Santa Needs To Sharpen His Act - Or Lose Money

Its no longer good enough for Santa to deliver his gift with a Ho,ho,ho – customer service will be high on everyone’s shopping list this Christmas.

A new survey says poor service could cost High Street stores millions of pounds and drive customers away for ever.

Research by Retail Active, Britain’s leading shopping intelligence company, says more than half the shoppers surveyed beleive customer service has declined in the past year.

Eight out of ten wouldn’t shop again at stores giving poor service.

Almost as many said they would spend more on products at stores with good service and more than a quarter said they complain more than they did before the start of the credit crunch.


Retail Active’s managing director, Julian Chamberlain said: “Stores will be having to deal with a customer service time bomb this Christmas.

“The recession has sharpened customers’ demands and more than ever before – seven out of ten - say they are prepared to complain about poor service.

Retail Active has identified several types of shopper who can damage businesses if they are not happy.

“The most dangerous for stores is the “Silent but Deadly” type, says Julian Chamberlain.

“According to our research, nearly a third of customers never complain at all – but they never go back either. And what is worse for retailers, they tell on average nine other people about their dissatisfaction.

“If the average customer value is £100 – that means every silent complaint costs a company at least £900. These figures are confirmed by the Office of Fair Trading, which puts a figure of £935 on the cost of each complaint.

“On the positive side customers who do complain and have their complaint well handled, tell on average 12 people about the great service they received. There is a distinct commercial advantage in good customer service.

“With internet sales booming – online companies are just waiting to welcome customers disillusioned with the High Street.

“This is really a crunch year for High Street Christmas shopping. Our survey shows that customer service will be the vital ingredient in deciding whether customers stay for next year – or desert in droves.”

Retail Active is one of the UK’s leading Customer Intelligence and Mystery Shopping companies. It sends out thousands of agents every year to monitor customer service standards for a wide variety of clients in the retail, leisure, automotive and travel sectors.

Clients include household names Porsche, Lexus and Toyota, P&O, Asda, and Center Parcs.

MALE CONSUMERS SPEND 15% MORE ON LAST MINUTE GIFTS

HAPLESS MALE CONSUMERS SPEND 15% MORE ON GIFTS AS THEY LEAVE CHRISTMAS SHOPPING TO LAST MINUTE

Men who loathe shopping and only venture out to buy presents on Christmas Eve rarely get a bargain, retail experts said today.

Dubbed 'Last Minute Man' by sales assistants, he can apparently be spotted sweating profusely as he scrambles through the leftovers of the Christmas shopping rush on December 24th.

In the end he is usually pounced on by a crafty salesman who will convince him to spend hundreds of pounds on gifts never to be seen again after Christmas Day.

The research was carried out by analysts Retail Active, which has been called in by a leading supermarket to train staff to spot the stereotypical Last Minute Man and make him buy something.

It surveyed 2,000 shoppers across the country and found men are 22 per cent more likely than women to do their present-shopping on Christmas Eve, spending on average 15 per cent more than is needed.

Despairing men looking for gifts often spend in excess of £1,000, while their purchases on December 24th account for 63 per cent of all the high-value sales that day.

The firm says 1 per cent of men are so last-minute they even buy their loved-ones presents in a 24-hour petrol station during the early hours of Christmas Day.

Julian Chamberlain, managing director of Retail Active mystery shopping, said: 'Last Minute Man is a salesperson's dream - he's cash rich and time poor. He often makes a 'distress purchase', when all rationality goes out of the window.

'Last Minute Man has no list and browses haplessly from aisle to aisle before going in for the kill with a credit card.

'Often the presents are ill thought-out, over-expensive and with one in three being taken back for refunds in the New Year.

'Another Last Minute Man trait is that they do 'one-stop shopping' by buying all their purchases in just one store.

'He also shops in isolation, whereas women tend to shop together as a social event, taking in the Christmas spirit.'

Mr Chamberlain added: 'We have been coaching staff on the jewellery counters of a major supermarket chain on how to spot him and make sure he doesn't get away without a sale.

'They have to look for a man looking through a wide variety of stock, not knowing what to buy and wearing a blank expression.

'He's got money but no time and he will end up spending more than he has to. We train staff to be extra helpful, offer him a choice of gifts, make a recommendation and then close the sale. He represents an ideal sales opportunity.'

As part of the survey, shoppers were asked questions about when they shop, the value of the presents they bought and how often they had to return unwanted gifts.

Following the study, Retail Active came up with a list of top tips to help wives and girlfriends to ensure their present, and those for the family, are bought with consideration.

