Customer service these days

Customer service seems to be going the way of the dinosaur. I can think of so many things. It seems that most anyone under the age of 20 that works at a restaurant or fast food emporium have no idea of the concept.

I would like to hear other peoples pet peeves. . . for instance:

When you ask a server for somthing and the tell you "No problem."
-makes me feel as though your are burdening them by being there. . .

quote:

Originally posted by okc_rn

When you ask a server for somthing and the tell you "No problem."
-makes me feel as though your are burdening them by being there. . .

I get very frustrated when a server tells me this.........after all.....hello!! This is your job and I do not expect it to be a problem. Why in the world can they not just say "Certainly" and do it and be done with it.

Desperately seeking "eye rolling" smiley....

Agreed! What is it with this "No problem"? My shrink doesn't even tell me that -- or wouldn't, if I had one. This has irked me for ages (But what hasn't ?)

quote:

Originally posted by chezkatie

quote:

Originally posted by okc_rn

When you ask a server for somthing and the tell you "No problem."
-makes me feel as though your are burdening them by being there. . .

I get very frustrated when a server tells me this.........after all.....hello!! This is your job and I do not expect it to be a problem. Why in the world can they not just say "Certainly" and do it and be done with it.

Look, people, we are talking about fast food here. Where I usually get that, I am just extremely greatful if the server has any concept of what I am saying when I speak in my native English and is capable of responding in that language. Not long ago at a Burger King in downtown San Francisco, it took me at least 5 tries to get the "server" to understand when I asked for a "large Diet Coke". Had they said, "No problem" I would have cried with joy.

For those fluent in other languages, you are likely to have much better luck in Spanish, Cantonese, Russian or, perhaps, Vietnamese. If I could, these days I'd try any of those first. So how Do you say, "No problem," in Cantonese?

My biggest gripe: walking up to the counter at some counter-service place and having the person taking orders just stand ther and look at you. No "welcome to (wherever)," not even a "may I help you?". I'm the customer. Greet me, because there's lots of places I can spend my money. I prefer to give it to establishments that train their employees at least to pretend they care.

quote:

Originally posted by Hastyman

My biggest gripe: walking up to the counter at some counter-service place and having the person taking orders just stand ther and look at you. No "welcome to (wherever)," not even a "may I help you?". I'm the customer. Greet me, because there's lots of places I can spend my money. I prefer to give it to establishments that train their employees at least to pretend they care.

How about, "Welcome to ______. My name's _________. I'll be your counterperson tonight."

quote:

Originally posted by Hastyman

My biggest gripe: walking up to the counter at some counter-service place and having the person taking orders just stand ther and look at you. No "welcome to (wherever)," not even a "may I help you?". I'm the customer. Greet me, because there's lots of places I can spend my money. I prefer to give it to establishments that train their employees at least to pretend they care.

I know this has come up on other threads before, but Chick-fil-a tends to have that type of atmosphere. They sure do seem like they train their employees to be respectful (though, I don't know that is something that can be taught to a 16 y/o -- by that time, either they are respectful, or they ain't!), approachable, cogent, and efficient. They also have been known to pay a little more, so maybe that helps, too.

Steve

quote:

Originally posted by BT


Look, people, we are talking about fast food here. Where I usually get that, I am just extremely greatful if the server has any concept of what I am saying when I speak in my native English and is capable of responding in that language. Not long ago at a Burger King in downtown San Francisco, it took me at least 5 tries to get the "server" to understand when I asked for a "large Diet Coke". Had they said, "No problem" I would have cried with joy.

I am not talking about fast food. I am talking about fairly nice restaurants where I have to assume that the servers originally worked at establishments where the "no problem" answer was decided on being a polite quick reply, rather than "Certainly.........I will take care of that right away" smiles happily walks away and does what you have asked.........hey this sort of sounds like a dream!

quote:

Originally posted by chezkatie

quote:

Originally posted by BT


Look, people, we are talking about fast food here. Where I usually get that, I am just extremely greatful if the server has any concept of what I am saying when I speak in my native English and is capable of responding in that language. Not long ago at a Burger King in downtown San Francisco, it took me at least 5 tries to get the "server" to understand when I asked for a "large Diet Coke". Had they said, "No problem" I would have cried with joy.

