BI Security Guards need a smackdown! (this is not an entreaty to violence)

I was working until 945 the other evening and discovered my jacket was locked into a storage room. When I went to the security desk to ask for help, I was given the rudest treatment. It was mostly tone of voice.
SG "What are you still doing here? We closed 20 minutes ago!"

Me "Um yeah, I was sitting up on C2 and no one told me to leave. Can you come..."

SG to other SG "Why didn't you clear C2? What the hell were you doing?"

Me "um, I just need my"

SG to me "hold on..." then to colleague "no seriously, why didn't you clear that floor?"

Me, getting angry, "Excuse me, your conversation is neither here nor there, I just need my jacket, and I can get out of here."

I start walking toward the storage room, and she followed. She said from behind me "You're supposed to be out of here by 9:30. You're supposed to know that!"

I chose to just keep my mouth shut. It just wasn't worth it.

I grabbed my jacket, said "thanks" and got out of there.

This is really not an isolated incident. The security staff is almost always rude to us students. There is no culture of service, no sense that they should they should even treat us with respect. I can understand that are probably not treated well by many of the students, but that does not excuse the behavior. A simple bit of training, and putting some better processes in place would have avoided the whole situation. A culture of respect needs to be implemented from the top down, and there should be a system in place for students and staff to let BI and the security company know when there are problems. I will investigate that further myself.

so many restaurants, so little time

New Year's Eve we went to Zoria's in Sarasota. We arrived early, but were promptly seated. I appreciated their ability to be flexible with us. Food was excellent, service was ok. It's hard to fault the kid a whole lot, he's just a bit inexperienced to be working in fine dining. Lots of little details that he just doesn't understand, and a poor grasp of the wine list, which obviously hasn't been taught to him, so I blame management. The manager stopped by the table once to check in, and the bar manager did a great job with the champagne. I didn't bother bringing up anything with the manager, I was enjoying my meal on a special occasion with friends and family.

Last night we went to Crab & Fin in St. Armand's Key. Excellent service. Doug was on the ball, knew the menu, knew the wines, knew the fish (could describe flavor and texture, and make comparisons to more common fish we were likely to know!!). Personable without being overbearing, the right attitude for an upscale casual place. Overall a much better meal than we had on New Year's, for $150 less on a table for 6.

Maximo's

At dinner tonight, the wait assistant brought over some Voss water, sparkling. It was flat, and she seemed reluctant to get us a different bottle. When she came back with a new bottle, we asked her to get us new glasses, and she grabbed our glasses and poured the flat water into the plants over the fence, and put the glasses back in front of us. I could not stop laughing. Then she was talking loudly with the bartender about partying and "getting wasted" and boyfriend stuff. Very strange to have a conversation about that kind of stuff in earshot of the customers, I think.

The waiter forgot the bread, the other WA's were also fairly inept, the owner speaks Afrikaans (that has nothing to do with anything), the manager was not present, and the food was overpriced.

But the food was great, and the setting is nice.

Discovered today that I got overcharged at the bar last night. She didn't take a drink off the check that was wrong. Chick owes me 5 bucks.

The Beach Club

Was out with my brother last night at the Beach Club, here on Siesta Key in sunny Sarasota. It's the kind of place I avoid at home, but gladly go to when I'm on vacation, because that's what is there.
The waitress, Anna May, was good, very attentive. What was interesting to watch was another waitress that kept coming by. Normally I appreciate the teamwork approach, but this felt like she was trying to poach the table from our waitress. I had a tab running with Anna May, and she knew that. Just seemed strange, the attitude she had. The goodnight we got from Anna May, however, seemed a bit cold, considering she had been so warm and friendly the whole evening. Like she had my money and now was done with us.

