Back to basics

Sometimes we all need to go back to basics, including the Thomas Cook consultant in this week's Mystery Shopper in Stockton on Tees.

Here's what Mystery Shopper wrote in their report, after waiting more than five minutes to be served:

"I approached her desk and sat down, explaining that I was wanting information on cruises. She was not very welcoming, saying 'Oh, they're very expensive.' This was quite off putting."

I wonder what prompted the consultant to give this response - was she unconfident about selling the product? Was there something about Mystery Shopper's appearance that made the consultant think they couldn't afford the product? Whatever it was, it certainly wasn't the way to sell a holiday.

The consultant at Dawson and Sanderson did well and might have given Thomson a run for its money, but Mystery Shopper gave the branch a low score for appearance, particularly its main window of hand written cards, which lost it ten points.

Well done to Hays Travel for getting the highest score - the personal recommendation and reassurance for the single traveller were rightly rewarded in my opinion.