Back to our week-end in Montréal.
We meet with our friends from Ottawa in our room at the Ritz Carlton. "B" is in a shopping mood, while his partner "D" hates shopping.
We agree that "B" should take 90 minutes to shop at his favourites places (Holt Renfrew, Ogilvy's) while we catch up with "D" over coffee. While chatting away, I indicated that one of the light bulb in a table lamp was burned out. My partner calls the front desk and in no time a staff member arrives with a new light bulb. (GOOD SERVICE). While he offers to change the light bulb, we decline his offer and tell him that we will do it ourselves. He leaves, we change the light bulb and it immediately burns out (there must have been a short somewhere).
Back on the phone with the front desk. Again, very quickly, the same gentleman returns with a new light bulb and this time we let him replace it. It works like a charm as the lamp was not properly connected into the electrical outlet. (GOOD SERVICE).
We laugh at the whole thing that just happened and continue our visit with "D".
A knock on the door, we hear! Who could that be? One of the hotel manager presents me with gifts in a bag for our recent inconvenience with the lamp! We thank him and indicate that it is not necessary but he will not hear otherwise! (GREAT SERVICE).
"B" finally joins us and we proceed on this very beautiful, sunny Saturday morning to walk through McGill University towards rue St. Denis. Very pleasant walk. As we get to rue St.Denis, we should have gone north instead of south to find the area that was of interest to us.
We decide to jump in a taxi to take us north on St.Denis. I sit in the front with the taxi driver that had the most unpleasant body odour but a very nice man. We ask about restaurants for lunch in the area that we are going to and he recommends L'Académie. He drops us off at the front door.
We enter L'Académie and we are warmly greeted at the door (GOOD SERVICE). We are taken to a window table on the second floor, the sun shines on us through blinds and the room is very welcoming. Our waiter approaches our table very soon after we are seated, the menus are open and we are thirsty!
We ask for a wine list but this restaurant does not sell wine, they prefer the "bring your own" bottle of wine! Desperation, anxiety on me and my partner faces!!!! "Not to worry" our waiter says, "there is a SAQ, just beside the restaurant". My partner is up quicker than you can say SAQ!
He returns with some lovely Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand and the waiter asks if we want an ice bucket for the wine! (GOOD SERVICE).
Our waiter turns out to have a great personality, is attentive to our needs, is as quick as our friend "B" at making us feel very welcome in the restaurant (GREAT SERVICE) and he was cute on top of it all!
Lunch was delicious, we all loved the food. The portions were very large for the reasonable prices. Our lunch lasted 2 hours but we had to keep some space in our stomachs as dinner at Express was for 7:30 p.m. The restaurant does not charge a "corking fee" to open and serve the wine, which we believe they should do.
L'Académie can only be described as a good restaurant with a very obliging and warm service (GREAT SERVICE).
Needless to say, we left the cute waiter a huge tip on our way out! We will be back!
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Dear God
On Sunday February 25th, we had guests over for afternoon drinks and nibbles.
Off I go early in the morning to get the last few things we needed and lo and behold the LCBO at Queen's Quay does not open until noon on Sunday.
Off to the Summerhill LCBO, I go and Dear God, there is only one cashier on hand and it happens to be that "M" guy AGAIN!!!!! I had no choice to get this lifeless customer service once again - no greeting, no emotion, no talking and the most prolonged packing of the goods. (BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE).
Will someone in management in that store OPEN their eyes?
But we had a delightful afternoon with our friends and their children!
Off I go early in the morning to get the last few things we needed and lo and behold the LCBO at Queen's Quay does not open until noon on Sunday.
Off to the Summerhill LCBO, I go and Dear God, there is only one cashier on hand and it happens to be that "M" guy AGAIN!!!!! I had no choice to get this lifeless customer service once again - no greeting, no emotion, no talking and the most prolonged packing of the goods. (BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE).
Will someone in management in that store OPEN their eyes?
But we had a delightful afternoon with our friends and their children!
