The main complaint that everyone in Harlem has about the businesses is lack of good customer service. Nine times out of ten when a business folds in Harlem our readers comment that it was due to a lack of attention to the potential customer. In reality it can make or break a small business. Nicole over on Uptownlife.net recently wrote about her bad experience at the 125th Street Pathmark.
I know that everyone has a similar story to share. Let’s open up the comments section for you to share your absolute worst customer service experience in Harlem. You don’t have to name the business if you don’t want to bad mouth them. Off the top of my head I can think of at least two three, although there are many, many, many more.
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Posted in: Business/Finance
Gwin
December 31, 2008
thanks, will do.
Gwin
December 30, 2008
I get good service at New Way Cleaners (145 and Amsterdam), although the prices for both tailoring and cleaning are somewhat higher than they were in my old neighborhood (the Lower East Side).
I’ve had mixed experiences at Cafe Largo (137 and Broadway). The service at night is great — good bartenders and nice staff — but I went there for brunch recently and it was a nightmare.
We got there at 10:30, not realizing they didn’t open until 11… so we came back promptly at 11 and were the first ones seated. However, several folks came in after us and no one took our order until 11:15… and then we didn’t get our food until 11:45!!! This was especially ridiculous considering we just ordered eggs. Their reason was that there was a large group who’d all come in together for a special event in the back room… well, if they knew that was happening, they should’ve had more staff in there that day — or had them come in earlier so they wouldn’t be slammed right at 11 AM! So ridiculous. I don’t know if I want to try them for brunch again.
They were much more organized at Acapulco Caliente (144 and Broadway), and the food was good too.
D. Bell
December 30, 2008
You should let the manager at Cafe Largo know that you were unhappy with the service. Write a letter or shoot a quick email. The owners like to stay on top of the customer service. They also have a facebook group if you are on facebook.
HarlemRestaurants
December 28, 2008
I have to put my 2 cents worth here. Most of the small businesses in the neighborhood have no idea what they are doing. Period. It is a shame, because as a result the bigger chains take over.
For example – Sugar Hill Coffee and Tea Lounge. Nice idea – great decor. Lousy knowledge of coffee, tea or anything that would be served there.
They were friendly, but when they first opened I asked them if they had any scones. They didn’t know what scones were.
Their coffee makers were not for high volume – but something a diner would install – hot plates, etc. Their coffee was awful and their selection of tea was bad.
Their prices were more expensive than Starbucks.
This all equals – no business.
If you are going to jump into a small business you better be incredibly smart about not only running a business, but about what you are selling.
Greasyguide.com
December 25, 2008
Good customer service is the corner stone of small business. I don’t expect smiles and sunshine from any of the bigger chain stores. But for the new restaurants popping up in the area their customer service is the only things that will bring me back to the spot.
Talay and the Hudson River Cafe both have excellent service. They pay extreme attention to details and they have both hired staff and bartenders who are friendly and treat the customers like gold.
Amy Ruth I’ve never had any problems with. You just have to know when to go for the best service. I’ve been there when it’s super packed but never had any rude service or had to complain.
Billie Blacks is the only place in Harlem that I refuse to go to ever again. The owners and bartenders are horrible and rude. I tried to be supportive of their business but I just don’t have the patience for poor customer service.
Deestail
December 24, 2008
We had terrible service at Society- the order took way too long, then when we got it, it was wrong. I think people are so desperate for a nice place to eat that these places know they don’t have to try.
The Pathmark on 145th is not as bad as the one on 125th, but I guess that’s not saying much.
GREAT service award (I agree with bradhurst) goes to Harlem Vintage. They know their wine and they are very helpful. Also the Winery, in the hundred and teens. I guess the wine-sellers want our business.
anon
December 24, 2008
wanted to mention that one of the worst serial offenders, aphrodite cleaners on Lenox and 117, has recently changed hands and the service has turned around 100%. if you had a bad experience with them and went elsewhere, let me be the first to encourage you to try them again.
i dont remember the new name, but it’s the same location and phone number.
also, the new piatto doro on 5th and 116th has amazing, almost too attentive service. maybe they’re trying to be a little too fancy, but it’s a nice change from some of the other places we’ve been discussing.
as for the bad stories-worst service i’ve had in harlem was from the harlem tea room. though i guess since they are gone now there’s no point in rehashing. suffice to say i didnt cry over that loss to the neighborhood.
sette pani has the slowest service i’ve ever experienced. especially in the summer if you sit outside. they are very nice but you could wait there for a half hour before someone even brings you a glass of water and the menu.
