Course customer service - was anyone in the wrong?

[jimmyc]

So without naming the course, as I love the place this is what I witnessed.

We were playing a twilight round. My friend asks at the proshop if they do cash back so he has cash for the cart girl. The response was a very polite no but they take both debit and credit cards on the course. After the 3rd hole the beverage cart comes by. My friend says hes got this round and asks what we want. Like wuss we all ask for powerade or water rather than a beer - that much I know is our fault. He hands her his bank card and she says it will be at the clubhouse and to pay at the turn or after the round depending on if he wants to add more to tab or not.

So on the 14th hole a young employee comes by to see who is still playing - he actually said to see who had carts out still. So my friend asks will the pro shop be open when we finish to pay and collect my bank card. The young man responds, yes for sure. So we continue on and get to proshop at 9:05. Its dark and vacant. Only our cars remain in parking lot. Nothing we can do about it at this point right so we go home.

Next day he calls and asks for manager. Manager gets on and he explains his story. The guys response was ok so when can you come settle your tab. This rubs my friend the wrong way. He says, I am more than willing to pay my tab but before I do I think someone owes me an apology at the very least. The guy responds - now on speaker phone for us all to hear - I will not apologize. It is not my problem that you did not come before 9 to pick up the card and pay your tab. My friend responds but we asked if someone would be there on the 14th hole and the response was for sure. Manager says it is not my problem it took you almost an hour and a half to play 5 holes. It was more like an hour but whatever. So he has blacklisted a very nice course where I have been treated extremely well every other time. I love the place so I can't say I won't be back but I am curious as to what other golfers reaction to this would be.

[Kilroy]

I had to delete a post just now. Please refrain from playing "guess the course".
Thank you.

[John]

Whoopsy my bad thought the initials would be okay!

[Bullet]

I am one to be a little short of patience when cutomer service is not at an acceptable level. I wouls not return if I was your friend, if he knows for sure he was talking to the right manager, not just some summer job type manager. That could very well be the case.

[imozzie]

If I were you, I'd simply let it go. It sounds to me that you had a great evening with some great friends playing what you admit to being one of your fav courses. It just isn't worth spoiling all those good things with such a relatively minor 'bump' in the night. Granted though - true 'service' it would appear could have been 'enhanced' somewhat...lol!

[jonf]

I think to describe it as a 'minor bump' is not quite accurate. Yes, it's a minor bump if they live 10 minutes from the course. But what if they live in Kanata and were playing out past Orleans? A 2 hr round trip to pick up a bank card is not what I would call 'minor' especially when all the pro-shop had to do in order to avoid this situation was to stick around an extra 10 minutes at the end of the day.

[imozzie]

Yeah, but....bank cards don't need to be picked up...easily replaced without driving further than your local bank. And there are many ways to pay a tab or any other bill for that matter, without having to drive anywhere. All I'm saying is, although frustrating and definitely not great customer service....it obviously was an isolated incident and not something IMHO to blacklist a course - especially a fav course - over. People make mistakes and have bad days... Forget about it and move on to play another day!

[jonf]

Bank cards take about 5 business days to come in the mail. So, yes, if you don't need to buy anything or withdraw money from an ATM for a week, replacing a bank card is a minor inconvenience. If however, you occasionally have cause to purchase things, such as food, not having access to your money could be considered QUITE inconvenient.

And people do make mistakes, and we should all keep that in mind. But when people make a mistake and have a bad day, they should be understanding and accomodating the next day, not rude and arrogant.

[imozzie]

You're right...terrible customer service. If I were you, I'd be changing banks right quick....five days??? LOL

[fundonny]

Dude I walk into a bank and they give me a new card on the spot. The temp card until the permanent arrives. Regardless though I`d be ticked too. But if it was my favourite course I`d still go back.

[Chambokl]

Manager should had been nicer... but who goes anywhere with no money in their pockets... I thought that was a woman thing...

