Customer Service in the United States is great if you compare it to, for example, The Netherlands.
Here, you hardly ever have to deal with impolite or unprofessional staff in restaurants, bars or clubs. Sometimes you get an attitude that is simply corrected by calling in a manager, but it is nothing compared to Europe where you will have to deal with impatient and rude staff in 50% of the cases.
I do miss Europe though, and as far as customer service experiences go, recently in Brooklyn, I felt as if I was back in my home country for a minute.
Have you been to Milk River yet? I was there for the first time last weekend, attending a birthday party in the upstairs lounge. I heard about the place from several friends who all came away with different experiences, so I was curious and happy to receive the invitation for the party!
Conveniently located on Atlantic Avenue with a spacious, trendy, professional feel, Milk River promises a lot for a great customer experience. I was impressed by the lounge-like ambiance of the restaurant section on the first floor. The fusion Caribbean/American menu also seemed appealing -- will try that another time, if they still let me in (read on).
Before gaining access to the upstairs lounge, a bouncer searched me, and to my surprise, told me that I was not allowed to bring in cigarettes or a lighter. I realize that smoking is bad for you, so what am I complaining about? I just didn't understand why I had to hand them in. As if I was going to light up a cigarette inside the club? I've never seen anybody do that.
In order to solve the problem for both the bouncer and myself, I told him that I would just check my cigarettes and lighter with coat and be done with it. But he insisted that I would hand them over right away as if I was carrying a bomb! The coat check was right next to him! Anyways, I gave him my ($500) lighter and cigarettes and mentioned that I would collect them upon departure.
The lounge area was great with sound, lighting, and decor well executed. Most men looked well dressed and the women revealing. Not surprising considering the dress code: high heels for the ladies and button down shirts and shoes/ no sneakers for the men.
Had fun at the party with my friends, danced to good Soca, Hip Hop and R&B music and enjoyed slightly overpriced drinks -- $12 for a vodka seltzers in small plastic cups and $250 bottle service (that Ciroc did not taste like Ciroc, but that might have been my taste pallet).
Around 2:00am, the party migrated from the lounge to the restaurant since Rupee was about to start his performance. I danced a bit more, but when it took too long for Rupee to appear, I decided to go home.
I collected my coat and approached the same bouncer who took my possessions to get my cigarettes and lighter back. They were gone. Yes, gone. Apparently thrown away. This of course is not acceptable, but I was not able to speak to a manager or anyone else in charge for that matter.
The bouncers asked me to take it outside and of course I fell for that. They gallantly let me exit first and promptly closed the door behind me. Smart move to keep things from getting out of hand inside the club, but it pissed me off even more, because now I felt robbed and stupid.
I don't really have a problem if clubs have policies in place about what you can bring inside, but at least have a working system that allows staff to give proper explanation and actually return items to owners. A place that charges Manhattan prices should be able to provide similar service.
To make a long story short, this whole experience brought sentiments back from my homeland, and I do want to thank Milk River for that (although I would appreciate my lighter back).
Yako
