The best customer service in Australia? …Bunnings

Must admit, Bunnings is pretty good alright, very helpful.

I would have placed QF and Tiger equal last for customer service.

Best snags too.

What this survey measures mostly is awareness and experience. Sometimes, as in the case of Bunnings it reveals good service. Nobody could possibly place Qantas service above Singapore Airlines, Cathay, or Emirates but because relatively few have experienced these brands they think what you get on Qantas is service. A survey such as this just encourages Qantas to continue treating passengers like self loading cargo, and helps their public relations triumph over reality.

Really? Even finding staff to help you at Bunnings is a real challenge.

Love Bunnings. I even have the store locator app. I think they should do a wedding registry. It would be excellent for all those first home buyers. I would have gone nuts on it.

Spot on. I walked into Bunning’s yesterday in need of a pole (a metal pole to attach to a rack that I am building.)

I walked in, a young man asked me if he could help. I said that I needed a pole (a metal pole to attach to a rack that I am building.) He asked a few more questions to ascertain exactly what I needed; we got there, he found the required pole and I left the store with what I wanted and feeling very satisfied too. The customer experience was fantastic.

Another company to note: Apple:

In the last fortnight my partner and a colleague have both, unprompted, told me about the great experience they have experienced in an Apple store. In both instances the members of staff have actually talked trhem out of spending more and suited their purchase to theitr needs, thus saving them money on what they would have bought. How good is that?!!

I think it’s unrealistic to expect “high levels of customer service” from a few of the other category winners.
To be honest, with their current approach to customers I would merely be hoping for competent levels of customer service.

Bunnings has some of the worst customer service imaginable. As Ted points out, it is often very difficult to even find someone to help, and when you do it’s likely that if you have a small idea about DIY tasks then you know more than the staff member. If you go to a Mitre 10, by contrast, or your little independent local hardware store, you’ll find almost all staff are trade qualified and know better than you do what you need to buy.

In fact, Newline Timber & Hardware ran a brilliant radio campaign a few years back when a giant Bunnings opened 300m up the road. The last part went something like this: ‘You’ll be in and out in no time, with exactly what you want and knowing how to use it, before you could even find a park at that other green place. So, for old hands at real hardware, come to Newline Timber & Hardware’.

Having been a customer of both places, that was brilliant insight into the customer experience. If I have an alternative, I avoid Bunnings and look for the service of Stevo, Johno, and Kev at a real hardware store.

(With apologies to any Bunnings staff who are the exception – and I know there are plenty)

I’ve had some interesting experiences with Bunnings – when I called for some advice the guy on the other end was in the bathroom and told me to hang on whilst he relieved himself! Then a few days later they delivered me totally the wrong size door – but to their credit they sent the new one out within a couple of hours after I insisted they rectify the mistake… It’s all a bit odd though!

I prefer the service at Mitre 10 for sure. Maybe it comes with being less busy, but you get one on one service and the stock is different too. Bunnings tend to be cheaper-produced stuff and they are NOT the lowest prices. Anyone can tell that by comparing some items with KMart or Big W.

Interesting. Once you get customer service at Bunnings, its usually excellent. But as pointed out by Ted and OtherAndrew, the staff are few and far between. I was there yesterday and trying to find something – poor overworked staffer couldn’t actually help me find what I was looking for, as he was being harassed by at least three other customers. a “try aisle 40 or 41” was the best I got (admittantly, I did end up finding my plunger in aisle 41).

Contrast to the gardening aisle, when I was set upon by a Yates representative, who quickly helped me identify the incesticide I needed for my poor plant, based on the Yates iPhone App (which she promptly showed me). But I bet she was employed by Yates, not Bunnings. St

I have had numerous terribly experiences with most of the companies listed above. Clearly not a particularly accurate measurement.