I am not talking about fast food. I am talking about fairly nice restaurants where I have to assume that the servers originally worked at establishments where the "no problem" answer was decided on being a polite quick reply, rather than "Certainly.........I will take care of that right away" smiles happily walks away and does what you have asked.........hey this sort of sounds like a dream!

But the person who started the thread WAS talking about fast food:

quote:

It seems that most anyone under the age of 20 that works at a restaurant or fast food emporium have no idea of the concept.

You've expressed your gripes elsewhere (Roadfood vs. Cr_p). One of mine is hijacking a thread to go in a different direction than intended by the originator rather than just starting a new thread to cover the topic desired.

quote:

Originally posted by BT

quote:

Originally posted by chezkatie

quote:

Originally posted by BT


Look, people, we are talking about fast food here. Where I usually get that, I am just extremely greatful if the server has any concept of what I am saying when I speak in my native English and is capable of responding in that language. Not long ago at a Burger King in downtown San Francisco, it took me at least 5 tries to get the "server" to understand when I asked for a "large Diet Coke". Had they said, "No problem" I would have cried with joy.

I am not talking about fast food. I am talking about fairly nice restaurants where I have to assume that the servers originally worked at establishments where the "no problem" answer was decided on being a polite quick reply, rather than "Certainly.........I will take care of that right away" smiles happily walks away and does what you have asked.........hey this sort of sounds like a dream!

But the person who started the thread WAS talking about fast food:

quote:

It seems that most anyone under the age of 20 that works at a restaurant or fast food emporium have no idea of the concept.

You've expressed your gripes elsewhere (Roadfood vs. Cr_p). One of mine is hijacking a thread to go in a different direction than intended by the originator rather than just starting a new thread to cover the topic desired.

Give me a break ! They said RESTAURANT OR fast food emporium; Get off my neck, big boy[|)][|)][|)]

Dearfolk,
I've not noted a trend in these parts for service to become slack: after all, I'm in a college town, and 90% of the employees in our eateries are students; an overlapping 15-20% play in bands. There will always be some sort of "attitude" associated with this situation; I'm used to it: it's nothing new here and no worse nor better now than in the past.
Nor have I noted any change in Atlanta when I've been down there. The only exception was once when I went into a glitzy new "neighborhood" diner over by Georgia Tech. The waiter, working alone, was apparently offended by my presence (I was older and straight; nearly everyone in the place was young gay males having a real hoot-up) and I received absolutely-wretched-to-utterly-nonexistent service. Oddly enough, on a previous visit to the same place, I had received excellent service from a young man from Pakistan who spoke 11 languages and was training to be a structural engineer. He was nowhere in evidence on my revisit, of course. And I haven't had a chance to go back and maybe try to tell a manager about my experience.
There is a place in Atlanta that publicizes its rude service. I think all their servers are out-of-work actors and actresses who are busy portraying diner servers rather than being same. I don't plan to go there: I don't find such as that any form of selling point.
The better and more attentive my service is, the better I tip. I will even exceed 20% when someone does a r-e-a-l-l-y good job; I recently gave a server almost 25% because of her recommendation, which proved right on the mark. As soon as I can, I plan to return and leave her a couple of vinyl LPs that she wants as a tip: I'll probably make a friend for life. I once left a waitress a pile of my extra Elvis 45s; she followed me out into the parking lot and kissed me. They weren't mint, but they filled four or five holes in her collection; on a revisit, she told me that they all played just fine.
Ramblingly, Ort. Carlton in Cloudy Athens, Georgia.

Ort.:

Thanks for that cogent post. I think a lot of customers forget to be good customers, too. Leaving a good tip, saying thanks to somebody who's provided great service, speaking up respectfully when things aren't aren't exactly to your liking--these are all part of good consumer citizenship.

I hope nobody got the sense from my post that I think, since I have the money and the restaurant wants it, I have the right to act like a lout and expect to be treated like the Dalai Lama.

Actually when I posted this thread, I was refering to food servers in general, both fast food and nice restaurants.

Another grip though, this time Taco Bueno drive thru

They are really good about handing you both in one little pile, your coins, the reciept and your bills. They then immediantly hand you your order with no chance to put things away. Makes you feel really rushed and on at least one occasion, a 32 oz coke was spilled on me and the inside of my car. . .

