Gripe of the Week: Canadian Tire Flat When it Comes to Power Wheels

By Dave Carroll
Founder, Gripevine

In this Gripe Of The Week, Canadian Tire, (TSX: CTC.A) a well-known Canadian retail chain, once again earns its reputation for poor in-store service.

http://gripevine.com/canadian-tire-needs-better-hires-canadian-tire-gripe-20802617

I've experienced it, and so have members of my family. In fact I was a guest on Canada's #1 consumer program "Marketplace" to comment on the three finalists for "Canada's Worst Customer Service". Canadian Tire made the medal round for that dubious distinction.

The issue in this gripe has to do with the fact that this customer wanted to buy a product that he could see but on which he could not find the price tag. He needed some simple help and there were employees around to assist him but apparently those employees were teenagers more interested in socializing than serving customers. Not finding help because a store is understaffed is frustrating but being made to wait while staff are choosing to socialize instead is enough to drive customers over the deep end.

I don't know if this man ever got help or bought the $400 PowerWheels car he was looking for but you can bet that if a competitor had one that was similarly priced he'd go there to buy it now. The staff's lack of caring and the store manager's indifference to that deficiency speaks volumes. It says that, at this location at least, staff aren't being trained or managed effectively. It says that customers can expect the bare minimum in service and to expect delays and frustrating experiences if you require anything more than taking it off the shelf yourself and walking it to the cash.

Those employees needed direction and a manager who is motivated to ensure all employees are actively looking for customers in need of assistance. More importantly the staff need to be trained to be able to help when they're asked directly for assistance. I've met someone who was told by a young Canadian Tire employee that when they see a customer coming they run away because they don't know where anything is.

In today's world, great service is what will bring people back to your store that doesn't have to cost your business anything more. A study shows that over 80% of customers who feel their needs are being ignored by a company are unlikely to continue doing business with the company in question. That means paying staff to be seen but not be helpful is worse than if you were simply understaffed. The flip side to that would be that customers who feel valued and well attended would be likely to come back: so why aren't more businesses taking action to win customers?

When you're paying the staff by the hour why not keep them engaged and, if it's a slow day, send them out around the store to ask customers if they could help in any way. Today's story is about the need to lead by example and to instill 'caring for your customer' as a core value for employees. Canadian Tire had a chance for an easy $400 sale to someone eager to buy. What they were left with however was at least one customer questioning why he'd ever go back again.


About Gripevine:
Gripevine connects customers and companies on a fair and level public playing field where they can come together to create win-win resolutions to common consumer complaints. Consumers can use Gripevine to leverage the power of social media to get their stories heard. Companies can use their Customer Satisfaction Index on Gripevine to show the world the quality of their customer service. By leveraging the power of social media, both groups of users can ultimately affect a company's Customer Satisfaction Index on Gripevine, which provides an effective scale for the quality of customer service.


About Dave Carroll:
Dave Carroll is an award winning singer-songwriter, professional speaker, author and social media innovator based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He began his music career with his brother Don in the band Sons of Maxwell and has been enjoying success as a solo artist for the last four years. Known as a master storyteller, Dave's incredible talent was introduced to millions when his 2009 YouTube music video 'United Breaks Guitars' became a worldwide sensation. Dave is now co-founder of the consumer resolution complaint platform, Gripevine.com. Most recently, Dave published his first book: "United Breaks Guitars: The Power of One Voice in the Age of Social Media" and released his second album, "Raincoat in Vegas."