Customer Service Experiences » timinganddelivery.com

granville island hotel

28Jun08

Today started, how do I put this nicely, tragically.

With my sister in town visiting, a friend and I headed down to Granville Island to meet her for brunch. Little did we realize that our day was about to get really, really long.

Crowded with onlookers, firetrucks, police cars, ambulances and police tape, the entrance to Granville Island today was a crime scene. As it turns out, a short time before we got there, two (or potentially three, don’t know for sure at this point) people decided to jump off the Granville Street bridge onto the seawall below!

The seawall that I run on, kids play across the duck pond from, and the patio of the Cat’s Meow (where brunch was) looks out on. It was horrific and sad. I don’t know all of the details, but I did overhear some of the crowd saying things like ‘he was only 29′….’loved skydiving’….’they were so beautiful’. My thoughts are with the families of those involved.

With that in our head, it was tough to get on with the day (as I’m sure you can imagine how not pretty the whole scene was); however, life has to go on. And on this nuclear hot day in Vancouver, it did.

Getting back to the subject of this post, we didn’t ‘brunch’ at the Granville Island Hotel (don’t you love it when people use words like ‘brunch’ or ’summer/winter’ as verbs?) as our would-have-been server was quick to point out that they no longer were serving brunch (his name was/is Laurie). Where the Granville Island Hotel gets extra points is that Laurie went above and beyond the call to ensure we received great service despite the fact that we were going to move along to a restaurant that did serve brunch. How did he do that?

Here’s how:

1) he made three recommendations of other restaurants at Granville Island that were still serving brunch;

2) he gave us a summary of some of the items that each of them served; and, my favourite

3) he caught up with us outside of the hotel to tell us that the Cat’s Meow was the best place to go and that he felt it probably would fit our needs the best.

Determined?

Honest?

Customer first (despite the fact that it’s not even your customer)?

Yeah.

Will I be coming back? Absolutely…just not for brunch.

Thanks, Laurie!

darren

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hanging up on telus

25Jun08

I’m not really go into a lot of detail about the service I’ve received from TELUS over the past few months. I’ve done that. It’s not pretty.

What I will say, though, is that after receiving my June bill today, I have to say that I wasn’t overly surprised to see that it was triple was it normally is. That kind of TELUS billing issue felt really familiar. The kind of familiar you probably got when you walked into your piano/organ lesson as a child. You knew what it was, you knew why you were getting it, you knew you had to go through with it, but you didn’t know why you put up with it.

Enter, TELUS’ billing system and the cirque du soleil of hoops I’ve had to jump through over the past year or so to try and sort out my bill to find errors, delays and in one case, a accidental month long disconnection!

Getting to the sharp end of the saw here…today, I disconnected my TELUS HD service with them. In the coming days/week, I will also be disconnecting every single other service I’ve had with TELUS over the past forever years.

This is the fourth issue I’ve had with TELUS’ billing system in under a year. If this was a baseball game, I probably should have left the plate after the third strike. I never really understood baseball…

Dis-connected,

darren

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tomato fresh food café (part 2 of 1)

23Jun08

I’m definitely a believer in first impressions.

I’m also a believer in giving people a second chance.

Connecting the dots then, we found ourselves once again congregating in the back room of Vancouver’s Tomato Fresh Food Café (if you want a primer, check out our first review of Tomato Fresh Food Café from last Fall).

As I navigated through the masses of Kitisilano’s Greek Days on my way to the restaurant, I couldn’t help but wonder if the service was still the same. Were we actually going to have to sit through another circus of errors and timing miscues? I certainly hoped not. Unfortunately, you don’t always get what you hope for.

Bit of background for you - as our party was very large (close to 20), I had gone so far as to call ahead a week in advance. I have to say that I was very impressed with how I was treated, particularly given that they were happy to add to my reservation later in the week (increased it by 5) despite the fact that we were trying to land our jumbo brunch jet on Tomato Fresh Food Cafe’s brunch landing strip: 1) on the same morning as the Scotiabank half marathon; and 2) right in the heart of Kitsilano’s Greek Days. So…to the management on this point - tick in the box!

Unfortunately, the same tick cannot be boxed for Tomato Fresh Food Cafe’s service. Short story short…nothing really had changed since September. Here’s a high level summary as to why I am putting the hammer down here:

our server, although very pleasant to deal with, did not check on us as often as she probably should have;
there was a human hair in the creamer;
one of the guest received a glass of water that had a fairly noticeable chip off the rim (which actually played a part in introducing itself to the guest’s lip);
cold coffee was served to one of the guests (and was replaced with an empty cup (while he waited for a ‘new pot to brew’);
one of the guests got up and grabbed themselves some cutlery from the server station (whilst our server stood there, not noticing - she was too busy quickly putting together a plate for one of our group whose order was not taken/remembered); and finally
the food, once again, took a LONG time to get to our table (the conversation helped us not notice ’so much’);

I’m not going to bash Tomato Fresh Food Cafe into a customer service black hole (yet) as I don’t think they really deserve it. Why? Good question. The way I see it is that Tomato Fresh Food Cafe tries really hard. They just don’t execute very well.

As I’m not really into giving third chances, it’s probably going to be some time before I steer our group (or myself) towards 2486 Bayswater any time soon. I wish them well and I hope they get it (and all of the leaves that fell on our table during brunch from the two trees growing inside) cleaned up.

Brunch at your own risk.

darren

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grill with skill - 15 steps to a better bbq season!

19Jun08

When and if summer ever comes to Vancouver, it’s good to be prepared for BBQ season.

Strike that…no matter where you live, it’s always good to be prepared for BBQ season!

Thanks to one of our loyal readers, the following list, aptly named ‘15 Steps to a Better BBQ Season‘ was constructed.

The list will provide you with all (and probably more) than you’d ever need to know about getting ready to hit the grill with skill.

15 Steps to a Better BBQ Season:
What you’re about to read was performed on an uber Vermont Castings Grill; irrespective of grill type, the following should occur two times per year - before the winter and spring seasons. You may find that once you proceed though these 15 steps to BBQ rockstardom, that it becomes almost a spiritual exercise…a celestial meeting of human and machine.

1. Procure two metal/highly durable garbage cans and insert a large orange (or black) garbage bag in each.

2. Leaping forward, properly gloved of course, then remove:

a)the BBQ grills;

b) the rectangular metal drip pan;

c) the metal drip pan’s separate square pot that is to hold the run off grease;

d) the louvered metal grates that each rest under the BBQ grills and above the burner tubes. These grates are there to catch some of the drips that don’t go through to the rectangular metal drip pan and it’s lovely square metal pot; and

e) put them all in the two bag covered cans ( you could use any container to hold these items that works size-wise)

3. Excitedly, and with great dexterity, fill the two bagged-lined cans with a very strong concentrated mixture of dish soap and hot, hot water. I used many plastic buckets to do this…actually only one bucket ….filled up many times.

4. Wait at least 24 hours before removing any of these items out of the cans. No praying is required during this period.

5. While they are soaking, utilize an exquisitely fashioned copper wire brush ( the metal edge part as well ) to get off all the caked on grease on the lid, walls and any surface where you see that the nasty grease had accumulated.

6. Inspect the burner tubes, poking the little holes with a wooden tooth pick where the gas/flame comes out, as necessary, to make sure that each hole is free of grease and dirt. I sang the Beatle’s song ‘Penny Lane’ during this part as I found that it helped with my concentration (or Alice Cooper’s ‘House of Fire’ - up to you).

7. Next, no singing required for this part, use a nylon brush and my tiny little shovel to scoop the loose dry carbon, burnt stuff that had built up in teeny, tiny little piles in the bottom of the BBQ as well where this stuff had fallen through around the propane tank underneath.

8. Then, secure a pail of soapy water and washed the black cast iron sides of the BBQ lid and the inside of the BBQ around the based where the propane tank is.

9. Forthwith, procure stainless steel cleaning spray and clean work towels and clean all the stainless steel bits that you find on the BBQ.

10. Let these circus of items dry and wait for the next adventure with your friends that are soaking in the immense garbage cans.

11. After the allotted ‘at least 24 hours’ passes, remove all the items in the garbage cans.

12. As expected, but still, too my everlasting delight, I was able to say “ Eureka !!! “…..the grates were clean …right down to their gleaming black porcelain coating and all the other metal pieces were perfectly clean as well.

