Very, very poor customer service

Tue Nov 12, 2013

Editor: I always say that for many businesses to prosper, there must be trained staff. For years now, I’ve not only noticed, but have been on the wrong end of very poor customer service, both in the private and public sector of this country.{{more}}

Sometimes I go into different stores in Kingstown and have to ask the workers there if I can help them, because when you go in, they are just standing there and you have to go to them, instead of them coming to you. I am speaking for John Public that we are fed up with this kind of unprofessionalism in this country. Sometimes, you go to government departments and the persons(s) who should be providing the services are either texting on their cell phones or doing some kind of beauty check-up.

On the 8th of November, I went to Laynes Hardware in Kingstown to purchase a shower head. By the way, I like what you have done with the place. As I was saying, I went to purchase a shower head. When I went upstairs, because of the rearrangement of the store, I needed help to find what I was looking for. There were a lot of workers on the floor at the time, but no one approached me to help. By the way, these workers were wearing jackets that said on the back “How can I help you?” So, I went to one of the workers and asked her to help me. She asked me what I wanted and when I told her she said “The shower heads are over there.” I asked, “Over where?” That’s when she turned to me and asked if I wanted her to hold my hand and carry me. I thought that was rude and out of order and very, very, poor customer service.

I am asking business owners to train their staff to deal with people. You see many persons get hired without any formal or even informal training, resulting in the kind of behaviour I described above. On the other hand, some of the business owners themselves need to be trained in customer service.

This is the 21st century, so people, please wake up. It is no wonder that the other countries are so far advanced ahead of us.

Clifford E. Gould