Maybe he's going on a different night to everyone else in protest at the poor service.Originally Posted by Cruella
I am going to get there early to show support for a venue that I personally have had 1 issue with and now have been named as 1 of the moaners.Assuming you're talking about the B&W ball, you may be a bit early there Dave...
Any chance of some one bringing some tea and sandwiches for me?
XXX XX DTS Dave
I'll drop some choccies off on the way to Greenwich, how's that?
Lindyloo you may want to take a bit of time and compose yourself and then read over these posts.
When you have done that, be honest with yourself and see if you are happy with the way you have responded to all of the posts.
It is too easy to come out fighting when a more appropriate response would have been something else.
I understand that you are feeling being backed into a corner, but personal attacks on members of the forum is not the way to be going is it.
I am looking forward to the Black and White ball and I will be more than happy to buy you a nice Xmas drink.
Have a lovely Xmas and try to seperate business from personal issues.
XXX XXX DTS Dave
Hi Linda, we arrived at 8:45 and I can confirm, it was absolutely freezing.. the bar still had their coats on and we had a little joke about it.
I actually danced in my cardigan for the first few tracks.
Well i'd like to redress the balance.I'm also completely fed up with people moaning about everything,
Ashtons has always been my favourite venue mainly because of its nightclub surroundings and atmosphere.. I know we have to pay more for our drinks but I count this into the total cost of my evening and therefore I'm happy to pay more, the venue provides a proper dancefloor, decent sound system and the socialble seating areas.
Church and school halls, just don't compare
P.s. I've always found the barstaff extremely friendly.
MODERATOR AT YOUR SERVICE
"If you're going to do something tonight, that you know you'll be sorry for in the morning, plan a lie in." Lorraine
WOW
I have never seen such a reply from an organiser in all my life. As you will see there is a slight contradiction at so many levels.
Lindy Loo, i would suggest that rather than answering these issues in such a rude and offensive way, you would be better just replying that you will look into the radiator situation. If you had said that, thread would have died and we would all be smiling. Instead, I am reading this and thinking to myself, what an ingnorant response. How dare you.
What gives you the right to respond to an issue that one or a hundred people had in such an underhand manner. I have been in management for 20 years now and have thousands of clients. These clients range from turnovers of 100 pound a year to 500 thousand a year and i treat them all the same. If they make any complaints they are dealt with and in a polite and constructive manner.
I will be there on Friday and i hope that the radiators have been dealt with otherwise we could have a problem. If you know that the radiators take 4-5 hours to turn off once they have been turned off WHATS THE POINT OF TURNING THEM ON. This means that heat will be blasting out ALL night.
I would suggest an alternative be found for early evening when its cooler if possible. I would also suggest that you tone down your sarcastic attitude as this is not an acceptable response from somebody who is as you say successful in everything you do.
I would also suggest that you speak to your front staff whoever it was and see if there was anyway that situation could have been handled better.
Again, WOW, what a response.
Me too, I guess they give back what they recieve, I give them a smile and a quick chat and they do the same to me. (but the drinks are expensive) I would rather a venue was freezing when I arrived, as it will soon warm up once dancing, than it be too hot.P.s. I've always found the barstaff extremely friendly.
I think if you read my posts I was not offensive in any way and also did say that I would talk to my door staff. I responded to all comments
Am I not allowed to answer posts in a sarcastic tone because I am an organiser! but everyone else can say what they like.
Thankyou for your suggestions
Im not aware anybody has slagged off the bar staff. 'Have they?
Generally Ashtons is famous for having expensive drinks but as Lory pointed out, you know that before you go. Deal with it.
I have not found anybody at Ashtons to be rude but what i do not expect is an organiser to be sarcastic and even defensive when somebody has a valid complaint. It was boiling in venue that evening and the radiators were still blasting when we left. I did speak to the bar staff and she told me she turned off the radiators earlier. It has been explained that it take 4-5 hours for them to cool off. So yes, there should be a solution found. Most people when they arrive at a venue, keep cardies on or something till they warm up cause as we all know it only takes a couple of dances to get the blood rushing.