13. If it makes you happy, do a very light whisking on the grills with an exquisitely fashioned copper wire brush and towel everything dry.

14. Excitedly, with a little skip in your step, reassemble the BBQ in the same configuration as I you found it before, in its prior greasy state.

15. Without delay and with much anticipation, fire up the BBQ to make sure everything works fine. It will.

Turn it up to 400 and have fun!

darren

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gravity pope vancouver

14Jun08

You know what I think? I think customers are entitled to consistent service when they walk into a store. That way, they know what they can expect when and if they decide to repeat. Make sense to you too?

And so begins our story…

It was a clear and sunny Saturday in Vancouver’s Kitsilano area and I found myself on an unplanned uber clothing shopping spree. Let’s not mix words here, I didn’t set any retail records on my Saturday merchant mega-blitz. Instead, like my sniper-esque Save-On Foods Cambie shopping plan-of-attack, it’s just that I know what I want and like a slinky falling down your basement stairs in the 80’s, it kind of kept on going.

It started off with a painless 10 minutes at my favourite jeans store, brooklyn clothing. Finding what I want at brooklyn clothing has now become so easy (as I’ve identified the brands that ‘work’ for me) that thinking of buying my jeans anywhere else sort of feels like forgetting to start the barbeque and trying to cook a steak.

I then fired into Ray Rickburn for some vintage T’s (some really cool stuff there right now)…however, they’re a bit hit n’ miss, in my view.

Finally, I made my way over to Gravity Pope at 2005 West 4th Avenue for some kicks. Speaking of kicks, after about 15 minutes of trying shoes on and selecting my weapons of choice (thanks, Sophie, you were great), I got kicked in the proverbial customer service face.

Getting back to my original thoughts on consistency when it comes to the customer service experience, Gravity Pope Vancouver decided to use me as a guinea pig on this particular day.

My experience was not a deal breaker, so let’s get that straight. But here’s the deal (you be the judge):

Like I said, I spent 15 or so minutes picking out two pairs of shoes with Sophie;
I’m a repeat customer and have dropped some serious cake at Gravity Pope;
I went to the till and was asked for photo ID in order to complete my purchase (that’s cool…the cashier, who I later found out was as ‘new’ as they come…I mean, we’re talking young….was only doing what he was told to do);
Begrudgingly, I had Gravity Pope Vancouver (and my verdant cashier) put my items on hold until such time that I could return with proper government-issued proof that I exist (despite the fact that I’ve probably spent enough money at Gravity Pope Vancouver to warrant a ‘comma’ in the total);
I returned about 30 minutes later to reproduce said ID and complete my purchase. The difference? Sophie dealt with me directly (she’s amazing by the way…ask for her!) and took care of business like Randy Bachman did in ‘72!;
Whilst waiting, another shopper ponied up to the other till and went through the same routine as I did about a half-hour earlier (i.e., no ID);
HIS cashier asked him to wait, talked with another salesperson for a few seconds, and then came back to say ‘no problem’ and completed the sale!

Say what?!

Anyway…I may have caused a ’slight’ stir and politely asked Sophie as to why the gentleman on my left was given the green light and I, if I can use a border crossing analogy out-of-context, was asked to step into the back room (like a dirty criminal) and answer some questions.

Where’s the consistent service model? I think it left the building when Elvis did, in this case.

The manager, I think, who overheard this conversation came over and apologized for the situation and blamed it on the ‘new’ cashier (read: just doing his job). She then took a further 10% off the bill for the hassle. Nice touch.

Like I said before, I’m not p1ssed off. Instead, I was a little shocked to see such an inconsistent display of service from a store that kind of screams quality and service. Turns out, I’m not necessarily correct with this assumption.

Aftermath:

I will be back to Gravity Pope.
I will look for Sophie to help me.
I will buy more shoes.
The world will keep spinning.

darren

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insert 25c to continue…

14Jun08

It’s an amazing weekend in Vancouver (which is a rarity of late)!

The sun is out, I just got back from a massive run along the seawall, and I thought, hey…it’s time for a timinganddelivery.com top 5 list!