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Bu Restaurant in Montreal
After having shared the champagne and cheese tray at the Ritz Carlton, it was time for us to think about dinner. Our first dinner in Montreal in a long time.
We used the services of the concierge to try to find us a table at restaurants that had been recommended by a client of mine. No such luck on a Friday night. There was some tables available in a few restaurants but they were available way too late for the two of us.
About 3 weeks before our trip, the National Post had published a list of the best restaurants across Canada. Bu was mentionned in that newspaper.
We decided to try, on our own, to get a table at Bu. My partner called and we were told that they were full that night but if we wish to have dinner at their bar, they could reserve us 2 seats. We agreed as we love eating at a bar.
We took a taxi to Bu on Saint-Laurent. When we arrived, the place was near empty. We were seated at the bar, the service was prompt (Good Service) and we enjoyed a glass of champagne while looking at the menu.
The National Post article had mentionned something about Mama's food, so we expected "Mama" to be in the kitchen, in fact the chef was a young man of about 28 years of age.
The place got busier as the evening proceeded but was never full as we were lead to believe it would be (marketing tactic or lots of cancellations?). The fact that it never got full is not a bad thing as the acoustics in that restaurant are probably the worst ever encountered in such a place. Thankfully, being at the bar, side by side, we could have a conversation without yelling at each other as was happening in the restaurant.
Bu offers a tasting of wines with the food for a set price, however the tables are small. The set up is that there is 3 wine glasses for each customer, plus cutlery. By the time the food arrives on the table, there is hardly any place to place the food down - tables are too cramped (Good Idea for wine tasting - Really Bad Set UP).
We had a good dinner, slighthly different than what we expected from the article in the National Post.
Would we go back? Unlikely, it was an enjoyable evening but "nothing to write home about".
Ah but Saturday lunch, on the recommendation of a taxi driver turned out to be a very good find.
We used the services of the concierge to try to find us a table at restaurants that had been recommended by a client of mine. No such luck on a Friday night. There was some tables available in a few restaurants but they were available way too late for the two of us.
About 3 weeks before our trip, the National Post had published a list of the best restaurants across Canada. Bu was mentionned in that newspaper.
We decided to try, on our own, to get a table at Bu. My partner called and we were told that they were full that night but if we wish to have dinner at their bar, they could reserve us 2 seats. We agreed as we love eating at a bar.
We took a taxi to Bu on Saint-Laurent. When we arrived, the place was near empty. We were seated at the bar, the service was prompt (Good Service) and we enjoyed a glass of champagne while looking at the menu.
The National Post article had mentionned something about Mama's food, so we expected "Mama" to be in the kitchen, in fact the chef was a young man of about 28 years of age.
The place got busier as the evening proceeded but was never full as we were lead to believe it would be (marketing tactic or lots of cancellations?). The fact that it never got full is not a bad thing as the acoustics in that restaurant are probably the worst ever encountered in such a place. Thankfully, being at the bar, side by side, we could have a conversation without yelling at each other as was happening in the restaurant.
Bu offers a tasting of wines with the food for a set price, however the tables are small. The set up is that there is 3 wine glasses for each customer, plus cutlery. By the time the food arrives on the table, there is hardly any place to place the food down - tables are too cramped (Good Idea for wine tasting - Really Bad Set UP).
We had a good dinner, slighthly different than what we expected from the article in the National Post.
Would we go back? Unlikely, it was an enjoyable evening but "nothing to write home about".
Ah but Saturday lunch, on the recommendation of a taxi driver turned out to be a very good find.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
After a 7 year absence from Montreal!
In late November 2006, we decided to go to Montreal as it had been 7 years since our last visit. We met our friends from Ottawa in Montreal. Our friends arrived on saturday morning and stayed at the Omni Hotel on Sherbrooke, a 5 minute walk from the Ritz Carlton
We decided to take Via 1 to Montreal early on a Friday morning. We packed a mixture of clothing, not knowing exactly what we may face when in Montreal. We stopped at a bookstore below the Royal Bank building, across from Union Station, to buy books and magazines.
I bought the latest of the Vinyl Cafe stories and it provided me with lots of good laughs during our four and half hur train ride.
The ladies who were in charge of the train on the way to Montreal were unbelievable - friendly, attentive and great personalities (GREAT SERVICE).
We arrived in Montreal, took a taxi to the Ritz Carlton on Sherbrooke Street and from the moment we arrived, the service at the hotel was A1 (GREAT SERVICE). From the time we checked in to our departure, we were treated with attention. The suite assigned to us was a large bedroom, attached to it a sitting room with large chandelier and a fireplace. High ceilings and great wall colours made it quite a relaxing place to be.
After unpacking at the Ritz, we went to walk all over the city to get reacquainted with Montreal. On the way back to the hotel, we discussed about ordering some ice to chill a bottle of Champagne we had brought with us from Toronto.
We reached our hotel and we went to the sitting room and lo and behold, there is a bottle of Champagne chilling with an assortment of fruits and cheeses. A card that was left with this "delicious surprise" tells us that it came from our dear friends the "H" in Toronto. We are god- fathers to their sons and they were aware that we would be in Montreal that week-end. Delightful Suprise.
Of course we had planned on eating and eating while in Montreal. Some reviews of some restaurants in Montreal coming in my next posting:
Friday night we were at Bu on Saint-Laurent. Saturday lunch at L'Académie on St-Denis. Saturday night at Express on St-Denis. Breakfast on Sunday at Beauties. Sunday lunch at a restaurant in old Montreal that was recommended by the concierge at the hotel (I will remember the name by the time of my next posting) Scratching head right now!!!!!!!!
Montreal is a beautiful city. I grew up in Ottawa and when it was time to party, Montreal was the place to go. Anyone remember the Limelight Disco?
We decided to take Via 1 to Montreal early on a Friday morning. We packed a mixture of clothing, not knowing exactly what we may face when in Montreal. We stopped at a bookstore below the Royal Bank building, across from Union Station, to buy books and magazines.
I bought the latest of the Vinyl Cafe stories and it provided me with lots of good laughs during our four and half hur train ride.
The ladies who were in charge of the train on the way to Montreal were unbelievable - friendly, attentive and great personalities (GREAT SERVICE).
We arrived in Montreal, took a taxi to the Ritz Carlton on Sherbrooke Street and from the moment we arrived, the service at the hotel was A1 (GREAT SERVICE). From the time we checked in to our departure, we were treated with attention. The suite assigned to us was a large bedroom, attached to it a sitting room with large chandelier and a fireplace. High ceilings and great wall colours made it quite a relaxing place to be.
After unpacking at the Ritz, we went to walk all over the city to get reacquainted with Montreal. On the way back to the hotel, we discussed about ordering some ice to chill a bottle of Champagne we had brought with us from Toronto.
We reached our hotel and we went to the sitting room and lo and behold, there is a bottle of Champagne chilling with an assortment of fruits and cheeses. A card that was left with this "delicious surprise" tells us that it came from our dear friends the "H" in Toronto. We are god- fathers to their sons and they were aware that we would be in Montreal that week-end. Delightful Suprise.
Of course we had planned on eating and eating while in Montreal. Some reviews of some restaurants in Montreal coming in my next posting:
Friday night we were at Bu on Saint-Laurent. Saturday lunch at L'Académie on St-Denis. Saturday night at Express on St-Denis. Breakfast on Sunday at Beauties. Sunday lunch at a restaurant in old Montreal that was recommended by the concierge at the hotel (I will remember the name by the time of my next posting) Scratching head right now!!!!!!!!
Montreal is a beautiful city. I grew up in Ottawa and when it was time to party, Montreal was the place to go. Anyone remember the Limelight Disco?
Monday, February 12, 2007
On a lighther note!
My posts so far have been about travelling to Florida but I do want to take a break here and just post something about every day customer service experience. Now let's talk about the service at the LCBO.
There are a number of LCBO employees that I avoid completely as their customer service skills are so non existent, some of them can't even look at you in the eyes and acknowledge that you are a paying customer.
My "winners" for BAD customer service at the LCBO stores that I attend:
Summerhill Store:
Big Mama with no sense of humour who behaves as if she owns the store. Never a smile on that face - please God save her!
"M" a male employee that never looks you in the eyes, hardly ever has one word to say to you while processing your order and the most difficult part - watching him bag your order - Oh My God SAVE ME!
Loblaws Queen's Quay - LCBO Store
Well did they add a "winner" when they hired this one? He started at being very slow during his training period and that was acceptable BUT after over one year on the job, he is still as slow as when he was training. So a transaction with him, goes like this: slowly puts every bottle through reader, then he looks at the cash register and tells you how much you owe BUT instead of starting to bag your order, he waits for you to get your money out, give him the cash and then he finishes the transaction! Then the excruciating pain really starts. You have never seen a man bag a couple of bottle of wine so slowwwwww!
Often we have people sitting in jobs just for the sake of having a job and bringing an income home BUT I say if customer service - in whatever industry - is not your cup of tea, do yourself a favour( and the rest of us) and get a job that matches your potential and abilities.
Don't get desperate I do have excellent stories to write about good customer service and that's what will be my next post on here - something positive!
There are a number of LCBO employees that I avoid completely as their customer service skills are so non existent, some of them can't even look at you in the eyes and acknowledge that you are a paying customer.
My "winners" for BAD customer service at the LCBO stores that I attend:
Summerhill Store:
Big Mama with no sense of humour who behaves as if she owns the store. Never a smile on that face - please God save her!
"M" a male employee that never looks you in the eyes, hardly ever has one word to say to you while processing your order and the most difficult part - watching him bag your order - Oh My God SAVE ME!
Loblaws Queen's Quay - LCBO Store
Well did they add a "winner" when they hired this one? He started at being very slow during his training period and that was acceptable BUT after over one year on the job, he is still as slow as when he was training. So a transaction with him, goes like this: slowly puts every bottle through reader, then he looks at the cash register and tells you how much you owe BUT instead of starting to bag your order, he waits for you to get your money out, give him the cash and then he finishes the transaction! Then the excruciating pain really starts. You have never seen a man bag a couple of bottle of wine so slowwwwww!
Often we have people sitting in jobs just for the sake of having a job and bringing an income home BUT I say if customer service - in whatever industry - is not your cup of tea, do yourself a favour( and the rest of us) and get a job that matches your potential and abilities.
Don't get desperate I do have excellent stories to write about good customer service and that's what will be my next post on here - something positive!
OH Trina! Restaurant in the Atlantic Hotel
We were looking forward to having dinner at Trina that night. We read that it was one of the hottest restaurant in Fort Lauderdale and how convenient - located in our hotel!
We thought it had to be great, because the hotel staff, even though we had small glitches, were amazing to deal with at every level. But afterward, we all agreed that it did not live up to our expectations.
.
We arrived at Trina on time at 7:30 and chose to sit outside which was admittedly our choice, but part of a host or greeter or maitre d’s ability is to be able to “read” his/her guests . We are four middle-aged men of a certain girth, who are more prone to conversation than observation. The greeter should have let us know that as the deck is on the main thoroughfare and its Saturday night, it would be quite noisy. At that point we would have opted for a table inside, if this information had been shared. We got settled at the table outside and realized that we should have taken a table inside, but we did not want to inconvenience anyone, so we stayed at our table.
Our waiter approached us and took our drink orders. When he returned he told us the specials and his recommendations. We don’t mind receiving recommendations when we ask for them, but when they are offered without provocation, it’s a very annoying practice(BAD SERVICE). Again, it’s the ability to read your guests’ and know what they do or do not want.
It became very clear to us that after about ½ hour, the restaurant was filling up too quickly and that restaurant management team did not staff accordingly (HENCE BAD SERVICE). My partner has worked with the Open Table reservation system, he knows that it is a great tool for controlling flow and business levels, so both the FOH and BOH are able to perform their jobs competently. Either the reservation template that is set-up isn’t feasible or they took too many walk-ins. As a result, we had a meal that was neither inspiring nor memorable. And after speaking to some other guests the next day, down by the pool, they had a similar dining experience.
