Catherine Dilts
  • About Catherine
  • Catherine Dilts - Blog
  • Short Stories
  • Annie's Fiction
  • Survive Or Die
  • Rock Shop Mystery Series

Pushing Back Politely

8/12/2014

 
Picture
Adventure Miniature Golf in Colorado Springs.
Before we get into today's topic, I received mention on another blog yesterday. Mystery author Liesa Malik participated in the Writing Process Blog Hop - http://liesamalik.wordpress.com/ Check out Liesa's fun answers to the blog hop questions. 

And now to Pushing Back Politely. 

My vegetarian granddaughter ordered a seasonal salad. The bowl of lettuce, pecans, and strawberries arrived buried under a mound of chicken flesh. We sent it back.

In this clear-cut case, what was ordered was not what was served. All involved were calm and sensible, and she received a new salad. I checked to make certain the chicken had not been merely plucked off, and the error re-served. You have to be careful about these things.

Is it just me, or are you also finding yourself having to do a lot of pushing back these days? The errors run from little things like botched restaurant orders and incorrect change to big mistakes on business-related paperwork like leases and contracts.

Sometimes I receive a blushing, sincere apology. Sometimes the person who receives the request for correction reacts poorly, perhaps even seeking to blame the recipient of the incorrect service.

One of the worst was when a friend was drenched with a side dish. Oily vegetables spilled down his brand new shirt. When concerns expressed to the waitstaff were met with indifference, his wife demanded to speak to the manager. Said manager would not show his face.

Our friends are persistent as well as observant. They tracked the manager down to the restaurant loft. He sat at a table in dim lighting while his minions, the restaurant employees, scuttled up and down the stairs to consult him. This was a brew pub, not the headquarters for a mafia godfather.

The young and obviously inexperienced manager was not particularly helpful. We walked the ticket.

This brings us to my rules for Pushing Back.

1)      Verify that you are in the right. Nothings stinks worse than having to apologize after throwing a temper tantrum over something that was your own fault.

2)      Escalate your complaint gracefully. Address the person who erred first. Work your way up the chain of command as needed.

3)      Don’t use bad service merely as your excuse to throw an out-of-proportion fit. The poor clerk doesn’t deserve your venting inspired by events that have nothing to do with this incident.

4)      If your complaint is addressed to your satisfaction, let someone know. The individual involved, their manager, or even corporate headquarters. 

Righteous indignation comes with a price. How can you expect good service from the barista, bank clerk, or insurance claims adjuster if you are careless in your job?  Give 100% in your daily work. Honesty is the best policy. Sure, you hate receiving incorrect change that is to your disadvantage, and you should get that corrected asap. Likewise, we’ve all received incorrect change that was to our advantage. Be quick to rectify the error by returning money that isn’t rightfully yours. You know the drill - do unto others etc.  

Those are my thoughts on pushing back. Do you have any stories to share? (Please do not include names of individuals or businesses.) Oh, and by the way, we had no issues at Adventure Miniature Golf. My granddaughters and I had a great time!

Liesa Malik link
8/12/2014 02:43:49 am

It is amazing that with a country where 80% of our jobs are "service oriented," we make so little effort to do the best we can. Perhaps Service 101 should become a requisite high-school and/or college course. As for incorrect change, this speaks to our appalling basic math skills brought on by icon-cash registers. If you don't have to use those skills, guess you lose them.

Catherine Dilts
8/12/2014 09:48:03 am

People can't make change any more. They are too dependent on the cash register to tell them what change to give. Part of the blame can be placed on schools encouraging children to use calculators before they have mastered basic math.

Charlene Dietz link
8/19/2014 02:01:01 am

Your suggestions for controlling the situation are excellent. Often the clerk isn't the one to blame, especially when it's an over the phone transaction. I believe much of our problems in these areas result from poor job/relationship training. W. Edwards Deming said, "Everyone dong his(her) best is not the answer. It is first necessary for people to know what to do." Clearly the young manager didn't have the professional social skills to deal he needed. And now I'm headed over to check out Liesa's Blog Hop.

Catherine Dilts
8/19/2014 03:16:44 pm

That is an excellent quote, Charlene.


Comments are closed.

    Subscribe to this blog:

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly