I recently had a bad experience with an Indian ops startup. I wrote a medium story, posted it on multiple networks. It worked , next day the company apologised and they sorted out the issue. But, they had to pay a price for it. It was wrong from my side to curse them on the open web. This happened because I was angry and it affected my thinking. Later I analysed the situation on how it could have been prevented.
Story in brief: I booked a paying guest with Zolo on June 2nd. I paid the deposit and rent. I confirmed with their team multiple times if I can check-in on June 6th. I had a surgery on my left knee. I can’t give it much strain. When I walked into the premise, the property care-taker asked me to come back on June 10th. I made multiple calls to customer care. I had to wait for 5 to 10 minutes to speak to their agent. Agent agrees to sort this issue and promises to call back. He never does. I post the story on multiple networks. I get a call from the company, they apologise for the inconvenience and sorts out the issue.
Things can go wrong at times. We can’t prevent screw-ups since there are too many variables in this universe. But, there is a way to deal with it. Let us analyse the initial conversation between me and the property care taker.
{I walk into the premise.}
Me : I am Febin, I have booked a room here on Zolo.
Property Care Taker : {Looks at his tablet} Yes, I know you have booked a room. But, we don’t have free rooms here. Come back on June 10th.
Me : { I go blank for a moment. I get angry on Zolo , since they assured me multiple times the room was available. I had a hard time walking in with the heavy bag putting pressure on my weak leg.}
There are two ways this situation could have been handled.
- ) If the property care taker was trained to talk to a customer.
- ) I could have thought of a logical solution instead of getting emotional.
If the property care taker was trained to talk to a customer
{I walk into the premise.}
Me : I am Febin, I have booked a room here on Zolo.
Property Care Taker : {Looks at his tablet} Yes, I know you have booked a room. But there has been a miscommunication between us and the company. The room you booked was already allocated to someone else. We apologise for the situation. We can temporarily give you a bed and a place to keep your things. You might have to adjust with a common washroom for a few days. We will compensate you for the inconvenience.
Me : That would be good. But please sort this out ASAP!
I could have thought of a logical solution instead of getting emotional
{I walk into the premise.}
Me : I am Febin, I have booked a room here on Zolo.
Property Care Taker : {Looks at his tablet} Yes, I know you have booked a room. But, we don’t have free rooms here. Come back on June 10th.
Me : {Takes a deep breath} See, I had a surgery on my left knee. It’s difficult for me to move around with this heavy bag. I just need a bed to sleep and a cupboard to keep my stuff. I am ok with a common washroom. I can adjust for a few days until the room is free. You can compensate me for the inconvenience.
As I said universe has too many variables. Bad things happen. Our response to the situation is what matters. This story is intended towards both startups and customers. Startups need to train their employees or related people to talk to their customers and handle such situations. Customers like me needs to relax and think logically instead of getting emotional.