The customer is always right. But for us who work in an industry that deals with customers by the hundreds every single day, we know this isn't always true.
As an example, my uncle, during one of our manager's meeting, drew the letter M on a piece of paper. He asked the person who sat across from him what letter it was. Naturally, to the person sitting across him, the letter M looked like a W. Of course, to my uncle, it was an M. He pointed out that sometimes there are 2 ways at looking at things. Customer service is also the same.
In the restaurant and bar business, we encounter different kinds of customers. With them, we share experiences that are funny, amusing, heartwarming and sometimes appaling and scary. I am starting a new series of entries entitled "The Customer Isn't Always Right" so I could share with you these experiences. Now, let me just clarify that
not all entries mean that the customer isn't right. Sometimes, they are right and we could be, well, wrong.
Sorry, Sir, No Slippers Allowed Inside The EstablishmentOver the years, our bar and restaurant have turned away a number of customers simply because they were wearing rubber slippers or
tsinelas. Here are 2 different scenarios where the guests acted differently from one another.
Customer 1Receptionist: Sorry po, Sir! Bawal po ang naka- tsinelas sa loob. (I'm sorry, Sir! We do not allow wearing of rubber slippers inside.)
Guest: Sige na, pumayag ka na papasukin kami kahit ngayon lang. (Please, allow us to enter just this once.)
Receptionist: (Smiles sympathetically) Hindi po talaga pwede, Sir! May dress code po kami (pointing to the sign beside him). (We really can't allow it, Sir! We have a dress code.)
Guest: (Gets frustrated and annoyed) Bakit?! Dahil ba mura lang ang tsinelas ko?! (Why? Just because may slippers are cheap?!)
Receptionist: Hindi po ganoon, Sir... (It's not like that, Sir...)
Guest: (Brings out his wallet and pulls out two P500 bills and folds both in half, then in half again. He then proceeds to tuck each bill under his heels) O ayan! Mahal na tsinelas ko! (There! My slippers are now expensive!)
Customer 2Receptionist: Sorry po, Sir! Bawal po ang naka-tsinelas sa loob. (I'm sorry, Sir! We do not allow wearing of rubber slippers inside.)
Guest: Ganoon ba? (Oh really?)
Receptionist: (Smiles apologetically) Opo. (Yes.)
The guest left and return five minutes later. Only this time, we let him in. Why? He went back to his car and put on his golf shoes!!! (For those who don't know, golf shoes are the kind of shoes that have spikes under them!)
Bad Mannered CustomerJust last Saturday, we didn't let a girl inside because she wanted to bring in with her her pet dog. She fought the receptionist and insisted on seeing the manager. Of course, the manager came out and talked to her. He explained why we couldn't let her pet dog come in. (As if we need to explain this!) She angrily said:
"Bakit ayaw niyo papasukin yung aso ko?! Eh mas malinis pa itong aso ko kaysa sa mga waiters mo eh! (Why wouldn't you let my dog in? My dog is cleaner than your waiters!)
GASP! I know! Such horrendous behavior! No breeding or proper upbringing at all! Tsk, tsk, tsk!
The manager retorted, "Eh di mag- hanap ka ng restaurant na may mas malinis na waiter! (Then go find a restaurant with cleaner waiters!)"
2 Comments:
i sometimes wonder how come we filipinos find it hard to follow the rules and regulations given to us...
that is one mean girl you got there. sometimes, people think that if they started shouting to create a scene, the manager or the person-in-charge will step down and admit them. Good thing the manager didn't! :)
that's one good smart-ass manager! good thing your bar doesn't condone these things. else it would be very upsetting for the other customers. you know, it's bad contact point management (o ha, IMC!).
i just got quite hung up on the guy with the slippers. what happened to him and his stepped-on money?
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