Anonymous
December 24, 2008
I could write a book a bout the poor customer service I’ve received from businesses in Harlem. What’s worse is I’ve taken the time to write letters to the owners and never received a response. I can name names too. (1) This Odell or whatever fellow that just opened this exclusive club called OH on 145th? In the late 90′s when he ran SugarShack across from Londell’s I had reservations for a party of 3 on a Sat. night, 7pm. We ordered drinks, a house white wine before ordering. They had a liquor license. The waitress came back to us and said, “Sorry, we don’t have any White wine, but we can go across the street and get a bottle if you want some”. No kidding, there was a ghetto liquor store across the street. They also AUTOMATICALLY issued themselves a 15% tip on the bill for a party of “3″ WTF? The service was awful, food okay, I wrote a letter to the owner, he never bothered to reply. (2) NATIVE? Tried the place 3 times for brunch, learned them actually having the ingredients in house on the menu was “hit and miss”. Example? I ordered a Spinach Omlette – “sorry Sir, we don’t have any Spinach”? etc. that type of thing was common place. Twice I found chunks of ICE in my greens / lettuce….All this was under the previous owner – but they never replied to my letters. (3) Worse treatment was from Bayou – I won’t go into it but I was basically treated like a second class citizen and wrote a letter to the owner, Micheal Eberstein or something like that, he now has that ribs place over by CU, he did not reply. I wrote a second letter, no response. I create a website placing him on blast big time and he then saw I demanded a reply (I did this when I learned of the money he got from the harlem empowerment zone to open his business) – The guy turned to City Councilman Bill Perkins for help from my public exposure of his poor business practices – and putting him on public blast – he did not know Bill and I were personal friends. He offered me a refund, I did not want it, I though made him donate the money I spent ($200) in his place to a Harlem based children’s charity. I followed up, he honored his word, I removed the site and exposure of the incident. (4) MoBay’s? that lady that owns it that his publicly ripped on Black people for being poor tippers? I’ve had horrible experiences there too, and no reply to a letter to the owner, she’s awful and I am amused that she’s $700K in the hole/debt, how they are open to this day baffles me. (5) Emperor’s Roe? David…..?…decent guy that place died a proper slow death and rightly so. I could not believe it when I tried to go there AND THEY DID NOT HAVE AIR CONDITIONING!!!! That was shocking, you’re serving expensive seafood, it’s hot and humid, and you don’t have air conditioning? Do you have any real business opening a restaurant if you don’t have air conditioning? So you want me to drop a couple hundred dollars in your upscale cavier bar, though you don’t have basic A/C? Please. Okay, not all the Harlem spots have been and or are horrible. P’atti D’oro or whatever that place is….has always been superb. Melba of Melba could give people a clinic on how to be a hostess, she’s been fantastic for a long time, dating back to when she hosted Thursday night open mics at Slyvia’s Also. The guys’ across from Melba’s at Society have always been great to me. Now, when I receive sub par service or just some nonsense in a dining experience, I write a letter to the owner, I tell them how much I dine out, how I know 10 people in Harlem that also dine out, and will absolutely spread the word on my negative experience through the community. This is what you have to do people. These businesses think they can give you shabby service, charge you high prices, etc. When WIMPS went out of business, I saw that as sweet justice, pardon the pun. If there is a GOD, Make My Cake on 116th will go out of business, they deserve NO CUSTOMERS for 2 reasons Poor Service and Overpriced Products. Write the owners of these businesses, give them a chance to right the matter or at least acknowledge you, you deserve that when you are spending your dollars in their business, you deserve a measure of “commercial transactional dignity” when you detail a problem. If that owner does not even bother to apologize and or acknowledge you existed as a customer….PUT THEM ON BLAST. I will never to this day spend $1 with this Odell and Club OH place on 145th, why? I know the owner is a crummy owner from personal experience. When I have a good experience, I also do the same, I spread the word, the good businesses of Harlem deserve to be rewarded and supported, and that’s how D’oro grew well over time, it became the talk of Harlem of an actual authentic Italian dining experience. Harlem Tea Room on the other Hand? Well Patrice Clayton, the owner never came off as the nicest person shall I say? I never gave a positive word about that place. I like Ricardo however I did have a small problem once, the tables were so close together by the front window, the waiter in taking the order for the adjacent table….leaned his but on my small table that I was dining at with my wife. No kidding, it was just shabby, but I wrote a letter to the owner, got an immediate replay and apology and a request to give them another chance, I did, they’ve been great. They key to catering to Harlem businesses is to hold them to the same standard you would with any business. No more tolerance of second class or below par service or quality because it’s Harlem. Someone should start a Blog site where the unvarnished truth is exposed about these Harlem businesses, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. The problem is these Harlem Blogs are “in bed” with these businesses and are not going to allow the real truth to be spoken. I assure you, I can in detail Blast a whole lot more of these businesses in Harlem, I can also applaud some
