Have you ever experienced bad customer service? What did you learn from it?

"Bad customer service from one individual can ruin an entire establishment's reputation. I have stopped going to certain places because the staff seems miserable. I believe that bad customer service is too prevalent these days which is why I go over and above for my clients, always offer a smiling face and an attitude of willingness."

The interviewer wants to know that you recognize what lousy customer service is and that you fully understand how it can negatively affect an establishment. Briefly discuss a time that you experienced bad customer service but beware of rambling and sounding negative. Just state the situation, and what you feel could have been done differently.

"Airlines are often the culprits of poor customer service. I lost my luggage once on a flight to Sydney. I approached customer service and was told to wait since all their representatives were busy. After several hours of waiting and jumping through hoops for security measures, I finally got my luggage back. Response time and pro-activeness are two key performance indicators of customer service, and when dealing with something valuable to a customer, it's important to be quick and efficient. Failing to do so results in loss of trust and loyalty in the brand/establishment. After that frustrating experience, I vowed never to let my customers feel that their concerns are trivial or that they aren't being prioritized."