How to get good service
By Melanie Chambers • Bankrate.com

Showers recalls one conversation in which the customer was so irate on the phone it took 40 minutes to find out what the problem was, which isn't productive for anyone. He adds that customers shouldn't have unrealistic expectations. Everyone feels rushed and wants their car repaired as quickly as possible, but that can't always happen. "If you establish a rapport with people, we become partners, and we'll bend over backwards for you," says Showers.

Instead of treating your mechanic like he's out to get you, make a point of remembering his name and thanking him for his help Remaining patient and calm will make you one of his favourite customers.

A cut above the rest
Referrals and word of mouth are often hair salons' only form of advertising. So, when happy customers make a point of telling their friends about where to go for a trim and dye job, many salons reward them.

Some salons offer referral points -- the more people you refer, the more points you accumulate toward a gift. Joel Howard, owner of Joel Howard Hair Salon in London, Ont., doesn't have anything as structured as a points system, but he does keep a mental list of people who refer clients, and he often gives them a birthday gift or free products. "If a wife has been trying to convince her husband to come in for years and he finally does, well, I reward that," he says.

Howard says he'll also go the extra mile for clients who get to know him. "Sometimes they bring me a date square -- my favourite -- or they stop by a flower shop and get me a flower. It doesn't have to be something big, but it shows me they were thinking of me, and it makes my day."

Howard says customers who bring in photos from a magazine of the haircut they want also helps them get the cut they want.

Finally, while some customers treat stylists like bartenders, telling them their woes and troubles, Howard says a positive and bubbly personality goes a long way to getting the best service possible.

Wining and dining
Ryan Murray, a former restaurant manager and current manager of the Harbour House bed and breakfast in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., says building a rapport with the owner or chef is key to getting special treatment at a restaurant.

To start building that relationship, he suggests taking an active role in getting good customer service: "Understand food or wine and talk about it with your server. The more they think you know about their product, the better they want it to be for you," he explains.

Sometimes, this translates into a complimentary amuse bouche or a taste of an up-and-coming wine.

Leaving a good tip is always a slam dunk to getting good service, but the trick is that you have to do it more than once and visit the restaurant regularly so the staff will remember you. "Then, they will all fight over who gets to take care of you," says Murray.

If that doesn't impress them, pull out a notebook and start scribbling as if you're a restaurant critic taking notes, jokes Murray. "You won't make it through your amuse bouche before being flagged as a VIP."

Melanie Chambers is a freelance writer based in London, Ont.