The managers on duty seemed to be scared to bus or serve a table in order to expedite the service (BAD SERVICE). One of them "F" as I found out his name after the Trina experience would walk onto the terasse - many tables are sitting there with empty plates - and not once did he assist any of thw wait staff with service (REALLY BAD SERVICE). I was so pissed off when we left the restaurant that I asked him what his name was and what was his position within the organization. He said is name was "F....." and that we was an assistant-manager - time to go back to Hospitality school again!
While we knew that the restaurant was passed the “controlled chaos stage”, an acknowledgement as simple as to say “we apologize for. . .” by a manager would have been appreciated (WOULD HAVE BEEN GOOD SERVICE)
We thought it had to be great, because the hotel staff, even though we had small glitches, were amazing to deal with at every level. But afterward, we all agreed that it did not live up to our expectations.
.
We arrived at Trina on time at 7:30 and chose to sit outside which was admittedly our choice, but part of a host or greeter or maitre d’s ability is to be able to “read” his/her guests . We are four middle-aged men of a certain girth, who are more prone to conversation than observation. The greeter should have let us know that as the deck is on the main thoroughfare and its Saturday night, it would be quite noisy. At that point we would have opted for a table inside, if this information had been shared. We got settled at the table outside and realized that we should have taken a table inside, but we did not want to inconvenience anyone, so we stayed at our table.
Our waiter approached us and took our drink orders. When he returned he told us the specials and his recommendations. We don’t mind receiving recommendations when we ask for them, but when they are offered without provocation, it’s a very annoying practice(BAD SERVICE). Again, it’s the ability to read your guests’ and know what they do or do not want.
It became very clear to us that after about ½ hour, the restaurant was filling up too quickly and that restaurant management team did not staff accordingly (HENCE BAD SERVICE). My partner has worked with the Open Table reservation system, he knows that it is a great tool for controlling flow and business levels, so both the FOH and BOH are able to perform their jobs competently. Either the reservation template that is set-up isn’t feasible or they took too many walk-ins. As a result, we had a meal that was neither inspiring nor memorable. And after speaking to some other guests the next day, down by the pool, they had a similar dining experience.
The managers on duty seemed to be scared to bus or serve a table in order to expedite the service (BAD SERVICE). One of them "F" as I found out his name after the Trina experience would walk onto the terasse - many tables are sitting there with empty plates - and not once did he assist any of thw wait staff with service (REALLY BAD SERVICE). I was so pissed off when we left the restaurant that I asked him what his name was and what was his position within the organization. He said is name was "F....." and that we was an assistant-manager - time to go back to Hospitality school again!
While we knew that the restaurant was passed the “controlled chaos stage”, an acknowledgement as simple as to say “we apologize for. . .” by a manager would have been appreciated (WOULD HAVE BEEN GOOD SERVICE)
Sunday, February 11, 2007
We are in Fort Lauderdale
We wake up, opened the balcony door and this wonderful ocean breeze comes through the room - ahhhhhhh to be in the south again (after a 15 years absence).
We shared adjoining rooms with our friends. They often requested room service for breakfast (they are really really early risers) and by the time we saw them in the morning, they had a story about how their order had been mishandled by room service - (wrong food, missing items, etc). I must say here that the room service food is provided by Trina , the restaurant located within the hotel. More about TRINA in my next blog!
Were they pleased? No!
Otherwise, the staff at the Atlantic Hotel turned out to be very good at their job (GREAT SERVICE).
We shared adjoining rooms with our friends. They often requested room service for breakfast (they are really really early risers) and by the time we saw them in the morning, they had a story about how their order had been mishandled by room service - (wrong food, missing items, etc). I must say here that the room service food is provided by Trina , the restaurant located within the hotel. More about TRINA in my next blog!
Were they pleased? No!
Otherwise, the staff at the Atlantic Hotel turned out to be very good at their job (GREAT SERVICE).