I like Ashtons which is why i have booked the 28th. Yes it was crowded last year and yes its a nightmare to dance but its still great. What isn't great is lack of positive response to a complaint as i have explained to Lindy Loo on the other thread.
All we ask as clients is, even if its not possible to do anything about a problem, that they understand our predicament/complaint/gripe or whatever is it and will try to rectify it or come up with a little customer bullshit if they know they can not do anything about it or dont want too.
I think you've hit the nail on the head there sis...insulting your clients when they have a complaint will just cause resentment and make things worse. But at the end of the day the B & W Ball will be heaving and LL will be counting the profits so she can do what she likes, say what she likes & give us 'moaners' the finger.
MJ and Ashtons/Galtymore go back a long way. I would have expected by now that the management would have worked out that they should warm the venue to a comfortable temperature for the start of the evening and probably turn off the heating about when there are thirty couples dancing.
I can assure you that the heating is not on high to get people to buy more drinks we leave that for the young peoples night clubs. I work at the Galtymore/Ashtons (not for Ceroc) and when I arrive its freezing and when eveyone has gone home the temperature just drops.Perhaps we could warn people not to come when everone has gone home?
St. Neots used to supply free tap water, but then sought to charge for it. Phil Roberts saw it as part of his responsibility to represent the customers interests. Ceroc should have a health related public image, and venues making more profit from water than from alcoholic drinks does not get with that. A compromise was reached. St. Neots now charges 50p for a 1 pt plastic cup which the customers can fill as often as they like from jugs on the bar. Personally I would have no problem at all paying £1 for a similar service at Ashtons. London prices, wages, overheads, etc ...Free tap water - a tricky one. Guess the water is free but, it has to be poured into a glass, a glass collected has to be paid to collect the glasses and a dishwasher has to be used to wash the glass. Charging 50p or £1 covers this. Any grievances then I would contact the venue itself - nothing to do with Ceroc.
Have a couple ofMaybe there should be no bar and Ceroc supply tap water and panda pops for the dancers.
My, my,…well I’ve been following this with some interest and that’s mainly because I know the lady who runs the door at Ashtons very well and, having been out with her and her husband last night, had an opportunity to hear HER side of the story (as we all know - there are always two sides to every story). She is not a member of the Forum which is why she’s not answered DTS’s rantings directly.
The first thing to bear in mind, and I guess this is where LL is coming from, is that the Forum and the people on it aren’t treated terribly seriously by people that look in on it from time to time. That’s because it does appear to the outside World that people who post thousands of posts DON’T have a life - it is also populated by a minority who like to express their views based on the fact that they have no actual knowledge about what they talk about – other than of course they are a dancer and they attend a venue, so feel this gives them the ability to comment seriously about a wide range of issues they know very little about.
We should not forget that the ‘right’ to express an opinion is very different to expressing an opinion of any value.
The Forum membership also represents less that 1% of the National population of MJ dancers and the ACTIVE people who post – for this read, those members who like the sound of their own voices, therefore represent around .01% of the MJ population.
The Forum is also known for being a place that likes to post criticism and is also full of people being sycophantic and luvvy – this unfortunately over rides the useful stuff posted…
So first off, a few of you seem indignant that you have been responded to in a un-professional manner. I'm sorry to have to break it to you but, given the above, you can see that’s because most of the people in MJ Nationwide believe your views are actually pretty irrelevant in the scheme of things. You represent less than 0.01% of the MJ community and although you consider yourself to be important because you’re a customer you actually DON’T represent the vast majority of customers who attend MJ events Nationwide… sorry but that’s a matter of FACT.
