Columnist Tim Rushby-Smith reflects on the pitfalls of provision and cons of customer service when you’re a disabled tourist
Ah, the customer satisfaction survey. It’s become an unavoidable element of any interaction with a business. I’ve even had a customer satisfaction survey asking about an interaction before the response to my enquiry. Maybe they want to know how I think they’re about to perform…
I’m preparing to respond in some detail to the latest survey request, as it has been sent by a car hire company that supplied the vehicle we rented during a trip in the UK.
Spoiler: they will not be getting a favourable review.
ON REQUEST?
The company in question has a market value of £2.5 billion. This makes them one of the top four car hire firms globally. The other three offer hand controls on request, with the controls typically fitted on demand by Lynx. Any Motability customer who uses hand controls and who has had their vehicle repaired or serviced will likely remember the controls being fitted to the supplied courtesy car. The process is very straightforward, and the request to use them routine.
Or so it should be.
In my case, repeated emails and telephone calls over two months left me feeling that – while no one was prepared to confirm that hand controls would be fitted – it was a formality the branch manager would be able to organise.
So it was that I found myself at the car hire desk, only to be told that hand controls were not an option on hire cars in the UK with their company. This disappointing scenario came on the back of a long fight with the airline I chose to fly with because they had an aisle seat available during the 13-hour flight.
DISAPPOINTING
While the airline eventually delivered and the car hire business did not, there are clear parallels. Neither of these requests could be interpreted as optional extras; without them I can’t access the service I’ve paid for. For global companies to fail in this is profoundly disappointing. It also makes their claims of inclusivity nothing more than virtue signalling. And it’s bad for business, since the disabled tourism market is worth £44 billion worldwide.
Disabled customers obviously have different needs. But we also need certainty, as there’s rarely an alternative. When companies fail to understand this – and instead make vague promises like ‘subject to availability’ – they add unnecessary stress.
There is a simple solution: if you don’t want my business, just say so – because there are other companies that do. And now you have failed me, those are the ones I shall be using in future.
TIM RUSHBY-SMITH
Originally from London, writer, artist and paraplegic Tim Rushby-Smith is based in Australia. He is the author of two books: Looking Up and Beyond the Break.