A potential Last Minute Man should ask family, friends and partners what they would like, write a list, shop earlier and plan a special treat for Christmas Eve when they should be shopping.

Women can apparently help their men by providing them with a list and allowing them a reward, such as a visit to the pub to watch football, once they have ticked off so many items.

It Pays to Complain - And Business Benefits Too!

It pays to complain – that’s the message from hundreds of dissatisfied customers who are cashing in on compensation from embarrassed companies.

Brits are learning that they can pick up thousands of pounds in cash, new goods and other benefits just by complaining about sloppy service or faulty products.

Terry-Anne Gulko, from Norwich, is the self-confessed Queen of Complainers. She says she’s made more money from compensation claims than from her day job.

She discovered her talent for complaining ten years ago and decided to cash in on it.

Since then she says she has made tens of thousands of pounds a year – more than she does from her job as a PR consultant.

She has complained to dozens of companies large and small after things have gone wrong and she says the secret of success is “Take your complaint straight to the top.”

It started when she booked rooms for her wedding guests with a top hotel chain.

She says: “They mixed up nearly every room and when my two year nephew became seriously ill with an allergic reaction, my sister called me for help but hotel staff couldn’t tell me which room they were in because they couldn’t operate the computer system. We had to run around calling for them.

“I took my complaint to the chief executive – after getting no response from customer services – and got a response within the hour. They ended up asking me to name my price for the mix-up with my nephew. I asked that all their staff should be sent on an extra computer training programme.

“They also gave me vouchers for more stays – but something went wrong with all of them and I had to make more complaints.”

Her next claim was over a phone installation, which ended up with a lengthy planning wrangle and Terry-Anne getting a bill £125,000 for consultancy and other work. She complained and was finally awarded £2000 compensation.

Then another phone fault led to her not getting the message about a family bereavement – and yet more compensation.

Since then she’s taken on banks, energy companies and food manufacturers. She says: “The culprits are usually big companies. The smaller ones usually care more about complaints and don’t get into expensive disputes.

She says: ”Don’t bother going through customer service departments – find out who is in charge and make your complaint directly to them. It is easy to track them down – just go onto the company web site and get their names – very often you get their email address and PA’s phone number as well.”

The findings are part of a survey by Britain’s leading Mystery Shopping company, Retail Active – who asked hundreds of its regular shoppers for details of successful compensation claims.

Retail Active’s director, Julian Chamberlain said: “Our findings show that more Brits than ever - 71 per cent - are prepared to complain about poor service – and it certainly pays to complain.

“You should be compensated if a standards of customer service and product quality are not met. It keeps companies on their toes and helps to maintain standards at all levels.

“There is a positive spin off for businesses too in settling complaints. The evidence is that when a company adequately compensates an unhappy customer – they pass on more positive feed back to more people than they would if they had had good service in the first place.

Complaints include:

• The 75-year-old gran with arthritis who needed to change trains at Milton Keynes. Station staff wouldn’t let her son-in-law onto the platform to help her and then directed her to a goods lift, where she got trapped. She was given a full-refund and extra travel vouchers – although she refuses to travel by train again.

• The mum whose toddler banged his head when a supermarket trolley seat collapsed. She was first offered a big bag of sweets – but was later given £300 when she took it to the top.

• The granddad who counted the perforations in Typhoo tea bags with a pin to prove their ad campaign that there were 100 perforations in every bag was wrong – and won a years supply.

• A bug found in a home delivery pizza. The supplier refused compensation until the customer threatened to call environmental health – and £35 was offered on the spot.

• The father who always took a notebook on family holidays and jotted down every problem and complained about them all at the end of the break – netting hundreds of pounds in compensation.

Retail Active - By Appointment to the Queen

When Optomen Television were looking for a company to supply Mystery Shoppers for their flagship TV series ‘MARY Queen of Shops’ they chose Retail Active, Britain’s leading Mystery Shopping Company.

Optomen Television were looking for a partner to supply experienced Mystery Shoppers who could be available at very short notice at undisclosed locations at opposite ends of the country. It was also essential that Retail Active could provide specific demographically profiled people to mirror the customer type of the outlets being helped by Mary Portas.

Mary is one of the UK's foremost authorities on retail and brand communication and is credited with turning Harvey Nichols into the modern fashion powerhouse that it is. What she doesn’t know about retail isn’t worth knowing.

Retail Active met the brief by supplying mystery shoppers to conduct a specific assignment as part of the filming schedule. The shoppers included Faye Blundred. Faye is a ‘Premier’ rated shopper having conducted special assignments here in the UK and overseas. Fay said, working with the Optomen TV production team was great fun and Mary is lovely. I can’t tell you anything about the programme as its top secret, but anyone interested in business and fashion will find it compelling viewing!

