Seemingly trivial things that annoy you

rick_chasey

First.Aspect said:

Pross said:

I’ll never understand why businesses will make all sorts of effort to attract new customers but will then exploit them / fail to deliver so they go elsewhere.

Even in my line of work I’ve been at places where I’m getting told to win more work but then being given insufficient resources to deliver and keep clients, old and new, happy. It feels far more sensible to me to keep the good existing customers happy as the priority. That in itself should help generate more business.

Yep. Whatever happened to the old adage that your best future customer is an existing one?

Arguments are, some which are more credible than others:

1) tight labour market - who wants to work in customer services, higher turnover, so less experienced/trained people, staff shortages etc.
2) Covid wrecked supply chains
3) Handful of very good customer service companies have raised expectations higher than is reasonable
4) consolidation in the market/oligargic/monopolistic behaviour.

kingstongraham

How much more are you willing to pay for good customer service?

First.Aspect

Seems to more that there are simply some sectors where no company provides decent customer service, so there is no incentive to do so. Seems also that these are industries where the major players are so large that no single customer is actually at all important.

That's slightly different from a professional service with a focus on new clients at the expense of existing ones, mind you.

First.Aspect

kingstongraham said:

How much more are you willing to pay for good customer service?

That's a good question.

Here's another one- how much of the cost of your energy supply, Internet, water etc is the customer service in the first place? Answer that and you are better placed to decide if you would be willing to double it....

rick_chasey

kingstongraham said:

How much more are you willing to pay for good customer service?

I definitely pay double for car hires where I know it's not gonna be an utter disaster.

First.Aspect

rick_chasey said:

kingstongraham said:

How much more are you willing to pay for good customer service?

I definitely pay double for car hires where I know it's not gonna be an utter disaster.

Car hire is one of those industries ripe for modernisation. Seems accepted in the trade to gather loads of info on booking and then get the same info over the course of 20 minutes in a different format at the desk. Also seems acceptable practice to get the customer to sign lots of things without time to read them and put the onus on them to take enough records of the vehicle to prevent the owner from committing insurance fraud.

I should be able to turn up, sign once and for the burden of proof that I caused any damage to fall on the person taking my money, not the other way around.

rick_chasey

Yeah. They have gone the way of flights in that they hide the extra costs from the aggregators.

Did you know that some hire car firms charge 6x what others do for kids seats?

Broadly the big brands are very similar price ways, assuming the same availability of car type, once you add up all the extras you will inevitably need,

Pross

kingstongraham said:

How much more are you willing to pay for good customer service?

Depends how you define customer service. Not upping contract prices by inflation plus during the life of a contract could be seen as good customer service and worth paying for, providing a service that doesn't break down is probably customer service that's worth more than having polite and helpful call centres when you have to call once a week due to the service always breaking down. I've certainly found the slightly higher priced BT service to be far better than the basic level we used to have (UK call centres which deal with things far more easily but I've hardly had to use them since making the switch whereas previously internet outages were regular).

pblakeney

First.Aspect said:

I should be able to turn up, sign once and for the burden of proof that I caused any damage to fall on the person taking my money, not the other way around.

I pay over the odds for whatever they call their top level insurance.
Drive back, hand over the keys, no inspection, walk away.

Pross

The Yanks do car higher far better (at least at large airports). Turn up, show your licence, sign some forms and take your pick of any vehicle in the grade you've paid for - scanned out, scanned in and that's it (or at least that's my memory from my last trip there with a hire car 15 years ago).

pblakeney

kingstongraham said:

How much more are you willing to pay for good customer service?

Currently in the middle of something. Long story short.

Paid a bit over the odds for a Wilkinson garden spade with lifetime guarantee.
15-20 years later and the spade breaks where the wooden handle enters the metal fork.
Send a photo to Wilkinson. If you don't ask, you don't get.
They have been bought over by Fiskars in the meantime, contact them.
Fiskars reply "Any receipt?"
"No."
"No problem, a replacement will be with you within 10 working days."

