but was still in the Buenos Aires machine .

Ten stars to that bank manager though (Citybank, Callao branch) for great service, in a situation where the staff could have just turned their backs and ignored my plight.

La Fleur

PS I have a few more good service stories, and a zillion terrible service stories. More soon.

 

[BsAsFan]

My favorite bad customer experience also happened at a McDonald's. Requested a regular coke which tasted like diet so I went to the counter to ask for a new one. The very rude clerk approached me and literally asked me "Que?" I explained that I had ordered a regular coke but the one I received tasted like diet. The clerk picked up the drink, took a sip, AND THEN HANDED IT BACK TO ME SAYING IT WAS REGULAR COKE. I laughed and said I wasn't going to drink it now that she had taken a drink from it and she shrugged and said "well, I guess you can have a new one." The lady in the line next to me even looked shocked.

 

[BankNote]

Indian restaurant "Taj Mahal" in palermo.

the guy served me some gross food. I said "What is this?". This is not how it is made in India. The manager says "This is how we serve it in here and this is how everybody eats it here. if you do not want to eat it like this, please do not return here".

I told him " you should put a board in front of your resteraunt - people who understand and know genuine Indian food should not come here".

That rude manager should be kicked out.

Owner of tajmahal restauant..are you reading this?

 

[rrptownley]

The worst customer service story I saw was in a restaurant once, when I saw a person complain about their soup being too salty, she was fairly indignant and very worked up from the start.
I told her that I could bring her a bowl of water instead. ;-)

-EDIT- Seriously though, I just thought of one:

2008 in Grappa in Hollywood a cockroach crawls up my leg during dinner. With alarming speed it nears my crotch before I have to time to drop my cutlery and react. In mild panic, all while suppressing a feminine wail, I grab my crotch and crush the invader in my jeans, millimeters before curly territory. I then have to open my flies and dispose of the offending mess through a normally very select exit.
While I was still inhabiting an acute sense of shock, the waitress drops by to deliver her mandatory and sullen, "Is everything OK with your meal?"
"I just killed a cockroach in my balls" I blurted in idiot Spanish.

"oh" she replied.

Not really ranking among the top 5 answers she receives to that enquiry I assume, but she seemed to take it all as very normal in place of a groveling apology and focused attention that I was expecting she flitted off in that very unique Palermo waitress way- always present but never active.
She eventually reappeared with the bill for me, and a dustpan and brush for the offending object. Not a word of apology nor any form of recompense for my trauma.

Needless to say I now lay it down Bicycle-clip style in dark restaurants.

 

[alicia30]

I've had my share of bad customer service here too. So many that I lost track. But I've noticed that many people are talking about their bad experiences at McDonald's, and I just thought after all time I've spent here I want to say: don't order something that is not on the menu. If you don't like onions, don't get the McNifica. Instead of Coke with no ice, ask for coke and an extra cup and just scoop out the ice yourself. It's such a hassle, they look at you like you're out of your freaking mind, and then disappear for 20 mins only to return with something totally different from what you ordered. I don't know how many times I said no onions, and end up with no lettuce and still have to pick out the onions myself. If you order two Big Macs one with no cheese, you might end up with no cheese on either one, or cheese still on both. They almost never give me the nugget sauce unless I ask for it. Sometimes I don't even get ketchup for my fries either. But you know what? That Big Mac Extra Value meal for 29 pesos (cheaper than cheeseburger Happy Meal) makes McDonald's worth the trip.

 

[Gringoboy]

I have a file an inch thick on Telefonica which I will have to revisit.
Suffice to say that due to their total lack of grey matter, I got put on Veraz, the credit rating agency.
That was back in 2007 and the case is still ongoing

 

[JLL]

Indian restaurant "Taj Mahal" in palermo.

...

Owner of tajmahal restauant..are you reading this?

So walking in there isn't a good idea, makes sense, same goes for Delivery. One fateful night I decided to try this restaurant via BADelivery. Ordered my food, was charged *25* pesos as delivery fee. Well, I could live with that I guess. An hour later the bell rings, I go downstairs, there's a radio taxi waiting. I go to get my food, and the guy tells me I owe the ~100 pesos for the restaurant (which includes the 25 pesos delivery charge) AND the charge of his taxi ride. 40 pesos for the taxi ride on top of the 25 pesos delivery charge? What the fuck.. Not once did they mention delivery would happen via radio taxi in the first place, let alone that I would have to pay for it. And if I have to pay the 40 pesos for the taxi, what the hell is the 25 pesos delivery charge for? I called the restaurant, and it took more than half an hour of fighting (during which the taxi driver was bitching at me constantly) before they finally caved and paid the 40 pesos themselves.

As for McDonalds, there's a sucursal in Florida where they've got a promotion, if they don't complete your McMenu order within 60 seconds you get a free quarter pounder (something done within 60 seconds in Argentina? Good idea for a promotion). Go there and try it out, trust me, you'll have the time of your life. I thoroughly enjoyed the 15 minute wait for the free burger.

 

[Smcali23]

Where to begin...

Well I found an eyelash in my morcilla in a Palermo restaurant and I asked the waiter (sarcastically) if this was normal. He turned white and told me he'd ask the chef (??!!!) Anyway, he never returned until I called him over and said we were leaving, at which point I was made to pay for the morcilla, eyelash, eye and all.

Then there was earlier this month, getting to the airport and picking up my luggage to find that the lock on my suitcase was not mine (it was gold and mine had been black). I kinda freaked out at the thought that someone from the airline had been in my case and could have taken/put in anything, plus I couldn't open the damn thing because I didn't have the combination. Anyway, I got told by my airline's rep to cut the thing open because they weren't going to do anything about it or even find a way to open it themselves as 'can't you see, I'm just holding a pen, nothing else'. The complaint for that one is still in process.

Theeeeen there was the time... man, I'm gonna stop here as this is just gonna wind me up.

 

[citygirl]

I have a million negative ones but I do have a good one from today so thought I would share that one.

Our roads out here are dirt. And under water. And filled with potholes because of the rain. And alongside the roads are ditches. Which are also filled with water up to street level. See where this is going?

I was driving along and a section of the road was pretty much underwater with a giant pothole to the left. I went to the right. And promptly got my front right wheel stuck in the ditch that I didn't know was there.

Anyway, this happened about 5 feet from a mechanic. He saw what happened, came out and told me I needed a truck to pull it back out. 2 minutes later, a truck stopped. Mechanic went in to his shop, got a metal chain and crawled on his hands and knees and attached it to my car and the truck. Then he got in the car, truck reversed and my car was pulled out of the ditch. Luckily no damage to the car except the plastic piece under the bumper is a little loose.

Neither of them would take any money, said not to worry about it b/c it happened frequently and to avoid driving on that road if possible. With that, truck driver left and mechanic went back to his shop. So very nice of both of them and both went out of their way to help me at no cost nor would they let me do anything.

I went back shortly after and brought the mechanic a bottle of champagne and left it for him and his wife as a thank you.