The PR In Front Is Not Toyota

It's one of the basic rules of PR that if you’ve got a problem you admit everything, apologise and get on with fixing it preferably with generous compensation. Excuses, delays or, perish the thought, cover ups are always a mistake. Hard to believe then that a company as clever and experienced as Toyota could make such a mess of dealing with the technical problems with their cars.

At Your Life Your Style we needed to make some apologies just before Christmas. A couple of our deliveries went astray in the great freeze. As soon as customers informed us of the problem, we apologised and sent replacements along with a refund of the carriage cost and a small gift.

I like the way shops like Waitrose and M&S give you a refund and a replacement if you find something wrong with their food. Not so good was the service at Boots in Romsey last Sunday when I was waiting at the medicines counter. A pharmacist was busy nearby sorting prescriptions which I assumed he couldn’t leave unattended. An assistant at the next counter was involved in a long transaction. When she’d finished she came over only to say she wasn’t authorised to sell medicines. She went to get another assistant.

When I complained that I’d been waiting over five minutes, the new assistant said ‘You could have shouted or told the pharmacist.’ An astonishing response that assumed I knew the first assistant couldn’t serve me, that the pharmacist wouldn’t call someone without needing to be nudged and that I would want to be shouting ‘Shop!’ ‘Sorry’ was the one thing she wasn’t.