• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Nierenberg Consulting Group

  • Home
  • About
    • About Our President
    • About the Company
    • About the Business Development System
    • About Our Affiliates
    • Clients
    • Testimonials
  • Services
    • Workshops
      • Building Business Workshop Series
      • Other Workshops
    • Executive Coaching
    • Keynotes and Speaking
  • Contact Us

January 19, 2009 by Andrea Nierenberg

Customer Service Gone Wrong

Customer Service picture  Today I was in the Port Authority bus terminal as I had to go to New Jersey to visit the family of a friend who had just passed away.

What happened as I walked up to the "Information" booth is one of those –" I can't make this up"

There was no line and the attendant was busy doing her crossword puzzle. I waited  for what seemed like 2 minutes and I finally asked for some help.

Without looking up once and sighing that I had bothered her—she still said nothing.

At that point, I said: I'm very sorry to bother you as you are doing your crossword puzzle'..

She then said–"Here is the schedule–look it up yourself"——-

I walked away in disbelief because I needed to get the bus—I thought about this situation and in this economy where jobs are being lost by the thousands everyday—here is one position that someone who truly needs and wants a job could clearly do a better job than the person that is there now.

Also–even though I don't want to make a judgment–when I think of Port Authority—I will remember this woman and her actions or lack of. She doesn't realize it–yet she is part of the brand,the first person some people see when they go to the terminal.

It is a sorry story on  Customer service gone wrong.

Filed Under: General

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Josef Katz says

    February 4, 2009 at 7:47 pm

    Oh you should take the bus more often… The NJ transit service is horrible. I could tell you stories of poor customer service that would surprise you (well maybe not) or build on your experience. Unfortunately they have a bit of a monopoly and they just don’t care. If this was a real business they would have no customers.

Primary Sidebar

Sign up to receive our FREE Network Nuggets

Mailchimp Sidebar Signup

Our Latest Posts

  • Networking Nugget #283 “Networking Never Ends…”
  • Networking Nugget #282 “The Networking Checklist is the Beginning”
  • Networking Nugget #281 Networking Across Generations
  • Networking Nugget #280 “Why Handwritten Notes are Still In Vogue”
  • Networking Nugget #279 “Networking and Vacation”
Copyright © 2017–2025 by Nierenberg Consulting Group – All rights reserved worldwide