Customer Service Rant

[KYHeirloomer]

How do you define customer service? Apparently, "upscale" retailers like Williams-Sonoma define it differently than I do.

Just before leaving on vacation we went into the local W-S to buy some knives. I've decided to assemble a culinary travel kit separate from my household stuff. By the time I'm done I'll probably have a thousand bucks tied up in knives and other cutlery and cooking tools.

So, figuring to start with a chef's knife, we asked to see several of them. The clerk rather reluctantly opened the display case (I mean, after all, she managed to show up for work; kind of mean of us to expect that she'll do her job as well).

We choose a couple of models to look at. And then I asked her for a cutting board to work on. "Whatever for? she asked. "So I can get a feel for how the knife fits in my hand when I'm working with it," I told her.

"Oh, no. You can't do that," she replied. "Because then it would be a used knife." We're talking knives from the display case, mind you. And the last time I bought a knife, from a real store, not only did they give me a board to work on, the clerk actually brought out an onion "so you can really feel how that knife works." Obviously, she wanted to make a sale. But the clerk at W-S could care less.

We walked out, vowing to not return to Williams-Sonoma. And, with that sort of imcompetence, it's easy to understand why they're in such financial trouble.

OK, jump ahead. This morning I attempted to contact W-S about that problem. For starters, nowhere on their site do the words "customer service" even appear. But there is a "contact us" navigation button. So that's where I went.

Apparently, W-S is interested in everything except identifying and resolving problems. The contact site tells me how to get a catalog. And how to track an order. And how to send W-S info to a friend. And, stuck on the bottom, is a response form. You fill out your contact info. And then you explain what you want. Except it's limited to 1,000 characters.

Alright, I managed to condense the problem into 800 some odd characters (including spaces). But it wouldn't go through because, the error message said, it "contained invalid characters." No other explanation. But I'm guessing they were confused by characters like "a" and "t" and maybe even "w."

So I sent a semi-nasty comment instead, telling them what I thought of their site, and their lack of customer service. Next comes an automatically generated response with this last paragraph:

>Have you checked out our Customer Service page? You will find order tracking and shipping information, as well as answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about our products and company at: www.williams-sonoma.com/customerservice.<

This is the first time the words "customer service" appear anywhere. And, if you follow the link, it merely takes you back to the same "contact us" page where you started.

I don't know who Williams-Sonoma's target audience is. But it obviously isn't serious cooks who know what they're doing. And whatever they're definition of customer service is, it doesn't fit any definition I'm familiar with.

Phui!

[yorvo]

Originally Posted by KYHeirloomer

I don't know who Williams-Sonoma's target audience is. But it obviously isn't serious cooks who know what they're doing. And whatever they're definition of customer service is, it doesn't fit any definition I'm familiar with.

You hit it right on the head there. Not their target market. I've been cooking for over 20 years and I would never think to go to a place like that for knives. Maybe a beautiful platter or a unique corkscrew but never a knife.

[KYHeirloomer]

Sadly, they've got the most in-depth knife inventory in the area, which is why I went there. Anyplace else is several hours away.

But based on that service I wouldn't even go in there for a platter or an off-beat corkscrew. I can find those thinks on the web, if necessary. And, unlike knives, they don't require that I actually feel them in my hand. Nor that I pay those bloated prices.

[Salliem]

About 10 years ago I went to Williams Sonama to look around, possibly buy some new gadget..so I am at the check out and the cashier says to me.."and how are we going to pay for that"..my response was.."I don't know how you are gonna pay for it, but I am going to use my credit card"..she sniffed the air as if I didn't belong there. At the time I lived in the Hyde Park section of Tampa which is supposed to be all high and mighty..and I guess I was not dressed in appropriate clothes (shorts and t-shirt)....she asked me for my zip code..and when I told her her attitude changed very quickly.
Yeah, they are not great on customer service.

[KYHeirloomer]

>Yeah, they are not great on customer service.<

And if you check their recent financial statements, not so great at getting customers, either.

I can understand why.

[chrose]

Originally Posted by KYHeirloomer

OK, jump ahead. This morning I attempted to contact W-S about that problem. For starters, nowhere on their site do the words "customer service" even appear. But there is a "contact us" navigation button. So that's where I went.

Forget the internet. This is what the USPS is for. Print this page and send it to the top!
Then maybe you will get a response!
Here is the contact info you would need!

Williams-Sonoma - Company Overview - Hoover's


(I love sending letters to CEO'S!)

[shel]

I've not been to a Williams-Sonoma in years. Found them to be a little pretentious (and expensive).

Definitely send a regular USPS letter to the CEO or President, and be sure to send a copyto the store manager as well.

shel

[KYHeirloomer]

One of the other ironies, Shel, is that nowhere on the W-S site does their corporate address appear. Anything to make it difficult to contact them, I reckon.

