visit my website www.robynrittersimon.com

visit my website www.robynrittersimon.com

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Day 108: Too Much Loyalty


When you have been a loyal patient of an office or a long time customer or client of say your hair salon, your dentist's office, your chiropractor's office, your nail salon, or any of the hundreds of offices we all visit regularly, don't ya think you deserve some special lovin' for all those years of loyalty? Well I sure do. I am a big fan of customer service and of taking care of the folks that keep comin' back to you. I do believe people who stick with their doctors and service providers for an extended period and are regular customers should be thanked for our long time commitment.

That's why I get so peeved when after YEARS of going to an establishment I either feel like there is no extra lovin' shared or I'm treated with out the respect I clearly believe any customer deserves. Is this just me or do you feel the same way?

Why is the dentist office receptionist so rude and unfriendly? All five of us Simon's visit the dentist each 3 to 4 times a year. We are very attentive to our dental hygiene! Do you know how much business that is? It's certainly not chump change. At least be nice when you greet us when we arrive to have our teeth polished.

Tried to refill Spencer's skin medication today. Same medication he's been using for some 5 months now. Need the dermatologist office to call back regarding filling the prescription. As I write this post I still have not received a call back from the doctor's office after two days of leaving voicemail messages. Really? After spending thousands of dollars in this office over the past 18 months for my skin cancer issues and Spencer's skin issues, you'd think a return phone call would be in order.

Last week I took the boys to our chiropractor for adjustments and I ran an errand while they ran up to the office. I returned 45 minutes later to find them STILL waiting to even see the doctor. What! I've been a patient of this office for 17 years, in case that didn't soak in ... 17 YEARS. I understand emergencies come up. I understand schedules get backed up. I know how to be flexible, but really the office didn't know for 45 minutes that they were running behind? You could have given the patient an option of rescheduling if you knew the back up was that long. It's called being considerate of our time too.

I could probably go on and on with examples of what I consider to be rude, inconsiderate, incompetent behavior by services providers who reap valuable resources from loyal patients, customer, and clients.

I could take my business elsewhere, and in the case of the hair salon I did. Couldn't deal with the rudeness and the waiting hours with a scheduled an appointment. Funny thing is after some 30 years - yes 30 years as a customer I have never even received a courtesy call as to why I don't come to the salon anymore. Really? How is that possible? I guess business is so good for them they don't need me after all these years and all my referrals ... just sayin' ...

But I can't finish this post without a positive story of AMAZING customer service. When we were in Las Vegas recently, my niece Olivia needed a prescription filled for a nagging deep hacking cough she couldn't shake. We headed to the Walgreen's to get the prescription filled which was not an easy task. First the doctor had to be called and connected with the pharmacist. Then Olivia had to reach her parents to get their insurance information and so on. But after an amazingly patient darling pharmacist did her job so well, Olivia was handed her drugs.

I casually mention that I too need a prescription filled -- my tummy pills -- which I ran out of that day but I told the pharmacist that I didn't have the medication information and that I'd come back tomorrow. She said, no worries I can fill the order with just your name and birth date... within 5 minutes I had my drugs too and a huge smile on my face. I didn't have to travel back to the drugstore while on vacation and hassle with filling the order. I was so impressed with this young woman that I posted a "Great Customer Service" comment on the Walgreen's website !

So as I said I could move my valuable business, I mean we are a family of five so a doctor's office benefits plenty from us being patients... but then it would just be starting all over, and I said I'm loyal sometimes to a fault.