Then we come down to the crux of the matter: I agree customer service is important in all businesses but there is a fine line in how you respond to a complaining customer based on how that complaint is made. When a customer complains in a rude manner, you can continue to be polite or, you can respond in a like minded fashion – I guess that latter would come from weighing up how important that customer and their associations are to your business in general. With this in mind let’s just take a brief look at some of the posts on this thread and weigh them up shall we?
So the ‘complaint’ made by DTS was a public posting using 4 letter expletives, calling people ‘socially inept’, and suggesting that the staff were the ‘scrapings off the bottom of the barrel’ . In addition this showed a level of ‘ignorance’ and ‘arrogance’ by the organizers and oh… that these people should be working for ‘Hitler Youth’…
DT, who then defended his point of view, then went on to say that the organizers were ‘greedy’ and made ‘empty gestures’…
Well, I’m sorry, but if you make a complaint in that tone and do it publicly, do you REALLY expect anyone to take you seriously???? So, LL responded with a little sarcasm, can you really blame her given the torrent of abuse you threw her way!
If you really want to get results from a complaint rather than just wanting to make abusive public statements, the way to do it is to approach the organizers of an event directly. What’s the point of doing it publicly unless you want to big yourself up? If the organizers don’t respond to your complaint to your satisfaction THEN you can air your grievances in public. That’s why some people on the Forum are considered to be ‘moaners’ because they don’t act in a reasonable manner- and that is, if you have a problem, speak to people directly not via public posts, because you are more likely to get a response that way. It’s common sense, isn’t it?
As for that night. The lady in question’s reaction to your ‘complaint’ was not as dismissive as you percieved it. You have to remember that she’s normally by herself on the door and therefore has to look after the money and the computer. In addition, I don’t know if you are aware, but there are a number of people who routinely try to come into Ashtons without paying, so she cannot usually leave the desk. When you mentioned the heating she tells me that she politely informed you that she couldn’t help from where she was and that it would be much quicker and easier for you to speak to the bar staff directly, as the thermostat is located behind the bar. I gather that you then appeared to respond in an angry and aggressive manner.
Now, whilst it is true that I have this information 2nd hand, I have known the lady in question for over 7 years on both a personal and professional level and she is NOT a liar. She also gave me this information BEFORE I told her what you had said about her on a public Forum.
Having said that, my limited of knowledge of you is that you do not appear to be someone who is normally angry and aggressive, so I can only assume that either you were having an off day or that there was some confusion over what you said and how it was said, and also what the lady said and how she said it – bearing in mind that the music is fairly loud in there.
Either way, your ‘complaint’ was abusive and disrespectful and does not show you in a good light, bearing in mind that it was posted on a public Forum. It was this post and your subsequent posts that led LL to respond in kind – so you can hardly blame her for not taking you and DT seriously can you?
Last edited by Rocky; 23rd-December-2007 at 09:13 PM.
This coming from the worlds best customer relations expert.
But seriously, this is not the issue is it.
There are always two sides to every story. 'Im sure DTS was upset, he couldn't see for the sweat pouring into his eyes.
The difference however is that his rantings as you have so nicely put it, are coming from somebody who had a bad experience for whatever reason on the night in question.
The reaction to these comments could have been turned if it had been dealt with in a professional manner rather than an attack. But then again the best form of defence is often attack.
Anyway, as nobody takes this seriously, it doesn't matter does it. What you getting on ya high horse for. Oh yes, i forgot, its Rocky,.
You're missing the point - no surprise there then... No one 'deserves' an answer when they abuse the people they are complaining to - or are you totally ignoring the fact that in his first post he called the lady on the the door a 'socially inept basta*d' and in a subsequent post, 'someone who should be working for Hitler Youth?'This coming from the worlds best customer relations expert.
But seriously, this is not the issue is it.
There are always two sides to every story. 'Im sure DTS was upset, he couldn't see for the sweat pouring into his eyes.
