“We don’t allow customers to try white colored outfits as it might get dirty and the dress might get stretched too,” the salesgirl remarked bluntly.[break]
Sandhya was momentarily taken aback by the salesgirl’s comment and chose to leave the shop after regaining her composure. The harsh comment triggered self doubt and worries about her weight issues besides leaving her in a bad mood; thus ruining her shopping plans for the day.
KESHAB THOKER
“If the outfit couldn’t be tried on, why did they have to put it for display in the first place? It’s not like I was taking the outfit for free. I was there to buy it,” says Sandhya adding that it’s because of such incidents that many service providers have earned a bad reputation.
Dr Niti Rana, director of The New Era Career Development Institute, says that the state of poor customer service in the country is quite obvious. “Customers buy products or services with their hard earned money and deserve some basic respect in return. But the main problem lies in the indifferent attitude of the service providers,” she says.
She talks about how from banks to supermarkets to taxis, service caterers are often very inattentive and unresponsive. “When we approach them, we’re met with blank stares or an annoyed look for interrupting them. Sometimes, it’s almost as if they’re doing us a favor,” she adds.
Rana says that even when you visit reputed supermarkets, you’ve to struggle to pull out the jammed shopping trolleys and the sales people don’t even lend a helping hand but continue to look as you fumble and fiddle.
28-year-old Sarina Shrestha shares an incident when a shopkeeper in Thamel had her friend’s bag checked since he doubted that she had nicked something. She believes that sales people just want to cater to the customers who they think are sure to make a purchase. Otherwise, they just eye every person who steps in with disdain.
Sarina explains that whenever she’s out on a shopping spree or is dealing with service oriented companies, she often has to pester a lot to her queries answered. Even with all the effort she mostly feels at a loss. “I feel judged and sometimes that forces me to make a purchase and be of some value to them. It’s the same everywhere, be it restaurants, banks or government offices,” says Sarina.
According to Netra Dhital, central secretary, Forum for Protection of Consumer Rights, the Consumer Rights Protection Law 1987 and Free Competition Act 1999 haven’t been implemented properly in the country.
The Consumer rights demands the protection of different rights of consumers including right to information and quality and a right to complain on the market goods and services. The Free Competition Act also demands that there should be free market and no monopoly in pricing.
“There’re laws but authorities who understand and deliver consumer rights are limited. No one cares about customer’s rights, be it the government or the private sector,” he says.
Dhital says that be it food products, medicines, education, transport or any sector, the customers are often duped and not provided with the right kind of services.
Dhital’s statement is validated by 28-year-old Shreeya Kunwar’s experiences. Shreeya feels helpless and at times, even gets agitated, when the waiters treat her differently from foreigners especially when she visits some of the restaurants in Thamel.
“It’s as if I don’t exist when the foreigners are around. I pay as much as the tourists, but still, I don’t get the same service,” she shares. “Also, there have been occasions where I’ve found inedible stuff in my food and still they made me pay for it,” she adds.
Hemant Thapa, 31, has had a similar experience; perhaps even worse. He was once at a posh restaurant in Thamel, enjoying a hot cup of Cappuccino along with a bunch of friend, when he noticed a small cockroach in his drink.
After complaining to the waiters, he got a replacement but this time too, a cockroach was floating on his drink. “After complaining yet again, the waiters just said that such an incident had never occurred before and left,” he says.
Hemant paid the full bill and didn’t even complain to the manager as that was not the first time he’d been a victim of bad customer service and so, a sense of despondency had set in by then.
32-year-old Reetu Maharjan opposes the submissive attitude like Hemant’s when it comes to consumer’s rights. Recently back from the US, where she has seen customers being treated by well trained staffs in almost every sector, she feels we could emulate from them and not just let things be the way they are.
“Most people here don’t know how to ask for their rights. When you know that you’re not getting a good service, you should fight for it and let the concerned authority know. If you just stay quiet, nothing’s going to change,” says Reetu.
“It’s not that the service was up to the standard before I left for the US, but after seeing the art of selling that companies use out there, I feel that Nepalis have a long way to go and that we must start now,” she adds.
Though there are lots of complains from the customer’s side, it’s not just the salespersons who are entirely to be blamed. When 22-year-old Samriddhi Singh joined a clothing store as a salesgirl a year back, she was immediately hired without a proper training.
“I wasn’t aware about the standard way of treating the customers and when there would be complaints against me, I wouldn’t understand whose fault it actually was,” she says.
Supporting her argument, Umesh Khadka, 24, who works at a gadget store says that, he is underpaid but expected by customers and his boss to deliver excellent service. “We have to cater to more than sixty customers a day and the number exceeds on a busy day. Also, there’re many who bug us by asking irrelevant questions and act bossy, so such things should be considered too,’ he says.
Dr Rana also agrees with Samriddhi and Umesh and says that it’s basically due to lack of proper training that leads to bad customer service and blames bad leadership and management that lead to indifference and improper service from the service provider’s side.
She also thinks that one of the main problems is that service providers often find it hard to accept their faults and refrain from apologizing to the customers when they are wrong and vice-versa.
“Just a single training is not enough as service providers need to be guided properly. Besides that, constant monitoring is important. Getting feedback on the staffs’ behavior is also of paramount importance,” says Rana adding that the customers too, need to be respectful towards the service providers.
As a customer, you have the right to get a first-rate service but salespeople cannot be blamed all the time in case you don’t. Customers too need to be courteous in order to expect the same in return. There should be mutual respect. After all, it’s a two way street!
nistha.rayamajhi11@gmail.com
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