So, the GOOD!

Haringtons hair salon in London. Lured me in with a special 40% discount as I work in the area, then when I arrived I was made welcome with a friendly consultation by Lucy and also a welcome pack!

This was simply a little welcome package with my name on it and some vouchers and offers inside offering discounts on services, incentives for me to invite friends at discounted rates, and Lucy went through it all with me in a really chatty friendly manner, no hard sell. She also advised me that I could come in and get my fringe cut for free whenever I wanted it.

The whole experience was really lovely for a first salon experience - welcoming and she listened to me and my hair hopes and acted on those, not on what she envisaged my hair as. It was good. High, high, HIGH recommend.

Then the BAD

York Hall Swimming Baths...(I know calling it that makes me sound old fashioned.) On arriving at the counter asking about an NUS discount the advisor didn't bother to try and build rapport - straight into sales pitch - join this, sign that, pay this. THEN sent me up to her collegue who was clearly one of these full on Join The Gym salesmen. Sigh. Very trying. In the end I abandoned talking to anyone and just paid full price and bobbed off down the slow lane.

If they had just concentrated on giving me a great first-time-experience welcome and told me what I needed then I would have been more inclined to come back again and then MAYBE buy into a membership. Trying to sell an experience that your client hasn't experienced or heard good things about is always an uphill struggle.

Pool was Ok, company of Thomas, Mar and Tristan was what made it fun though! And I managed a mighty 10 lengths. (Mar & Tristan did around 30 each!!)

More scintilating Customer Service tales soon! (Retales gettit!) And I am going to start a Retales blog and yes I'll be sending my comments to the companies that I write about as well.

Hmpf!