Gecko Towers
I feel it’s important to impart a few key, though intentionally light hearted, tips that will make your transition to your new life in Marbella all the more enjoyable. The aim is to reduce any potential culture shock.
Today our topic is Customer Services in Marbella
One of my former colleagues was, for many years, a senior Supermarket boss in the UK. He was trained in the Dark Arts of delivering comprehensive, award-winning, head-line grabbing and just great Customer Services. Since moving to Spain he tears out the remaining clumps of his hair whilst trying to deal with – and the names could be interchanged but the problem remains the same – by way of example, Vodafone, Banco Santander or El Corte Ingles. All of whom have a professed intention of wanting to deal with an international clientele.
The failure to greet a customer, to engage them with a cheerful smile and the usual pleasantries that makes a customer want to return seemed outside the standard repertoire of those customer-facing employees. The process of buying, that is now so usual on-line, in the store environment was a challenge and often simply difficult. Who do you have to speak to in order to be able to spend some money in this store?
Given their skill of re-writing the rule book, Apple, a number of years ago opened a large store in a major Marbella commercial centre, La Canada. To the scoff of those of the weary expat community long experienced in the ‘difficult sales assistant‘, it was thought that there was no way that the disciplines of London’s Regent Street or New York’s Oculis could be applied in Spain. It was thought that it was virtually culturally impossible!
So just how wrong were we when Apple shattered the myth and proved that it is not impossible to have effective and superbly managed customer services in Spain. The mantras of the late Steve Jobs were well on show when my wife’s iphone went on the blink. Arriving at the store to be met by a uniformed Appleite with an ipad asked me what language I wanted to speak in. I sensed Mandarin might have been available but plumped for English. An appointment was made and I was ushered to the corner of the store to meet Diego – my Technician. In ten minutes and in perfect English he identified the problem, advised on a cure – that actually worked – and explained that if having undertaken the measures recommended my wife was not delighted with the results her phone would be replaced free of charge. Truly amazing and indeed on a par – or perhaps even North – of a similar experience in an Oxford Street multiple a couple of years back.
The exception always casts a long shadow but with decreasing frequency the painful shopping experiences are gradually being reduced. The ‘difficult shop assistant’ still exists in some environments that have not yet embraced the growing international market of Marbella but they are now significantly less.
Should you be interested in discussing the Legal process involved in buying a property in Marbella, we would be delighted to assist you. Our team of bi-lingual, highly experienced and wholly independent team of Abogados are ready to help you.
Please call me, Mark FR Wilkins, during usual business hours on +34 600 343 917.
Please note that our posts are for general interest. They are no substitute for proper legal advice tailored to your specific circumstances as provided by a qualified Abogado who is experienced in the application of the Spanish Law.
© Mark FR Wilkins 2019 All rights reserved.