customer service – Michmutters

Tag: customer service

Categories
Business

Woolworths worker pays for Melbourne mum’s groceries in kind act

Woolworths worker pays for Melbourne mum's groceries in kind act

A Woolworths customer has been left “mortified” after a staff member stepped in to help her out during a tough moment.

The Melbourne woman explained she was having technical issues while paying for her groceries during a recent trip to the supermarket.

At the same time, her newborn baby was “kicking off”, prompting a Woolworths worker to step in and pay for the woman’s groceries.

The customer took to Reddit to explain that while she was very “grateful”, she was also “mortified” over the experience – and wanted to see if there was a way she could thank the woman without getting her in trouble.

Want to stream your news? Flash lets you stream 25+ news channels in 1 place. New to Flash? Try 1 month free. Offer ends October 31, 2022 >

“I just got back from Woolworths where I tried to pay with my phone on self-checkout,” she said.

“It wasn’t working so they printed me a barcode and took me to the service desk to pay, but my phone payment still didn’t work.

“After trying a few times and my newborn kicking off, the staff member said, ‘Don’t worry it’s on me.’

“I was really taken back and asked if I could transfer her the money.

“She said no and then said, seriously it’s on me. My baby was screaming the place down by this point. I was so grateful and also mortified.”

The encounter left the woman asking questions about the Woolies staff member was allowed to do this or if it was “dodgy”.

“I want to go back and give her something to say thank you, but don’t want to get her in trouble if she’s done something she’s not supposed to have done,” she said.

“Anyone work at Woolworths and can tell me what the deal is?”

People were quick to tell the woman to leave it and not draw attention to the worker’s actions.

“Maybe accept the kindness shown and pay it forward to someone else in need. In that way, you don’t risk getting the staff member in trouble,” one person said.

Another added: “What’s more likely? They risk being sacked or even arrested for a total stranger, or pays a few bucks to help out someone obviously trying their best but struggling.

“My partner works at a supermarket and has paid for people before. It feels good. Pay it forward.”

A third, who works at a different supermarket, said: “I’ve paid the difference for a few people that have come up short a couple of times and as far as I’m aware that is completely fine, even seen my boss do Item.

“Don’t know why it would be any different at Woolies. Sounds like excellent customer service to me.”

Another added: “I work at Woolworths, the company only cares if the products are paid for. She likely paid out of her own pocket for you, I’ve done it before.”

Read related topics:MelbourneWoolworths

.

Categories
Business

Air Canada revokes staffer’s flying privileges for two years over complaint

Air Canada revokes staffer's flying privileges for two years over complaint

An airline staffer has been banned from flying for two years after her daughter complained about a lack of customer service when trying to board a flight.

The daughter, who wishes not to be named, told Business Insider she had bought a ticket using Air Canada flying privileges given to her by her mother.

However, after allegedly experiencing poor customer service by gate staff, she filed a complaint with the airline, having also copied in media outlets.

The daughter’s act led to the airline not only revoking her standby flying privileges, but that too of her 62-year-old administrator mother for two years.

Standby tickets allow airline employees to fly anywhere for a fraction of the normal cost, something that had attracted the woman’s mother to the job.

According to Insider, an email sent to the employee suggested her daughter had misrepresented herself as a revenue-generating customer.

“I had a really like sickening feeling when my mother told me what they did to her,” the woman told the publication.

“It’s one thing for me to be reprimanded, but it’s totally different for my actions impacting my mum.”

The woman’s mother, who has fears over losing her job, approached the union who reportedly advised her nothing could be done and that apologizing could help in reducing the penalty.

An Air Canada spokesperson told the outlet that employee travel is a “special privilege”.

“[It is] a unique and generous perk of working for an airline that comes with responsibilities which the overwhelming majority of employees and families understand and value,” the spokesperson said.

“We take feedback about our services seriously. In fact, we undertook an investigation into the complaint lodged, and subsequently found facts which did not align with what was presented.”

.

Categories
Business

2022 Genesis GV80 Luxury review

2022 Genesis GV80 Luxury review

Hyundai is one of a horde of makers trying to ruffle the feathers of the German establishment by creating its own luxury brand.

We sample the top flight Genesis GV80 SUV that is packed with luxury features.

There’s a different level of customer service

Genesis is in its infancy as a brand. The luxury arm of Hyundai can’t match the badge appeal of a BMW, Audi or Mercedes-Benz, so it differentiates itself by offering more ownership perks.

The first five scheduled services are free and Genesis will pick up and drop off your car when a service is due, provided you live within 70km of a Genesis studio.

They’ll also leave you a courtesy vehicle while the service is completed.

A complimentary five-year roadside assistance program provides some icing on the cake.

The cabin feels plush

Our test vehicle had the optional six-seater luxury package, which costs an extra $13,000 over the GV80 starting price of $92,000 plus on-roads. More seats costs less – the seven-seat version’s luxury pack is only $10,000.

For the extra spend, there’s quality Nappa leather throughout, a big 12.3-inch digital display in front of the driver, suede finishes on the roof and pillars, heated and ventilated seats in the first and second rows and power adjustable seats and sunshades in the back.

The extra $3000 in the six-seat version buys individual, reclining second-row seats with airline-style winged headrests, a center console with a wireless charger and twin 9.2-inch rear entertainment screens.

It feels like business class.

