Over the past six weeks, the Columbus, Ohio franchise of It's Just Lunch has wasted my time by failing to return calls as promised. Additionally, one of the receptionists treated me very rudely the last time I called. Below is a summary of my contacts with IJL.
Jan 20 at about 1:00PM - I visited IJL's location in downtown Columbus and spoke briefly with Pamela Lanier, president of the franchise according to her business card. She advised me that I needed to call her to set up an appointment.
Jan 20 at about 2:00PM - I called IJL and asked to speak with Pamela. According to the receptionist, she was busy, so I left the receptionist my name and number. I was told that Pamela would get in contact with me within the next week. Pamela failed to get back to me.
Jan 31 at??? (I don't have a time record for this one) - I called IJL again to follow up. After telling the receptionist that I had called before and Pamela had never gotten back to me, she told me that she would make sure Pamela called me back the next day between 4:00 and 5:00PM. Pamela failed to call me back, again. I changed my schedule to be able to take the call, so IJL wasted my time by not returning it.
Feb 2 at about 10:30AM - I again called and told the receptionist that two of my calls had gone unreturned. The receptionist apologized and told me Pamela would get back to me THAT DAY at 2:00PM. Pamela didn't call. I decided to wait awhile before trying again.
Feb 11 at about 4:30PM - I finally got through to Rochelle Loraine, a senior director at the franchise. She told me that Pamela had taken an extended leave due to a family emergency. I thought this might explain Pamela's poor customer service. Rochelle advised me that IJL would not be taking any new clients until March due to Pamela's absence. Fair enough.
Mar 4 at 9:15AM - I called and asked for either Pamela or Rochelle. Both were "with clients" (as always). The receptionist told me that Rochelle was booked the entire day, and that Pamela would contact me within 2-3 hours. I changed my schedule so I could be around to take the call. Of course, she failed to do so.
Mar 4 at 3:30PM - I called back asking why Pamela had failed to contact me. The receptionist told me to leave my name and number. I told her that I had already done so four times previously, with nothing to show for it. She replied that there was nothing else she could do. Here's where it starts to get ugly. I gave the receptionist my name and number one final time, but said that if Pamela failed to call me back, that I would take my business elsewhere. The receptionist rudely stated "I don't take well to threats!".
I began to tell her that it was nothing personal, just business, but she hung up on me in midsentence. I consider this an improper response, given that I never raised my voice, called her names, or engaged in any uncivil behavior. I simply stated my intentions in a matter-of-fact, businesslike tone so that IJL would understand that its actions have economic consequences.
Oh, and Pamela again failed to return my call.
At present, I would advise prospective clients of IJL Columbus to reconsider joining, since if they can't be bothered to return calls in order to close a sale, it is unlikely that existing clients are able to reach staff in a timely manner to ask questions or resolve problems.
What I expect: An apology for my wasted time and the receptionist's actions.
I invite representatives of IJL Columbus and IJL Corporate to use the Rebuttal Box so we can resolve this civilly.
0 comments