My feelings on being a customer in Japan

This is somewhat of a rant about being a customer in Japan so I put it under personal stories.

In addition, I would also like to hear what everyone's opinion is about the customer service in Japan vs their home country, or vise versa for our Japanese posters.

So for me, let's compare Japanese to American service.

American service tends to lack politeness at times, or one might find themselves even being treated rudely as if they are an annoyance, but usually the customer will get what they want, especially if problems arise.

Japanese service on the other hand tends to be polite, and goes the extra mile, but it has an inflexibility to it, especially when it comes to handling customer complaints.

Which do I prefer? Well I am on my home country's side this time.

Generally I will say that I do like the politeness level of Japanese service (having become accustomed to it now) and I also must say I am treated very well 95% of the time. But I still have resentment for the level of inflexibility. Like not being able to order things at restaurants the way you want them, or being able to substitute things. Or such rigid return policies. Like I just don't have as much confidence purchasing things in Japan, because if it turns out to be not what I was looking for, or the wrong item.. or if I am just plain unsatisfied with the products performance.. in Japan I am stuck with it. If the product is opened and you don't like, youre screwed, no returns (from my experience). Even returning defective items has proved bothersome for me in Japan, like having to wait two weeks to get my electronic dictionary replaced (they had plenty in-stock, but they had to go through the maker), where in America you would go home with a replacement for a defective item the same day.

Or like today I went to conbini and wanted some nikumans, and they only had them frozen, but i was not going to eat them right away anyhow, so i just asked they sell them to me as is. And the guy was like.. well.. they have to be steamed first and only then can we sell them to you. And i was like, what's the difference? That is like saying we have to microwave every bento for you before you purchase it. In the end the guy just threw them in the microwave for me, and then sold me the nikumans (absolutely silly if you ask me, why was it even an issue?) On a side note this isn't always the case many times conbini's oblige me without a fuss for this, but it demonstrates the inflexibility I am talking about, cuz it is not the first time it has happened.

Now I am not trying to totally bash here (cuz I know their are some oversensitive posters on this forum) and I know there are probably good and bad points to customer service in every country, but these are my feeling and the conclusions I have drawn after living here for 4 years.

Anyway I would like to hear about other people's opinions on customer service in their country vs Japan etc.

I also encounter inflexibility in the customer service in Japan.

There was this one time last year when I stopped for a burger and fries at a McDonald's. I wanted some mustard but I did not see a dispenser nor those small packets you find in most fastfood restaurants in the US, so I asked for it. They did not have any. I said, "How about the mustard dipping sauce you have for the nuggets?", to which they answered, "Those are only for customers who have bought the nuggets." . I said I would pay for it but no. They could NOT sell the sauce without the nuggets. After I made a big fuss, the manager finally came out and gave me a packet (for free). OK, maybe McDonald's was not a very good example but the incident left a bad taste in my mouth (no, it was not the food itself, all you Mickey D. haters) and I didn't go back there for a few months. Then they introduced something called Mega Burgers and I was forced to put that incident behind me...

The thing that irkes me more about Japanese customer service is the excessive greetings in stores. You walk into a retail store and you get bombarded with "Irasshaimase~~!!!!" and it continues until you leave the store. On two occasions, I have even complained to the managers. Some may perceive this trend (we did NOT have this when I was younger years ago) as "being polite" but I disagree. They are simply repeating the lines they were taught in training over and over and over. You go up to the cashier to pay, and it's like dealing with a robot, not a human being. I suppose the reason behind this is that rather than really training young workers who do not have any customer service experience whatsoever, they just teach them these "lines" for them to repeat. I am not asking them to engage in some friendly chit-chat with me. It is just that when I greet the cashier with "Konbanwa/Good evening", I expect them to at least return the greeting. What do I get instead? Most of the time, they just repeat the above mentioned "Irasshaimase~" or they just skip the pleasantry and just ask you, "Would that be all?". Sometimes, I just get a confused stare as the person behind the counter has not been "trained" in how to counter a simple greeting.

Now, I do know that I am in a conbini buying a soda / in a DVD rental shop taking out Die Hard 12 and NOT in some fancy store, but I just don't sense any sincerity whatsoever in the manner they deal with us customers.

Sorry, I am ranting. This just happens to be a big pet peeve of mine.

I guess I prefer the service in the US. Sure, I have encountered many rude/clueless people in similar type of stores in the US, but at least there, both parties knew exactly what they were there for. I was there to buy a soda and a pack of smoke. They were there to make money. They did not give me the "Would you like a straw?", "Would it be OK to put them in a same bag?" nonsense. Even the way they cup their hands right under yours when they give you back the change (so you wouldn't drop it???) annoys me to the next galaxy! YET they cannot say a simple Konbanwa like a normal person??? Am I asking for too much?? I expect to be waited on by a PERSON not a MACHINE!!