D. Bell
December 24, 2008
Trust me, the Harlem bloggers are not in bed with the restaurant owners. First clue, you don’t see advertising from these businesses on our sites. Second, you might notice that certain businesses never get an endorsement on the sites. Again, we tread lightly because it is too easy for someone to cry foul and accuse us of slander and defamation if we “bad mouth” them. Most Harlem bloggers are not rolling around in dough (provided by the Harlem restaurants) so we share positive experiences and let you come to your own conclusions about the rest. Personally, I wouldn’t write about a business that I didn’t think Harlemites would be interested in learning more about. Part of the problem I find with traditional media is that journalist now want to tell us how to think. I prefer to know the facts and decide for myself weighing the pros and cons. That is the goal of this blog. It is to highlight what is new and positive. There aren’t many new businesses in Harlem so if we can get the word out that is what we are about. It is up to you to decide whether you like it or not. I just prefer not to get involved in the muck and mire that comes with putting a place on blast. Case in point, I visited a new establishment the other week that was visually very appealing. Yet when we ordered a glass of wine it was sub-par. We quietly shared with the staff that they needed to invest in a higher quality of wine if they want to do well and that they could go down to HV or The Winery for advice. No blasting them out, no letters, but simply sharing information that they obviously didn’t know. That is what I find with a lot of Harlem businesses — they are run by dynamic people with fabulous ideas, but not a lot of business experience. The only way we are going to help them grow is to share what you know works and give them a chance.
56yearresident
December 24, 2008
This is an excellent topic. My first job was as a cashier at a supermarket (Shopwell(?) on 125th St. Too many complaints and I would have been looking for a new job! Besides I worked in my own community and never would have thought of disrespecting myself and the people that came into the store, in any manner.
It is unfortunate that the attitudes of these young people are the same whether they are behind the counter or not. It is the owners who have an investment in these business. It is about time they began to: realize that the customers are important to keep their business open: train/instruct their personnel on how to talk/assist customers; hire and fire until they find personnel who are willing to treat their customers with respect. Yes, we know there are difficult and disrespectful customers. That should be one of the jobs of trained managers who also oversee other personnel.
I agree with the commenter that said sometimes the employees at CVS on 116th St. would rather talk among themselves than assist customers. The manager, a nice man, acts impervious to all that is happening in the store. Or could it be that he, like everyone else, is afraid to say something to these young people. However, although I have not been in CVS much this year, it is certainly better than it use to be; unless things have changed again.
What is terribly sad and what no one has mentioned, these are our children who are treating us with disrespect and it is getting worse. With the changing climate in Harlem, soon these businesses will have another pool of young people to choose from. Already, with the growing Latino population, employers are searching for candidates who are bi-lingual.
bradhurst living
December 23, 2008
I’ll start with the bad but want also give some shout-outs to the good customer service too but lots of bad.
Bayou restaurant – went there before they went under with my wife for dinner and after horrible waits to order drinks, get our food, etc – the waiter overcharged us for the meal and then copped attitude when we said that the bill was wrong. Gave him attitude back and he backed off but needless to say, we never went back. If you charge $20 entrees, you better have the service.
other offenders – Aphrodite on 117th (lost clothes numerous times and would take 3-4 followups to get them to find/return missing clothing) they had a terrible reputation in 2006-07. not sure how they do in 08.
Ginger – had high hopes for this place on 116th but had one horrible server who took our drink/food orders, never delivered and then served another couple in between, gently reminded a few times until finally I went and picked up my own food from the service station. One delivery order there took 90 minutes to show up.