Julian Chamberlain, Managing Director of Retail Active mystery shopping said: “We can call on thousands of experienced consumers to give us rapid and accurate customer satisfaction feedback.

“We specialise in working with our clients to monitor standards of customer service and to pinpoint areas where improvements can be made. “Working with Optimum TV has been great fun and we are delighted to be chosen by them for our Mystery Shopping expertise.

A spokesperson for the production team at Optomen TV said: “We are delighted with the results of the filming and thank everyone at Retail Active for their help in making it a success”.

Retail Active is one of the UK’s leading Customer Intelligence and Mystery Shopping companies. It sends out thousands of agents every year to monitor customer service standards for a wide variety of clients in the retail, leisure, automotive and travel sectors.

Making a Living as a Mystery Shopper

When 25 year old Jay Cox gets home after a day’s shopping – he counts up how much he’s earned.

Jay, from Exeter in Devon, is a full-time Mystery Shopper, carrying out undercover assignments all over the country, to assess standards of customer service.

He can appear unannounced in businesses ranging from High street retailers to posh South Coast Marinas - with a brief to buy a mooring for a luxury yacht.

There’s a James Bond touch too. He often carries a concealed digital camera with a pin-head sized lens hidden in his lapel or under his cap.

Jay, who left school with just a handful of c and d grade GCSEs, says Mystery Shopping can bring in up to £25,000 year.

He started part time six years ago – and went “professional” two years ago.

He says; “Employment prospects in Exeter are not good if you don’t have any qualifications – so Mystery Shopping is an ideal career choice.

“I enjoy being my own boss, I like working with people and I have a flair for technology.

“You have to be very organised and make careful plans to maximise the number of visits and minimise travelling expenses.

“When I work in London, I leave home at 4am to start work at 9,

“I can get in between four and seven visits per day.

“I pose as a customer and make detailed notes about the quality of the customer service. The biggest thing I’ve bought is a house.

“As well as getting paid, you get to keep some of the smaller items – but obviously I had to give the house back!!”

Jay, undertakes regular assignments for Britain’s market-leading Mystery Shopping company, Retail Active Mystery Shopping.

Retail Active’s managing director, Julian Chamberlain said: “Mystery Shopping is an ideal way to earn extra cash and enjoy shopping at the same time.

“It is perfect for people looking for a second income or for students seeking to make some much-need cash.

“We employ thousands of Mystery Shoppers. Few of them want to make a living like Jay – but his case does show that if you have drive and imagination- there is no reason why it shouldn’t be a full-time job.

“Retail Active Mystery Shopping fulfils a vital role in retailing – by helping companies to constantly assess the quality of their customer service and to keep ahead of their competitors.

“All we ask is for our shoppers to be conscientious, articulate and able to recognise great service.

“You can experience top brands, restaurants, hotels and holidays – and help to make a real difference in keeping businesses on their toes.”

Going Undercover in the Heart of Sherwood Forest

The BBC2 Business programme Working Lunch went undercover in Robin Hood’s old lair in the heart of Sherwood Forest – for a modern-day mystery shopping expedition to the popular holiday resort of Center Parcs.

BBC TV reporter Rob Pittam joined a “secret service” team from Britain’s leading mystery shopping company Retail Active – as they checked on the standard of customer service at the resort.

Retail Active mystery shopping carries out undercover surveys for a wide variety of businesses across the UK, to help employers improve service levels and reward examples of excellent service.

Rob said: “There is a secret army of undercover shoppers at work across the country. Posing as genuine customers, they compile reports on the kind of service they receive. It helps companies to keep their customers loyal – especially during a recession.

“Center Parcs is one of Retail Active’s clients and we were invited to join them on one of their secret missions.”

Retail Active’s managing director, Julian Chamberlain said: “Companies like Center Parcs, who are keen to maintain the highest standards, come to us looking for ways to get feedback about their customers and ways to make a real improvement. We are part of that.

“We are seeing an increase in business during the recession – companies really want to learn more about what their customers think about them.”

Center Parcs’ management say information from mystery shoppers is vital to find out what the Center Parcs experience is like for their guests.

Sharon Matton , Center Parcs UK Guest Services manager said: “It is very dynamic, we get the information back from the mystery guests within 48 hours of the visit.

“If there is anything we need to look at or improve upon – we can do so straight away.

“We also use mystery shoppers to recognise excellent behaviour and we have some great examples of that.