Let’s be honest, I’m only one of the many of you who survied the 1980’s. You know who you are. If you can admit that receiving a roll of quarters USED to mean that you were about to spend the next couple of hours of your life at some seedy arcade/airport/roller rink/coffee shop hammering on buttons and screaming at a large black box of some sort, then you were there and you will likely have something to say.

Let’s get to it then, shall we? Here are the timinganddelivery.com top 5 video games from the 80s (feel free to take me to task/suggest others)!

Gallaga

Gauntlet

Donkey Kong

Exciting Hour

Karate Champ

So go on, drop in a quarter or two and Continue? Yes/No? 10…9…8…7…6…5…

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timinganddelivery featured on alltop!

13Jun08

It’s been a good week for me, both professionally and blog-ly.

I can say that with such conviction, particularly the latter part, because earlier this week I was informed that timinganddelivery.com has been featured on alltop (in the customer service category)!

Why this is important is that alltop really has nailed the “we are the coolest magazine rack that you’ll never be able to see in person” concept. Think of it as a salad bar for your Internet appetite (that never runs out of ingredients).

I was particularly honoured to discover that Guy Kawasaki, one of the three behind the alltop ‘thing’, was one of the original Apple employees responsible for marketing the Macintosh back in 1984! I’d say he did a pretty good job.

So…I would once again like to thank all of timinganddelivery.com’s readers (i.e., you). You’re the reason we’ve come so far so fast!

darren

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welcome YEW restaurant + bar

11Jun08

timinganddelivery.com would like to take this opportunity to welcome its newest partner, YEW restaurant + bar at Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver.

YOU AND YEW!
From now until Labour Day 2008, YEW restaurant + bar is offering timinganddelivery.com readers a chance to win one Start Smart Dinner for two each month!

WHAT IS A START SMART DINNER?
On Sunday and Monday evenings, YEW restaurant + bar is now offering a special three-course dinner (with wine pairing options) for only $35.

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO?

Click on the YEW restaurant + bar logo to the right
Make a reservation on a Sunday or Monday evening that works for you
Type timinganddelivery.com in the “Special Requests for the Maitre D” section.

You will then automatically be entered into the draws for a Start Smart Dinner for two each month!

Welcome YEW restaurant + bar!

darren

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cascading kindness

09Jun08

Remember what I told you about The Cascade back in January? Well, not much has changed.

It’s still there.

I’m still here.

And Wendy and the entire crew at The Cascade KNOW how to treat their customers.

Honestly, if you’ve decided to pop in on them (2616 Main Street in Vancouver) you’ll soon know what I’m on about.

Unlike last time, I knew what I was getting into when I invited about 10 or so friends out to The Cascade to say goodbye to a great friend of ours. I called ahead and Wendy returned my call that same day to confirm our reservation and ensure we had a great spot for the big event (the cheesecake and birthday candle action came later).

From the minute we rolled in (and we rolled in waves that night), our server knew how to greet, pace, and check in on our table. From different drink orders, loud noises and shenanigans, to people coming and going almost as fast as Kish’s moment in the spotlight was in 1991 when he decided to Rhyme the World in 80 days.

So, I’m not here to tell you WHY to go. I already did that.

What I’m here to say is that The Cascade in Vancouver (ps - Main is going to be the new Kits/Yaletown lovechild, but I digress) is an absolutely fantastic lounge-y alternative when you’re looking for a venue with a great drink menu, a solid assortment of music (don’t get me started…I’ll go on and on), a menu that’s….just ‘bang on’ (from venison to bubble n’ squeak), and staff who remember who you are, what’s important to you, and give you a reason to want to come back.

Talk about autopilot…just go!

darren

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chivana vancouver

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timinganddelivery soundcheck #7

07Jun08

Talk about a rush of blood to the head!

I recently wanted to get back in touch with 1988 and so, I went to see the new Indiana Jones movie…and…it was…how do I say…’definitely PG-13′.

To me, Harrison Ford has come a long way since he was in the Temple of Doom playing with snakes. I mean, Tone Loc was still drinkin’ his Funky Cold Medina last time I contemplated seeing Indy on the big screen! So…

All that said because we had to sit in the second row with or heads cranked up in order to catch Mr. Ford crackin’ his whip and making snarky remarks. All in all, a good experience, to be sure.

