UK Customer vs US Customer...

[blackgoff]

SERVICE !

To start with this is basically a statement:

The US are king in this..

The UK is like 'youve got what you've been given, so be gratefully' - as one VERY famous north west frame seller said to me !

Theirs a US pedal manufacturer who shipped NEXT DAY replacement cleats to me via USPS ! very SPEEDily that astounded me bigtime..

An 'operatic' power meter company: they're another who've gone the distance for me as well, even this evening too and im purely grateful for it !!! (told them too)

Whereas as I've had communications various importers on this country and basically the service and dialogue has been bull'....

Which makes me wonder..

Why is it soo merde on this country ?

Are British people by heart negative complaining irritating god knows what's..and this reflects on the ambiance of the whole nation ?!?!?

One can only wonder..

 

[blackgoff]

[QUOTE 4155680, member: 45"]Are you tired?[/QUOTE]

Wacaday mate

 

[Profpointy]

well OK, but on other fora I've heard that a good few US retailers are very much caveat emptor - regularly using "bait-and-switch" and other questionable practices. I can speak with some confidence on Apple not being all that troubled with complying with EU consumer law for example - despite their slick image - and recently their in the news for kyboshing devices which had had 3rd party repairs.

US companies are great at marketing their service levels - actual fair dealing - maybe, and maybe not

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

I'd move to the US if I were you.

 

[mjr]

You're comparing manufacturers to importers and drawing broad conclusions from that?

 

[AndyRM]

One can only wonder.

Indeed.

 

[blackgoff]

Indeed.

One can only wonder Andrew...

 

[AndyRM]

One can only wonder Andrew...

Very true.

 

[blackgoff]

Very true.

 

[AndyRM]

 

[Nigeyy]

Well as someone from the UK living in the states......

I do think overall customer service is better than the UK (huge generalization here), but not always and not enough times to make it a rule, more of a take each situation as it comes kind of thing. Certainly at restaurant level it is.

One big exception I can think of: airlines. Generally any US airline I've flown on has been completely sub class, whereas UK airlines are usually so much better. Don't know the reason for that at all though. Also, not exactly customer service, but customs and immigration in the US seem to regard employing the most surliest as paramount, UK customs and immigration seem to be so much more pleasant yet -to me -appear to do a better job, with better ways of questioning (I remember a UK customs person asking me how a multi-tool worked, but only afterwards did I realize that I didn't think it was because she was interested, but just wanted to see if I knew what to do to see if I really was a cyclist). I think the US customs official would have just shouted loudly at me.

Anyway, just what I've found

 

[Arrowfoot]

On the retail store and restaurant front, we do have a way to go and more likely we have gone down in the service side compared to the US, Canada, Oz and the Kiwis amongst the native English speaking World. Compared to these countries we generally have to call out for attention while in the store. In these countries they will actually approach you. They are also knowledgeable about their products. On the Airline front, the US service is next to nil. It terrible compared to most countries including some 3rd World countries and that includes international flights. I am not even sure why the cabin crew is there in the first place. In hospitality - hotels at the high end, we do a much better job than the US. Most countries however cannot beat the South East Asian and African Countries where the hotel service staff do it with a big smile and are ever ready to help.

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

Another aspect of customer service are the hours that businesses choose to open. One of the things I noticed on moving to Scotland are the number of cafes and tea rooms that stay closed on Bank Holiday Mondays. Fair enough that they choose not to open on normal Mondays but not to make an exception for Bank Holidays just shows contempt for their customers. And as for Sundays on the Western Isles, anything you find open is just a bonus. Unless there's a causeway sometimes you don't even have the choice of leaving because the locals have banned ferries and flights on their Sabbath.

 

[outlash]

Are British people by heart negative complaining irritating god knows what's..

Not for the first time in one of your threads, oh the irony....

 

[Drago]

Having lived and worked in the states I can't say I've noticed any great difference in attitude betwixt England, the Northern isles, or Pennsylvania with customer service. Main difference being the Americans have an annoying habit of stating the bleeding obvious, such as "say, you're British", or "gee, you're tall", and "hey Mister, Do you know you're on fire", that kind of obviousness.