Bought an iPod at Circuit City today. While it took a few minutes before we got help, I got good service from the kid when he arrived. He knew the product line well, and I got what I needed, especially on the information side. Didn't try to sell me anything I didn't need. I have boycotted that chain for 6 years, previously, due to bad service, and was still reluctant to go in there, but I don't know this town, and I wanted to get the player now. So there.

more air travel

At the Wolfgang Puck Express at the Minneapolis airport today, my family and I ordered lunch, and when we went to get a table, we realized that not a single table in the place was clean. Not one. I wiped one off myself, while the staff stood behind the counter and watched me. Pathetic, eh? I couldn't be bothered to call them out on it.
I'm on vacation, dammit.

Flight with NorthWorst was fine. That's as good as it gets with them, I think.

Dinner at Siesta Key Oyster Bar. The hostess wasn't hired for her skills. The server was good, once he finally got to our table. I'll give him some slack, the place was jammed. I've been in his shoes before.

The driver was the airport down here to Sarasota was excellent. Polite, nice, gave some recommendations for restaurants, didn't talk on her cell the whole time (she actually made a point of being very brief on the phone, much appreciated). We'll call her for a ride back when we leave next week.

dog booties

Bought some booties for the dog today. The girl at the shop was real helpful, though didn't show me all the options until I asked. They also didn't have the various products next to each other on the racks, which I thought was strange.

Went to Treehouse to get some CDs, I love that shop. Smells like an old school record shop, which it is.

Had a great time at the Bulldog last night as well. I love that they remember my favorite beer. Not bad when I haven't been there in 4 months.

iceland air further

Well, there was no problem getting checked in. they didn't even want to see my e-ticket, just my passport. Which was fine. Except that then he said very nonchalantly that was a four hour delay. I said, "excuse me?"

OK, not much I can do when Keflavik is socked in with fog. I'm not the Cold Miser.

But the gives me a voucher worth 20 Euros to buy some lunch while I wait at the airport. Do you know how much 20 Euros buys in an airport restaurant? A burger.
That's it. One crappy burger that got slapped with mayonnaise (which I hate!). Undercooked bacon, half a fucking onion, tomato wedges(aren't slices more appropriate?), two different kinds of fries. But no drink. There was not enough money to buy a Coke to go with my burger. Pathetic.

The Salmon House at the airport charges 60% more per kilo of geitost than at any grocery store in Norway. I should've known I'd get screwed there, too.

Otherwise the flight was fine, except for one family complaining like they were the only ones who had been waiting an 5 hours. We politely explained to them that we were all in the same boat and that they should shut the fuck up.

Off to do last minute Christmas shopping. Should be fun!

iceland air cont.,

I booked my ticket online to got to the states for the holidays, and the new US regs. require tons of info about the passengers. The Icelandair website attempts to solve this by letting you put in info there, even allowing you to go back and add info or change it after you have booked the ticket. The problem i have is that it says I need to use the credit card i paid with as secondary i.d. This would be fine, except that I used my Dad's card, which I don't have in my possession. And there is no place you can change that bit of information.

So I called Icelandair at their Norwegian number and got a woman who sounded like she was from India, who spoke very broken Norwegian. She asked me to switch to English almost immediately, which was fine, but you'd think they would try to staff the Norwegian customer service line with a stronger speaker. Anyway, she assured me I don't need that credit card, even though it says so on my ticket and the website.

This could make for some fun on Friday.

iceland air

big pain in the ass with the reservation system, though I think I have to blame the US government for this one. details tomorrow.

goggles

I tried to order some goggles for my Dad for Christmas online. OpticsPlanet.com
While I apprecitate that they try to prevent credit card theft and fraudulent orders, their process for dealing with it is not very easy, especially for me who is half a world a way and they want me to fax them a form? There are better ways to deal with this. I don't understand why the US banks haven't adopted the process I use here, with the little code generator combined with a password. That works pretty slick.

I'll have to go to REI on the 23rd, I guess.

Oh my god the smell...

You would not believe the smell inside the taxi last night. It was the driver. The worst body odor I may have ever smelled. Worse than a hippie! Who the hell do I tell about this one?

