Saturday 6 February 2021

Pan De Loco and A Lesson In Real Customer Service

(Pan de coco with human hair)

I was having a nice morning having merienda when I realized it was human hair sticking out of the pan de coco that I bought from a local bakery whose name consists of a letter repeated four times.


Like what I did last year when I bought ensaimada that had a fly in it, I went back to the bakery to complain (read blog here).😡


Just as I expected from this bakery (which I think has the same owners/management as the ensaimada issue but different locations), they just offered another piece (Php 5/each), which I immediately refused as it probably contains another human hair.


But after I told the head tindera that they at least should apologize for feeding me with human hair, she readily gave one.


But it was too late. I told her they didn't know anything about real customer service, sanitation, and how to appreciate a customer who goes out of his way to point out lapses in their food preparation. Right there, I promised not to buy their pan de coco again. 


With my disappointment, I walked a few meters east to an area where vendors from Manapla sell their homemade delicacies.


Compared to the wealthier and educated businesspeople in the same area, these small vendors know better the term 'customer service'.


'Sabeth', a 70-ish vendor from Kilometer 39, gladly gave me an extra 'bot-ong' (steamed glutinous rice cooked with coconut milk) just because she was happy I bought 'bot-ong' and suman latik from her that morning.👩

(Buying suman latik and 'bot-ong' from Sabeth)


Sabeth may not have a degree in business nor an experience in marketing or econometrics but she and her fellow street vendors can always teach us a thing or two about the real customer service and customer relations.😎


So, to all businesspeople, make sure the products you sell are what your customers expect them to be or even better. If you sell pan de coco, make sure it's stuffed only with sweetened coco and not human hair. Otherwise, it's pan de loco! 😡


And teach yourself and your crew the real customer service. Because you will lose not only customers, but respect as well.😎

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