What I See with Peter Fiorenza: Fish and chips example of why changes don’t always lead to satisfied customers

Sometimes little things really disappoint me. The other day I ordered some fish and chips from our regular shop. On Friday evenings, I like to treat my parents to some takeaway and the ol’ fish and chips are a favourite and something they look forward to. To make things a little easier, I usually ring a couple of hours before and order enough fish and chips for the three of us. Usually, pretty straightforward. Fish (snapper) and chips for two, wrapped up together with a few extra chips. And we have been pretty happy with this for some time. But recently, things have gone a little south. The other week I rang, the usual voice answered. “I’d like to order some fish and chips for pick up at 6.30” and proceeded with my spiel. “Sorry”, came the reply: “Please bear with me, we have a new system and I cannot process an order like that anymore,” she said, and I could sense some frustration in her voice. Eventually, I placed the order, though I was not certain about it. And my fears were realised when I arrived at the shop at 6.30. Instead of a nice little roll of butchers paper, I was presented with two foam containers. I asked, who I believe was the new owner serving me, why the change? “It’s more efficient than wrapping up with butchers paper,” he said. I told him we had been getting fish and chips from here for some time and I had to disagree. “We haven’t had any bad feedback from customers.” “Well, I’ll be your first,” I said as I left. When we got home, the usual crunchy battered fish was limp and the chips were soggy — like they had been resting in the containers in the bain-marie for some time. What a letdown. Now, I understand often changes must be made for a business to continue to run efficiently and remain profitable, but not at the expense of quality. OK, our dinner of fish and chips may have been produced in more of a cost-effective fashion, but we won’t being going back in the near future because we were not satisfied. And at the end of the day isn’t satisfied customers what it’s all about? Peter Fiorenza hosts Sports Shed Saturday (9am to noon) and Fiorenza on Sunday (10am to noon) on Radio MAMA