Compensation vs. Customer Service

[Benny Smyth]

Had a couple of strange happenings in the past week that has made me realise that Mrs. Benny & I are on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to this.

Last Monday, we decided to say "Sod it!" to the cooking and order a Chinese. Ever since we moved to our new place in February, any time we have decided to partake in a Chinese, we go to the one that we rather like on the top of the road (incidentally, it's about 3 doors down from a pretty spectacular Indian restaurant too). The food took about an hour and a half to get to us and when it arrived, it was pretty cold. About ten minutes after it arrived, they phoned us up to apologise that the food took so long to get to us, explained that they were uncharacteristically busy for a Monday and that the next time we order, they'll look after us with a free gift.

Mrs. Benny made a comment after the call saying that she'll make sure that they'll remember our free gift, but my mentality was that we've ordered from there a fair few times before and this is the first 'bad' experience with them. On top of that, they phoned us (unprompted, I might add) and basically said "Look, we've messed up. We know it, and we're sorry. We'll make it up to you next time and sort something out for you." To me, even if they forget our 'compensation', I'm more than happy with the customer service that I have received.

Today, in a different scenario, I have been given compensation and I was actually a little annoyed by it. On Friday, I ordered some new coffee pods from Tassimo for my coffee machine (I love that coffee machine - so few gadgets have impacted my life in such a positive way!). I normally buy my pods from the supermarket, but Tassimo have a dispenser on their website and I thought 'while I'm here' and all that. This morning, a delivery arrived. Huzzah! Open the box, and only half of my order is here. How curious...

So I sent a message via the website saying that I'm missing X, Y & Z from my order and queried whether it'll be delivered at a later date. I didn't complain, I didn't kick up a stink - I just asked a question. As soon as I sent the message, DPD sends me an email saying that I will have another parcel delivered this afternoon. I'm guessing that'll be the other half of my order then (can't see why both boxes couldn't be delivered at the same time, especially since it's the same company delivering them and according to my email - oh look - same driver too!).

About an hour ago, I get an email from Tassimo. An order has been placed for me for the missing items that I queried about, and I'm being charged £30 + change for the privilege. Say what? So I'm straight on the blower to Tassimo and spend more than 20 minutes explaining that I haven't made a second order and that I was just querying the status of my first order. After the chap finally understood what I was going on about, he did a bit of investigating to find out that someone has put this order through for me, but it's a 'good will' gesture for the inconvenience. I'm not being charged for it.

Now, to me, this is bad. Don't get me wrong - free stuff. Great! But it was clearly done without any thought which, to me, contradicts customer service. "Oh...something's wrong? Here, have this." I would have been much happier with an email or a call saying "We've sent your order off in two parts because it was a bit too much to stick in the one box. I've spoken to DPD and they say that the other parcel should be delivered this afternoon. If you don't get it this afternoon, give us a tinkle tomorrow and I'll chase it up for you."

Mrs. Benny's stance? Too right we should have free stuff! :rolleyes:

So what would you prefer, folks? Compensation or good customer service?

[Nakatomi]

I like companies to get it right first time. Fine, send me compensation when they get it wrong but it seldom changes my mind once I've had a bad experience.

Are companies with shoddy service banking on customers letting them get away with it rather than take a little more care first time around? I think so.

There's a long list of companies I strive to avoid because their attitude stinks. A few I won't even use when they're the cheapest. Currys/PC World being one of them.
Then there are the ones who have been okay but their chosen courier has been a waste of space. There I'm looking at outfits who used CityLink. Yeah mate, just leave my £500 AV receiver in the garden. IN THE RAIN. Bye bye Superfi.

[DeckstarDeluxe]

Depends on the context........

For me, if someone messes up but I feel like they understand why I'm upset and I personally think it's just one of those mistakes that happens rather than something that is preventable or down to lack of attention then I wouldn't really think any worse of them.

If the mistake causes me to be out of pocket then I'd expect both.

