Not every customer will be happy with your service – at some point everyone makes a mistake. It is how you recover from that mistake that determines whether or not you convert your customer to a fan or a foe.
This week I was forwarded one of the worst recent examples of a business dealing with feedback.
To set the scene – this person had eaten at Casa Flamenco at Albion in Brisbane (yes names are being used – you will see why in a moment). They had had some problems so had sent an email outlining their concerns and providing feedback. Here is a copy of their email
Hi
I saw your ad in the city news last week and dined with 8 friends last night. I wanted to pass on some feedback regarding our experience at your restaurant. As someone who has experience in restaurant marketing I applaud your concept of 50% off the total bill – it will certainly get people in the door to try the restaurant. However, if you are going to retain them as regular customers who will not only return to the restaurant but tell all their friends and family to go to your restaurant you need to make the first visit memorable. Here are my suggestions;
1. Staff. We were the only table dining last night so the fact that there was only 1 staff member working should not have been a problem. The waiter was a sweet, friendly guy but he was not properly trained in waiting. He was unable to explain the menu when questioned. He did not regularly check back on the table to take drink orders, he left the menus on the table after we had ordered and didn’t bring out the cutlery before dessert arrived. He was obviously a little nervous which didn’t help the cause either.
2. Food. The food was good, we enjoyed it but it was not enough and it took far too long to arrive. We had ordered the chef’s tapas selection which the waiter said was good. It was good. However, it took over 1 hour to arrive on our table after we had ordered and the dishes that were meant to be served hot were cold by the time they arrived. Also, I would consider paying $36 or so for the size and contents of the platter brought out but if I was paying $55 I would have been very disappointed (in fact I think I would refuse to pay!). I had assumed that the ‘chef’s tapas selection’ would also have included at least a salad and some breads for the price so we didn’t order any. After we had devoured the food in a very short time as we were starving we decided not to ask for breads or salad as we assumed they would take too long to arrive also. We actually assumed that the platters brought out were going to be followed by a second platter based on the quoted price on the menu. Really, for $55 I would be expecting that platter to be supplemented by 1 salad, some bread and perhaps some olives, calamari and prawns also. We also ordered dessert (creme brulees and creme caramels) because we were still hungry after the tapas– the creme caramels were okay but the creme brulees were lumpy and inedible. Again, if we were paying $15 each for them we would have been very disappointed. I was disappointed enough paying $7.50 for them. Also, the coffee was brought out after dessert was served and was not good coffee.
3. Value for Money was awful. We ended up paying around $30 per person for our meal which was okay for what we got. However, should we have been paying full price I would not have been happy at all. There simply was not the variety or amount of food served for the money that the menu quoted.
I am afraid that my experience at Casa Flamenco was very disappointing. I am not seeking any recompense here – I think you have a good concept in the restaurant and your website shows you are passionate about what you do. The fact that you are offering diners a 50% discount to try the restaurant out shows that you are keen to attract new customers. I do hope you take my feedback into account and use it constructively to improve your customers’ experiences. You are doing the right things in your marketing to attract customers. However, the key is to retain these new customers and keep them and their friends coming back for more. To do this you will need to improve your service levels and your value for money substantially from what my friends and I experienced last night.
Thank you for your time,
Lorraine
As you can see it is not abusive – the person was just stating their point of view.
Now – this is the exact response they were emailed (obviously they attended the Basil Fawlty School of Hospitality)
Dear Lorraine,
your are an idiot we dont need your feedback.
What is the lesson? This email has been forwarded to many hundreds of people in Brisbane. One thoughtless response by a company has created significant negative attention that will impact on their business.
Even if the company privately thought the customer was an idiot, all they needed to do was send an email back stating “I am sorry you had a bad experience with us. We appreciate the time you took to give us this feedback. At our next team meeting we will discuss your feedback as a group to ensure we improve on all aspects. Thank you again” and the matter would be settled. If they wanted to go the next step they could send a voucher in way of apology.
Take the time to review your complaints procedure and ensure you have processes in place to deal with any complaints easily, smoothly and swiftly to a positive outcome (and be careful where you eat in Albion!).
Until next time
Ingrid Cliff
Heart Harmony
