Let’s Chat: What happened to customer service?

By Linda Tooth on October 23, 2024.

As a communication instructor who has taught customer service, I would like to share a recent event at a large store in Calgary that made me realize many of us have lost not only good customer service but also the ability to be good communicators. I would like to tell you my story.

We are renovating our kitchen, and through research my partner and I decided we would get a better deal on the materials through a large chain store in Calgary known for low prices and meatballs.

With our plans in place, we made an appointment with someone in the kitchen department to review our plans and pay for the design we decided on. We also wanted to arrange delivery. We have been told by many people that they will deliver to Redcliff.

Perfect!

After our session with the kitchen person, we were instructed to take our two invoices (not sure why we had two invoices) to the furniture pickup/delivery counter to arrange to have them merged so everything could be delivered together.

Perfect!

After lengthy conversations with two people working it was determined they could not merge the invoices because delivery could not be arranged for the second invoice after we were told it could be and we had paid for it.

Much less perfect.

One of the workers then told us after 45 minutes of standing there that we should just have our purchase refunded. We had just spent $6,000-plus, and I was thinking, “Seriously?” It was then I said we needed to see a manager. It took another 15 minutes for them to find a manager.

Finally, a manager came to see us and explained the first order was coming from their distribution centre in B.C. and a transport company was going to deliver it. The second invoice, which had “please merge with the first invoice,” was at their Calgary location, right behind where we were standing, and that order was not able to be delivered to Redcliff.

Unfortunately, those items would not fit in my car. They told us they deliver to Red Deer but not Redcliff. I said, “That’s great for Red Deer but that is north and we are southeast.” So now I am teaching geography and have reached my boiling point. I am not sure the $150 gift card offered “to ease the pain and suffering we endured” is sufficient.

It is now Monday morning and I am on hold with company headquarters to speak to a real person. My estimated wait time is 30 minutes. I got to speak to a real person who corrected me and told me our order is coming from Edmonton, not Vancouver.

I know what you are thinking – coming from Edmonton with my order from invoice No. 1, they go through Calgary where they could pick up invoice No. 2 on the way to Redcliff.

But you would be wrong. It does not work that way. Why? Your guess is as good as mine.

Stay tuned for more kitchen renovation drama.

Have a Meowtastic Day!

Linda Tooth is positive culture co-ordinator at Sanare Centre

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