Sure, corporate names and addresses are easy to track down. But there's almost a correlation between companies who provide them readily and who have good customer service; and the opposite.

[Headless Chicken]

I've only bought a few items from them and yes, knives was 1 of those few. Funny thing was, I bought a 5*Professional Series Henkles cleaver from them with an $80something price tag it scanned in at $69...I didn't complain nor brought it to their attention, I was happy and left.

I can't say I've had bad experiences there and I do rarely ever buy kitchen stuff from them, can't say they really fit my budget 100% of the times but I noticed that every WS locations here in Toronto are at those very trendy, upscale places like Yorkdale mall and York Ville area (a number of celebrity hangouts there) and tend to attract a similar crowd. I occasionally overhear people's conversations about how all they need to finish off their KitchenAid kitchen is a KA blender and spatula in matching colours.

[shel]

Originally Posted by KYHeirloomer

One of the other ironies, Shel, is that nowhere on the W-S site does their corporate address appear. Anything to make it difficult to contact them, I reckon.

I've had to deal with that with a few companies, and I know how frustrating it can be.

Sure, corporate names and addresses are easy to track down. But there's almost a correlation between companies who provide them readily and who have good customer service; and the opposite.

I agree 100% - there should be no need to track down corporate contacts.

It's hard to fathom why a business wants to make it difficult for customers to deal with them. Y'know, every customer complaint is a chance to make a loyal customer, increase business, and improve a reputation.

scb

[KYHeirloomer]

>It's hard to fathom why a business wants to make it difficult for customers to deal with them.<

Something else just occurs to me along those lines, Shel.

You know how I feel about All-Clad. Well, when you walk into a Williams-Sonoma store what confronts you is a wall full of All-Clad stuff.

Could it be a case of birds of a feather? That retailers who have lousy customer service stock merchandse from manufacturers whose customer service also leaves something to be desired?

Just a random thought before my second cuppa.

[shel]

I'm out of coffee this morning, and I'd really like a big cuppa joe. All I've got is tea, which I'm not in the mood for.

Your idea that retailers who have lousy customer service stock merchandse from manufacturers whose customer service also leaves something to be desired doesn't fly with me. BB&B has great customer service and, at least around here, stock and prominantly display All-Clad.

Speaking of All-Clad, I'm beginning to believe that their quality has suffered over the years, and that several other manufacturers offer good or excellent quality at better or similar prices. Some Calphalon Tri-Ply is the equal to All-Clad and substantially less expensive, and just a couple of days ago I looked at the top of the line Demeyere skillet which seemed to be superior to the comparable All-Clad model, and which was about the same price.

scb

[KYHeirloomer]

My tongue was so far in my cheek with that one, Shel, it's a wonder I could talk at all. But reversing the argument doesn't change it. I didn't say all retailers who stock goods from a company with poor customer service must have poor customer service themselves.

What I said is that if we could judge by Williams-Sonoma, retailers who do have poor customer service also stock products from manufacturers in the same boat.

I agree that BB&B has great customer service. Around here (that is, the two stores in Lexington) All-Clad is just one of the brands they stock. There are at least three others---four if you consider Emeril a seperate brand from All-Clad.

That 1-quart Simply Calphalon saucepan you bought on my recommendation came from BB& B, for instance.

The Williams-Sonoma store in Lexington, on the other hand, only stocks and displays All-Clad. You have no other choices.

So maybe there's something to my tongue-in-cheek suggestion?

[renhoek]

Some other posters said to mail an actual letter to the store manager and head office...I agree. For some reason, real letters seem to scare companies and I've always had a fast response. One time I logged an official complaint through a call centre and was told "the complaints department will review it...it will take about 6 weeks". The following day I posted a letter and the whole thing was sorted in a week.

And let's not forget that staff at big department stores just aren't used to serving people who care about the functionality of a product. Ninety-nine percent of their customers just want something that looks shiny and expensive

From my experience, spending $1,000 at at places like WS is equal to spending $500 at a store that supplies the pro cooking industry, and you get better service and a wider range of products.

[KYHeirloomer]

I wouldn't generalize how corporations respond.

True, I have had cases were a letter to the top man got quick results. But I have had just as many cases where such a letter is ignored. All-Clad is a case in point where, I believe, the poor attitude on the customer service people's part is merely a reflection of the people at the top.

In this case, a letter to the store manager likely would do little good. As it turns out, W-S has no policy against people playing with the display knives. In most of their stores, in fact, they have a pull-out cutting board just for that purpose. So the clerk was merely trained poorly. And that's the managers problem.

Frankly, I was less concerned with her attitude then with the responses I got from the so-called customer service people. When they send you an email saying that such a problem is none of corporate's business then there's a real problem with the company.

I'm very aware of W-S's high prices. But when you live in a culinary wasteland (Lexington doesn't even have a restaurant supply place), and it's a product you insist on handling before you buy, then you're kind of locked in.