Trying to get to Fort Lauderdale
In May 2006, we started planning a short vacation to Fort Lauderdale over the Canadian Thanksging week-end in October 2006. We travelled with some friends from Ottawa and were scheduled to meet in Philadelphia and take a flight together to Fort Lauderdale. Our plans were delayed greatly by the security at Pearson Airport - being Columbus Day week-end in the United States. Custom took about 2 hours to go through. Our flight was to leave at 6:30 a.m. but we did not take off until 8:20 a.m. or so.
Trying to land in Philadelphia turned out to be as difficult as taking off from Toronto. Due to weather they kept closing/opening the airport, Finally we landed and - of course we had missed our connection to Fort Lauderdale. Off we go to stand in line and try to rebook another flight on that day to Fort Lauderdale. We, along with many other passengers, waited patiently.
Finally our turn comes and at the same moment, this gregarious looking agent opened her counter to help with the backlog and motionned us over. We explained our situation and she did her best at looking to see what was available for a flight to Fort Lauderdale. Needless to say nothing was available except 2 seats in first class at 6:00 p.m. that night and it was going to West Palm Beach which is about one hour by car from our hotel. We asked about the extra cost of those tickets (first class) and she says "No Charge" - of course we took those seats ( I CALLED THAT GREAT SERVICE) and proceeded to spend the day in the airport - Thank God we both love reading.
I called the Atlantic Hotel to advised them of our late arrival and our change of plans now to land in West Palm Beach and asked them to arrange for a car to pick us up at that airport. The Atlantic Hotel front desk people turned out to be unbelievable (GREAT SERVICE). He asked for my cell number and said he would call me back as soon as arrangements were completed and indeed he did - quite quickly (GREAT SERVICE).
We did finally arrive at our hotel at about 11:00 p.m. after being up since 3:00 a.m. that morning - exhausted we went to bed but we were in a warm climate!!!!!!
Trying to land in Philadelphia turned out to be as difficult as taking off from Toronto. Due to weather they kept closing/opening the airport, Finally we landed and - of course we had missed our connection to Fort Lauderdale. Off we go to stand in line and try to rebook another flight on that day to Fort Lauderdale. We, along with many other passengers, waited patiently.
Finally our turn comes and at the same moment, this gregarious looking agent opened her counter to help with the backlog and motionned us over. We explained our situation and she did her best at looking to see what was available for a flight to Fort Lauderdale. Needless to say nothing was available except 2 seats in first class at 6:00 p.m. that night and it was going to West Palm Beach which is about one hour by car from our hotel. We asked about the extra cost of those tickets (first class) and she says "No Charge" - of course we took those seats ( I CALLED THAT GREAT SERVICE) and proceeded to spend the day in the airport - Thank God we both love reading.
I called the Atlantic Hotel to advised them of our late arrival and our change of plans now to land in West Palm Beach and asked them to arrange for a car to pick us up at that airport. The Atlantic Hotel front desk people turned out to be unbelievable (GREAT SERVICE). He asked for my cell number and said he would call me back as soon as arrangements were completed and indeed he did - quite quickly (GREAT SERVICE).
We did finally arrive at our hotel at about 11:00 p.m. after being up since 3:00 a.m. that morning - exhausted we went to bed but we were in a warm climate!!!!!!
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Why this has been created!
My partner and I have been involved in customer service for a combined 50 years. We find it more and more unbelievable some of the level of customer service we receive - both from large and small organizations. We decided to start gathering information from people who have experienced either good or bad customer service.
Soon I will share our experiences with some restaurants in Fort Lauderdale, a hotel and restaurants in Montreal and here in Toronto.
Have you bought a new computer that should be just hook up and running - oops then you start spending hours and hours on the phone with your internet provider?
Soon I will share our experiences with some restaurants in Fort Lauderdale, a hotel and restaurants in Montreal and here in Toronto.
Have you bought a new computer that should be just hook up and running - oops then you start spending hours and hours on the phone with your internet provider?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)