Grooming Lounge Fails on Expectations

Earlier this month I donated my time to a worthy charitable organization called the Rising Stars Foundation to serve as their featured speaker at a fundraising event.  My topic:  social media for measurable sales.

As an expression of their appreciation, the team at Rising Stars Foundation gave me a gift card to the Grooming Lounge.  I've been a long-standing customer and made an appointment for a hot lather shave, arranging my schedule so I could work from Strategic Communications Group's (Strategic) Tysons Corner office.

I arrived at the Grooming Lounge's location in Tysons Galleria right on time and was quickly seated in their waiting area.  There I sat...and sat...and sat.

At 4:15 PM, I grabbed my jacket from the closet and informed the receptionist I was leaving.  "Oh, we were just about to get to you," she said.

I always spot someone 15 minutes to be tardy for an appointment or meeting -- either professional or personal.  After that, I don't stick around as I view my time to be just as important as theirs.  (Of course, if the person calls or messages me that they are running late than I'm more flexible.)

My experience with the Grooming Lounge is particularly disappointing because the company prides itself on attentive customer service.  Life is about expectation setting.  In this case, the Grooming Lounge came up way short.

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Here is my tweet about the experience: @groominglounge, what's with the poor customer service? Had a 4 PM appointment today in Tysons Corner and sat for 15 minutes before leaving.


UPDATE:  Forty five minutes after the appointment the assistant manager phoned me to apologize and to offer a complimentary service.  We'll see if (or how) they respond via social channels.

UPDATE2: Tweet sent by @groominglounge in response to my message:

groominglounge @StrategicGuy @StrategicGuy So sorry for the underwhelming experience today. We certainly value your time. We'll make it right ASAP.