Devils Bar: A Lesson on Customer Service? :: e-Clubbing :: Nightlife Singapore

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 :: Devils Bar: A Lesson on Customer Service? :: (4978 Reads)

Posted by clubber on Monday, September 18, 2006 - 09:57 AM

Recently, Nadya celebrated her 21st birthday in Devil's bar. Everything was arranged before hand but somehow things did not turned out as planned. Here's a tale to tell of her fiancee's and her email to Devil's bar and their response...
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My fiancee's email:

To whom it may concern,

I wrote in through your website a week ago and yet to receive a reply. Therefore i am sending an email.

I wish to write an official complaint to the management of Devil's bar.

I went there on the 28/07/06 to celebrate my fiancee's 21st Birthday. I have already reserved a table 2 weeks in advance for 10 persons in the live band room. I did this twice to make sure i have the reservation. I called the first time and i went down personally the second time. K*, the guest relations officer checked the reservation book and my name was there. I told her that i wish to double confirm that i have the reservation. She told me that i have to come before 2115 hrs to get the table. I even applied for a membership for the "HOT" card. Membership No is M11XXX.

On 28/07/06, I reached there with my fiancee at 2100 hrs to claim my reservation. I went to the live room and was told that i do not have a reservation. One of the staff told me to go down to level 1 to check my reservation. Obviously, my name was in the reservation book but surprisingly, i do not have a table when i have already confirmed my reservation twice. Your staff, B***, said that she will try to help us get a table. We waited for half an hour and she came back with news that she do not have a table for us. She then offered an alternative by giving us two tables in the chill out room. This arrangement was done between B*** and I***. Since its still only around 2200 hrs, the chill out room is dead. so we told B*** that we wish to hang around the live room till the music in the chill out room starts playing. She offered us a place to STAND around in a corner. To my amazement, there was still many tables empty when K* told me that when you reserve a table in the live room, you have to claim it before 2115 hrs else the table will be given away.

So what i want to know is why these tables are not given to me? Do you have a special membership other than the one that i have?

There is more to come. Rather than standing around aimlessly without a table to put our drinks on, we made our way to the chill out room. Our friends start coming in. At around 2315 hrs, I*** came to one of our table and told my friends to move away from that table. He told me that i only have one table. There was nearly 20 of us and he expects us to share one table when it have been arranged that i have two?

I told him to check with B**. B** came up and confirm that she has given us two tables. YET, they want me to move to ONE table. All these happening on my fiancee 21st birthday party, and she was there to witness it all. Needless to say, you ruined it for her.

Instead of making it better the first time, you made it worse. I was talking to B*** and I*** about the situation and they refused to just let me have that one table. More and more of your staffs came to join in the discussion. Even the bouncer joined in. As if i was trying to make trouble. Let me stress this. YOUR staff were at fault. Yet you turned it against me. After all these, your staff still REFUSE to let me have the table. They told me to make a complaint later but i have to give up the table. It is not everyday that she have her 21st birthday.

Not until one of her friends talked to your staff saying something about knowing the owner or something that you let us have the table. The rest of the night all your staff treat us as if we owe them something.

I want to know, what is the point of having a reservation book? Why bother taking in reservations? Why is some of the table in the Live room still empty at 2230hrs? What is the point of applying for the membership card when it means nothing to be a member? Why were we treated this way? I want to know all of the above.

My fiancee's party was ruined because of you.
I expect to hear from you soon.

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Devils Bar wrote:

Thank you for your patience. As you may know that we're also opening another 9 outlets at St James Power Station, therefore, kindly pardon me for my delayed reply.

We've gathered feedback and I believe that there is a communication breakdown between you and the staff. Our service staff has always been on top of reservations as you know Devil's bar is built on a very strong group of regulars and members.

I'll like to buy you and your fiancee a round of drinks to make up for your experience and do be assured that our serivce to our members & customers have always been a top priority.

Let me know when is good for you.

By the way, our R&B night on tuesday, 29th Aug has a special guest artiste Def* Soul performing. If you like, I'll see you tomorrow?

much thanks,

Marketing Manager

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I replied:

Dear Marketing Manager,

In reference to your email to my fiancee, I think you are quite oblivious to the fact that I would never want to step in Devil's bar again due to the fact that I was treated as an enemy more than a member. I would want it to be made known to you; On the night of 28th July 2006, which was painstakingly planned, was simply ruined on not just one but several occasions, in just a span of 5 hours, maximum.

I am in the similar line to yours and I know very well how not to treat a customer, what more a member. Please be clear that the miscommunication was among your staffs and none on my fiancee's part. My group was literally treated like dirt, kicked to one table to another. It was evidently stated that my fiancee reserved a table of 10, but it seemed that your staffs could not care less about our well-being as customers whom spent at least 3 of your premium bottles.

You can save that round of drinks to yourself because my only 21st birthday and my fiancee's pride, is worth more than a round of drinks. Apparently, you and I have the same decree of pride, considering the contents of your email lack the word, sorry. How do you react if say, your outlet has been badly vandalised and I wrote to you the following day, "Hey, my bad... Whiskey Coke? My treat. What say you?"

What appalled me the most was when more than 2 of your staffs have claimed that if me or my fiancee found their service unsatifactory, feel free to complaint!!! That concerns me how you deal with complaints. I leave it to you to do the cerebration.

Ultimately, I would like to make a proposition. If you intend to open other successful outlets, I advise you to make sure your current one, run smoothly.

Lastly, my fiancee still has these questions yet to be answered:

1) What is the point of having a reservation book?
2) Why is some of the table in the Live room still empty at 2230hrs?

If to this date, you can't simply find a substitute for the emotional agony that I underwent, my fiancee's loss of pride and cost of his embarassment. I and my friends can simply judge you professionally. Other than that, there's always the ST Forum.

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Devil's Bar wrote:

Dear Nadya,

First and formost, I apologise for making you feel that i have a ""degree of pride" to apologise to you, that trigger such an angry email from you.

I do understand that you're upset and I can't do any better, except to make up and apologize on behalf of the bad service you've received, when I intended to do so personally.

To answer your questions:

1) What is the point of having a reservation book?
- we need the reservations book to check on confirmed reservations. Does your Fiancee have the name of the person who confirmed the reservation? I understand from K* that she did not receive the reservation orders. (Nadya: trying to imply i'm lying?!)

2) Why is some of the table in the Live room still empty at 2230hrs? - it shouldn't be, unless we're absolutely sure that the customer is turning up. As per my understanding, there were'nt any tables for that night, they would have given it to you if there was. (Nadya: rubbish! they gave us a place to stand and the cool part was surrounding us was two empty tables. when asked whether we can have these tables, "No! They are reserved."?! what about my reservation?)

No matter what, member or not, nobody should be treated like dirt anyway, and I do sincerely sympathised for the fact that your night has been ruined. You mentioned that B**** attented to you and offered two tables for you at the chill out zone. - which goes to say that your requests were attended promptly but just that it was not to your expectations. I've feedback this matter to the ops managers and all the staff have been given a briefing in regards to handling reservations. We will reiterate to all our staff to step up on our service culture.

Once again I apologise for your experience. I can be reached at 96701XXX(i feel its better this way as i don't want everybody to look for her..) should you need to speak me personally.

Best Regards,

Marketing Manager

In another words devil's bar has no other way in dealing this. So therefore, I email this to you for others to judge....... (",)