Driving down the A1 from a holiday in Yorkshire the other week we were in need of a coffee so pulled in at Grantham North service area.  Years of UK driving have lowered my expectations of service stations considerably but Sunday afternoon at Grantham North set the bar even lower. However, this is a superior service post so read on…

The restaurant area was quite incredible – like a throwback to the dark days of 1970s service stations – all pastel/beige fixed seats and formica-topped tables. In one corner a badly tuned television played – with of course no-one watching – in contrast to the tinny background music. The unrestful effect of this was enhanced by the loud rumble of the chiller cabinets that backed onto the seating area. We drank unremarkable Ritazza coffees and got back on the road as soon as we could.

Normally I don’t dislike Moto services that much and can, just about, understand why prices are higher than the average High Street but I did feel that as customer experiences went this was mediocre by anybody’s standard and hardly restful.

A few days later I gave my, er, considered opinion via the feedback pages on Moto’s site, leaving a contact number as requested. About 3 hours later I had a call from the Grantham North manager to say ‘thank you for your feedback’ and to tell me that refurbishment was starting in a few days time.

I’d like to think that it was the opinion of a customer service consultant that convinced them but it was the manager, on taking up the job about a month beforehand who had apparently insisted that it should be done. So, Louise Gosling, good for you!

The customer service lesson here is obvious: treat customer complaints seriously and with high priority. I was expecting a corporate-sounding e-mail with some explanation and apology: instead I had a pleasant phone conversation within a few hours.

I may not be back in Grantham all that soon, but you can bet I’ll view Moto a bit more favourably next time I’m thinking of breaking a long drive.