What does this have to do with music? Not a heck of a lot, unless you consider the ads/previews (which I could rant on and on about…30 minutes!). That 30 minutes or so of discomfort brought me in touch with the subject for timinganddelivery soundcheck #7.

Coldplay (Viva La Vida) - Complete with a catchy hook and rhythm, Coldplay’s new album preview hit the big screen during this interval of inconvenience. Aside from completely disliking the title of the album (reminds me of a horrible Ricky Martin flashback), my first taste of Coldplay’s latest album (’Violet Hill‘) was not half bad. In true timinganddelivery form, though, I thought I’d do some further research. After sampling a few of their other tracks, I’m going to make a call and suggest that ‘Lost’ will definitely be a crowd jumper and ‘Life in Technicolor’ is the new ‘Fix You’ (especially for those long live show intro extravaganzas). Check this flashy little spot that Coldplay did for Apple for their title track.

I am looking forward to July 27, 2008 (where Coldplay will be headlining at the Pemberton Music Festival)…we’ll see if my hypothesis holds true. Put your chemistry set away, Coldplay’s about to blow the doors off once again.

Can they possibly ‘get’ any more rich? I guess we’re about to find out…

darren

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telemarketers…RIP

04Jun08

I don’t know about you, but I have no time for random telemarketers. We’re talking NO time.

Let’s put it this way, you know how excited you used to get for peanut butter and jam sandwiches when you were a wee one? Well, take that feeling, reverse it 100% and then… you’re close.

The random telemarketer is a clever pest (I’m being kind). If you’ve ever been a victim of the random, computer-generated, non-local, call display avoiding telephone sales agent that I am alluding to, I’m pretty sure you probably feel the same way. If not, no big whoop.

I’ve even gone so far as to divert all personal voice traffic to my Blackberry. That way, whenever my home phone rings it’s one of two things:

1) my alarm company; or

2) the random, computer-generated, non-local, call display avoiding telephone sales agent.

Neither of which are ‘good’.

At the other end of the specturm, I want to share with you Tom Mabe’s technique to avoid telemarketers that is off-the-hook and is well worth 3 minutes and 22 seconds of your time.

Just click and smile.

darren

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save-on cambie

02Jun08

…and I said, sorry, I have no idea what nutmeg even is!

That’s how the story I’m about to tell ended, so why don’t I take a few lines and explain how it began. Let’s start at the ‘new’ Save-On Foods on Cambie Street here in Vancouver (thanks to yyu34 for the image).

If you live in Vancouver, you’re no stranger to the Cambie Street construction-fest to accommodate the new high-speed tram connecting downtown Vancouver to the airport.

A good thing for Vancouver? I think so.

A pain in the a$$ to circumnavigate? Most definitely (being kind).

Remember what I told you a few months back about Safeway customer service? Well…I’m not about to throw out the baby with the bath water here, but, I personally feel (and have felt for a while) that I’ve been getting ripped of from Safeway’s rather ‘high’ prices.

You see, I’m more of a ’shotgun’ grocery shopper (as opposed to a ’sniper’). When I go, I go big and I make an impact. I can’t be bothered with a bunch of small trips to pick up the odd bottle/box/can/package/bunch of whatever.

So, what I thought I’d do is fire on over to 8th Avenue and Cambie Street to check out the ‘new’ Save-On Foods (opened in April 2008) and see if they could ‘be the new black’ with respect to grocery shopping. Guess what Safeway, and you know who you are…they were.

I won’t bore you with the play-by-play of the actual shopping list (’cause that’s plain boring), but what I can tell you (and want to tell you) is how I was dealt with given my ’situation’. Understading the lay-of-the-land at 8th Avenue and Cambie is key to this…it’s a flippin’ mess! Parking is very difficult to come by (only later did I notice the entrance to Save-On Foods’ underground parking!) and when you do ‘come by it’, it’s not all that convenient.

Here’s the situation…I was a block or so away at a parking meter (which I paid by my blackberry…so cool) and had a cart so full that the cashier decided to interject with an attempted witty comment. To be honest, it sounded like something my parents would say (can’t remember…but something like ‘Whoa…you about to feed an army’?). Funny.