Now that is what I call customer service, and they deserve recognition for it.

First.Aspect

Pross said:

The Yanks do car higher far better (at least at large airports). Turn up, show your licence, sign some forms and take your pick of any vehicle in the grade you've paid for - scanned out, scanned in and that's it (or at least that's my memory from my last trip there with a hire car 15 years ago).

Nowhere does it as badly as here I don't think. The ones in Spain are pretty bad as well, mind you. Don't think I've been there and not been in a queue behind someone arguing about the insurance waiver and being refused their vehicle unless they take out the company's.

Increasingly.of the view that when car rentals see you've done that, they make an extra effort to fcuk you over and find some damage to repair at your expense.

TheBigBean

pblakeney said:

First.Aspect said:

I should be able to turn up, sign once and for the burden of proof that I caused any damage to fall on the person taking my money, not the other way around.

I pay over the odds for whatever they call their top level insurance.
Drive back, hand over the keys, no inspection, walk away.

Just pay a tiny amount for excess insurance separately. Very easy.

TheBigBean

rick_chasey said:

Yeah. They have gone the way of flights in that they hide the extra costs from the aggregators.

Did you know that some hire car firms charge 6x what others do for kids seats?

Broadly the big brands are very similar price ways, assuming the same availability of car type, once you add up all the extras you will inevitably need,

I have one of these. Really small. Your daughter is probably big enough now.

https://mifold.com/

There is a bigger Trunki one too.

shirley_basso

I use the Trunki backpack.

rick_chasey

TheBigBean said:

rick_chasey said:

Yeah. They have gone the way of flights in that they hide the extra costs from the aggregators.

Did you know that some hire car firms charge 6x what others do for kids seats?

Broadly the big brands are very similar price ways, assuming the same availability of car type, once you add up all the extras you will inevitably need,

I have one of these. Really small. Your daughter is probably big enough now.

https://mifold.com/

There is a bigger Trunki one too.

Once you factor in the cost of putting them on the plane it's not economical.

First.Aspect

TheBigBean said:

pblakeney said:

First.Aspect said:

I should be able to turn up, sign once and for the burden of proof that I caused any damage to fall on the person taking my money, not the other way around.

I pay over the odds for whatever they call their top level insurance.
Drive back, hand over the keys, no inspection, walk away.

Just pay a tiny amount for excess insurance separately. Very easy.

See above - not that easy at all in practice if you get an opportunist rental company or an aggressive one that won't release the car unless you take theirs or but several thousand on a credit card (not debit card, because £s are different on those apparently). But given the cost differential, well worthwhile.

TheBigBean

rick_chasey said:

TheBigBean said:

rick_chasey said:

Yeah. They have gone the way of flights in that they hide the extra costs from the aggregators.

Did you know that some hire car firms charge 6x what others do for kids seats?

Broadly the big brands are very similar price ways, assuming the same availability of car type, once you add up all the extras you will inevitably need,

I have one of these. Really small. Your daughter is probably big enough now.

https://mifold.com/

There is a bigger Trunki one too.

Once you factor in the cost of putting them on the plane it's not economical.

It's the size of a book.

TheBigBean

First.Aspect said:

TheBigBean said:

pblakeney said:

First.Aspect said:

I should be able to turn up, sign once and for the burden of proof that I caused any damage to fall on the person taking my money, not the other way around.

I pay over the odds for whatever they call their top level insurance.
Drive back, hand over the keys, no inspection, walk away.

Just pay a tiny amount for excess insurance separately. Very easy.

See above - not that easy at all in practice if you get an opportunist rental company or an aggressive one that won't release the car unless you take theirs or but several thousand on a credit card (not debit card, because £s are different on those apparently). But given the cost differential, well worthwhile.

I don't hire a lot of cars (because see thread about not liking cars), but yes they put a hold on your card for the maximum excess and you need to be capable of settling it. You then need to claim from the excess insurance company. A hassle perhaps, but it saves a lot of money.

TheBigBean

shirley_basso said:

I use the Trunki backpack.

I considered this, but I was worried I would end up carrying it.

