Justin Smith Posted May 11, 2012 Author Share Posted May 11, 2012 To be honest I have always found customers who insist they have a right to use your loo the most ignorant, obnoxious, stupid doofuses ever. Any normal person would just accept that there is not a public toilet at that particular establishment. The type of person who insists in my experience is always an extreme oddball. Speaking for my own customers I don`t agree with you at all. Nearly all our customers are great, apart from that cow I mentioned above, but she`s not a actually customer anyway, and, funnily enough, I regard her as ignorant and obnoxious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Smith Posted May 11, 2012 Author Share Posted May 11, 2012 I feel this is an appropriate tale for this thread........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damophoto Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 The golden rule, and this applies generally, if you work for someone else and have to tell people something they don`t want to hear, say "I don`t agree with it myself but that`s what I`ve been told to do". That way you take all the wind out of their sails. Even better give them a complaints form, but never, ever, bin it without passing it on, complaints are very valuable feedback to any well run business. The very worst thing you can do is try to defend something which you`ve been told to say and which you may well not actually agree with anyway. Defend something you've been told to say? Why argue with a customer about something they DON'T have? It isn't going to change anything at that moment in time. So why do it?? Why should any business have to justify to a customer what they can/do or can't/don't do? That's ridiculous. As far as give them a complaint form, for what exactly? So they can complain and rant to someone else?? If what your asking is NOT possible (as in my case), it's not possible. Lets face it, a customer comes and spends money with you based on what they are going to pay. Not because they can use your toilet!!! If another company offered the same product for less, they would get your business. I appreciate people have their own ideas of what good customer service is. However, accusing a business of offering poor customer service just because they don't provide a particular facility (in this case a public toilet) - which no business has to unless they provide food and beverages to be consumed on the premises is being plain ignorant and foolish. The type of customer businesses generally can live without!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damophoto Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 Funnily enough I`ve asked the last four people I`ve met the following question : "Would you expect to be able to use a loo at a service station where you`d just filled up with petrol ?" All of them, unprompted by myself I have to say, said yes. This isn`t surprising, saying it`s unreasonable to do so is a Forum answer, that is to say one you wouldn`t normally get out in the real world, unless you were talking to a garage owner or someone else with a vested interest or someone who just wanted to argue for the sake of it. I can see why you want to believe that people don`t expect to use your loo and don`t feel annoyed if thay can`t, it`s only human nature for you to think that, but, unfortunately, you`re wrong. SERVICE STATIONS are NOT PETROL STATIONS!!!! A service station generally provides food and beverages to be consumed on the premises and therefore HAS to provide toilet facilities!! Service stations provide a SERVICE...usually an area to relax and eat and WEE! Petrol stations provide PETROL!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angel22 Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 Funnily enough I`ve asked the last four people I`ve met the following question : "Would you expect to be able to use a loo at a service station where you`d just filled up with petrol ?" All of them, unprompted by myself I have to say, said yes. This isn`t surprising, saying it`s unreasonable to do so is a Forum answer, that is to say one you wouldn`t normally get out in the real world, unless you were talking to a garage owner or someone else with a vested interest or someone who just wanted to argue for the sake of it. I can see why you want to believe that people don`t expect to use your loo and don`t feel annoyed if thay can`t, it`s only human nature for you to think that, but, unfortunately, you`re wrong. If you asked me the same question, my answer would also be 'yes'. I'd expect to use the toilet at a SERVICE station. But not at a PETROL station!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angel22 Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 The golden rule, and this applies generally, if you work for someone else and have to tell people something they don`t want to hear, say "I don`t agree with it myself but that`s what I`ve been told to do". That way you take all the wind out of their sails. Even better give them a complaints form, but never, ever, bin it without passing it on, complaints are very valuable feedback to any well run business. The very worst thing you can do is try to defend something which you`ve been told to say and which you may well not actually agree with anyway. The reason i tell customers that we don't have a public toilet isn't because it's what i've been told to say. The reason i tell customers we don't have a public toilet is because we don't have a public toilet!!! And i'm so glad that we don't!! I'd hate to have a customer toilet at my place of work. Totally agree with 'badlittlepup', majority of the customers that are told we don't have a customer toilet are totally fine with it. They accept that we don't have one and it's not a problem at all. They ask where the nearest one is, we tell them and they thank us. The few that seem to think they should have the right to use our toilet are always the obnoxious morons! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garrence Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 I don't tell customers that we don't have a public toilet because it's what i've been told to say. The reason i tell customers we don't have a public toilet is because we don't have a public toilet!!! And i'm so glad that we don't!! I'd hate to have a customer toilet at my place of work. To be fair, though, your customers do wee up lamp posts and sniff each other's bottoms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angel22 Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 To be fair, though, your customers do wee up lamp posts and sniff each other's bottoms. I work in a petrol station!! But yes, we do have some customers like that!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damophoto Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 Nearly all our customers are great, apart from that cow I mentioned above, but she`s not a actually customer anyway, and, funnily enough, I regard her as ignorant and obnoxious. Is that the right way you speak about a potentional or future customer on an open public forum?? I thought you were an advocate for good customer service?? That's an appalling attitude!!! If I rang or visited a specialist business for advice, I'd expect to get the offer of help and the advice, regardless of whether I was spending money at the time. That business could potentially get my future business. Going back to topic, it is a common mistake made by people to get the difference between a SERVICE and PETROL station wrong. As said, service stations offer services (hence the NAME) such as hot/cold food and beverages, also parking. A petrol station doesn't. However, some 'petrol' stations that DO offer food and beverages - mostly because their building layout allows it and usually to increase sales (in most cases because their fuel is more expensive), do generally offer toilet facilities. I can't speak on behalf of other petrol station owners/operators but my 'buildings' and site layouts do not make it possible, let alone cost effective, to have a public toilet. I wouldn't want one. My service is to sell fuel. That's what people come to my petrol stations for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Smith Posted May 12, 2012 Author Share Posted May 12, 2012 Defend something you've been told to say? Why argue with a customer about something they DON'T have? It isn't going to change anything at that moment in time. So why do it?? Why should any business have to justify to a customer what they can/do or can't/don't do? That's ridiculous. As far as give them a complaint form, for what exactly? So they can complain and rant to someone else?? If what your asking is NOT possible (as in my case), it's not possible. Lets face it, a customer comes and spends money with you based on what they are going to pay. Not because they can use your toilet!!! If another company offered the same product for less, they would get your business. I appreciate people have their own ideas of what good customer service is. However, accusing a business of offering poor customer service just because they don't provide a particular facility (in this case a public toilet) - which no business has to unless they provide food and beverages to be consumed on the premises is being plain ignorant and foolish. The type of customer businesses generally can live without!! Sorry, there appears to have been a breakdown in communication here, I`m saying that as an employee my advice is not to defend something you`ve been told to say, particularly if you either don`t agree with it or don`t want the aggro. As for why does have a business have to justify itself to a customer, I`d have thought the answer to that was obvious. I often feel a business can be judged by its attitude to complaints/comments. The best businesses are very keen to hear what their customers think, what they`re happy with and what they`re not happy with. The worst businesses couldn`t care less. My business is very bothered what any customer says to us, any complaint or comment, and I`ll tell you something, the great majority are right, or at least have a ring of truth to them. Not that we get many complaints I have to say ! In my experience, as a general rule, for every customer who complains there are dozens, or even hundreds, who don`t bother. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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