That’s where Doug comes in. Doug is about 5 feet tall, looks like he’s about 11 years old and is one of Save-On Foods’ ‘bag people’ (or whatever they’re called…sorry Doug, didn’t catch your title). Here’s why you need to deal with Doug, if the situation should present itself:

Doug more-than-happily agreed to help me take my army-sized cart to my car (wherever the hell that may be…he had no idea)
Doug was working for six hours straight and welcomed the chance to get outside
Doug keeps on his person a little Star Trek device that unlocks the wheels once you leave the store (remember the movie ‘Face-Off’ with Nicholas Cage and the part when his ankle cuffs got ‘locked down’? Same deal.)
Doug was pleasant to deal with and once we got to the car, he unloaded the cart with reckless abandon
Doug told me a hilarious story about how he was asked a question as to the location of the nutmeg at Save-On Foods…he answered honestly claiming he had no idea what nutmeg even was
Doug closed the lid of my trunk and by the time I got in my car and turned it on, like a ninja, Doug was gone

The morale of this story isn’t some lofty motherhood kind of message like ‘Always be nice to strangers’ or ‘Be open minded to new types of foods’. Instead, it’s more prescriptive.

1. Go to Save-On Foods on Cambie Street

2. Park wherever you like

3. Load your cart up

4. Grab some nutmeg

5. Give Doug a high-five…and don’t say why (he’ll know)

darren

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timinganddelivery soundcheck #6

31May08

With Victoria Day just behind us here in Canada, I’m sure Her Majesty The Queen wouldn’t mind if I took a second and turned the focus of timinganddelivery soundcheck #6 on Canada.

If she does, however, I don’t really care, I’m doing it anyway…

Two Hours Traffic (Little Jabs) - after listening to Jezebel for the first time (nice video, by the way guys…), I can honestly say that I was shocked to hear that these guys were Canadian! I’m not saying that to be crass, instead, Two Hours Traffic’s sound is distinctly Brit and like a fine wine for the ear, I got hints of Radiohead, Oasis, and a bit of Gomez. Honestly.

Rewind back to 2003. Talk about a cool story (and music to go with it)…two kindergarten friends recruit two friends from the University of Prince Edward Island (Chemistry class) and the rest, as they say, is history. Bunson burners and periodic tables aside, I was shocked to hear that their first album in 2005 was put out when they were all still in their teens!

What does this mean? Well, listening to Two Hours Traffic isn’t going to get you an ‘A’ in Chemistry. Instead, you’re about to slam about a dozen or more great mp3’s into your ipod and dance/run/sing like Kevin Bacon did in Footlose.

Buy their stuff, go see them, and long live Canadian talent!

Thanks, CBC Radio 3, you make good things happen,

darren

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don’t cry over spilt milk…

28May08

…and so I didn’t!

I’ve already went on and on about why you should go to 49th Parallel should you happen to be on a caffeine safari in Vancouver. So let’s fast-forward to the here and now, shall we?

Like any other morning in Kitsilano, I was getting my usual (large americano misto). The only difference this time is that I was meeting a friend (who Gallagher really likes) and she wanted a large non-fat latte.

That’s fine…but with two coffees, a pair of sunglasses and a blackberry, something’s gotta give. And it did…the latte.

True to form, 49th Parallel’s service equals the quality of their product. As I attempted to secure the lid on the rogue latte, the contents of said latte managed to explode all over the counter and the coffee machine (I have no idea how it missed me, but so be it).

Feeling guilty about the mess I caused, I politely asked for something to clean it up with. Not only was I denied, but before I even think about what to say next, a second, large non-fat latte was in process and being made for free. And…with a smile!

When something happens (like me being a klutz and destroying a perfectly good cup of coffee) and those serving you act as if nothing has…that’s quality service. When they smile at the same time…that’s great service.

Worth a trip,

darren

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rogers customer service

25May08

We received an email last week from one of our readers about his experience with Rogers’ pay-as-you-go wireless customer service! And…it’s not that pretty (let’s put it that way).

I can relate to what Raul mentions in his post as back in the Fall of 2007, I switched to Rogers as I needed a Blackberry on the GSM network. While not on a pay-as-you-go plan, I too have not been ecstatic about Rogers’ customer service.

What about you? Good, bad or ugly?

darren

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