Had my car serviced at a luxury dealership the other day, and proceeded to watch all of the other customers around me get great customer service from their service managers. My service manager, however, was horrible. He was borderline rude at first, and then he disappeared completely, never to be seen again. I felt like I was on candid camera as I watched the other service managers kissing up to their customers, bringing them coffee, talking about their cars. I just sat there, completely ignored, for 2 hours, until the receptionist called me over to pay, handed me my keys and told me to go find my vehicle in the service area. So, the good news is that I wasn't outed as a secret shopper! LOL!!!

Now, the dealership is stalking me via email and phone, asking me to do a brief survey. I'm dodging the calls, b/c I've already ripped them enough in my report!

When this sort of thing happens I get a lot of satisfaction out of writing the report. Even writing objectively it can look really bad for them.

Sounds like a couple of places I shopped. I did a couple of those oil change shops and in the first location a really nasty woman at the front desk asked for my car keys but then went to my car and ransacked it from one end to the other and refused to tell me why, even when I asked if she had a search warrant to do so. The other location told me a number of things was wrong with the car, held me there for five hours because they'd taken things apart hoping I'd agree to the "repairs" and then stole my husband's sunglasses we didn't realize were still in the car under his front seat.

Nothing beats when they know you are the shopper and then
provide you with bad service. Walmart employees are
notrious for this. Of all the shops I've done over the years
they by far and large rank the highest at being the worst
even when they know who you are.

More mind boggling though is one revealed audit I do
every quarter and their bonuses are based on my score.
You would think the managers would be the nicest person
I ever met yet some of them are rude and obnixous.

Cettie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sounds like a couple of places I shopped. I did a
> couple of those oil change shops and in the first
> location a really nasty woman at the front desk
> asked for my car keys but then went to my car and
> ransacked it from one end to the other and refused
> to tell me why, even when I asked if she had a
> search warrant to do so. The other location told
> me a number of things was wrong with the car, held
> me there for five hours because they'd taken
> things apart hoping I'd agree to the "repairs" and
> then stole my husband's sunglasses we didn't
> realize were still in the car under his front
> seat.


I have to ask: What the Hell what she doing INSIDE your car? Unless she was placing those paper floor-mats or plastic for the seats, her ass has NO business messing with your car!

I hope that didn't sound too rude ...

It was a lot more polite than I was that day. She didn't place any floor mats or anything, she flat out just searched my car like she was a cop or something.

Cettie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It was a lot more polite than I was that day. She
> didn't place any floor mats or anything, she flat
> out just searched my car like she was a cop or
> something.


Maybe she was just checking the car for valuables. Either so the service guys aren't tempted to steal them, or maybe so she could have them for herself first.

I would've asked her to explain what she was doing and why.

I did a dinner shop and at first I thought the server might think I was a mystery shopper. She was just looking at me very intently and acting odd. I finally realized she just had some very socially awkward behaviors. When she took my order, she sat in the booth across from me and just looked at me first. Then she finally took my order. But I was a bit uncomfortable having the server sit in the booth across from me.

She came by when I was eating my appetizer and at about that time I felt something hard in what I was eating. I told her "I think this has a bone in it." She said "surely not" and then just stood there with her hand out like I was supposed to spit it in her hand. I asked for butter for my baked potato, and she never brought it. She only refilled my tea one time, and that was when I finally started walking up to the bar to see if I could get a refill because I had already been waiting a long time, had been trying to catch her attention, and I really needed something to wash down the dry baked potato.

The restaurant wasn't even busy. There were only a few tables and two booths with customers, and two people sitting at the bar. There were two servers, one manager, a bartender, and various other people working.

When it came time to pay, the server brought my bill and then disappeared. She came back later with her hands full of dirty dishes and asked if I was ready to pay. I said yes, and she just thrust her hip toward me and told me to stick my bill and payment in her pocket. I made an attempt to do so, but could not get the plastic bill holder to go into her pocket. So she put the dirty dishes (from someone else's table) on my table and tried to stick the bill holder in her pocket herself. It still wouldn't fit. So she just stuck it in the waistband of her pants, picked up the other people's dirty dishes from my table, and disappeared again.

