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• Methinks this is a popular post.
  Everytime, without fail, it's the absolute lack of initiation that irks me! It frustrates me to no end when people answer 'I don't know' and then don't do anything to find out for you. We've just renovated, so I've spent loads of time at our local hardware, and in all honesty I know about the store more than the staff do now. The amounts of 'I don't work in that area' or 'I'm sorry, I'm new' without any follow up or referral drove me just about mad.
  There. I feel so much better now. Thanks for the therapy, Sam! Amanda Jephtha from Sydney | Read my articles

• I have been totally blown away about the lack of committment to customer service in all types and sizes of business. I have been putting together a new brand for use in the horticultural area and need boxes printed and made, I need bags printed.
  Each person I deal with appears to need prompting at least twice or maybe three times. This means my telephone bill goes up, my productive time is shortened and my job takes longer to get done. Valerie Bonython from Adelaide. S.A.

• Port Macquarie Council runs a Customer Care Program that has been a huge success for local businesses and the region. I was just accepted myself! We understand the importance of encouraging tourists to return year after year and some of these visitors may decide to make their sea change here... like you should have Sam! Melinda Kelf from Port Macquarie

• I hear you, Valerie. My business has been buying cardboard cartons for almost 10 years years from a small packaging company which recently closed and was absorbed by its large parent company. It used to be that if I wanted a small number of blank boxes along with our printed ones, I'd just put that on the purchase order, and the people in the factory would just stop the printing aspect of the manufacturing process towards the end and make blank ones.
  I went to order like this again, and they inform me that if I want blank ones, I have to get a quote from them. Despite the fact the blank ones are just printed ones without printing on them. So I play the game, ask for a quote, and they quote on price breaks of five hundreds, and ask if I still want a price on just two hundred. Well, yes, given that's what I said I wanted, it would be helpful to quote on what I asked for, but I am astonished. If I order 1500 printed cartons and 500 unprinted, it appears they'll charge me more per unprinted carton than if I order 1800 printed and 200 unprinted. This is a company we've had a good relationship with for years, paying our accounts on time and never troubling them over the odd dodgily glued or cut box they supply. I felt like I was a hassle to them.
  I also asked this company for a quote on a particular style of carton. It took them a month to finally give me a price. Boxes is ALL THEY DO?!!! Why does it take this long (including them forgetting, not sending the info when they said, taking several days to answer phone calls, etc.) This is even with me taking pains to direct all enquiries through the assigned customer service rep. Again, I was given the impression that my business was not important to them, and it may well not be but I'd rather be told "Sorry, we don't do small quantities like you require" than to deal with such farting about.
  Thankfully a small local box manufacturer is far more adept with customer service, and they have quoted competitively. What a huge difference it makes when the staff are keen to serve you and get your business. That's where I'm taking my business from now on. TinStar from Adelaide, SA

• Hi Sam, and readers.
  Two experiences spring to mind.
  I moved house recently. Needed a cat product.
  The manufacturer was local to the town I was leaving. It occured to me to call and ask if they would rent the product out (as the purchase is very expensive, in the thousands).
  I got "no, we don't rent" as the immediate reaction.
  No discussion.
  The reason?
  The cost of freight...
  Had this person asked and been open minded, we could have not only resolved my problem with a great solution, they could have expanded their services into the rental arena and earned MORE money per product while charging freight to the customer! (A customer like me who would have gladly paid it).
  I was in a major retail chain store asking for an ink cartridge.
  The young person who eventually came to me searched, noted the yellow was not in, and said, "sorry we don't have it."
  Then he offered me the bundled pack and said I'd have to replace them all sometime.
  No consideration to the price - $90 for the bundle, $16 for the cartridge. Why would I buy a bundle I don't need?
  Did he ask me what suburb I was in? No.
  Did he find out that there was another store close by ? No.
  Could he have called them and asked if they had the ink? Yes.
  Then, ironically, the CEO of the chain was interviewed on the news. He said if the credit crunch continues, he'll have to consider closing some stores.
  Perhaps he needs to have his staff helpfulness practices reviewed?
  I have taken these and other experiences and been inspired to build a business solution for small business around them.
  I just wonder if our customer service staff are lazy, ill-educated, indifferent, de-motivated, all- or none- of the above? Terri Mitchell from Melbourne Australia

• The other day i went into a national electrical appliance store who if you watch the ads have dancing staff and great jingle! I asked the guys if he knew about cameras as i needed some specific questions answered to decide which of two cameras to buy there and then along with a cam corder. Yes i can help was the answer. The answer to my question was attempted by reading the sales ticket with the speed of a 5 year old which i can manage myself :) and then 5 trips to the computer as the code he had written down was incorrect. He then had to refer back to another slaes member on a couple of occasions with the questions. Some 20 mins later my patience and my money left the store . The store lost the sale. A simple "Cameras aren't my speciality I'll get Joe for you or Cameras aren't my thing but i can try and help until Bob is free would have at least let us know what we were dealing with. The only winner they have is their pricing but i dont think that is always sufficient. I'll pay extra to feel like i have been looked after and made the right purchasing decision. stu from Gold Coast

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