Just a quick rant about customer service…

Here in the Midwest, many of our Walmarts have Subway mini-stores inside of them.  These mini-stores do have a dining area associated with them and they advertise free WiFi.

In the past three months, I’ve had to get tires and oil changes for my vehicles.  It turns out, that Walmart, by far, is the cheapest in this area.  So… off to WalliWorld I went.

One would think, Walmart would offer free WiFi.  The rest of the world does.  Free WiFi would, hands down, make Walmart top of mind to me for automotive work.  If I gotta sit there, I want to have online access.  Yes, I know they want me to shop instead of sitting there, but knowing I can cruise the web or do work would make me much more comfortable and make the trip to Walmart much more enjoyable.  To end that rant, Walmart should have it.  Period.  Get with the times, folks.  The current situation does not make for a good customer experience.

Back to the rant about Subway.  With the first repair, I went to the Walmart in Independence, Kentucky.  Since Walmart didn’t have it, I wandered into the attached Subway which said it did.  Surprise.  The router was WEP protected and none of the employees knew the code or enough English to understand the question.  That said, they were concerned an polite.  That’s a net-zero for customer satisfaction.

Today, I needed an oil change and a tire repair for our van.  Off to WalliWorld again.  This time, I went to the location in Alexandria, Kentucky.  This time, when I wandered into the Subway, the staff was R U D E and told me they didn’t care when asked about the WEP code.

I ALMOST FELL OUT OF MY CHAIR!

MORAL?

• @WalmartKevin: WiFi is a cheap expense and, even if it is painfully slow like it is at this McDonald’s, at least it shows savvy consumers that you’re thinking about them and their experience in your store.
• @subwayfreshbuzz (and other stores): Customer satisfaction is EVERYONE’s responsibility.  I would FIRE the staff at the Alexandria, Kentucky Subway if I was the franchise owner.  Rude, unwarranted and completely counterproductive.  I took my laptop, my hunger and my dollars across the street to McDonald’s while I waited. Inconvenient?  Absolutely!  But this is how I vote with my dollars.  I refuse advocate that kind of behavior.  The funny thing is that 3 other tables around me were just as shocked at the response as I was.  Think they are coming back?  I know I’m not.
• Finally, @McDonalds, thank you for thinking of me.  I appreciate the fact that you respect my opinion and that you will go the distance to make your customers happy.  If you can get some more, good tasting and healthy menu choices, your restuarants may actually get back to the top of our family’s list…  You have the customer experience and the availability.  Get better (HEALTHIER) food, and you’ll win…

Anyway, I try to keep rants out of this blog.  However, I wanted to be heard on this and I wanted all of the businesses out there to realize that crafting a great customer experience in your establishment is the key to success.  Do it, and reap the rewards.

And add WiFi.  You should just have it.  :)