In terms of your take away example if you've ordered off them and they've been top notch then I'd be happy with just putting down to a one off. That said if they had rang in the first place and said listen we are right up against it, the order won't be with you for an hour or so then that would pretend a lot of jumping up when you hear a car door slam shut for a while (think of pavlov's dogs)

[DJColsie]

My Mum used to work for a very demanding boss. Who sometimes was horrible to work for.

After these tantrums he would send Mum huge arrangements of flowers by interflora to say sorry. A lot of her friends were envious and said they would love to have huge bouquets of flowers delivered from their bosses.

My Mum always said she would rather he had been more reasonable in the first place so she never received the flowers!

Give me good customer service every time.

[Excalibur]

I'm baffled by the poll! :confused::confused:

I thought Tassimo was a drinks machine, yet you're now on about cake. If it can bake cakes as well as make drinks, I'm really interested. :)



We've got the baby Tassimo, and it is indeed a fabulous machine. As to actually answering the original question, I'll have to ponder that further.

[Pe7e]

Depends on the context........

If the mistake causes me to be out of pocket then I'd expect both.


So would I.

[DazzyD]

To me, customer service is king. If I have a problem with something, and I understand that problems can and do happen, I want it putting right. Plain and simple. You can keep your gifts and tokens of compensation, I just want what I originally wanted in the first place.

When I was a postman and workplace rep, I was at a site where Royal Mail handled customer complaints. They would send a "sorry" card/letter out, and include a few quids worth of postage stamps, but I always felt they were never really addressing the complaint/problem but rather just fobbing off the customer. And a lot of customers felt this way, too!

[Benny Smyth]

They would send a "sorry" card/letter out, and include a few quids worth of postage stamps, but I always felt they were never really addressing the complaint/problem but rather just fobbing off the customer. And a lot of customers felt this way, too!

Boom. Quoted for troof, yo!

[ukpartydj]

I would be with you Benny on the takeaway story. I do feel sometimes customers can be a bit ignorant as to why the problem they're experiencing arose.
I personally believe that if you have an issue with a product or service unless it was not as described you should simply leave a bad review and not use that person again.

Compensation should be used when a business wishes to apologise and at their own discretion and not prompted by the customer
or
It should be demanded when a product or service is not as it was described, faulty or not fit for purpose all should consider the trending price of that product or service.

Takeaway being cold may come under not as described if they said it would be hot and maybe not fit for purpose if it was a bit later as may be later than your "dinner time".
However if it was a good value establishment IMO you need to overlook those errors - get what you pay for and that.

God I hate people who feel they deserve compensation.

[Excalibur]

Right Benny, a few brain cells have fired sporadically into life. Two occasions, same company, two different results.

Birds Eye fish fingers. I had a plethora of small persons chez Excalibur, and I was head chef. This, I opened a box of sixteen fish fingers, and laid them on the grill pan. I was baffled and dismayed to only find fifteen! I contacted Birds Eye, and a nice lady expressed surprise, and promised to look into it. Soon after, I got a letter informing me that yes, the counting machine had thrown a wobbler at some point, and here's a voucher for some more. Excellent service.

Scene two. Jeanette had bought a box of four top grade burgers, for a quick tea. My but they were poor. Really low quality. Again I contacted them, and this time got a letter back saying they were fine, they don't sell rubbish, and I'm trying it on! Oh deary me. Not a wise move. Off goes a second letter informing them that I knew exactly what had happened, ( I didn't, but I knew the likely scenario ) and they were insulting me by inferring I was not genuinely dissatisfied.

That one brought a result. Turns out I was right. They'd been making the top grade ones on a line, and then changed to the bargain basement ones. Some of these low grade offerings had been put into luxury boxes at changeover. That's what Jeanette had bought. I then got a very apologetic phone call, and £20 of vouchers. In this case, although I'd got more compensation, I wasn't happy, so I guess Benny, I value good customer above compensation.