Customer service has gone to hell in a handbasket
 

WHY, oh WHY can't I receive good service anywhere???

Restaurants are okay, because they work for tips, but all of these companies that hire teenagers and pay minmum wage are making my life miserable.

Last week we went to the grocery store deli. The kid behind the counter told us :"sorry, I closed 5 minutes ago".
I went to the front and asked what time the deli closed- they said 10:00. It was 9:45.
So, the manager told him to serve us. This kid proceeded to finish washing the entire floor and then he dried it before he asked what we wanted.
By that time, I was waiting in the car because I felt like I could flip out.
It took us 21 minutes from the time we asked until the time we got the meat.

Then I went to Walmart last night and some little bitch at the customer service counter decided that I'm retarded, or at least that's how she made me feel. She kept clicking her fingernail on the counter to accent her words:
"No (click), you cannot (click) have store credit (click). You must (click) use the credit (click) card (click) that you paid (click) with.

Oh my god, I wanted to rip off her fingernails and poke her eyes out. She was like a robot, speaking in monotone, repeating the same thing over and over and clicking.

I was trained to be polite to all customers at all times- has this gone out of style?

I've had my cashiers complain to me that they are tired, some don't ever look at me and say "thaaaanks" like it sucked every last bit of energy out of them.
They are either bitchy, stupid, rude or incompetent.

I don't even ask for much!!! I am NOT a needy customer. I don't want special favors. I just want to be treated with politeness and respect and get out of the store. I don't need to chat, I don't ask questions unless I can't find something (and then they act like I put them through SO much trouble because they have to stop stocking that very important bra rack they were working on- how DARE I? )

If they didn't have customers, they wouldn't have a friggin job.
It's getting to the point that I don't want to go in any store where they pay minimum wage.
DAMN it.

Not to mention the ubiquitous and immensely irritating mass of outsourced phone lines, where some unintelligible 18 year old answers your balance transfer request by putting you through to the Balance Transfer Department [beeeeeeeep. beeeeeeeeep.] 'Howlow, hyow can I helup yow?' where you have to start All Over Again including personal information, who says 'I'm sorrrry madim, but I don't actually undershtyand yow' and you ask to speak to a manager and get put through to Thailand where some automated dope whore tells you to 'Press 1 for Cussomer Sivice' and 2 to be connected to your fucking mobile phone operator who's organised a commission based sponsorship of your BANK to get calls put through to them. What the fuck's the matter with this culture - you no longer EXPERIENCE products you PAY for them, dearly, and with more than just money. I cannot see any solution other than retiring early and moving away from this common sense draught, and I hereby vow to never shop in an underpaid department store or PhoneBank Express with anyone ever again. Ever.

I have found that polite persistence pays off in the face of poor service. That and "perhaps your manager is better suited to assist me."

I think I would have head-butted the lady in WalMart.

Maybe because customer service reps are TIRED of dealing with assholes all day, and they're stressed out that they have to put up with stupid shit for minimum wage. Note to the government: minimum wage isn't.

well, I'm tired of dealing with assholes all day, too. But I find it in myself to be polite and respectful to ALL of my customers, even when I am in a bad mood. If a person can't manage that, they shouldn't be working with people.

Wal-mart has become the worst offender overall, in my opinion. The "greeters" at the wal-marts I've been to lately don't even pretend to be "greeting" customers anymore- you get scrutinized at the door like you're a kleptomaniac planning a felony (why have umpteen security cameras if you're going to go out of your way to offend every customer anyway?), NO ONE in their electronics section seems to know a damned thing about what they're selling, overall the stores are pretty dirty, and if you go there at night you're not a customer- you're just a jackass getting in the way of the stockers. To those who say "you get what you pay for", it's not necessarily true- wal-mart used to be pretty good at customer service, but they (and admittedly, many other stores) seem to have shifted away from that to just not giving a damn about anything not Directly profit-related. They've even removed the customer price check scanners in our local stores. Which wouldn't be a problem if they'd ACTUALLY MAKE THE PRICES AVAILABLE- how hard is it to stock AND price items? Anyways... I refuse to go there anymore. Overall, I think businesses have realized that people will patronize their stores regardless of how they treat the customers- and it's just going to get worse.

Get cursed and screamed at and called stupid before you even have a chance to find out what this guy's NAME is, and then come talk to me about "managing to be respectful".

Lately I've noticed it too. I worked my way up from a buss proming tobacco at 12 to buss boy at 16, and an incredibly long list of boring jobs but lately I've noticed food service is getting worse and worse at places like Wendy's, Mc Donalds and even my beloved Bojangles Chicken resturant. Its a crappy job I agree but you don't have to stay there forever. You do like I did you work hard keep trying and start to look for a diffrent job soon you'll be able to have a job you can deal with. Don't ever stop looking till you find your dream job. But you don't have to take it out on your customers because you have that job. People used to be kind and caring in food service. Now a days you have to almost go behind the counter and fix it yourself to get it right. I'm even starting to hate going to Burger King cause they give you sut attitude when you try to order it "your way". Like if they put a lil bit more than a drop of ketchup it will kill them. Well that's my soap box for today.