But the food is decent. . .

Wow, I guess all of these years when I've asked one of my kitchen or dining room staff members to accomadate my request and was met with a reply of "No Problem", I should have been irritated or offended. All of this time I was sort of appreciative, thinking that it meant they were right on it. Clueless was I.

I suspect it is to some degree a generational thing. Those of us who are say 30 or 40 and above were raised in a time when customer service was still an important aspect of business. I suspect too, that people who assent to a request with the phrase "no problem" think of that phrase differently as well. On the one hand, a younger person, upon saying "no problem," is imparting that they have the ability to meet request and it is, well, within their operating parameters.

Those of us in the older generations, expect when we are paying for service, (and I am not touching on the issue of tipping per se) to be treated well. When I say treated well, I am inferring that we expect to be treated as a guest with courtesy and civility.

For example, I ask, "Could you bring me a glass of water please?" I am making a courteous request. a courteous request should be met with a similar reply such as "Yes sir, I'll have that for you in a moment."

When a server says, "No problem" and I have asked politely, many people would think that the response is disrespectful. Probably not intentionally so, but it certainly indicates that the mindset of the server is not one of being helpful and seeking to maximize the dining experience for the customer. It is perceived more as "I really don't give a damn what you want, but I'll get it."

Ok, so, it seems to come down to this, at least for me. If a server says “no problem,” it is a civil reply, but not a courteous one.

It certainly impacts my impression of the server and henceforth, the tip. If it continually happens at a given restaurant it would seem to be a clue that the management is not really in touch with what level of customer service they are giving.

To me an answer of "No Problem" isn't a problem. Personally I use "Sure, no problem" fairly often when I get a request from my co-workers or "customers". It isn't said with disrespect or disregard in any means. It is simply used as an acknowledgement to the request.

In my situation I'm 47 and I think it comes from my casual upbringing in Calif. We are pretty laid back, ya know?

I find it much better then no answer at all, especially if you get what you requested.

MikeS.

quote:

Originally posted by okc_rn

Customer service seems to be going the way of the dinosaur. I can think of so many things. It seems that most anyone under the age of 20 that works at a restaurant or fast food emporium have no idea of the concept.

I would like to hear other peoples pet peeves. . . for instance:

When you ask a server for somthing and the tell you "No problem."
-makes me feel as though your are burdening them by being there. . .

It is a reflection of the way parents raise their children. When I was a kid in the 60's, we were taught to respect adults and speak to them in a respectful manner. When I was a teenager, and worked jobs where I interacted with customers (retail store clerk, ice cream store), this training showed and I knew how to be respectful and polite.

Now, my neighbor's kids talk to me like I am their 7 year old buddy...calling me by first name rather than Mr. Neighbor. They also swear a lot when out playing ball. Many kids at my daughter's school seem like untrained puppies that have gone 5 years without developing any familiarity with the concept of "NO". When these kids get a job down the road, I am sure the lack of many other lessons on polite social interaction will become evident.

I think the biggest problem with "no problem" is that it is a negative. It just seems to ask for a defensive feeling....like it should have been a problem but they rose above it. I know it's very common----and I hear it used all the time. But it just seems to cause a negative feeling that "sure" or absolutely" or "of course" don't.

quote:

Originally posted by EdSails

I think the biggest problem with "no problem" is that it is a negative. It just seems to ask for a defensive feeling....like it should have been a problem but they rose above it. I know it's very common----and I hear it used all the time. But it just seems to cause a negative feeling that "sure" or absolutely" or "of course" don't.

You "hit" the nail on the head!

I cannot believe the "trivialities" of these complaints- I think a week of restaurant hopping in the Rhode Island and Boston area will permanently scar you for life!!!

quote:

Originally posted by wanderingjew

I cannot believe the "trivialities" of these complaints- I think a week of restaurant hopping in the Rhode Island and Boston area will permanently scar you for life!!!

Hey...........not fair. My son told me that he had wonderful service and great attitude at the restaurant that you recommended to him for his trip to Providence. RI

quote:

Originally posted by chezkatie

quote:

Originally posted by wanderingjew

I cannot believe the "trivialities" of these complaints- I think a week of restaurant hopping in the Rhode Island and Boston area will permanently scar you for life!!!