Phew!! That felt gooood!!

ASHIKAGA said:

YET they cannot say a simple Konbanwa like a normal person??? Am I asking for too much?? I expect to be waited on by a PERSON not a MACHINE!!
Phew!! That felt gooood!!

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Haha, I know what you mean. I do find though that the places I am a regular at tend to act way more human towards me. And it is quite refreshing being able to hear the sincerity in their voice when they ask me how things are going etc. It is quite funny too though, cuz i still get the standard robot greeting at first and then they see it is me and they switch to human mode. I don't know if Japanese people can say the same though, it could be just because i am a foreigner that the staff at certain places take note of me.

I think the similar patterns are observable when we cross the customs at airports. Officers in the US are flexible and personal, but those in Japan are like robots but very efficient. I guess when being treated right, I preferred the American way. When I encounter the incompetent, I miss the Japanese counterpart.

um, Japanese truly lacking flexibility. The good thing is I have never ever experience a bad service. I am on the Jap side...

bwahahahhahaha this is so funny but so true. From my experience, it is pretty much the same. American employees are often not as friendly or don't care about the customer nearly as much, however the Japanese give the customer a very high status, I mean just look at what they call you! 窶堋ｨ窶ｹq窶罵! That is pretty damn polite. But yeah they are so inflexible it is as annoying as hell.

One time I wanted to buy a rice cooker on sale for my apartment so I can cook the one thing I know how to cook. Well the problem was the box had been ripped open and it was the last one left. When I went up to the counter the cashier noticed and told me that she couldn't sell it to me because it was open. I was like what. I don't care, I checked it and it is fine! Well she didn't let me have it and it was the last one, so I left pissed without my rice cooker! LOL.

Those silly Japanese

Personally I never had any trouble up till now, though this "Irasshaimase" every 3 seconds is driving me crazy sometimes. Since the staff is always so friendly and helpful (at least on the surface) there are times I feel really bad to leave a shop without buying nothing.

There was one thing that amused me somehow: two of my friends and me went to Host club (it was a funny experience) Actually you would expect a loud "Irasshaimase" from the staff, right? So I finally had to courage to go through the door and the whole club went silent on an instant. That was rather irritating. After some seconds the braves of them (so I guess) came to us and looked rather lost - why should he expect us speaking Japanese? After letting him clueless some more seconds I brightly smiled at him saying that we in fact speak Japanese and I swear I would have been able to see his relief in a 10Km distance! Though I only realized this silent moment when the next customers entered and got their enthusiastic greeting.

I got irritated when they keep greeting continuously non-stop the moment you stepped in till you stepped out. You feel uncomfortable when wlaking around inside as you feel eyes constantly on you all the time. They are nice. No buts about that. Just a tad overly-polite.

The customer service in China is the worst so far in my experience. They lack flexibility and politeness. I hope it will improve in a near future.

I guess it was just because I was a foreigner in the states, but to me it was quite easy to say, 'I'm just watching' in a shop.
But it's difficult to say so in Japan to Japanese salesclerks in Japanese…….

grapefruit said:

The customer service in China is the worst so far in my experience. They lack flexibility and politeness. I hope it will improve in a near future.

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I can imagine that.......

The only trouble with inflexiblity I've ever had was at a Gusto family restaurant. I asked the server for some ketchup to go with my fries and he brought me back one packet. I really love ketchup, so I asked him if I could have a few more. He told me that one was the limit and if I wanted more I'd have to pay 5 yen each for more packets!!!!!
I was shocked because other servers at the same restuarant had given me extra ketchup before without hassle, but this guy was very uptight and by the book. It was no big thing, but it was certainly a little annoying.
Also tradewinds: The phrase you want is "I'm just looking" rather than "I'm just watching". I think it's very easy to confuse "look" and "watch" since they both fall under ﾅ陳ｩ窶堙ｩ.

I hate it when the customers in front of me get asked if they have a loyalty card, and when i get to the staff member she doesnt' ask me because i'm a foreigner. For all she knows i could live here and have a loyalty card too! But because i'm a foreigner she thinks i don't speak japanese (because she doesn't speak a word of it to me) and i'm probably not intelligent enough to own a stupid store loyalty card.

I've noticed that Japanese food chains like Mos Burger etc are much more flexible and have better menu's in singapore and china, than in the country it was born! They even have yummy azuki pie in singapore but in Japan the home of azuki, they do not! Stupid!

