Bad Hair Day

So VIII Justice from the Deviant Moon tarot is pretty apt in describing how I feel this week about a couple of customer service issues; and it's not the first time I've blogged about poor service - either I am unlucky, service standards are indeed falling - even plummeting - or I am turning into a Grumpy Old Woman.

I order my weekly groceries online from Asda for delivery: I spend less (no impulse buys) and it avoids wasting valuable family time in the supermarket at the weekend. This week, I waited for 4 1/2 hours, 2 1/2 of which were after the specified delivery window, for my delivery. Customer Services rang the store, and then some poor underling got the short straw of calling me to tell me he had no clue why I hadn't had my delivery, why it appeared on the CS system as ''delivered'', where it was currently, and what time I might expect it. There was no apology. There was no management available to answer my queries. There was no refund on my delivery charge - it had to be processed by management; if I would like to call the next day and speak to him, it could be arranged. It is also not the first time that this kind of thin has happened - there was one occasion where my delivery never showed up at all .....  

Guess who'll be shopping at Sainsburys from now on ?     

 The second instance of poor customer service was at the hairdresser. Remember how I told you DH had been wildly extravagant with my Xmas presents ? Well, one of them was gift vouchers for an expensive nationally franchised salon (nameless in the interests of fairness until the problem is fixed ....or not), as I haven't been to the hairdresser for about 18 months. Having been in for a consultation where I said that I wanted 4 things:

1) a perm

2) height on top

3) curls, not waves

4) for my hair not to be in my eyes

I got none of these things. Well, maybe the perm - technically.

I paid £110 (approx. $169) - yes, that's £110, I can't believe it myself ! - and I spent 5 hours in the salon (it took her over 2 hours just to put the rollers in) which included having my hair washed with water from a kettle because there was some problem with the boiler, being left for over 1/2 hour with heavy-duty conditioner drying on my hair on my own with nothing to do/read while she went and did a cut/blow-dry on another customer, and a very lacklustre apology when at the end I extremely politely said that I wasn't happy with the result. I also had to call a friend to collect Destructo Boy from school as I wasn't going to make it .....I was there from 9:30am to 2:30pm. I had 3 cups of tea, 2 wees, and missed my lunch entirely.

She went off to speak to her manager, who did not condescend to come and speak to me herself, and as a result I am returning there on Monday - with plenty of trepidation - for my hair to be re-done from scratch, for free. 

 I had paid £70 for the perm, and £40 for a cut & blow-dry - the cut was 1 inch off my ends, no layers or shaping, and took her less than 10 minutes. I am afraid that I did not leave a tip.

I called yesterday to speak to the manager, and received ...efficient ...assurances that the stylist was indeed fully qualified and that I would have it all fixed without issue, and not to worry.

This is a photo of the very becoming but totally uncurly back of my hair about 3 hours after leaving the salon:

Needless to say, DH is gutted: his carefully thought out gift ruined.