[Kilroy]

I carry very little cash. When you lose cash it's just gone. These days you rarely need more than parking meter money in your pocket, and that is changing here in Ottawa too.

[nexxo]

interesting, I would never leave my bank card with them in the first place. That is not an acceptable practice to me. If they want to run a tab for you and collect as you come off the course seems fine, but they do not need to hold you bank card to do that. I would have refused to leave the card with cart girl myself.

[DenisO]

I thought that was common practice though? I've seen it done at multiple golf courses.

interesting, I would never leave my bank card with them in the first place. That is not an acceptable practice to me. If they want to run a tab for you and collect as you come off the course seems fine, but they do not need to hold you bank card to do that. I would have refused to leave the card with cart girl myself.

[Kilroy]

It is standard practice if you don't have cash.

[mpare]

Here's my two cents. First, the manager's response was quite unacceptable. He's in the service industry. He doesn't appear to recognize that customer service requires a certain amount of diplomatic savoir faire. In your case he demonstrated complete absence of that skill. Second, the practice of asking to hold your card is neither acceptable nor necessary. I simply would not agree to such a request. Finally, if I had been treated as you had been, I would not be returning to that course. A round of golf should be enjoyable in all its manifestations. Yours was not. Why put yourself in the same position again? I wouldn't.

Edit: If asking for the card is a common practice, then having asked for it one should have the decency to stick wait for the player to come in to settle up his account.

[jeffc]

Here's my two cents. First, the manager's response was quite unacceptable. He's in the service industry. He doesn't appear to recognize that customer service requires a certain amount of diplomatic savoir faire. In your case he demonstrated complete absence of that skill. Second, the practice of asking to hold your card is neither acceptable nor necessary. I simply would not agree to such a request. Finally, if I had been treated as you had been, I would not be returning to that course. A round of golf should be enjoyable in all its manifestations. Yours was not. Why put yourself in the same position again? I wouldn't.

Edit: If asking for the card is a common practice, then having asked for it one should have the decency to stick wait for the player to come in to settle up his account.

my sentiments exactly. Also I am one to not carry a lot of cash on me as well as I rarely spend cash - debit or credit for me.

[em69]

I would call him back and say he could keep my bank card.

On another note, perhaps a bit off topic. How is it possible that a golf course can close while there are still people on the course? To me, this seems to scream lawsuit in the event someone becomes injured while on the course. Doesn't the course have some liability here? Wouldn't this go against some insurance policy? Seems odd to me.

[Foddz]

One day a couple years ago, I pulled up to a course late afternoon to play a quick 18 before it got dark... it had been raining all day and I was the only person who showed up to play after it stopped. The lady tending the clubhouse was surprised to see me, to say the least!

As I rounded the 7th hole, she surprised me by ducking out of the clubhouse and informing me she'd be heading out and would be back around dusk to lock the gate. Seemed strange to me to leave the whole course unattended with somebody playing it for a couple hours to come, yet!

Regardless, I'll always remember that round - my first round under 100 on any course and not a soul around to witness it or gloat to

[atomic]

Slightly off topic, but I have a $20 bill folded into each pair of cycling shoes in case I'm out for a ride and need cash for something unforeseen. You could keep an emergency 20 bucks in your bag (hopefully) without breaking the bank. If they take debit, great. If not, use the tiny hammer and break the glass.

[nexxo]

well, i never let my bank card, credit etc out of my sight, standard practice or not, it is just not something i would do. ANd this is becoming more and more the sentiment of most, as evidenced by the long awaited introduction of table side credit and debit interface machines which have been so prevalent in Europe for years

[Chambokl]

Here's my two cents. First, the manager's response was quite unacceptable. He's in the service industry. He doesn't appear to recognize that customer service requires a certain amount of diplomatic savoir faire. In your case he demonstrated complete absence of that skill. Second, the practice of asking to hold your card is neither acceptable nor necessary. I simply would not agree to such a request. Finally, if I had been treated as you had been, I would not be returning to that course. A round of golf should be enjoyable in all its manifestations. Yours was not. Why put yourself in the same position again? I wouldn't.

