You might think, with the growing threat of recession and with the constant arrival of new competitors, that businesses would be trying to improve their customer service at the moment. You might think that – if you are as naive as I was until a few days ago when I was exposed to the full blast of contemptuous customer neglect 2008-style.
Was it my fault that I was making a last-minute purchase of a portable DVD player when I probably should have researched the product range online first? Yes, it was. But as it turned out nothing could have been too little trouble for the sullen and uninterested staff I had to deal with at my local electricals giant.
The tone was set by the store manager. He spent most of his time averting his gaze from customers or telling them that they would have to join another queue when they had already spent a long time waiting for the privilege to be given this disappointing information.
Continue reading ‘When service comes with a snarl instead of a smile’
Stefan Stern writes a column on Tuesdays on 
Ravi Mattu is the editor of 
Lucy Kellaway writes a column on Mondays on 
Luke Johnson writes an FT column on Wednesdays on 
Lucy Kellaway, FT columnist and associate editor, offers her solution to your workplace problems in a column in the Financial Times. In the 