First.Aspect

TheBigBean said:

First.Aspect said:

TheBigBean said:

pblakeney said:

First.Aspect said:

I should be able to turn up, sign once and for the burden of proof that I caused any damage to fall on the person taking my money, not the other way around.

I pay over the odds for whatever they call their top level insurance.
Drive back, hand over the keys, no inspection, walk away.

Just pay a tiny amount for excess insurance separately. Very easy.

See above - not that easy at all in practice if you get an opportunist rental company or an aggressive one that won't release the car unless you take theirs or but several thousand on a credit card (not debit card, because £s are different on those apparently). But given the cost differential, well worthwhile.

I don't hire a lot of cars (because see thread about not liking cars), but yes they put a hold on your card for the maximum excess and you need to be capable of settling it. You then need to claim from the excess insurance company. A hassle perhaps, but it saves a lot of money.

For reasons unknown, companies insist on taking it from a credit card, not a debit card. Been stuck behind irate people debating that several times in the past. I think it's just a way to get one or two more paying 2000% more for insurance.

kingstongraham

Authorisation holds last longer on credit cards than debit cards.

First.Aspect

kingstongraham said:

Authorisation holds last longer on credit cards than debit cards.

I didn't even think there was such a thing as a hold for a debit card. You just pay and get refunded, I thought.

shirley_basso

TheBigBean said:

shirley_basso said:

I use the Trunki backpack.

I considered this, but I was worried I would end up carrying it.

It's a backpack.

TheBigBean

shirley_basso said:

TheBigBean said:

shirley_basso said:

I use the Trunki backpack.

I considered this, but I was worried I would end up carrying it.

It's a backpack.

Yes, so great if the kid carries it. Less great if I need to.

kingstongraham

First.Aspect said:

kingstongraham said:

Authorisation holds last longer on credit cards than debit cards.

I didn't even think there was such a thing as a hold for a debit card. You just pay and get refunded, I thought.

Actually, maybe it's not even a hold. My online groceries need an authorisation, but it doesn't stop me from spending all the money in that account.

briantrumpet

TheBigBean said:

First.Aspect said:

TheBigBean said:

pblakeney said:

First.Aspect said:

I should be able to turn up, sign once and for the burden of proof that I caused any damage to fall on the person taking my money, not the other way around.

I pay over the odds for whatever they call their top level insurance.
Drive back, hand over the keys, no inspection, walk away.

Just pay a tiny amount for excess insurance separately. Very easy.

See above - not that easy at all in practice if you get an opportunist rental company or an aggressive one that won't release the car unless you take theirs or but several thousand on a credit card (not debit card, because £s are different on those apparently). But given the cost differential, well worthwhile.

I don't hire a lot of cars (because see thread about not liking cars), but yes they put a hold on your card for the maximum excess and you need to be capable of settling it. You then need to claim from the excess insurance company. A hassle perhaps, but it saves a lot of money.

Yeah, that's what I do.

France seems to be fairly slick. Best was one of the standard companies at Lyon airport, booked via EasyJet... filled in a 'speedy hire' thing in advance, was invited to queue-jump at the desk "Anyone got a speedy hire?", showed them my licence and credit card, and they handed everything over and told me where the car was. On the return, the number plate was checked automatically as I came into the car park, someone was already coming out of the office as I parked it, took the keys, checked the fuel, walked round the car, and ticked it as complete on their app, even as we were taking luggage out of the boot. And that was the good old days (two years ago) when it only cost £210 for 10 days.

rick_chasey

Roads around my house are very uneven and the lighting is patchy. Always figured one day it’d foil me and sure enough, in my 5th winter here this morning, in a dark patch, I went over my ankle and actually fell over.

Walked the ankle off but not ideal taking a tumble on a walk wtf

pblakeney

A sign of things to come. 😉

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwCtM6D4GOc

First.Aspect

With respect to certain forumites...

...Trumpets. At sporting events. Playing ditties from Michael Caine movies.

Who wants that? Other than the tvvat playing it?