Edit: If asking for the card is a common practice, then having asked for it one should have the decency to stick wait for the player to come in to settle up his account.

But Mike, you always have your little bag full of coins in case of emergency....

[rancherJ]

A bank card is worth about as much as library card to the course when it comes to paying a tab. Maybe I don't get out much but the only card I've had held while running a tab anywhere is a charge card. The beverage cart server is the one getting hosed here. Just wait til next visit to the course and settle up then.
Curious, why the "speaker phone" treatment? Expecting trouble? Asking for trouble?

[leftylucas]

I would not have asked for an apology but have the conversation. If the response is not good, then probably I would no longer go there and of course let all my friends know of this experience. When will these courses learn, positive experience = good business, negative experience = exponentially bad business. I for one do not give any money to 3 courses in the area because of bad experiences with zero attention to customer service stemming from Marshalls and Pro Shop staff including management. I never got upset, I said my piece and let them know I was not happy and when nothing was done my money went elsewhere, no problem, other courses seem to like my money.

Let your money do the talking. Why not go and talk to the guy yourself, tell him you love the course and really enjoy going there but that this situation was not pleasant for you or your friends, see what happens. I tend to guess you will be dismissed the same way.

BTW, any course can make a poor decision which is why I say go back and talk to the manager. Its easy to say "your willing to have me spend my 10 games/yr elsewhere over this issue?" if he says yes then wow, business must really be good and I hazard to say it is likely one of the courses where I am no longer a patron.

[Gobble_It]

Life is short..move on.

You cant keep these incidents making your hair going gray !

[MeanderingME]

Agreed....move on. Or else you'll end up remembering this next time you play there and you'll play terribly. It's funny how things like this will effect you in the future.

[sensfan63]

You bet your ass someone was in the wrong. How about the idiot that said the shop would be open when you finished, but wasn't?

If someone inconveniences me to the point that I have to go and correct his/her mistake, all the while having paid for the "experience", they will definitely get a piece of my mind. Publicly, too. I only wish Dan would allow the course to be named, because they would get everything that's coming to them.

I can't believe some of you are saying "just let it go, never mind." Stupid people deserve to get put in their place. Period.

[Kilroy]

I only wish Dan would allow the course to be named, because they would get everything that's coming to them.

Honestly sensfan, the tone of your post is WHY we don't allow it. I am often amazed at how viamently people cry boycott when things go a bit south.

If you want to vote with your feet that's great, but we won't allow courses to be ripped to shreads and "put in their place" here.

Sure customer service is important and the manager seems to have been out of line in this case but we didn't hear his side of the story. How fair is that? Would it be fair to name them and expect them to come in here and address it publicly, and then attack every word they say - I have seen that happen several times on other forums. No thanks.

Not that it's the case here but any anonymous person could grossly exagerate or even fabricate a story and ruin a course's reputation very easily. Not to mention that a rude employee (even a manager if he works for an owner) can be delt with in-house. There is no need to air it here.

At any rate, I have no intention of debating the policy. It is what it is for many good reasons and it will not be changed.

[nokids]

i like Dan's policy. it's fair.

[Chambokl]

Honestly sensfan, the tone of your post is WHY we don't allow it. I am often amazed at how viamently people cry boycott when things go a bit south.

If you want to vote with your feet that's great, but we won't allow courses to be ripped to shreads and "put in their place" here.

Sure customer service is important and the manager seems to have been out of line in this case but we didn't hear his side of the story. How fair is that? Would it be fair to name them and expect them to come in here and address it publicly, and then attack every word they say - I have seen that happen several times on other forums. No thanks.

Not that it's the case here but any anonymous person could grossly exagerate or even fabricate a story and ruin a course's reputation very easily. Not to mention that a rude employee (even a manager if he works for an owner) can be delt with in-house. There is no need to air it here.

At any rate, I have no intention of debating the policy. It is what it is for many good reasons and it will not be changed.