Listen up Mr.Holt Renfrew, you best focus on your customer service in the years to come otherwise you are going to be out of luck when someone like Barney moves into town!
Once again I am so disappointed in the customer service at this store! It's not the first time either! At the Bloor store about two years ago I was searching for a white cardigan and the sales lady told me she only had one and she didn't think I could afford it...she actually said that!! Well lady - your cardigan was damn ugly otherwise I would have bought that puppy up in a flash just to spite you. At Christmas I was dealing with the mens department purchasing a polo jacket for Marty - the sales guy was helpful and brought it in from another store but gave it to another customer and then told me he didn't have anymore! A week later I was at the Bloor store and found it!!
Today I called for some help at the La Prairie counter and the lady asked me if I was a customer - sort of shocked I said "yes" - she says to me "you don't sound very sure of that" and then after huffing and puffing about my ask of her said she didn't have time to help me and was quite rude! Well okay then Mary at the La Prairie counter you won't be getting any business from my Mom or I anytime soon! Excuse me but isn't anyone who calls or goes into the store a 'customer' - or do you prefer to look up individual profiles to see how much money they spend with you to determine what level of customer they are and how much service they deserve?
For the most part I feel pressured to shop at Holts because there is no competition that carries the same products. Part of the problem could be the race for commission which typically overshadows a positive customer experience. I also feel that I am discriminated against when I go in there. Service depends on what I'm wearing and it's often better when I'm with my Mom. Watch out for that sales ladies - I hate to tarnish your tiaras but how do you know who has money and who doesn't? You shouldn't judge a book by it's cover.
Sorry for the rant but I really hope we get some decent competition for Holts in town - shouldn't it be here already? We're Toronto - a major tourist destination in the world - I feel like the shopping here doesn't even begin to compare to the US...let's step it up people - don't make me call Bloomingdales or Bergdorf!
Good luck Mr. HR - you are going to need it!
1/2 star and two thumbs down,
Your disgruntled and irritated yet repeat (not by choice) customer
Friday, March 28, 2008
Holt Renfrew needs a serious customer service intervention
Monday, March 24, 2008
The Blackberry - Finally living the dream like there are 18 working hours in one day
The time has arrived. After receiving an average of about 25 e-mails during the after hours of work each day they have finally decided to equip me with the device that is causing hand cramps around the world known as 'Blackberry thumb'. It is fitting considering I'm a bit of a work-a-holic, e-mail and computer junkie - at least now I will have a bit of mobility!
About a year ago during my morning commute to work I remember seeing a professional looking, well dressed but tired young executive type working away on her Blackberry completely oblivious to the fact that we had already encountered and departed 6 GoTrain stops. Her fingers were moving so fast they looked like they were going to fly off and go through the windows. One of my deepest frustrations with the Blackberry is when the user places more priority on the person that just sent them an e-mail instead of addressing the person who is right in front of them. Why does the person on the other end of your handheld device go to the front of the line while your live conversation is put on hold? It's almost as if we have forgotten how to communicate face to face.
Although the Blackberry does give you mobility and access to what you need in a just in time environment it appears to also take away from work-life balance, induces stress and creates an expectation that people need to respond immediately as if everything is an urgency. A recent study found that most problems stem from people managers who are compulsive e-mail checkers causing everyone to follow suit until receiving a response at any hour of the day becomes the norm. I disagree - I don't think I got this from my manager, I think I got it from my Mom who coincidentally carries her Blackberry (or strawberry as my techno-nana calls it) around 24-7 even in her housecoat pocket! I do enjoy the feeling of being connected and I suppose it's just part of today's working environment that everyone has adapted to over the years. It seems like things are moving faster and people are working on greater demands with less head count and more accountability.
When visiting my dentist last week he recommended a night guard for me - at first I thought it was a scam - just another way for the dentist to earn some extra cash and besides he had also recommended one for virtually everyone in my family! It appears that stress has been causing all of us to chip our teeth through night grinding (or in Marty's case, some severe corn on the cob chomping action). I didn't really believe him until I noticed a huge chip myself! I asked him if this is common - he said when he started his practice 20 years ago he was ordering about 10 night guards a year and now it's that amount every month - an alarming number for such a small practice.
So, maybe we all need to slow down? I'll start when you do! Who am I kidding - It's not going to happen and it's only going to get worse. My case has gotten so bad that if I were on Survivor I would want Internet access as my luxury item :) ...Now I just have to get down with the lingo all the crazy kids are using these days...I'm a nOOb but should be NP LOL and TTYL BBIAF!
Crazy fact: The Stillwater Spa actually has a service called "The Blackberry Hand Massage"!
PS Marty and I are officially Godparents to little Charlotte Rose Cichy!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Welcome home and thanks for the snow
On Friday once again I returned back from an extended stay in sunny paradise to a 'welcome home' snowstorm...not sure who planned that but it made for quite a turbulent and unpleasant flight! I had such a great time with my family and the tropical weather was also pretty nice!
So after a week of sunning, spa-ing, dining, shopping and visiting (pretty much feeling like I was in a week long music video) it's back to reality…yuck. I'm not exactly sure what's happening with the weather but the snow banks on either side of our driveway are so high I can't see if any cars are coming when I back out onto the road. This is getting ridiculous. I signed up for Toronto not Antarctica. In any case I'm looking forward to spring!
On a random note there is something that I saw on television today that I found pretty disturbing. It was a commercial to ensure parents encourage their kids to become more active or they could age faster than normal. Okay - I understand this…However, the commercial showed four 8 year old kids in a nursing home pretending to be seniors playing bingo when one stands up and says "I gotta go...hemorrhoids”… wait a second – did that kid just say hemorrhoids??!! Forget the child obesity for a second - I'm more concerned with the crazed parents that actually let their kids participate in such commercials. I bet this kid has been getting made fun of more than William Hung after his American Idol ‘she bangs’ performance. Not to mention the poor little 11 year old bugger that's on the commercial letting us know he can’t stop wetting the bed. Wake up people – obese children are not the issue – it’s the kooky parents who want to make a buck and would sacrifice their kids to do so. I expressed my concern over this with Jimmy and while talking about random concerns he wanted me to address the crazy folk that go to Sherway to sleep in the leather chairs in the middle of the mall...not just naps...full out drooling sleep....I think that's another entry all together.
PS: You often hear of people being in 'the wrong place at the wrong time' but no situation could be as bad as the one my poor little rooster friend got himself into. We were downtown in Cayman when we came across this unfortunate and confused chicken right in front of the doors to KFC! I had to snap a picture. Poor little guy...danger: run away!
* My Aquarium is not responsible for any long term or permanent mental or physical distress these pictures may cause