Hey...........not fair. My son told me that he had wonderful service and great attitude at the restaurant that you recommended to him for his trip to Providence. RI

I would love to know which restaurant that was!! Anything that goes past a grunt or a sigh here in Rhode Island is considered outstanding service in my book!

quote:

Originally posted by wanderingjew

I cannot believe the "trivialities" of these complaints- I think a week of restaurant hopping in the Rhode Island and Boston area will permanently scar you for life!!!

...and don't even go near the 2nd Ave. Deli in New York!

I have had nothing but great service at 2nd ave deli in NYC. Sure its busy, but the service is perfectly fine. They dont sit and chat, and thats good.

The answer of "No Problem" only bothers me when you say Thank You to someone and thats the reply.
People dont talk the way you do, get over it. At least they did not curse you.

quote:

Originally posted by renfrew

I have had nothing but great service at 2nd ave deli in NYC. Sure its busy, but the service is perfectly fine. They dont sit and chat, and thats good.

The service is fine, but not usually very cordial. If a friendly waiter is part of someone's requirement for a favorable dining experience, the 2nd Ave Deli may not be their kind of place. There aren't too many places where one would tolerate "come on, come on we're busy" from a waiter...yet I have heard it on many occasions there. It is part of their lore and charm, but could put off someone not expecting it.

Okay, i see your point.

quote:

Originally posted by Tony Bad

quote:

Originally posted by renfrew

I have had nothing but great service at 2nd ave deli in NYC. Sure its busy, but the service is perfectly fine. They dont sit and chat, and thats good.

The service is fine, but not usually very cordial. If a friendly waiter is part of someone's requirement for a favorable dining experience, the 2nd Ave Deli may not be their kind of place. There aren't too many places where one would tolerate "come on, come on we're busy" from a waiter...yet I have heard it on many occasions there. It is part of their lore and charm, but could put off someone not expecting it.

I did a little "double-take" when I read this; it brought back some very old memories from when I lived in NYC for a couple of years as a young teenager. I suppose that the "lore and charm" referred to is part and parcel of much of that great city.

Frank

quote:

I did a little "double-take" when I read this; it brought back some very old memories from when I lived in NYC for a couple of years as a young teenager. I suppose that the "lore and charm" referred to is part and parcel of much of that great city.

Frank

Perhaps I should have put charm in quotation marks, as while some consider it a reason to go to such places, it isn't very charming to me...just something I have learned to live with in order to get a really good pastrami sandwich...followed by a walk over to 1st ave for a fine cannoli or two! Living in such a densely populated area one learns to ignore rudeness that is often encountered in a greater amount simply because of the sheer numbers of people one crosses paths with in a day in any large city. I will never like it, but I do my best to look past it. Otherwise...it may be...NO SOUP FOR YOU!

quote:

Originally posted by Hastyman

Ort.:

Thanks for that cogent post. I think a lot of customers forget to be good customers, too. Leaving a good tip, saying thanks to somebody who's provided great service, speaking up respectfully when things aren't aren't exactly to your liking--these are all part of good consumer citizenship.

I hope nobody got the sense from my post that I think, since I have the money and the restaurant wants it, I have the right to act like a lout and expect to be treated like the Dalai Lama.

Guess I sort of agree with Hastyman... I dont expect to be treated like Dalai Lama, though people bowing at me and and faning me would be a nice touch to the dinner! But I do agree with what comes around goes around! I'm a big dog, so normally when I snarl or growl, the wait staff listens! Though in reality, there's never a need! I for the most part get great all around service... And if the wait staff says no-problem, it dont seem to be a problem, otherwise they let me know... Could be because I favor the Mom and Pop joints, or our local economy could have an influence on this also... (Plenty of workers, just not enough jobs to go around)... Once in awhile you come across someone not paying attention, but then I have bad days also... I had an experience last Friday at a local Mom and Pop joint.. The bartender cared about anything but work... After talking to her for a few minutes, found out it was her birthday, she was suppose to have the day off, thus I gave her a hard time, she returned the favor and I had above the mark service rest of my stay... Again, what comes around goes around...