Korean Job Discussion Forums

periwinkle · Joined: 08 Feb 2003

IMO, customer service is inadequate here. I have had more experiences with poor service, in comparison to good service. Why is this?

Case in point: I went to several make-up counters at different dept. stores around Seoul, and as usual, they are sold-out of my color. I asked a store when they would get their next shipment in of my color. They told me a specific date. I returned to the store on that date, and they still didn't have it. I told the clerk that they were supposed to receive a shipment, and all I get is a phony, "Solly". I give the manager my #, tell her I want to buy 4 bottles so I don't have to truck all over Seoul again, and ask her to call when she gets the color in. I figured she wouldn't, and she didn't. I finally found the color at a different store, and yes, stocked-up on 4 bottles. It was insanely frustrating.

Same thing with the hair salon I've been going to for over a year. They totally f-ed up the color, because the stylist dropped the ball (he didn't communicate properly with his intern or assistant or whatever). I spent over 5 hours at the salon (it should've taken 2, max), and not once did they apologize (well, until my husband came along), and it clearly was their fault. Anyway, my husband explains that now I have to go to an even higher-end salon to fix the color (dye it for the 3rd time), have numerous re-conditioning treatments, and I'm very upset because my hair will probably fall out (it's happened before). They give me a free trim and a mini-re-conditioning treatment (because my husband asked for it), but we still payed 65,000 won for the color, and the color is normally 50,000 won. WTF? Is it really so hard to take responsibility for your mistakes, and compensate the customer? Not the first time I've had salon fiascos, either. Man, next time I'm walking out without paying.

Anyway, do you think Korean people just aren't used to the level of customer service that we are used to? I wonder if Korean people complain. I mean, if the salon fiasco happened to an ajumma, do you think she'd just say to herself, better luck next time. Too bad it's going to cost a lot of time, energy, and money to fix this, que sera, sera?

*Sorry about my verb tenses- I'll fix it tomorrow*

Crap- I'll fix THEM tomorrow. What's wrong w/me...

peppermint · Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2006 12:09 am Post subject:

Confucianist values don't really work well in a service based economy. Surely back in the day, there were stores. . why didn't Confucius add store clerk- customer to his list of important relationships?!

ThePoet · Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2006 12:22 am Post subject:

On my recent trip to the Philippines, I met a guy who owns a business in Canada. I saw he was wearing a rather funny shirt one day, and he explained he got it for his business and all of his employees wear it. It said:

"Customer Service Representative -

I'll try to be nicer, if you try to be smarter."

Very Happy

Poet

billybrobby · Joined: 09 Dec 2004

seattlespew · Joined: 01 Mar 2006

Corporal · Joined: 25 Jan 2003

SuperHero · Joined: 10 Dec 2003 Location: Superhero Hideout

In my experience customer service in KOrea is far superior to anything you get in Canada.

Privateer · Joined: 31 Aug 2005 Location: Easy Street.

kermo · Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2006 3:51 am Post subject:

Back home, there's a policy of enforced niceness. People are generally civil, even friendly, but rarely eager to help.

Over here, I am often met with spontaneous outpourings of sweetness, and it makes me wonder whether people aren't just nicer because they don't have to if they don't want to.

Case in point: I've visited this convenience store once before. I bought toilet paper, and we giggled a bit trying to communicate with my limited Korean. She gave me a little discount, which was nice.
I approached the store today, and this ajumma (standing outside) was so happy to see me that she skipped over to the door and insisted on opening it for me. I bought some treats for my class, and she handed me a hot (canned!) coffee after I paid. Why so friendly?

SPINOZA · Joined: 10 Jun 2005 Location: $eoul

Yet again my experiences are vastly different from those reported on this board.

Off the top of my head, I recall three instances of crap service. Just three.

In Seoul, even folks on the minimum wage in Starbucks or those smoothie places in Emart are thoroughly pleasant to me. The same occurring back home by someone on a few quid an hour is largely unthinkable. Having said that, England would make a poor comparison because service in England is infamously poor. Not only crap service and incompetence but also rudeness thrown in. It's an awful lot better than it used to be but it's still far behind the US and in my opinion Korea. I don't know anything about Confucianism but it seems to pervade Korean society if what people say on here is correct. England has a culture of class-hatred whereby everyone is extremely miserable and hates everybody else. A man of relative affluence like me goes into a shop to be served by someone on mimimum wage - great service unlikely. Then again, go into some swanky shop in London and that guy doesn't like me either because he's more affluent than me. Other societies I'm familiar with are more egalitarian and this comes across in the superior service.

bigverne · Joined: 12 May 2004

You're right, in comparison to the UK, the service here in Korea is excellent, although the service in London is getting better, due to the influx of hard working Eastern Europeans who take pride in their work, in stark contrast to the native chavs who think that the state owes them a living.

peppermint · Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2006 4:18 am Post subject:

The constant comparisons between Korean and England on this board are slowly convincing me that England is one of the last places on earth that I'd want to visit. Confused

crazylemongirl · Joined: 23 Mar 2003 Location: almost there...

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Sums up my shopping in korea. The lovely lady at the MAC counter tends to my beauty needs, because I drop 150k everytime I go in. Orders stuff, gives me heaps of extra service, and does awesome makeovers. Likewise my waxist takes care of me cause I drop her a tip.

However I've been refused service, had people not do the job they were supposed to and then act like it's my problem, and been stuck waiting one to many times.

SPINOZA · Joined: 10 Jun 2005 Location: $eoul

nautilus · Joined: 26 Nov 2005 Location: Je jump, Tu jump, oui jump!

What bugs me is the restaurant/cafe service. Either the ajumma is over attentive- she just cannot resist showing you how to eat Korean food properly. Its infantilizing- half the time she is being patronising, the other she means well. Sometimes i make a show of fu*king it up deliberately to stop them in their tracks. "He didn't.... Oh my ..He used chopsticks on his bibimbap! But..he's..putting gochujang on his gimchi! Quick, stop him!".

The other thing is the lame service in the chain restaurants- TGI Fridays etc.. if you go in at a busy time, they will F**k up your order for sure. Too many customers, not enough staff: your food may take ages to arrive: probably cold when delivered: the ingredients in the picture aren't necesarilly what you recieve: they seat you safely away from koreans so as not to make them feel uncomfortable. And even then, the Koreans get served before the waygook.

And then theres the clothes markets. The hawks hovering on the edge of every rack will not leave you alone from the second you glance at their stall. they throw themselves at you then feel cheated if you walk away. Browsing is a new concept to them, and they will follow your every move.

The only idea of customer service in operation in Korea, is in education. Every little angel in a hogwon is a customer, and customers come first. So long as little darling is happy- is all that matters.