Some of the tech feels like overkill

Genesis isn’t alone in having electric adjustment of all three rows of seats, but you’re left wondering if a simple manual lever to fold the seats would be a better solution.

It certainly would be quicker.

The automatic parking function is also something you tend to use only once to show off to the neighbours. The massaging seats switch on automatically after a certain time, which can be disconcerting if you’re not expecting it.

It’s a genuine luxury brand

The attention to detail and quality of materials in the cabin is up there with German rivals and there’s more bling for the buck in terms of gadgets and luxury items.

Highlights include the blind-spot alert that shows you a video feed of the road behind you when you flick the indicator. The ambient lighting adds an air of sophistication after dark, as do the puddle lamps that light the road when you open the door at night.

Genesis finished top of all the luxury brands in the respected JD Power quality and dependability survey.

The driving experience is a little off the pace, though

There are three engine choices for the GV80. It kicks off with a turbo four-cylinder putting out a healthy 224kW and 422Nm, then there’s a 3.0-liter diesel with 204kW and 588Nm and a 3.5-liter turbo V6 pumping out 279kW and 530Nm.

We had the diesel, which delivers an impressive blend of grunt and refinement. A silky 8-speed auto manages to pluck the right gear for maximum thrust and it’s reasonably efficient for its size.

The driving experience is let down, though, by suspension that struggles for composure on rougher roads. It tends to float a little over bigger bumps, while the big 22-inch wheels with low-profile rubber get fidgety on pockmarked bitumen.

The steering feels sharp but through corners you can feel the weight of the car as it pitches and leans. It’s fine for family freeway motoring, but lacks the poise of a BMW X5 or Audi Q8.

.

Categories
Business

Qantas nightmare: Australian traveller’s horror overseas flight saga

Qantas nightmare: Australian traveller's horror overseas flight saga

As I found myself stranded in Athens airport, surrounded by unsympathetic airline staff and forced to splash out an extra $2700 on new flights back home, I couldn’t help but feel this all could have been avoided.

Like thousands of other Aussies, I too had a nightmare experience flying with Qantas.

It’s amazing what can happen to a beloved national airline when it sacks 9000 staff, outsources thousands of jobs, moves customer service teams overseas and hands out millions in bonuses to executives.

My nightmare all started when I fell for the trap that is ‘frequent flyer flights’.

I applied for a credit card back in May (disastrous idea), splurged on a new laptop to secure 120,000 bonus Qantas points and booked my first overseas holiday in years.

There was a slight catch, my flights to Europe were from Adelaide – but given I had spent less than $1000 on taxes in addition to my points I thought I had scored a bargain.

I called up the Qantas helpline in a bid to see if they could help me book connecting flights from Sydney to Adelaide – mistake 1.

Instead of booking me a simple flight home from Adelaide to Sydney, they REPLACED my overseas return leg from Athens to Adelaide.

It wasn’t until a few days later that I noticed my overseas leg had vanished and been simply replaced with the domestic flight.

I spent over five hours that night on hold as I desperately tried to explain what had happened to call center workers who struggled to even speak to me let alone understand my complaint.

This is of course not their fault, they are doing the best they can in difficult circumstances. The blame lies with an airline that sacrificed quality, local customer service for cheaper labor.

Just one Qantas call center is located in Australia – and that Hobart team specifically services the airline’s premium clients (the big spenders).

I would wait two hours on hold, before finally getting onto someone – who would then spend 30 minutes attempting to understand my issue, only for them to hang up on me.

After over five hours I finally got onto someone who told me they could no longer get me on my original flight (Athens to Doha to Adelaide) as it was now full.

Qantas has since informed me that the domestic leg wasn’t ticketed correctly – which resulted in my overseas flight being cancelled.

With my trip approaching and still no return leg, I took matters into my own hands and booked another flight via Vietnam.

With so few options available I had to book the Vietnam to Sydney leg with a different airline – Jetstar.

I called up Qantas to make sure that I would be able to get a transit visa at the airport in Ho Chi Minh as I would need to check my bags in and out again during my short four-hour layover between flights.

A spokesperson told me there would be no problems getting a visa at the airport – mistake 2, blindly trusting Qantas again.

Three weeks of blissful travel – visiting my best mates in picturesque Switzerland, a romantic trip in Santorini – finished with me being stuck in Athens after Qantas’ advice was swiftly shot down.

Airline staff refused to let me on my flight as I had no visa – despite the assurances of Qantas it would be fine.

Ironically, the only option presented to me was to spend almost 2000 Euros to get back onto the Athens-Doha-Adelaide flight that I had originally booked months ago – only for Qantas to inexplicably cancel without telling me and then assure me there were no seats on the flight.

Turns out there were seats on the flight Qantas.

And while a seedy room above an Adelaide pub wasn’t exactly how I pictured closing out my trip – I was just glad to get home and be done with travelling.

Qantas’ statement:

“Unfortunately, it appears that the additional domestic flight was not ticketed correctly when it was added to your booking which led to the Qatar Airways booking being automatically canceled by their system.

“Our agent was unable to secure you another seat on that Qatar flight as there were no more reward seats available on the flight.

Our contact centers are not trained to provide visa advice, rather they should direct you to the relevant consulate, and we apologize that this process wasn’t followed.

“We are following up your experience with a full review to help prevent it happening again.”

Read related topics:qantas

.