Customer satisfaction should be a value
Foreword: I have been to Blue Note in the past and I am not hereby reviewing that experience.
This time my intention was to attend to a concert by a cover artist of Frank Sinatra, playing on Friday at 9pm, using a voucher given by a friend to me as a wedding gift. I tried to make a reservation via Blue Note web site on Thursday morning, and everything seemed to work perfectly; unfortunately, maybe due to web site overcrowding, I was given a confirmation of my reservation (I took a screenshot of that weird page, I then forward to Blue Note contact Center), but no details on it, such as reservation ID. So I immediately phoned Blue Note's contact center, and I was politely told my voucher code for some reason resulted "locked", although regular, and that contact center would have solved this issue at the soonest, ensuring my reservation - tracked in their systems although not already accomplished - would have been confirmed.
I was contacted at 6pm (8hours later), and another operator insolently told me that my reservation has not ever succeeded, and that I should have made something wrong with the web site, because (she told) "many people use it and it always work". Then I was told that the show I meant to attend to was sold out, and that I would have to choose another show (scheduled at 23:30) on the same day or the following. I tried to explain my choice (tracked in their systems and already paid via voucher) was different and based on specific familiar needs, and that it would have been hard to me to attend at that hour, but they basically told me to make do.
I anyway reserved for Saturday late evening 23:30, but I was not able to get there. I phoned and I wrote them 3 hours before the show on Saturday evening, asking for a voucher refund, telling them I would have not been able to attend. Result: the operator suggested me to write a further email to their info@, because "maybe my boss will be merciful", although I have not ever asked for mercy. I wrote it explaining the situation; but to date I was not given any answer yet.
It is easy to bluster when you have your customer's money already in your hands. And it is exactly one of the situations when a competent management should reveal himself instead. read more