Also, he had no idea where he was going and we got totally overcharged. But at 4 in the morning, who has the energy to complain?

No use trying to teach this dog any new tricks

The Post Office. that's right.
I received a slip saying that I had a package to pick up at the post office which didn't fit in the mailbox. Of course I managed to lose the slip. So I went down there anyway, and they said they couldn't help, and without the slip, there was no way they could find it.
It seems they put a sticker on the packages and then file them away, without any method of cross-referencing the name to the number. Now, I know that they could do this if they wanted, since they have scanners that read and sort mail. Or they could file it under "S", for my last name. Instead, it was in slot 6606. I figured that out when I found the slip later. I received a reminder slip 2 full weeks after I got the first one. The lady at the post office told it would only be one week until I got a notice, and I would just have to wait.
I tried to explain to them that their system didn't make any sense, and she just said "that's how we do it. Next!"
After that, you don't want to know how rude I was to her in return... I was so angry, my Norwegian turned into babble as I was walking away.

The bus that got away

Coming back to the bus that drive right past me and 20 others last Saturday night. I have not written to Oslo Sporveier this time. I understand that they will give me a refund of the price difference for the taxi, at least that's what they claim. I, however, have not managed to keep the receipt, which is of course necessary to get the refund. Which is also why I am not bothering to follow up this time.

Went to Baerums Verk the other day. Raining like hell, so it wasn't' as interesting gas it could have been. The woman who gave the tour was very enthusiastic about the ovens. Food was ok at the Brasserie after, though there was no dressing on the salad. When I asked, they brought out some sort of dressing that was bland as hell. Boring. Terje said there was too much meat. How can there ever be too much meat?

Going home for Christmas soon. Doing most of my shopping online. Love Amazon.com. It's so easy, I can buy everything cheap and have it sent to my parent's house. This way, I avoid the crush of holiday shoppers on the 23rd when I get home.

At Stargate last night I stepped out for a smoke, and then was held at the door when I tried to get back in, because it was too crowded. I told the doorman my beer was on the table over there with my friends and just walked past. He didn't try to stop me. What a maroon...

Apparently it takes a genius

to run a gas station. The convenience store, anyway. At the Esso - On the Run c-store up the street, I am always amazed at the poor service. The other night, the cashiers were changing over, and the one who was leaving counted her drawer at the register. While no other register was open, while a line was growing and growing. First rule. Never count your cash in front of customers. It's not safe. It would have been easy to grab the cash from the counter and run. Lucky for me, I'm not a thief. It's also rude. Rule 2. The manager should know his job. He stood right there and did nothing. To me, the customer, it looked like 3 people just standing around with their thumbs up their asses. It should be possible to make a seamless transition. Excuse yourself to the next customer, print your report, pull your drawer, new person in, drop the drawer, punch in, greet the customer. 15 seconds, max. I stood in line about 5 minutes last night.
There is obviously no training there. One night I watched the manager and 3 others try to figure out how to use the money-order printer. No one was manning the register and there were 30 people in the store, most of them hungry after the Vålerenga match. They all spent 5 minutes looking at a blank postgiro and trying to put it into the machine, and none of them acknowledged anyone. No apologies to anyone for making us wait. It didn't just happen once, I've seen this problem other times, actually.

I understand it is hard to get c-store employees to care a whole lot, since they make crap for money, but..... wait, this is Norway, they get paid excellent for a c-store jockey. That's right, it's Norway, no history or understanding of service...

arbitrary

Arbitrary is the word of the day. I was at a bar called Internasjonale on Youngstorget this past Friday, with a couple friends, one of whom is 23 years old. They wouldn't let her in. They said she was too young. Now, there is no law that says she can't come in, and she was dressed better than me and the other guy I was with, so it wasn't that. They set age limits apparently to keep out the younger, more rowdy clientele. This is idiotic and yes, arbitrary. They pull a number out of their asses and say you have to be 24 or 26 years old. I just don't understand the concept. The bouncer, of course, could have made an exception, but, hey, he didn't make the rules, he just has to enforce them. That's fine. We took our business elsewhere, and probably won't be back.

