Whatever happened to customer service?

[LDB]

I'm weekending at the J in Columbia, SC. after my delivery a few miles away. I found a shirt in the store I wanted to buy. The shelf had a tag saying $12.99 on it. The shirt had a tag on it saying $10.99. At the register it rang $12.99 so we called the manager. He said it's the shelf tag not what's on the actual product being sold. I suggested it should be sold for the price marked or if they won't honor that then they should remove the tags from the product. He said it's $12.99 take it or leave it. I left it and at this point am so furious I may do no further business with any J location. I certainly won't do anything but take up parking space and wifi at this one.

Leo Bricker, owner trucks 3034, 4958
OOIDA 677319
73's K5LDB
EO Forum Moderator 1+ Years of Service
Expediters Online.com - The Best is Getting Better!
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Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.

 

[RichM]

Customer service in Truck stops these days is non existence. I had a major problem yesterday with a Pilot. The card reader would take the Com Card but would not read the Pilot Bonus card. This happens from time to time and the clerks always swipe the card and enter the info.

Well this time the clerk said "Since it didn't take at the card reader there is nothing we can do." I said"Since when". She said "since January 1". But she was ##### rude and didn't want to be bothered. Thats what it;s all about,she may have had to do some work.

So today I sent a long E Mail to Pilot HQ in Nashville,proably will get lip service for a response.

Leo,send something to the J folks in Utah,you never know what might come back..

 

[LDB]

I sent them an email as soon as I got back out to the truck. It will be interesting to see what they say, if anything.

Leo Bricker, owner trucks 3034, 4958
OOIDA 677319
73's K5LDB
EO Forum Moderator 1+ Years of Service
Expediters Online.com - The Best is Getting Better!
-----
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.

 

[greg334]

I thought SC had the same laws as michigan, if it marked two different prices you get it for the cheaper price. it was that way when i lived there.

 

[LDB]

I think that's the law pretty much everywhere but I got too ticked off at the manager to continue to argue the point. The bigger issue is that even if it isn't a law they should honor the marked price to build customer satisfaction. If it was a television mismarked from $129.99 to $12.99 I could understand it better than a shirt from $12.99 to $10.99. They probably still make some money at the lower price and they certainly gain customer loyalty that way instead of alienation the way they did it.

Leo Bricker, owner trucks 3034, 4958
OOIDA 677319
73's K5LDB
EO Forum Moderator 1+ Years of Service
Expediters Online.com - The Best is Getting Better!
-----
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.

 

[davekc]

I think customer loyalty is the last thing on their mind. Same thing with Pilot. Do you think they care about the independent owner operator? Not hardly.
There performance over the last several years speaks volumes of what they really think.
Yes, they don't give a crap





Davekc
owner
21 years
PantherII
EO moderator

 

[ATeam]

I think it depends on the person you get. More than once, at Pilot, we've returned to the counter after getting our shower keys to let them know the showers were not cleaned to their usual standards. We've seen it happen that the truck stop MANAGER immediately cleans the showers while we wait. They did not ask whether or not we were drivers for a large fleet or independents. They simply cleaned the showers for customers that were waiting.

At a Flying J in Utah (don't recall which one), I was looking to buy the hard-cover book about Flying J but none were in stock. The manager there went in back and came out with a copy from the books that were given free to employees. He gave me a free copy.

I once sent an e-mail to TA about how they list their fuel prices on their web site. I told them all other major truck stops list all their truck stop locations and fuel prices on a single page. This saves the web site user from having to first select a state or location and then clicking to get the fuel price. I told them it would be helpful in planning a cross-country trip to see all prices and locations at once. TA quickly made the change to the site and they sent me coupons for more free meals than we cared to eat at TA truck stops.

TA service shops have usually treated us far better than Freightliner dealers when we've gotten repairs made to Freightliners. One time, the service manager sent us down the road for an alternator repair. He said, "The only people that buy batteries and alternators here are those who don't know any better."

As with all drivers, I could write many customer service horror stories too. My point is simply that bad customer service is not universal in truck stops. It depends who you get at the time. We stop at truck stops for fuel and showers several times a week. Almost always, the stop is uneventful and we accomplish what we came to do.

Have you ever wondered what life must be like for a truck stop manager, counter person, or janitor? Those are not jobs I want. For the most part, I'm grateful for the services these people provide and am pleased with the services they offer.

That said, we spend as little time at truck stops as possible. There are better places to sleep and wait for loads.

 

[RichM]

Well today i received a real nice generic canned E mail from Pilot."We will let the manager know and we are sorry,hope you continue to do business with us"..

 

[bamapeople2006]

I'm sure that Abu was real sincere about it too!

 

[letzrockexpress]

Well, my first thought is that I wouldn't attempt to buy fuel at a clothing store...ya know what I mean?

 

[davekc]

As I said before, what you have seen over the last several years is a far cry from where it was five to ten years ago.
There are still a few great places but you can count them on your hand.

Rich's generic message comes as no surprise. Finding alternative sources are your best bet when possible.


Davekc
owner
21 years
PantherII
EO moderator

 

[tr]

Next time, take a digital photograph of both prices, if you are fortunate enought to have a digital camera. Document the discussion and the report it to the STATE DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS. Or what ever State title handles such complaints. It's a sad day when you get such an answer. I have told many a business man, you can spend thousands of dollars on circulars, phone book adds, bill boards, tv commercials etc, but eventually word of mouth can ruin the entire effort. Good luck in your pursuit.