In response to our own experiences and the owners less than professional response to criticism (albeit from a couple of years ago! has nothing changed??)... Our experience has been similar to that of others and I am shocked to see that nothing has really changed. We did get explanations (only after getting visibly irritated about the lack of communication and confronting 3 staff members at various times - no one OFFERED a discussion on the why's nor did they listen to why MrX was irritated)as to why MrXgene couldn't jump (happened several visits in a row). We were told that this had to do with safety and weather yet we did get told at one point **when weather was good to go for AFF's** (their comment) that they would "just get the tandems out of the way first" - contrary to being told "no, its about safety" - well on the day it was also about bookings. Now, having said this, it is clear that there is a sense of camaraderie between the staff however, none of the customers have access to that. I would add here, that I think communication was the key to keeping customers happy on the day. To laugh at critiques (which quite frankly can help you to build your business) is simply and utterly unprofessional. Your statement (Robyn?) "I personally would be ashamed if a client ever slipped through our fingers because of our attitude" well, we called around after being let down and being spoken to like we were really undervalued and we have to say, we certainly are considering going to the competition. If you are truly worried about your attitude losing you customers perhaps the response should have been "Thank you for your very valued feedback. We endeavour to make your experience with us superb!! and we are continually learning and growing as a business. I can assure you we are taking your feedback on board and hope to address those issues asap" and then... behold! actually follow through on such a statement. But we got neither and instead saw that you insulted unhappy customers. How could you not want your business to be better? How can you suggest you value customers with that response being there? Our feedback/suggestions are below and I hope you consider this because we prefer your safety record but not your service... and we would love to continue going to you as long as we see improvement rather than stubbornness: CLEANLINESS You guys seem to make a killing, pay for a cleaning group to come out regularly and remove the webs etc especially from your kitchen! ewww!! Probably time to get rid of old faded posters and broken furniture/material/equipment -it devalues your safety record and undermines your professional credibility. SERVICE Practice smiling and listening THEN respond with respect. The customer pays you for a service not an ear full. They may not always be right but they have a right to ask questions or share frustration with your service. If that's not you, hire a knowledgeable customer service representative - someone who is great with people. To be frank, none of you are. COMMUNICATION Most of the problem we had was simply poor communication and insulting response to the frustration communicated by that. I think if you have someone perhaps in charge of updating AFF's (especially), on the hour at least but preferably after each load comes down in the plane they don't feel so ripped off! Not your style again? Get a massive whiteboard and get Mrs Manifest to mark up jump conditions for AFF's after each load. Try to fit it in to the schedule of things to do - customer service is just as important. You need to let people know you ARE looking at weather and safety issues as we just see you guys walking around - don't assume we know your job. OK, so you are in the business of putting jumpers in the air - but you are also IN A BUSINESS - I truly hope you want to grow and improve because no one is that perfect that they can't improve! Just a note on safety, on your board it states that being irritated or upset before a jump is a danger - it should be on your radar for customers- keep em happy!
