Overall, I have been impressed with the quality of customer service in Southern California.
Last week, I met a friend to watch the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim play the Detroit Tigers at a Sports Bar. Upon sitting, I inquired, “Do you have any specials?” No. “What do you have on draft?” The female bartender responds, “We only have bottles.” Oh, so I ask the next natural question, “What do you have in bottles?” What one would expect here is for her to rattle off their pathetic list of Macro Brewed options or provide me with them in written form.
That didn’t happen.
Her response was, “We have most everything.”
First all, they only carried 10 beers. I have been to places that serve up to 500. So no you don’t have “most everything.” Clearly this bartender is not employed due to her knowledge about drafts. Maybe she is more of a mixologist.
Second of all, she could not be bothered to inform me what my choices, as a paying customer, were. I had to guess. Does she realize she works for tips?
I would understand if the bar was busy but it wasn’t. I would forgive if I was absent-mindedly looking at the selection that was right in front of me but it wasn’t. I would appreciate if I were a frequent customer who asked the question every time I patronized the establishment but guess what…I wasn’t.
I worked as a Café Manager at Barnes and Noble and know how annoying it can be to answer the same question all day long. I think the types of bagels we carried are forever ingrained in my mind. (Plain, Everything, Cinnamon Raisin, Veggie, Sesame Seed, Poppy Seed, and Asiago Cheese). However, I’d answer because they were customers and my job (as in what I got paid to do) was to serve them. Doing anything else would be odd.
Back to the bartender. What does she think her occupation is if not to serve people such as me? She wasn’t wearing a low cut shirt therefore, one can assume, she wasn’t relying on her chest to obtain her tips. She seemed to spend some time flirting with owner or manager. Maybe that is her accountability? I did not stick around to figure it out. I went in to watch the Tigers’ game not to play 20 questions and be annoyed by the bartenders guessing game.
Can anyone tell me what the bartender’s job was? What are your thoughts on how to handle bad customer service? And for those who do or have worked in customer service. What are were your pet peeves? And why do people tolerate bad service?
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LA has some of the worst waitstaff/bartenders on the planet. I've recieved some of the worst service ever out here...and I'm pretty forgiving after 17 years as a waitress...no one really wants to do the job...they all are waiting for their big break...so in general service is subpar in most places....there are exceptions and I find myself going back to those places...and avoiding the other places. SO much for my rant!
ReplyDeleteOk, Terry Amy....
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed your rant. I think it is different in OC! But this service sucked...and early on you provided the example of greatness!
I agree with the continued dwindling of good customer service in our world. No matter where you are it seems the quality is over all poor. No matter what the industry. I guess some people just think if they say hello they are doing their job. Nobody ever told her answering questions was part of her job! I paid my way through college working only 25 hours a week waiting tables and trust me I worked it for those large tips...which is why I only worked 25 hours! Today it seems you have to announce upon arrival that you tip well in order to get good service! Oh my...somebody shut me up! Maybe I need to start my own blog! LOL!
ReplyDeleteOk, so in cases like this I blame the victim of bad service more than the server. I, as you know, reserve the right to Tell a waitperson what there job is. Of course, I prefer to be nice about it, I will be obnoxious if it helps me make my point!
ReplyDelete@ Brandi, how am I to blame in this case. For not knowing what beer they serve?
ReplyDelete