“We don’t look at it as snooping – we have been very clear with our colleagues from the beginning that it is a learning tool. They actually welcome the comments and feedback.”

PICTURE: BBC2 Working Lunch reporter Rob Pittam with Janet Westwood and Julian Chamberlain from Retail Active, as they prepare for their undercover mission to the Center Parcs resort in Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire

Earn Extra Dosh Working as a Mystery Shopper

This article appeared in The Sun newspaper, Thursday 22nd October 2009


Earn extra dosh working as a mystery shopper

Join the secret service!


Fancy being paid to eat in top restaurants, go on holiday or test luxury yachts?

You could do all these things as a mystery shopper.

The job is an increasingly popular way of topping up your income and enjoying valuable perks. It also fits around your lifestyle. Paul Prowse, from financial advice website Moneymagpie.com, says almost anyone can be a mystery shopper.

He says: “All you have to do is be an actual customer in a shop or restaurant or hotel then say what you think of them afterwards. “You don’t need any qualifications but you do need excellent observation skills, a good memory and strong opinions.”

“Typically, you’ll be given a brief and a checklist of things to look out for. You need to follow your instructions (without letting anybody know you are testing them), evaluate the response and then provide feedback – usually through an online questionnaire. “For example you might go to a pizza restaurant, order some pizza and judge the cleanliness of the restaurant, the helpfulness of the staff, and the quality of the food.”

Paul adds: “Pay rates vary from company to company and depend on the work. Generally, you can expect to earn £5 - £25 per task plus expenses.”

“Make sure you find the right mystery shopping agency for you. Some department stores, like Selfridges, run their own schemes. But never pay to join a company – it’s likely to be a scam.”

Linda Smith signed up with Retail Active Mystery Shopping and ended up posing as the owner of a luxury yacht to check out facilities at a swish marina. The 57- year-old business studies teacher from Southampton says: “It is a great way to earn extra pin money and have fun as well.”

“I’ve never owned a boat but I had to read up on them and about tides so I could ask the right questions. Then I was asked to visit all their other marinas, where they gave me the red carpet treatment every time.”

“I’ve also had to check out the NHS by phoning hospitals and testing the quality of service delivered to patients.“

“You always get a full briefing on the background to the job and the questions you need to ask”

Julian Chamberlain, of Retail Active, says: “We employ thousands of mystery shoppers. It is perfect if you want a second income or you’re a student.”

“Payment depends on the size and nature of the assignment but we’ve just paid some shoppers more than £200 for a single job.”

“Plus you’re keeping businesses on their toes.”

RECESSION HITS CUSTOMER SERVICE ON HIGH STREET

More than half of High Street shoppers say customer service has declined since the recession began to bite a year ago.

A major new survey by the Customer Intelligence company Retail Active says 59 per cent of shoppers polled think service in the UK has worsened over the past year.

Eight out of ten shoppers went on to say they would refuse to shop again at stores with poor service.

However an astonishing seventy-eight per cent said they were prepared to spend more in businesses where they receive great service.



Retail Active’s director, Julian Chamberlain said: “This remarkable survey has given us a highly revealing snapshot of the effect of the recession on customer service and shoppers’ reactions.

“One very interesting factor is that 71 per cent said they would complain about bad service. This is the highest figure we have ever recorded and it shows British shoppers are no longer prepared to suffer shoddy service in silence.

“We are becoming more like the Americans and Continental Europeans in speaking out about the quality of service.

“More than a quarter, 27 per cent, of those polled said they complain more now than they did before the recession hit!

“A significant majority say they also expect more for their money in the current economic climate.

“The reasons for this decline in service standards could lie in demotivated staff, staff cuts and lack of investment in customer service and training.

“These findings will make essential reading for retailers. If they cut back on customer service and training, they do so at their peril. The figures show shoppers are put off by bad service and are taking their business to retailers who offer better service and value for money.

“Retailers are having to fight for every pound in tough conditions and just can’t afford to let standards of service slip.”

Julian Chamberlain said: “The survey shows that customers think the deterioration in service is due to lack of staff, demotivation, lack of training and staff being unhappy.

“The majority of customers said they were upset most by discourteous staff with more than half complaining about being kept waiting and being ignored.

“Inefficiency, poor presentation, lack of focus and staff chatting to each other, all rated highly on the customers list of dislikes.

Retail Active is one of the UK’s leading Customer Intelligence and Mystery Shopping companies. It sends out thousands of agents every year to monitor customer service standards for a wide variety of clients in the retail, leisure, automotive and travel sectors.

