I am 23, so I am not of an older generation who remembers a “better time”.
I reserved a Uhaul for tomorrow for an in town move on-line this morning. I was told when doing this that someone from my local U-haul would be contatcting me before 6pm to set up the exact reservation. I live in Flagstaff, AZ. I went to class and when I came home there were 2 messages on my answering machine from a U-haul in Cottonwood (which is about 50 miles south of Flagstaff) attempting to confirm my reservation for tomorrow. I don’t have a car, so I need to pick-up my Uhaul locally and when I called to straighten this out I was appalled at the phone etiquette of this “business man”.
I called and he asnwered “hello”. I think it is incredibly inappropriate for a business to answer merely “hello” (especially a corporately owned business like U-haul). Then he proceeded to be rude to me. He actaully said, in a snippy voice “Obviously, that didn’t work out”. Are my expectations too high or was this wrong?
I should also add that I work in Customer Service and have for years (currently at the front desk or a hotel and previously waitressing) and I am NEVER rude, even when people are rude to me. Nor did I place any blame on this gentlemen or was I in any way rude to him.
9 responses so far ↓
1 Lady Miss Keir
Customer service isn’t going down…it’s pretty much non-existant!!!!!
2 latrailera2000
You are correct, when I call a business and they answer “hello” I’m not sure if I’m calling the rite place. I should have been U-haul Cottonwood how can I help you? or something like that. Also sales people at stores, I don’t wanna be pounced on, but it would be nice if they would ask if they can help me find something once in a while.
3 prairie fire
dont feel baad! the same has happened here in ohio… they tried to charge my then 19 yr. old daughter twice for a truck that in the first place was driven off by a woman who ORDERED a MUCH smaller truk… we rented the 52′ ft’er…we managed it and they started theyre stuff about charging her again/whats the odds of it happening twice? IN TWO yrs!..SO! I told the rude lady here about OUR trubbles last year…and how disapointed i was-what got them was when I said: BUT WE CAME BACK!..they answer hello here on morse road in columbus …try it…
4 Mercedes
Dear One,
I think your frustration got the best of you! I don’t think the service man answered you rudely at all. Obviously, the plan didn’t work out! Somehow ‘communication’ didn’t happen! Was it on your end or theres’ – who’s to know? The main thing is how are you going to ‘fix’ it? It’s not the man’s fault that it didn’t work out – he didn’t make the deal with you! Right! If you speak nicely to him, pehaps he would do everything possible to make it work out for you. I hope you didn’t smart off at him. While customer service has gone downhill, what is the same is ‘customers and workers’ – both people. Just ordinary people who deserve respect. Why not start with you?
5 phlada64
You can find poor customer relations pretty much everywhere. We’re lucky where we live, because there are a lot of older businesses that still pride themselves on good personal relations. When we do run into rude service people, we let them know how we feel about it and let their superiors know too. If we accept this behavior, there will be no reason for them to change. We are the customers and need to be treated at least politely. That fellow at the U-Haul company was way out of line and he needs to be reported.
6 BigGMoney15
Nah, u r right on. Especially Uhaul. Their customer service is atrocious! The last time I was in the Ontario, California Uhaul, a girl was propositioning the guy behind the desk so that she could get a Uhaul truck because she didn’t have a credit card. I had my mom with me and luckily her and I have a pretty cool relationship or that could’ve been a VERY akward situation. I was still pretty offended but whatever. I was just dropping the vehicle off and the guy hooked me up by saying the gas gauge was at the right level even though it was a little low. All-in-all, the experience was not a positive one and I think I am going to go with Penske trucks next time I have to move anything.
Now, some places put a very strong emphasis on customer service. My bank, for example, is PFF in Southern California and they bend over backwards to get anything that I want or to research anything I ask them about investing. Very cool. I have had my account there for about three years now because I left BofA after a VERY bad experience… so I guess u just have to find the right institution/company and u will get the customer service u r searching for.
7 Sassybaby
It seems that U-Haul has very unfriendly people working for them and we are very unhappy with them too. Customer service does not exist anymore. If you have aproblem with you phone bill at Vonage they put you on hold for 2 hours, what kind of service is that. Who wants to be waiting on the phone that long. People just forgot what friendly service is.
8 glam
yeah unprofessional but did he fix your problem? i agree customer service sucks just about anywhere you go….like you i’m young (24) but know that is no way to treat customers however as a csr i have some really rude people……i’m very polite & helpful but won’t put up with anyones bad attitude. if you where never rude in the first place than yeah he sounds like a stupid jerk getting paid minimum wage who is rude to customers.
9 mark l
As someone who has been in management for retal for the past several years I must sadly agree with you. It seems like evry day I am having to talk to an employee about their customer service, or lack therof. Yes customers can be rude, yes they can be mean , but you know what? Without customers we aren’t in business. And my emplyees better NEVER answer the fone “hello”. They catch enough flack for merely saying “business name”. I expect them to say” thank you for calling- business name-. How can I help you” and nothing less. So no, your expectations were not too high, too low if anything. you, as a paying customer deserve to be treated no less than with high respect. And if not, call Ryder, Avis, etc. I’m sure they’ll be VERY glad to have Uhauls business!!!!