Customer Service - Does it still exist ?

Although your Lib Dem Team use this website to report details of our action and stories related to our area, I couldn't resist the opportunity to report a recent experience of good old customer service (or in this case lack of it).

My mum and I went to a very well known electrical retailer this week to purchase a tumble dryer.  When in the store we located the dryer section but there were no assistants available.  We proceeded to study the various machines making the decision to buy one model but still no assistants came to assistant.  Thinking all the assistants must be very very busy we made our way to the cash desk to confirm our purchase.  Imagine our surprise on reaching said cash desk  to find 4 assistants actively involved in the ancient art of chatting.  We waited patiently to get their attention but when after several minutes they still hadn't noticed us, my mum used the age old technique of clearing her throat, rather loudly.  This had the desired effect and one assistant broke off his conversation and ambled over to us.  We explained our interest and our decision (and the fact that we were seriously in the market to make a cash purchase) but explained that we needed to check a couple of things.  It was at this point that the assistant said "Well I don't know about tumble dryers" followed quickly by  "the bloke that does know isn't in today can you come back tomorrow "

Now the questions were not particluraly difficult and there were three other assistants that could have been consulted but since no attempt was made on either option, mum and I decided that the store did not deserve our trade.

The story does have a happy ending however because, after we left the store, we nipped next door where we found the same machine for £10 less, a young assistant who knew his stuff and 2 other assistants who were more than happy to help us load the machine into the car.

I'm sure there is a moral in this and you are more than welcome to draw your own conclusions but I'm just going to pop the children's sport kit  into my brand spanking new tumble dryer!