The difference however is that his rantings as you have so nicely put it, are coming from somebody who had a bad experience for whatever reason on the night in question.
The reaction to these comments could have been turned if it had been dealt with in a professional manner rather than an attack. But then again the best form of defence is often attack.
Anyway, as nobody takes this seriously, it doesn't matter does it. What you getting on ya high horse for. Oh yes, i forgot, its Rocky,.
Now, to any sane human being that IS called ranting, or is that how you two speak to each other on a day to day basis?
Small point of information the "*******" in the original message was someone's name – not an expletive of any sort.
Let your mind go and your body will follow. – Steve Martin, LA Story
Aye aye then Rocky 1st lets deal with the swear words see Ducasi last post as I used the ladys name and it was removed by a mod.
My thread is about the reaction to my request all the other gripes need to be dealt with to the people who made then.
Double Trouble has her own valid opinions so dont tie my views with her.
The lady on the front desk was approached by me after I approached a big guy in a black jacket who stopped Trouble and I as we were heading for the desk in the main room, as we thought that was where it was situated.
Now this big guy stopped us with some authority so I thiught he worked for Ceroc, after airing the radiator issue with him he informed me he did not work for Ceroc but only helped out at this stage we were both standing near the booth.
So the 2nd person I approached was at the booth. I made my request in an agreeable way and was dismissed before I even finished it. I then turned and walked away and she opened the door and shouted up the hallway thank you in a stroppy manner I replied you have done nothing to be thanked for. At this stage i had the door to the main room open and maybe this drowned out the exchange.
I did not go to Ashtons to cause trouble I went to dance, I made a resonable request, which a lot of people was moaning about and was dismissed out of hand.
After digesting you reply I concede that the phrases "social inept, hitler youth and scrapings from the bottom of the barell and care in the community patients", was over the top and for these I apolagise.
I posted a bad review of the 1st Utopia of yours I attended and the professional way you and Val dealt with it has given me a great deal of respect for you both. So after reading your reply I have taken a step back and apolagised for certain areas of my post.
However my initial gripe remainsm The way my request was dealt with was in my opinion, badly handled, if MissyD had handled this we would not be where we are now.
XXX XXX DTS Dave
Ps this is the wrong thread for these exchanges they belong on my initial post about customer service at Ashtons. xx
Last edited by dave the scaffolder; 24th-December-2007 at 12:13 AM. Reason: why not
Ducasi I see you are still on line so at my request can you please do your mod thing and take out all nasty references in my initial post which i have apolagised for in the post above.
Thanking you in advance.
XXX XX DTS Dave
I am looking forward to the Black and White ball and I will be more than happy to buy you a nice Xmas drink.
XXX XXX DTS Dave
I'll have a vodka tonic Tx
Thanks Dave, I appreciate your comments.
Really the point I've made (and it applies to everyone who feels the need to complain) is that you should be contacting organizers direct in the first instance, not airing your grievances on a public Forum. If your compliant is then not dealt with in a satisfactory manner then by all means make that known publicly.
You are likely to get a better hearing this way, be taken more seriously, and will be treated with more respect.
Ashtons is a difficult venue to run events at, as I know from personal experience, and the lighting, the heating and the use of fans is not always under the direct control of the event organizers.
That said, it wasn't my night and I wasn't directly involved, but I'm sorry to hear that you felt that you were dismissed in the manner you describe. This certainly wouldn't be my experience of the door staff, taxi dancers and teachers that regularly work there.
Have a great Xmas and I'll see you there on the 28th.
It did rather come across that way though.
Thats just an excuse for bad customer service.
Surely good customer service is where you treat your customers with respect and politeness - no matter how ridiculous and rude they are. "weighing up" ?? that will work well for a business when the badly dressed rude person complaining is a journalist checking out your customer service
Merry Christmas to Godwin too
Rocky, that is, quite simply, a brilliant reply. In fact its text book great customer service.
Why'd you go all argumentative first ?
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