Friday, November 27, 2009

Customer Service Fail - Chain Coffee Shop (not Starbucks)

I figured I had to share this poor customer service example I recently experienced.

I was on my drive home from work, I was running later than normal and had to run an errand a little out of my normal pattern.  Therefore, I stopped at a coffee shop near the freeway entrance.  I walked in around 7pm, there were people sitting at every table and no one in line.  I walk straight up to the cash register to order, except there was no employee there to greet me.  I stand and wait and peruse what type of coffee to purchase.  After a short wait, an early twenties (my estimate) female employee asks me what I'd like.  I reply that I would like a large coffee (which this coffee shop keeps in self serve pump thermoses).  She replies, I just got on shift and don't think we have much choice in the thermoses.  She then proceeds to lift and measure by weight which have anything in them.

I'm really not too picky with coffee so settle for whatever she had a lot of.  Needless to say, I was not amazed at the freshness of the coffee nor the expertise of the staff.  I purchase my coffee and move to the "coffee fixins" bar.  I fix my coffee up and notice that the employee has walked out the door of the coffee shop.

Before I even finished getting my coffee and going, the employee was back outside sitting and talking to a friend.

Really, she gave me the excuse earlier that she "just got on shift" and didn't know which coffee's were fresh.  Yet, she had plenty of time to settle in at a table with her friend.

I was amazed (not surprised, part-time employees can be very hard to manage at such a retailer) that a smaller chain coffee shop would have such a failed customers service experience.  It is very easy for me to find a Starbucks that can easily replace this coffee shop on my list.

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