Chanel hell in John Lewis

As heads of marketing and directors sit around expansive boardroom tables pondering why retail revenue is falling and what they must do about, perhaps they should head into the festive fray and experience customer service - or lack of it themselves. I experienced a tiny but telling moment of bad customer service last weekend. I couldn't have been a more easy sale. I headed for John Lewis' Chanel make-up counter in Norwich with my empty bottle of foundation. It was Sunday and there were no other customers in this section of the shop, let alone at the counter itself. 'I've used this up and I need some more,' I said. The disinterested assistant - peroxide, middle-age, heavy-make up, bored - was checking some product lists. Pen in hand, she looked up and looked dismayed that she needed to attend to me. 'But, I'm not sure exactly what colour I need, whether I might need darker,' I said. Looking yet more annoyed, she squirted three blobs of different coloured foundation on her own hand. I had to lean across and ask if I could test them on myself. She reluctantly agreed. I felt humiliated, embarrassed and as if I was wasting her time. I gave up headed for Debenhams down the road. Here the assistant sat me down, smothered me in reassuring, clucking banalities and tested the foundation colours on my face. Of course, I paid £22 for a pot of foundation. So far away from the John Lewis board room - but such complacency will cost them dearly in sales. I advise them to head for the shop floor and try and buy some foundation from their own Chanel counter - it's not a pleasant experience.