Clients include household names Porsche, Lexus and Toyota, Asda, and Tesco.

Julian Chamberlain said: “We can call on thousands of experienced consumers to give us rapid and accurate survey results.

“We specialise in working with our clients to monitor standards of customer service and to pinpoint areas where improvements can be made.

“As our survey clearly shows – customer service could be essential to survival in the current trading conditions. Customers are quite rightly demanding higher standards and their shopping behaviour is being influenced by how they are treated by staff.”

Further detailed information about the survey is available at www.retailactive.com

Lexus Wins J.D. Power Award for the 9th Time

Lexus the luxury car manufacturer has won the prestigious J.D. Power Award for a remarkable 9th time.

The 2009 UK Vehicle Ownership Satisfaction Study (VOSS) is the successor study to the UK Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI). It is based on the evaluations of over 15,700 online interviews from UK car owners after an average of two years of ownership. The study included 101 models and 29 brands.

The survey covers four measurements of satisfaction and 67individual attributes; owners provide detailed evaluations of the dealerships and their vehicles.

'Lexus consistently delivers an exceptional ownership experience for customers in the UK,' said Susan Barnes, European automotive director at J.D. Power and Associates.

Julian Chamberlain, managing director of Retail Active Mystery Shopping, one of Britain’s leading business intelligence agencies, said: “We are very proud to work with such a highly acclaimed brand that delivers such consistent excellence.

“Retail Active has supported the Lexus network for the past two years, working with them to raise the standards of the retail network. Retail Active operates at the forefront of excellence and we are delighted to work closely with Lexus GB, this award is testimony to the excellence they deliver.”

Retail Active, Start Electron, Fermi Avenue, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Harwell, Oxfordshire, OX11 0QR

+44 (0)1235 438413

www.retailactive.com

Press inquiries: John Hemmingway 0115 960 5734 - 0786 764 1983 – john@jhcomms.com

RETAIL ACTIVE JOINS MSPA EUROPE

Retail Active Mystery Shopping has attained the prestigious European membership of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA).

The MSPA is the professional trade association dedicated to improving service quality using Mystery Shopping and Customer Experience measurement strategies.

To become a member of such a highly regarded organisation Retail Active had to demonstrate its professional standards and ethical approach to business.

Members span the globe with only a handful of carefully selected companies representing mystery shopping for the United Kingdom.

On the achieving membership Managing Director, Julian Chamberlain commented “Being accepted by MSPA is a huge privilege and one we take very seriously indeed. We recognise the importance and professional standing of MSPA. This is an association who tirelessly works to raise ever higher standards in our industry. Retail Active aim to be at the forefront of excellence and we are delighted to be endorsed by them.”

Retail Active, Start Electron, Fermi Avenue, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Harwell, Oxfordshire, OX11 0QR
+44 (0)1235 438413
www.retailactive.com

Press inquiries: John Hemmingway 0115 960 5734 - 0786 764 1983 – john@jhcomms.com

Bournemouth voted the UK's top ‘staycation’ destination

BOURNEMOUTH has been voted the UK’s top ‘staycation’ destination after undercover researchers found that Basil Fawlty-style hotels have been banished.

While the worst excesses of the hopeless hotelier, immortalised by John Cleese, are being repeated at holiday accommodation up and down Britain, there are signs that in Bournemouth Basil has been given his marching orders.

Julian Chamberlain, managing director of Retail Active Mystery Shopping, one of Britain’s leading business intelligence agencies, said: “We didn’t have a single negative report from any of the Bournemouth hotels we visited.

“We did hear plenty of horror stories from many other areas but it would seem that Bournemouth has truly banished Basil.”

While Bournemouth triumphed, Fawlty Towers’ horror stories were uncovered in other resorts including its rival Blackpool.

At one B&B in Devon guests were astonished when the elderly woman owner shut the bar at 10.30 pm, announcing: “If you want your breakfasts in the morning, you will have to go to bed now.”

Mr Chamberlain added: “This year has been particularly important for the British hotel industry with thousands of British people deciding to holiday at home for the first time in many years.

“It may be 30 years since Basil Fawlty became by-words for everything that was wrong with British hotels but for many of this year’s ‘staycationers’ 2009 may he the first time they experienced British hotel hospitality.

“Many have been disappointed to find nothing has changed. But happily we can say that Bournemouth appears to have learned lessons and can virtually guarantee holidaymakers a Basil-free stay.”

Undercover agents carry out incognito visits to examine standards of customer service on behalf of clients.