Good service –
Harlem Vintage – been there 15-20 times and had friendly service each time
Society – spotty on the attention but typically the attitudes are usually good – haven’t been much lately though so this maybe outdated
Garden Cleaners – 147th and ACP – really good drycleaner and nice owners – gave us a bottle of wine for Xmas for being customers
Dumi
December 23, 2008
My most recent, sorry probably too difficult to pick the worst, was with Amy Ruth’s. When my friends suggested going there for brunch (really dunch/linner) on Sunday I hesitated and responded, “I hate having to go through the security check and retinal scan to get in.” But I obliged. Our party of 5 arrived at 2 and waited out in the freezing cold until 3:15/20. Now ya’ll know how cold it was here on Sunday. We only got seated because one of my more “outspoken” friends had to go in and “talk to some people” about the wait. When we got in, we went upstairs to a mainly empty dining room. We all discussed if we thought it was because they were “short staffed” or if they just wanted to create the illusion of “high demand.” Regardless, my frozen digits appreciated neither. Every time I go back there, I get another horror story with bad service, typically rude, or some portion of my food arrives cold. Yeah, I know, why keep going back? I don’t think I have a good answer.
iloveharlem
December 23, 2008
Have to agree with you Nicole. Employees in the Mexican, Chinese & Korean owned establishments get paid a lot less and you get better customer service.
Hey, forget the workers, the owners of Harlem stores are nasty as well. Went to Harlem Underground on 3 occasions and it was like I was interrupting their day. I would never go back, and I told everyone not to go there either. They say that if customers like your business, they will tell 2 people, if they don’t they will tell 7 people.
Nicole
December 23, 2008
tacony: You say, there’s nothing worse than going to work to a job you hate every day just to put food on the table? Oh yeah? How about being unemployed and not able to put food on the table? I think if some of these ‘customer service’ folk were to lose their jobs and struggle some then they would appreciate their ‘jobs’ a lil more.
Get Togetha
December 23, 2008
TacoNY said it best.
You can’t expect sunshine from those who are working at a thankless job. The good ole days of wishing that folks took pride in the jobs is over. People want to get paid period. I recognized that folks are missing valuable lessons in not taking pride in what they do…but its a new day…
When you’re working a job with no benefits, little pay, you’ve got mouth’s to feed, and you’re watching BET and MTV Cribs, and blogs that feature a constant blast of balla status rotation…what can you expect?
Get Togetha
December 23, 2008
I usually don’t like to complain. But I live near 125th and stopping by that Pathmark is like visiting the four corners of hell. Between the African sisters, the homeless shelter bus stop. the hustle brothers and the cabs, and the dope fiends stay pretty clear of that area cause its downright depressing for the spirit!
Overall I think independent business owners have a hard time finding quality talent for low pay. It’s a quandry of a catch-22. It’s challenging to find people who are emotionally invested in helping a small business survive, grow and thrive.
Great topic!
Pete
December 23, 2008
I can think of a certain cake place in central Harlem that was a real disappointment. The products were fine, but the people working there treated my wife and me with almost shocking indifference.
I am definitely not the demanding type, and I can sympathize with anyone who works in customer service and has to deal with such folks on a regular basis (having done so myself in the past).
However, there’s a certain minimal level of respect that you need to show other people, especially when you’re hanging a plank and trying to do business. Unfortunately, I haven’t always seen it at local businesses. Perhaps that priority is not being instilled by the owners and management?
Ken
December 23, 2008
This is a bit of a running joke in our house. So often we have to wonder why any local businesses survive when counter staff act more interested in conversing among themselves than serving customers. The CVS at 116th and the grocery at 112th and Lenox have some days when they act like they wish you weren’t shopping there. Native has improved immensely – the wait staff now is efficient and attentive. The UPS on 116th is top notch and Aphrodite Cleaners does a good job handling even difficult customers who can’t remember what they brought in to be cleaned.
anon
December 23, 2008
It seems that the Make My Cake on the corner of 116th st and Adam Clayton is in dire need of :
1. Reasonable pricing
2. Intelligent, personable, attentive, responsive staff
3. Cakes made from scratch (There seems to be a strong sense that their cakes are made using a Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines mix from a box)
tacony palmyra
December 23, 2008
Pathmark can afford to have poor customer service… they still have long checkout lines most waking hours of the day. Driving away “needy” or “difficult” customers might actually be part of their strategy. I’ll still frequent them because the alternatives are too expensive.
I’m not surprised when service industry workers aren’t friendly. I worked in grocery stores and fast food restaurants for years and I absolutely hated it. Customers usually don’t understand that the employees who interact directly with customers aren’t the ones who have the power to make decisions. So when your coupon doesn’t scan, the check-out girl isn’t personally denying you your discount, and she has no power to give you a discount. That decision to have the coupon expire yesterday, or to only apply to the GREEN tomatoes, not the RED ones, was made by someone far, far away, and no matter how much you yell at that check out girl, she can’t do anything about it. Can you understand why she might get bitter?
I don’t think those of us with “careers” should expect sunshine from those of us who just have “jobs.” There’s nothing worse than going to work a job you hate every day just to put food on the table.