How We Rate Establishments - A Guide

Thank you for taking the time to read this as it is an important part of our site. We wish to be fair and credible, and have come up with a system of rating that will, we hope, help you when you rate your experience.

We go by a system of Bouquets (positive experience) and Brickbats (negative experience). This goes from 1 to 5 and will be explained below.

Bouquets

• 1 Bouquet - Service is slightly above average. You are greeted when you enter the establishment, staff are polite and courteous. Good, but so are many other establishments. This is actually the bare minimum one should expect.
• 2 Bouquets - Service is better than usual, with the staff making recommendations where appropriate. Slightly better than before, with decent service.
• 3 Bouquets - Service is good. Staff are prompt and attentive, leaves you to make your decision in peace, does not hard sell, yet will not disappear when you need their advice, opinion or help. Most places would fall into this category or the next category, or even somewhere in between.
• 4 Bouquets - Service is very good. Staff give honest opinions on your choices. If the choice is not good, they will recommend you alternatives that are more suitable, good product knowledge. In the event of a no-stock situation, if there are other outlets, they make an effort to call and reserve or stock transfer the desired product to their outlet if applicable. You will recommend this place to friends and relatives and even bring them there. Most places would fall into this category or the previous category, or even somewhere in between.
• 5 Bouquets - Service is exceptionally good. Staff have very good product knowledge, makes the effort to know your needs and recommends the right product to fit. Answers all questions confidently and promptly, makes you feel extremely at ease in the establishment, follows up if necessary with calls or emails, remembers you by name. If there is a problem with the product, a no questions asked return policy is available. Follows up regularly and remembers you at your second visit especially if it was less than a fortnight back. You will not hesitate to tell all your friends about this place, bring them there and will even bet your bottom dollar on this place. It is quite hard to get into this category unless service is exceptional and truly memorable.

Brickbats

• 1 Brickbat - Service falls slightly below the expected. Nothing major and a little improvement would change things a fair bit. Not too bad, you may still consider going back if minor things improve.
• 2 Brickbats - Service is slow and lacklustre, does not give a good feeling to the customer. Not the worst, but definitely nowhere near a pass grade. You might go back after a few years though if friends ask you won't recommend them, but won't ask friends to stay far away either.
• 3 Brickbats - You are ignored unless you specifically ask for something even if the establishment is empty or near empty. Staff generally do not even acknowledge your presence unless you get their attention. You will only go back if you know things have improved. I know many establishments that fall into this category.
• 4 Brickbats - Service is very bad. You might just go back if there is little choice but otherwise, you won't. Little product knowledge and communication is an uphill struggle. Staff spend more time chatting among themselves and when asked questions, will give you a look like as if you have interrupted a life changing decision on their part.You won't go back unless they do some form of service recovery to retain you as a customer. Some establishments fall into this category or somewhere between this and the previous one, I notice.
• 5 Brickbats - Service is horrendous! Staff have almost no product knowledge, are rude and not helpful at all. They are monosyllabic all the time or at most curt. You won't touch this establishment with a 10-foot pole and will tell all friends not to even bother! You feel no amount of service recovery measures can even save this establishment other than a complete management overhaul! It is quite easy to fall into this category mind you, as customers are after all, sensitive and any sign of negativity is often something that stays in their minds.

Take note that the above rating should serve only as a guide. We hope the above guidelines help when you rate establishments. This is not a scientific system and we go merely by our gut feel and personal experience.

Different strokes for different folks, as they say, so if you feel strongly that an experience of yours deserves X number of Brickbats or Bouquets even if it fell outside of these guidelines, please do not hesitate to rate them accordingly. Would be great if you can also include why you think they deserve such a rating.

If there are any suggestions, please do not hesitate to let us know.

Got a customer service experience to share? Email me to get your story published! Do remember to read the submission guidelines and how we rate establishments before submitting.