In 2006 Bournemouth hotel chiefs embarked on an ambitious scheme to improve standards in the town’s hotels in time for the 2012 Olympics.

Mr Chamberlain told the Daily Echo: “The strategy appears to have paid off. It is quite unusual to give a major resort a clean bill of health but Bournemouth has given Basil his marching orders.”

STAYCATIONERS REVEAL THEIR HOLIDAY HORROR STORIES

The spirit of Basil Fawlty lives on: British 'staycationers' reveal their holiday horror stories The spirit of Basil Fawlty lives on: British 'staycationers' reveal their holiday horror stories

It's more than 30 years since he first graced our TV screens, but it seems Basil Fawlty is alive and well.
The worst excesses of the hopeless hotelier immortalised by John Cleese are still being repeated in holiday accommodation up and down Britain, undercover researchers found.

In one bed-and-breakfast establishment in Devon, guests were astonished when the elderly woman owner shut the bar at 10.30pm announcing: 'If you want your breakfasts in the morning, you'll have to go to bed now.'

In Blackpool, a couple were puzzled when another pair kept asking them up to their room for late-night drinks.
They finally lost their patience when they were sent a note via room service saying rooms 3, 24 and 38 would like to join them.
When they complained to reception they were told they had booked on a swingers' weekend, but nobody had told them.
In another case uncovered by researchers, a couple who booked a 'romantic weekend break' at a country house hotel were given an attic room which turned out to be infested by bees.
During the night they were woken by a buzzing noise, and one of the guests was stung. And a guest in a Morecambe bed and breakfast had to teach two hotel assistants how to make up the bed when they were sent with fresh linen after she complained about the cleanliness.

The stories were uncovered by research company Retail Active Mystery Shopping which sends out thousands of ' mystery shoppers' every year to monitor service and performance in B&Bs and hotels across the country.
Julian Chamberlain, the company's director, said: 'It may be three decades since comedian John Cleese created the befuddled hotelier Basil Fawlty for the TV series, but our reports show there are still some Fawlty Towers experiences to be had - especially in some of the smaller B&Bs.
'With the prospect of more British holidaymakers staying at home this year, it is vital that all hotels come up to standard.
'Generally, British accommodation has improved dramatically since the days of Fawlty Towers.
'But, as our reports show, there are still some areas where Basil Fawlty is alive and well.'
Hotel bosses who follow the Basil Fawlty approach to hotel management have not always come away unscathed.
Andy Hageman, 43, who runs the Mortons House Hotel in Corfe Castle, Dorset, was kneed in the groin and punched in the face after a terse response to a guest.

The hotel owner was paid thousands of pounds in compensation after Ian Peters attacked him as they rowed over a room.

Peters, a 63-year-old architect, had insisted he should not have to pay for his stay because he had been kept awake by noise from the kitchens.

But Mr Hageman refused to waive the fee, saying: 'What I can't stand about people like you is you come and stay at my hotel and expect to be able not to pay for it.'

Infuriated by the comment, Peters wrestled the hotel owner to the floor where the scuffle continued until the police arrived.

Peters, from Purley in Surrey, was then arrested and charged with assault. The hotel manager - likened to Basil Fawlty by former TV newsreader Sue Lawley - was off work for weeks as a result of the attack.

He sued Peters for loss of earnings and for the injuries he suffered. Although the case was due to be heard in a civil court, Peters agreed to settle beforehand by offering Mr Hageman a five-figure sum.

WE ARE COMPLAINING MORE ABOUT SHODDY SERVICE THANKS TO

We are complaining more about shoddy service – thanks to the Recession.

A record number of shoppers say they are prepared to complain about shoddy service.

Three out of four shoppers polled in a recent survey say they won’t suffer in silence any more – and will stand up to sloppy staff.

A major new survey by the Business Intelligence company Retail Active says 59 per cent of shoppers think service in the UK has worsened over the past year.

Retail Active’s director, Julian Chamberlain said: “This remarkable survey has given us a highly revealing snapshot of the effect of the recession on customer service and shoppers’ reactions.

“One very interesting factor is that 71 per cent said they would complain about bad service. This is the highest figure we have ever recorded and it shows British shoppers are no longer prepared to suffer shoddy service in silence.

“We are becoming more like the Americans and Continental Europeans in speaking out about the quality of service.

“More than a quarter, 27 per cent, of those polled said they complain more now than they did before the recession hit!

“A significant majority say they also expect more for their money in the current economic climate.

Eight out of ten shoppers went on to say they would refuse to shop again at stores with poor service.

However an astonishing seventy-eight per cent said they were prepared to spend more in businesses where they receive great service.