No. I don't think she realized I was a mystery shopper.

jatufu1 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I did a dinner shop and at first I thought the
> server might think I was a mystery shopper. She
> was just looking at me very intently and acting
> odd. I finally realized she just had some very
> socially awkward behaviors. When she took my
> order, she sat in the booth across from me and
> just looked at me first. Then she finally took my
> order. But I was a bit uncomfortable having the
> server sit in the booth across from me.
>
> She came by when I was eating my appetizer and at
> about that time I felt something hard in what I
> was eating. I told her "I think this has a bone in
> it." She said "surely not" and then just stood
> there with her hand out like I was supposed to
> spit it in her hand. I asked for butter for my
> baked potato, and she never brought it. She only
> refilled my tea one time, and that was when I
> finally started walking up to the bar to see if I
> could get a refill because I had already been
> waiting a long time, had been trying to catch her
> attention, and I really needed something to wash
> down the dry baked potato.
>
> The restaurant wasn't even busy. There were only a
> few tables and two booths with customers, and two
> people sitting at the bar. There were two servers,
> one manager, a bartender, and various other people
> working.
>
> When it came time to pay, the server brought my
> bill and then disappeared. She came back later
> with her hands full of dirty dishes and asked if I
> was ready to pay. I said yes, and she just thrust
> her hip toward me and told me to stick my bill and
> payment in her pocket. I made an attempt to do so,
> but could not get the plastic bill holder to go
> into her pocket. So she put the dirty dishes (from
> someone else's table) on my table and tried to
> stick the bill holder in her pocket herself. It
> still wouldn't fit. So she just stuck it in the
> waistband of her pants, picked up the other
> people's dirty dishes from my table, and
> disappeared again.
>
> No. I don't think she realized I was a mystery
> shopper.


Just dirty...yuck!

I wonder where she's working now....

Sounds like she has a promising future as a cat therapist.

I have been working at being more "non-noticeable" for my shops. I am the kind of person who will start chatting with the clerk, other customers, etc and that doesn't work well when mystery shopping. I even take off my purple glasses since they are memorable. However, I think I am doing this a little too well. I am ignored at restaurants now. I want the manager to stop and ask how I'm doing and they just pass me by. The GEC ignores me completely. I see my waitress servicing other customers while I can't get a napkin or the bill. I did a restaurant on Friday with my sister and she said "They obviously didn't know you were the mystery shopper". LOL

Canuck Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I would've asked her to explain what she was doing
> and why.


I asked her very plainly what she was doing and she reared up on her hind legs and roared at me like the @#$%& of Alcatraz that she was and snarled in no uncertain terms "I don't have to tell you what I'm doing now get back to the lounge and we'll call you when the car is ready." I stood my ground and told her that she had no right to frisk my car like she was a TSA. When the shop was totally over you're darn right I complained to corporate and I don't give two hoots about the MS company not liking it.

siamese5555 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have been working at being more "non-noticeable"
> for my shops. I am the kind of person who will
> start chatting with the clerk, other customers,
> etc and that doesn't work well when mystery
> shopping. I even take off my purple glasses since
> they are memorable. However, I think I am doing
> this a little too well. I am ignored at
> restaurants now. I want the manager to stop and
> ask how I'm doing and they just pass me by. The
> GEC ignores me completely. I see my waitress
> servicing other customers while I can't get a
> napkin or the bill. I did a restaurant on Friday
> with my sister and she said "They obviously didn't
> know you were the mystery shopper". LOL

I guess that means you have developed the ability to blend in and not get noticed....

dspeakes Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I wonder where she's working now....


Probably still there. I guess there was a reason that very few people were eating there that night. The manager wasn't much better....

I don't generally drink, but I was required to purchase one alcoholic drink. At least that helped soften the experience for me a bit...