Pissed off at the bus company again. The driver drove right by 20 people standing at the stop for the nightbus, at 4 am. He saw us, and just kept going. What an asshole. I suppose I have to write to the bus company again...

Typical shopgirl

I went to get some moisturizing cream for my face the other day, and upon entering the Vita Apotek (normal drugstore) I was offered help by this little blond girl in her early 20s. I explained I had some dry skin on my face and wanted some cream. She pointed out the tiniest and most expensive tube of cream in the place, and started talking about various ingredients in the cream. I gave her a look that probably part confusion and part "you've got to be kidding me!". She then says with a complete lack of the enthusiasm "Um yeah, the Nivea is over here."

I appreciate the spunk of the girl for trying to sell crazy expensive cream to me, but I'm a pretty average 35 year old guy who isn't interested in what the hell is in the cream. I want something simple. So I also appreciate that she read my body language and pointed me to exactly what I wanted.

Bus follow up

I sent an email back to the bus company and to OsloSporveier, thanking them for the great service and let them know I was blogging about them, and gave them the web address. I hope they check my site out. That would be cool.

Further message from the Bus Company

Hei


Takk for mail med varsel om at det kommer fuktighet inn i bussen.

Videre vises det til dagens telefonsamtale hvor vi fikk rettet opp navnet på holdeplassen.


Vi har brukt dine opplysninger til å finne frem til den rette bussen.

Vårt verksted er kontaktet og bussen blir kontroller/reparert.


Vennlig hilsen

William Theisen

Tekniik leder

Norgesbuss Oslo


Here's another notice from the bus company.
I wrote earlier today to note that they had called to clear up some bad information I had given them regarding which bus needed work, and the note above says they have figured out which bus it is, based on where and when I boarded the bus, and will have the window fixed. They took my information and were able to figure out which bus it was. I figured they should be able to do so, and am glad it worked out.

I am very very impressed with the way they have handled this. Basically, 4 business days to respond, good communication, and a promise to fix the problem. That's pretty goddamn good!

Stor ros til OsloSporveier! (that means "great job to OsloSporveier")

The bus company followed up!

I am pleasantly surprised to report that I just received a phone call from the bus company. Apparently I included some incorrect information regarding the bus stop I boarded at (to help them figure out which bus it was, the stop is Smedberg, not Smestad) and wanted some clarification.

Now, they may not be able to figure out which bus it was that I was on, but they are trying, and I appreciate that they took the time to try to figure it out instead of just passing it off.

Big ups to Oslo Sporveier!! Keep up the good work!

I got a response from the bus people

Vennligst behold emne (subject) ved svar på denne mail

Hei, takk for tilbakemelding.
Din henvendelse er videreformidlet til busselskapet.


Med vennlig hilsen
Kristin M Aarre
Sporveiens kundesenter

Above is the response I got from Oslo Sporveier. Basically, it says they received my message and have passed it on to the people in charge of the buses. So I hope that means it will be repaired. The response only took about 4 work days. Not shabby.

Why am I waiting in the rain?

I went to the show at Blå the other night. The band was excellent, they put on a great show, and were around to meet and greet afterwards. What I was wondering is why they make people stand outside before the show. They let us in a 5 after 9, and the music started soon after. People had been queued up since before 8. It seems to me that it would be better to let everyone in an hour early. From my viewpoint, they could have sold another 150 half-liters of beer if they would have opened up when people started arriving. Their loss.

Other than that, the venue has crappy bathrooms and poor sightlines, and yet, I'd still go back, because I liked the atmosphere. Now I know what to expect, and can adjust accordingly.

Check out Cansei de ser sexy for some cool music. I would definitely see them again. Even at Blå.