“The reasons for this decline in service standards could lie in demotivated staff, staff cuts and lack of investment in customer service and training.

“These findings will make essential reading for retailers. If they cut back on customer service and training, they do so at their peril. The figures show shoppers are put off by bad service and are taking their business to retailers who offer better service and value for money.

“Retailers are having to fight for every pound in tough conditions and just can’t afford to let standards of service slip.”

Julian Chamberlain said: “The survey shows that customers think the deterioration in service is due to lack of staff, demotivation, lack of training and staff being unhappy.

“The majority of customers said they were upset most by discourteous staff with more than half complaining about being kept waiting and being ignored.

“Inefficiency, poor presentation, lack of focus and staff chatting to each other, all rated highly on the customers list of dislikes.

Retail Active Mystery Shopping is one of the UK’s leading Customer Intelligence and Mystery Shopping companies. It sends out thousands of agents every year to monitor customer service standards for a wide variety of clients in the retail, leisure, automotive and travel sectors.

Clients include household names Porsche, Lexus and Toyota, P&O, Asda, and Center Parcs.

Julian Chamberlain said: “We can call on thousands of experienced consumers to give us rapid and accurate survey results.

“We specialise in working with our clients to monitor standards of customer service and to pinpoint areas where improvements can be made.

“As our survey clearly shows – customer service could be essential to survival in the current trading conditions. Customers are quite rightly demanding higher standards and their shopping behaviour is being influenced by how they are treated by staff.”

Top 10 Hotel Hates

What’s your top hate when you check in to a British hotel?

Researchers from the leading UK Mystery Shopping company Retail Active monitor standards in hundreds of hotels every year.

They’ve compiled the top ten pet hates – based on their extensive findings:


1. DIRTY ROOM : linen, carpets, bedding , other peoples belongings etc
2. NOISE : roads, banging doors, antisocial guests
3. UNWELCOMING CHECK IN : knowledgeable, miserable, uncaring staff
4. BEDROOM HEATING : too hot or too cold
5. BROKEN EQUPMENT : remote controls, hair dryers, mini-bar fridges
6. POOR FOOD : cold, not as described, poorly prepared, low quality
7. PARKING : dirty, poorly illuminated, unsafe/ not secure, away from the hotel
8. UNCOMFORABLE BEDS & PILLOWS
9. QUEUES, checkout and restaurants
10. POOR VALUE FOR MONEY

And just for good measure there’s a close runner-up at number 11 -
Leisure facilities being closed for maintenance or due to no staff cover

Retail Active’s director, Julian Chamberlain said: “With the British hotel industry poised to enjoy its biggest boom in home-grown tourism for many years – there are still too many examples of poor service.

“The standard is generally high – but our agents still come back with some horror stories.

“There is no excuse for some of the examples in our top ten hates and they dent the reputation of the whole industry.”

“Our job is to help companies improve their service to customers. The British hotel industry needs to root out these poor performers and give stay-at-home holidaymakers the welcome they deserve.”

Retail Active is based in Oxford and has a growing list of prestige clients.

Compliance Auditing

Compliance auditing allows your company to test the strengths of your business management system as they relate to your current responsibilities. Compliance auditing also checks on the implementation of your companys written procedures. Compliance auditing is a robust process that generates impartial, accurate and independent feedback which verifys and evaluates whether the specified criteria is followed and met.

By taking part in compliance auditing, it can add strategic value to your business as well as growth in your profits. Compliance auditing makes a lasting improvement to your business. When compliance auditing is taking place, all of the results are recorded in many different ways from digital photos to online reportage. These reports produce detailed action plans and informs you as a company what measures and actions are needed to take to improve any areas that need attention.

Retail Active are one company that undertakes Compliance auditing. Their Compliance auditing programme is second to none and is designed to be completely unique for each of their clients. All of their Compliance auditing team are trained to the highest level and their experience in compliance auditing has enabled them to improve value and profit to many of their clients. Retail Active work hard to build up valuable relationships with their clients and provide support before and after any visits. This is why so many clients put their trust in Retail Active.

If you would like to know more about Retail Active Compliance Auditing, please contact them on 01235 438413 where you will find friendly and approachable staff ready to answer any of your queries.

Mystery Shopping Training

"I work in retail and my company realised we needed to improve our customer service and the way we were treating our customers, we just didn’t know how to go about it. I did a search on the internet and found a mystery shopping company called Retail Active.