Azuma_Fujin said:

I hate it when the customers in front of me get asked if they have a loyalty card, and when i get to the staff member she doesnt' ask me because i'm a foreigner. For all she knows i could live here and have a loyalty card too! But because i'm a foreigner she thinks i don't speak japanese (because she doesn't speak a word of it to me) and i'm probably not intelligent enough to own a stupid store loyalty card.
I've noticed that Japanese food chains like Mos Burger etc are much more flexible and have better menu's in singapore and china, than in the country it was born! They even have yummy azuki pie in singapore but in Japan the home of azuki, they do not! Stupid!

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You can give a positive impact on Japanese society by asking for a loyalty card every time you encounter a situation described above. Your attempt to communicate in Japanese might instill an image into some people that foreigners can indeed speak Japanese.

Azuma> for me it just depends. I usually get asked about half the time. But not be asked about a point card or whatever, doesn't bother me nearly as much as being ignored by staff when I happen to be with a more asian-looking person than myself.. who may or may not even know any Japanese.

Azuma> for me it just depends. I usually get asked about half the time. But not be asked about a point card or whatever, doesn't bother me nearly as much as being ignored by staff when I happen to be with a more asian-looking person than myself.. who may or may not even know any Japanese.

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Yeah i guess that is true, if you are with an asian you get ignored.

I do like the customer service i receive from Japanese companies in Australia though. In comparison to usual customer service here which is sloppy, and seriously lacking in service, i find that the Japanese go out of their way to make their customers happy and make sure they are being taken care of. When we got NHK installed at our house, one the workers there called us up after it was installed to see if everything was working ok, after business hours. Also whenever i call up, they get my file out so they can see my last correspondence with them and they know immediately what i am talking about without having to go searching. They also ring up occasionally to see if our transmission is going ok. That would never happen here. Once they have your money in Australia then you never hear from them again! They are so polite on the phone, even though i'm not Japanese, and so helpful!

I wish that in Australia we at least had that measure of service and politeness towards customers!

I loved the customer service I received in Japan and I have never experienced nowhere near the same service here in the US no matter where I go. If I did not hear an "irasshiai" 2 or 3 times when I entered a place of buisiness I would get a complex in that they might not like foreigners visiting their place of business. I know it's a formality and they do it robotically, but it's nice to hear nonetheless.

When in Japan I am always asked if I have a loyalty card and am always asked if I desire one. Since I am just visiting I politely decline. Why am I asked while other foreigners are not? Maybe it's because I always say something in Japanese when I am at the register to put the clerk at ease as I know they are probably very nervous and hope I do not ask them something in English. Maybe they feel comfortable that I spoke Japanese first and therefore ask me about the loyalty card. I cannot say for sure. However, I always make the effort of speaking Japanese first.

As my name implies, I enjoy playing pachinko while in Japan (always have, have played it for more than 30 years and I even lived off it at one time) and I am always asked for my loyalty card or if I desire one. In my hometown which I visit every year I do have one of those! They usually speak in Japanese to me without even knowing if I can speak Japanese or not which always surprised me.

My most fondest customer service experience was from the Toyota dealer where I bought my first brand new car. When it was time for servicing or having the oil changed they would always come to my apartment with a loaner car that I could use until they brought my own car back later on in the day as they did not want the customer to be inconvinienced without a vehicle and it was at no additional charge! This was wonderful and a very fine service. Do they still do that today?

I also liked the fact that when I would go to a gas station that not only would my car be filled, but my oil would be checked as well as the other vitals and it would be vacuumed out and air freshener pellets would be put in the ashtray at no additional cost while I waited in the comfortable waiting room with free coffee and a TV. Also, I enjoyed that they would always stop traffic so that I may exit the service station without a problem. Is this still done today?

Another experience I had was when I rented my first apartment. I needed an antenna for my TV (I know I am dating myself here and does anyone know what an antenna is anymore?). I went to the local "mom and pop" NEC Electric store and purchased one. The owner asked if I would like it installed and of course I said yes. To my astonishment he installed it free of charge when I would've gladly paid any additional charge! Of course he received ALL my electrical business after that.

Would these experiences ever happen in the states? Not on your life in all three cases.

I could go on and on about the fantastic customer service I received in Japan, but there is no time and would take up too much space. Suffice it to say, in Japan, the customer does (did?) always come first and I hope it reamains/still is that way.

Maybe it's because I always say something in Japanese when I am at the register to put the clerk at ease

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Pachipro, i have done that also, but i still don't get asked if i have a loyalty card. Oh well, here's hoping that one day it happens, but i won't hold my breath.

I find that things we pay extra for outside of Japan, are actually given to you for free in japan, and it's all part of the service. In this regard, i wish other countries would take a leaf out of Japan's book!