I wrote to Oslo Sporveier

Hei,
I dag tidlig reiste jeg med buss nummer 70 Vika, og jeg ble våt pga vann som kom gjennom ruten og glasset. Jeg satt på høyre side, i andre rad bak midt døren. Jeg gikk på bussen på Smestad kl. 0803. Jeg fikk ikke med meg bussnummeret. Jeg ville bare la dere vite hva som skjedde. Hvis jeg skulle ha skrevet til noen andre, vss å si fra.
Takk,
Nick Sorensen

That is the text in norwegian of the letter I wrote to Oslo Sporveier (the dudes in charge of the public transportation around here). Essentially, I let them know that I got wet on the bus due to a leaky window, and which bus I was riding. I also tell them I just wanted them to know so they could fix it.

I probably should have requested a response directly. Maybe I won't hear from them at all since I told them I just wanted them to know about the problem.

Who knows if I'll hear from them at all?

How does your ass get wet INSIDE the bus?

On the way to class this morning, I say down in a seat on the bus, a quite new bus, mind you, and I got soaked. There was a leaky window letting in water which sprayed over me and had already soaked the seat, so I got to school with a wet spot on my ass. Attractive. I guess I should be telling Oslo Sporveier, and not you. Let's see what they have to say.

Also got my tickets today, picked them up at the post office. Is that the convenience I paid 6 dollars per ticket for? Was it even convenient to pick up the tix there? Not really.

Yo! Open the door!

Why is it that the bus drivers never want to open the back door? I'll be standing by the back door on a crowded bus, unable to get to the middle door, and I have to yell at them open up. How fucking hard is it to flip an extra switch?

Tickets ordered

I ordered the tickets, from Satan himself, Ticketmaster. It turns out that it was not possible to buy the tickets at the club. You can only buy them at Ticketbastard. That means you have to pay the extra 6 bucks per ticket. Not a good policy, if you ask me. It also seems arbitrary, because it is possible to buy tickets to some shows at , but not others. Also, their website kinda sucks. The first thing I want to know is where they are located. And you have to search the webpage to find the address. I found it eventually. I plugged it into the map on Oslo Gule Sider (which is excellent!) and found the location. They're not really in Grunerlokka, they're across the river. Back to the maps, how come Gule sider rules and google maps for norway is so pathetic? Google maps is excellent everywhere else, so I'm just guessing they are building the street database. Shouldn't they just buy the database from someone (Gule sider?) and overlay it on their map?
In other news, the bus was on time today. It's raining outside and the bus driver stopped right in front of the puddle. 3 feet in front or 3 feet behind and my shoes stay dry.

Cansei De Ser Sexy tix

So I heard about this band form Brazil that I want to check out, called Cansei de ser sexy. They are playing at Blå, a little jazz club here in Oslo, that also has a fair amount of indie rock bands. So I'm looking for tickets, and they refer me to fucking Ticketmaster. I hate them. They have penetrated the market here and are charging a freaking arm and a leg for ticket services, in this case 30 kroner per ticket above the 130 kroner ticket price. Now, I don't mind paying 20+ dollars to see a band that has traveled all the way from Brazil to go on tour here, but I do mind paying a 23% service fee to get a ticket printed. This does not include the 35 kroner they want for mailing the tickets. What a load of crap. I'm going to swing the place and buy tickets in person a bit later this evening. When I come back, I'll discuss the ticket price difference for members and non-members. Loyalty program or screwing the customer?

Initial Post

I'm supposed to keep a journal for Customer Relationship Marketing class, so I figured why not let everybody in. The journal is meant to cover all my interactions with businesses, and discuss my experience from a service perspective. Given that I'm attending school in Norway, I don't expect a whole hell of a lot in the way of service. It's been mediocre so far, at least as far as I remember. Maybe my experience is still colored by the the level of service I've received in this country in the past. Historically, it's been pretty abysmal. Let's hope it only improves from here.