Please rate how I served you perfectly

[lindyhop]

At J. C. Penney when you make a purchase you slide your credit card through the thingy and then sign the little screen. After that a survey question comes up and you're supposed to rate the salesperson on a five point scale with three being the expected level. One salesperson asked me to complete it but since then no one has. I'm usually waiting for my receipt and merchandise at that point so I don't even notice what's on the screen. But Friday night as I started to walk away I noticed the girl reach over and clear the screen by pressing the highest rating category.

All kinds of companies (including my employer) use customer service surveys but what does it really mean? I drive a Saturn and they always send out surveys after I bring my car in for service. Early on they told me that I should let them know if there was anything that was preventing me from giving them the top rating in all categories. So I always rate them that way (unless I actually had an issue) so they don't call me to ask what they could have done better.

My inclination on surveys is to rarely use the highest rating because who's really perfect? But I know from how my own company looks at things that they expect to see the highest rating and that anything else is practically failure. But does it mean anything when the employee games the system by answering the survey themselves or telling the customer how to do it?

And how could the salesperson in J. C. Penney have exceeded my expectations? If I expected that she was going to ignore me for ten minutes while she talked on the phone with her boyfriend and then throw my purchase on the floor and stomp on it before shoving it in a bag, well then she exceeded my expectations by actually doing her job. But she did what she was supposed to do and isn't that enough?

[BarTopDancer]

I've noticed those at Penneys, and I don't like them. The first time I saw the survey I left a low rating because the girl was talking on the phone about her plans for that evening. Usually I'll select the second highest rating, because no-one is perfect and I don't want the person to select the highest rating just because I was too lazy to select an option.

I don't understand how Penneys can take those seriously when the employee is probably filling them out more than the customer.

[Matterhorn Fan]

My favorite part about the Saturn surveys is that they always want to know if you feel free to answer honestly. More than once, I've written no, because it seems to be company policy to tell us to answer "completely satisfied."

Somehow I've managed to get off their survey list (which I didn't think was possible). I guess my "stop wasting paper sending me this darn thing (plus the courtesy letter, plus the reminder to fill out the survey postcard) every 3 months" messages were eventually heeded. I don't think I've seen a Saturn survey in over a year.

Either that or they figure I'm messing up their average by saying that I'm not on the verge of running out and telling all my friends to buy Saturns. Sorry, but my friends either already have Saturns, don't need a new car, can afford something much, much nicer, or can't afford a Saturn at all. I have no reason to tell them to buy Saturns. It doesn't mean I don't love my car.

[Kevy Baby]

Lately, Home Depot (and others, but HD sticks in my mind) add the phone-in or web survey info. If I am only purchasing one or two items (which is often the case), it TRIPLES the length of the receipt.

Arrgh!

[Matterhorn Fan]

But they'll enter you in a drawing to win a shopping spree!!

[Kevy Baby]

But they'll enter you in a drawing to win a shopping spree!!Of which the chances of winning are extremely unlikely. However, the chances of me getting on a spam list are extremely high

[Betty]

I filled out a survey about the service from my web hosting company. That had recently screwed up my email pretty badly by hosting spammers on the same server and tolerating it, even though it was against the TOS. Eventually, the entire block ended up getting blacklisted and I had a hard time getting my email to go through. It took a lot of complaining and still nothing was done. So the survey was an excellent chance to bitch about it.

I ended up being "that person" who had their entry drawn and -ta-da- I won an Xbox.

So - now I always enter surveys - but I put in my yahoo email address. Since then I've won a breakfast at someplace in San Diego as well - but we didn't end up using it before it expired.

[Alex]

You guys are apparently much more aware of the stuff you get handed at cash registers than I am.

I don't think I ever even look at it. Goes immediately into my pocket and then at some future date into the trash.

[Babette]

I was friends with a guy that worked for VW. He told us that if they don't get the perfect rating it reflects poorly on them. If they did get the perfect rating the salesman gets something like $10.00. He would sometimes give his friends' phone numbers in place of the customer's when he turned in the info to customer service. They would give a perfect rating in place of the unknowing customer. How does this help improve service? There is always a way for employees to scam the system.

[MouseWife]

But they'll enter you in a drawing to win a shopping spree!!


At Target you can win a Saturn and a $500. gift card. I tell the customers 'Someone has to win. If you do, come back and pick me up for a drive'. {it is a really cute little convertible}.

Someone does have to win. Like when I call to win on the radio, I know someone has to get through, why not me?

But, I would like to know if they do sell the information. A lot of customers won't do the surveys because of that. I tell them they can do it in store at the gift registry kiosk but if they have to give an e-mail address....

I also use a hotmail account for any types of correspondence. Like that.

I have been told that even if we don't qualify to still do the surveys. I do not. I have been saving my receipts {yes, they suck so long!} and give them to people who want to win the Saturn.

And, the surveys, we've never done them. Never completed them nor have we complained. Sort of just there.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

The wasted receipt paper for these lame things really bugs me. Recycled or not (and I'm betting mostly not) it's still a waste, especially if employees are manipulating the system.

I'm guessing this fad will go away in 5 years or so.

[katiesue]

I don't usually do the enter to win ones. But some like TGI Friday's and Denny's you get a free drink or appetizer coupon so why not?

I did a Denny's one recently because we had the worst server ever. She "forgot" to put in our order. Then instead of just telling us that she put in what she "thought" we ordered. So an hour later when we got food it was totally the wrong thing. So had to be ordered again. And she was kind of snippy that we wanted the food we actually ordered. So I did the survey but it had no place at the end for comments which was kind of why I did it. Oh well.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I don't usually do the enter to win ones. But some like TGI Friday's and Denny's you get a free drink or appetizer coupon so why not?

I did a Denny's one recently because we had the worst server ever. She "forgot" to put in our order. Then instead of just telling us that she put in what she "thought" we ordered. So an hour later when we got food it was totally the wrong thing. So had to be ordered again. And she was kind of snippy that we wanted the food we actually ordered. So I did the survey but it had no place at the end for comments which was kind of why I did it. Oh well.This happens at Denny's a lot! I've heard stories from a lot of people that are very similar.

[lindyhop]

I'd forgotten all about those surveys on receipts. Just shows that I stopped looking at them.

We're all more likely to speak up if we have something to complain about. How often do you go to the trouble of letting a business know when their employee has done an outstanding job? I know I think about doing it and then forget. It's frustrating when you work with the public and know that the only person your boss will hear from is the one person you forgot to smile at.

And how good is the customer service I'm getting if I have to swipe my own credit card while the clerk stands there looking bored?