Is it the weather or something? I’m not normally so pissed off (pardon the expression), but when did posting something become so difficult all of a sudden?
The ol’ Books and More down at Lambton Quay was a good friend of ours, with extended opening hours and nice staff, who helped YOU out.
My first step was greeted by this wall that stopped me from entering the Post shop from the streetside. So I had to go to the side alley to enter. Alright, something’s changed….Not just that, the staff seems to have changed as well.
So, I wanted to send something to the South Island, which I remembered as costing about $18. But hey, the staff weighs my package and says that it is $25.00?! I do a double-take.
“Are you sure? I remember it was 18 dollars.”
“When was that?”
“About two months ago.”
“Well, I’ve been here two years and I’ve never heard of that,” intoned the staff member. She then proceeds to offer me a choice. Either this ($25) or normal post with no tracking. No resolution of the customer’s concerns.
What insolence, I thought. What happended to the customer is always right. But that’s alright. What happended next is makes that pale in comparison - absolutely unforgivable!
So, I beat a retreat and went to grab a NZ Post brochure, and aha! I found the price list:
“Wait a minute, it says here $15.40. Can I have my parcel sent now, please?”
“Err, what is this Economy parcel?”
Gosh, they don’t even realise about this Economy price, when the previous Books and More staff knew about it. What followed was a mess of staff not knowing about prices and products that the company has. That price seems to need a sticker and cannot be processed using the computer but they have run out of the Economy stickers!
In the end, I had to walk to another branch where they had the stickers. The other branch was way more helpful. I don’t think I am going to visit the Lambton Quay Post Shop anymore, sorry. They are just too stuck-up.
Later on, I took the same brochure from another branch, but it had different prices, and it has no Economy category no longer.
The prices must have changed and the categories too, our two year old staff couldn’t remember it?
Staff should be updated about new prices and products, not rely on what the computer system says. So, now I see how price is important to good marketing. You need to have logical prices and staff needs to be able to communicate that properly, otherwise, customers just get angry about sudden price changes. Staff also needs to be able to suggest alternatives if they do not know and help the customer out, not offer ultimatums.