Retail Active specialise in using customer research as the basis of their mystery shopping training. They are based in Oxfordshire in the UK and knew exactly how we could improve the way we treated and looked after our customers. In this economic climate it is more important than ever to be fully aware of what our customers were thinking. Our customer’s satisfaction is very important to us, we wanted to act on their feedback straight away to avoid losing those precious pennies and customers.

Retail Active not only offered us a Mystery Shopping Training programme, they also offered us an award winning Customer Service Training programme, where they were able to help our staff improve on their customer service skills. Within this programme they identified some minor customer service issues we had and compiled us a plan of action on how we could improve. The changes that we have seen are amazing and we are already getting comments from our customers saying that they have noticed the difference in the way our customer service has changed.

Retail Active also supplied us with customer service training games which were available at gamethingy.com. These were innovative training games that all of our staff thoroughly enjoyed. No more falling asleep in meetings and training rooms for our staff. These games transformed the way we thought and felt. With Retail Active at the end of the phone to help with any queries, we could and still can guarantee to be the best and stand out from our competitors.

This is the best business decision we have ever made, so if you are thinking about customer service training or mystery shopping training within your business, I would definitely recommend Retail Active."

For more information on Retail Active Mystery Shopping services or Retail Active Customer Service training sessions or materials, then you can call them on 01235 438413 or visit their web site at www.retailactive.com.

Benefits of Secret Shopping in the UK

Where are your customers going once they have visited your store?

Just imagine for one moment the horror of having no customers in your store. Would you be satisfied that you have a successful business? The answer is absolutely not!

Customers are critical to the success of every business, so it makes complete sense that the better you make the customer's experience, the more successful your business will be. This is especially true in demanding times when all businesses are competing for every penny and every customer.

The unfortunate business reality is that your competitors are very similar to you. They have a good location, good product range, smart premises, easy parking and good staff. So the key to winning the loyalty of your customers is determining how can you persuade customers to come to your business rather than your competitors.

One of the best secret shopping companies called Retail Active develops world class Secret Shopping programmes. Their programmes help determine the key reasons why shoppers are satisfied or dissatisfied with the service and experience you provide. Retail Active helps build a clear picture of the trends and opportunities to help establish a clear lead ahead of your competitors.

Where Retail Active is different from all other Secret Shopping Companies is that they use award winning training methodology to design and implement solutions to real life business challenges. This is a unique process where the consumer insight is the basis of future staff training.

Retail active are helping companies grow year on year (even in tough markets) by providing clear and concise customer insight about service culture and where it needs to be.

Mystery Shopping in the UK - Secrets Revealed

What is Mystery Shopping?

Many companies contract market research companies to evaluate the quality of service within their business; these mystery shopping companies use mystery shoppers to obtain the information anonymously. They brief a mystery shopper to use the services or facilities in a shop or restaurant, for example, and then report back on the experience. Usually the mystery shopper is then reimbursed, and often can keep the product or service.

If you love to shop or eat out you may have been tempted by websites and unsolicited emails claiming that you can earn money as a mystery shopper. Sometimes unscrupulous mystery shopping promoters try to tempt people by offering meals at prestigious restaurants, shopping at luxury shops or staying at five star hotels. Unfortunately the reality is that most marketing companies fail to live up to the hype and do not deliver great mystery shopper opportunities.

According to Retail Active (a leading Mystery Shopping Company) mystery shopping is best considered as a part-time activity. Retail Active offer mystery shopping opportunities online at www.retailactive.com this enables their carefully selected and registered mystery shoppers to select the assignments they want to participate in.

On the flipside there are fraudulent mystery shopping organisations that promote the impression that they can offer lucrative mystery shopper jobs with reputable companies. These jobs are often fake and require unsuspecting potential mystery shoppers to register and then pay a fee for information about a job or list of mystery shopping companies. Retail Active warns that you should NEVER pay money to anyone to become a mystery shopper. Remember lists of reputable Mystery Shopping companies are available for free with legitimate mystery shopper jobs widely published on the Internet. Reputable mystery shopping companies such as Retail Active offer jobs via the internet in a secure and professional environment. Remember legitimate companies don’t charge an application fee!

Mystery Shopping Facts

1. Search the Internet for mystery shopping companies that are accepting applications.

2. Only submit applications online.

3. Becoming a legitimate mystery shopper for a legitimate company doesn’t cost a penny

4. Do some homework about mystery shopping and be sceptical of mystery shopping organisations promoters who advertise by unsolicited email.

5. Never buy mystery shopping directories online from companies that provide mystery shoppers

6. If you think you have encountered a mystery shopping scam contact the police.

For information on how to register to be a mystery shopper with Retail Active visit www.retailactive.com