I was in Bunnings today for the first time in ages. I’m not a usual purchaser of stuff like that! I had one marginally helpful member of staff, two rather helpful reps of products (“Would you like to buy some Australian native plants?” and “Wouldn’t you rather buy an Australian made trowel?”) and one exceedingly helpful and enthusiastic member of Bunnings staff. He was a joy to chat to, to the point, listened, didn’t take all day, and he was ace. Thanks.

However, definitely seconded that there aren’t enough staff about, and there were more company reps around than Bunnings staff.

I’ll echo the comments above that finding staff at Bunnings can be borderline impossible.

Recently I was looking for some pre-made chalkboard masonite which they usually stock. They were out, but told me it was coming in within a few days. Came back a week later, still not. Dropped by another Bunnings (I happened to be driving past). Also didn’t have it, but told there was a heap on order and to check back next week. Went back a week alter, still not there. But told it was at another store after they checked the computer. Went to the other store, and guess what, none there. And not once could they do a specific order for me. Absolutely useless.

Is this a joke?

If I was asked what the worst possible store was for customer service it would have to be bunnings evey time.

The only thing their staff seem to be expert in is avoiding any eye contact at all with customers.

And who ever designed the layout these stores is a marketing genius. They are so illogically laid out that you can quite feasablly arrive looking for cable ties and leave with a BBQ….and not ever found the cable ties.

Bunnings is clearly understaffed…….all I hear are complaints from staff complaining that they have not had their break. Fair enough but why am i made to feel guilty because I want someone to help me?

and another thing…..maybe not everyone’s preference but any chance Bunnings could install a number system at the paint service desk? Bad enough waiting to be served by over-worked staff in an under-staffed area, but nothing worse than queue jumpers.

I can only surmise the survey question was something like….

“Of the following companies in categories reknowned for horrible service, whose service is the least horrible?”

Best snags on a roll? First place, hands down.

Best customer service intrigues me.

Bunnings has a mix of old timers (who are great) and kids who wouldn’t know a 4 x 4 from an iPhone4 ……

Bunnings & Telstra winning customer service awards…have I stumbled into bizarro world, or is this a late April fools joke, or alternatively is this just yet another worthless survey?

hmmmmmm – not convinced. I have only had poor to bad experiences at Bunnings. Then Telstra getting the telco award. But then, there isn’t much competition in that category………..

Whatever the results it’s good to see public service recognized and rewarded. Its something undeniably positive.

Bunnings? Telstra? Are they sure they read the results correctly? Or were the responses dripping with sarcasm?

Telstra? Really?

I’ve had a think about this. Telstra have amazing customer service. I’ve had a phone contract with them now for just over a year, and not had to speak to them once! That’s good in my book.

I seem to remember Zappos saying they wanted customers to have problems so that they would get to interact with their great customer service staff. Well, surely the companies with the best customer service, are the ones that you rarely need to speak to! Many companies cover up inefficiencies in the way they are setup by employing extra staff (or just polite ones).

Take this list of ‘service winners’ and put it beside a list of ‘biggest TV advertising spenders in that category’.

Oh look! They’re almost identical.

As mentioned already, I suspect this research is just showing ‘awareness’.

I smell bulls*it research methodology. The fact that all of the brands are market leaders leads me to think that the research company (at best) hasn’t properly acquired a representative sample of customers from smaller brands in order for them to have a chance.

I needed some storm water things and needed someone to help. The old guy at Bunnings showed me the shelves and that was it. Since I needed some service I opted for driving over to Sumner Park to a plumbing business and the sales assistant and I went through the whole job with me and the stuff I need will be delivered tomorrow. Bunnings is fine when you need minimal help. It’s more a problem shopping at Bunnings for special jobs, where you need someone to walk through the product choice and take some genuine interest in you as well. A point in question: I bought a pressure pump at Bunnings quite recently. When the sales chap told me the better pump, he quickly apologised. “I shouldn’t have said that,” he said. I told him that was the only thing he should say. If the Bunnings policy is helping customers.