Pachipro> Well I do not own a car here, as I do not need one, so I really cannot update you on those things, however, I do know that they still stop traffic for you when at the gas station or at least (let you know when it is safe to go). Your antenna story sounds like a nice one and there are still many mom and pop places like you have described (which is quite refreshing). However, in my experience at least with the larger corporations.. if you were to have accidentally bought the wrong "antenna" you are out of luck and would not be able to return it (if you had opened it up to try it out), Which to me, growing up in a time when a 30-90 day money back/store credit guarantee is standard at most places (in the US), having such rigid return policies is a very poor way to treat customers IMO.

To me Japan excels in the politeness area, and servicing customers as long as it falls within the box set up for them. But when certain problems arise or anything is outside of the box, Japan falls miles behind the US. Therefore even though the politeness and level of service (whatever various things that may be) is not up to where it is in Japan, I prefer being a customer in the US, because i have one thing there that i don't have here in Japan and that is peace of mind.

Pachipro said:

When in Japan I am always asked if I have a loyalty card and am always asked if I desire one. Since I am just visiting I politely decline. Why am I asked while other foreigners are not?

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What the heck are you talking about? "Loyalty card"????

Do you mean those silly point cards? Come a zillion times, get them stamped, and after 3 months you get a 100-yen discount or something?

Glenski said:

What the heck are you talking about? "Loyalty card"????

Do you mean those silly point cards? Come a zillion times, get them stamped, and after 3 months you get a 100-yen discount or something?

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It depends, some are pretty worthless, but others you can get a good discount. Our local Yakuniku shop gives a \2,000 certificate after you spend \30,000, which is a great deal if you ask me.

As to being asked for my point card, they usually ask, but once or twice they haven't and I've just said "Here's my point card", then the next time I see them, they ask. We live in a fairly small town though and we usually shop at the same shop, so I know most of the clerks by sight at the supermarket etc.

Glenski said:

What the heck are you talking about? "Loyalty card"????

Do you mean those silly point cards? Come a zillion times, get them stamped, and after 3 months you get a 100-yen discount or something?

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Jeeze! Older people get really grouchy sometimes. I guess some people are really touchy and enjoy slamming someone when they were replying to another post and using the words the OP used. Of course it's a point card. They are called loyalty cards in your own country if you'd ever take the time to check it out. While you may not understand the nuance of the word in this thread we do and you're the only one who questioned it when we all knew what it meant. If you'd have read the posts above mine you'd understand. And I wonder why you singled me out to slam when others have used the same word before me? I guess when you ony read the last thread and have no idea what's going on it's easier to pick on the last thread posted.

Have a good day. Things will get better I'm sure.

Yes, i guess it's a point card. I'm just used to saying "loyalty card" because it's a card that rewards customers for their loyalty, but by all means, call it what you want.

No need to get uppity about it though...especially as the people who responded were responding to me.

Going back to the topic of not being asked if I have the loyalty card, I would just present my card, have it stamped/scanned, and go on with my life. If it REALLY bothered me not being asked if I had one while everyone else was being asked, I would ask the chashier why and get to the bottom of it.

If, in fact, your being looking foreign had been the reason, the cashier would think twice before not asking the next foreign looking customer after you've voiced your complaint, I think.

Eh, customer service in both countries has its ups and downs.

This reminds me of a funny happening some years ago. I was at a hamburger/cafe type place (sort of upscale, not a chain). I prefer to eat a hamburger with a fork and knife. So I asked the waitress for them. Yes, other people were using silverware. Anyhow, I could see her from where I was sitting and she went and talked with the other staff there, ran around, did some other stuff, talked some more...and was eyeing me like she was talking about me!

After a while I gave up and just ate with my hands, but after I had finished the burger and only had a few fries left she brought me the fork and knife....

I just said thank you, but I'm still puzzled to this day.

You guys need to lighten up. I asked a simple question, and you are all over me like a cheap leisure suit.

Have never had such cards when I lived in the USA (10 years ago), and I have never heard of the term "loyalty card" from friends or relatives. Sounded like a patriotic thing to me (like Freedom Fries, sigh), but I did figure it out, if you read what I wrote (Pachipro, especially). Why else would I have described them like I did? Answer: because I think they are generally worthless pieces of paper, even though my wife has an album full of them.

Back to the thread topic -- customer service in Japan.

Very polite staff, although I have yet to find more than a handful of instances in the past 10 years where I was approached by a clerk to offer me help. Foreigner issues?

Too much packaging and wrapping, but at least the clerks stop when you tell them.

Restaurants usually talk to my wife or Japanese friends instead of me, even when I order clearly enough in Japanese. Irksome, but you get used to it.

Supermarkets have good customer service, sometimes too good. We recently bought some vegetables, and that night we discovered an overly ripe cucumber. Yes, just one. Called the market, they apologized, and we returned and got more than one in return, plus a "service gift" (no, not a point card).