I like Beestie's idea. That usually works for me. When the manager gets there ask who the President of the company is and his/her address and be sure to make a point of getting everyone's name-..."and you are? Is that the only way to identify you?" (sometimes-esp. over the phone-people will say "I'm Mary" and when you call back they say, "Which Mary?") I've dealt with loads of insurance reps and they can be absolutely infuriating. It's a problem all over and it kinda makes you want to pack heat. (JOKING!)

yeah.. there really has been a downtrend in the service industry especially with larger chains/corporations, now I don't know if people are just getting dumber and meaner or just more apathetic.. I don't know about all of you but it was 1988 when I really entered the workforce and jobs were about as scarce as they are now.. and worked my ASS off to make sure I stayed employed, although I have tried to avoid dealing with the general public there have been managerial resturaunt jobs where I have had to from time to time, and beestie is right, if the CSR can't be polite at the very least.. yes! do summon a 'higher power'.. the thing is that when I had to deal with people dealing with people I made it VERY FUCKING CLEAR that if you couldn't be nice then don't let the door hit you on the ass on the way out. ( that and just be able to do your job.)

As the economy improves, more and more retail jobs are left for the dregs. It's a good sign, in a way. It was VERY noticable during the dot-com boom.

As for Wal-Mart, just don't go. I only go when there's something they have I've found nowhere else (frigging Target can't keep shaver blades stocked). And yes, their greeters are there to deter shoplifting; that IS their real purpose and always has been.

Isn't this why we once had a draft? Leave it up to the Army/Marines to put the kids' head back on straight.

tw, i've seen two of your posts today and both times i've had to stop and make sure that it wasn't the "other" tw posting. tw is being funny today.

I don't think that things ever improved from the late 90s, though. When I was a manager at CVS in 2000 and 2001, I had a bunch of morons to deal with.

you are too emotional to tell what's funny.

1. We don't go anymore.
2. Yes, I understand that, but deterrence can be done without being overtly obvious. Check the receipts, but be friendly. Don't eyeball people. That's the whole point: Regardless of the specific nature of their job, the "greeters" work with the public and are usually the first and last employees you see when you go to Wal-Mart. Just because they're there to deter shoplifting doesn't mean the job can't be done subtly- it's how you go about it. If you're going to have people stand at the door and stare customers down as they come in or leave, give 'em a frickin' uniform and a taser. At least then I wouldn't feel like a jackass when I say "hi, how are you" and get ignored. I don't know wal-mart's policies or how they may have changed, but I swear that the greeters used to be more friendly. I can't tell you how many times we've walked in and said hello to a greeter just to be ignored and "scanned"... it's their job to scan customers. It should also be their job to make people feel welcome. (A long statement for a small point, but I'm a little windy...)

Last note. After a decent number of years working with the public in the past, I learned this: the politeness and courteousness (towards the public) of MANY of my co-workers depended entirely on company policy and how strictly that policy was enforced. I think that some of the larger companies place very little, if any, emphasis on good customer service- or if they do, they don't want to "waste" resources on making sure it happens. And they won't do either as long as they continue to make a good profit.

Lucky me, I happen to love selling things, even if i'm not making any money off the sale. I just don't understand those people who look at you like you are making their lives unbearable. We are giving them money, for cryin' out loud. That would put a smile on my face any day.:)

My two cents on customer service:

If you treat people like crap, you should be treated like crap. End of story. Customer Service is highly overrated because customers don't really know how to treat sales associates/clerks/insert title here. If you're an ass to someone, they should have the right to be an ass to you.

Americans have this sick sense of entitlement that sickens me.

The Brits of the bunch can correct me - but in England, if you harass an employee of an establishment or are abusive towards them in any way, you will be prosecuted. If we only had that here.

Well-said. I worked retail for many years and went out of my way to be nice to people--most of the time I never got so much as a "please" or "thank you." Yes, there are nice people out there, but when you get shit on by 9 customers in a row, it's hard to be nice to customer number 10.

I'm confused, how are the "greeters" going to figure out if you're planning on stealing something? And if they decide your look like low-rent trash(at Walmart? heavens no) what will they do, give you an escort?

In fairness to the underpaid/undertrained clerks, I'm sure they deal with plenty of people that are just wandering through the store with no intention of buying anything. One person needs to buy a frammis so 3 or 4 friends go along and wander about asking questions and making conversation.

It seems retail clerks are given enough work to keep them busy for the whole shift and taking care of customers is on top of that. Plus the work has to be done by the end of the shift regardless of how many customers they have. You know how stupid people can be...asking questions and not listening to the answer then asking the same thing again. Befuddled by more than one choice. Expecting the clerks to educate them on the fine points of everything from HDTV to waterpik temperatures to fish keeping.

My strategy, on the rare occasions I venture into the retail world, is going prepared. I do my homework, I know what I want, if possible find out online if they carry what I want, and know what alternatives I'll accept. The only thing I expect the clerk to know is where it is.

Now, they damn well better know where it is or who they have to ask, to find it. I try to make it perfectly clear that I won't leave in disgust or find a more accommodating clerk.
Oh, it's not your dept/area. Fine, then you will take me to the person I need and if you can't find them, I'm sure you can find your boss....lead the way.
I feel that's a fair trade for not demanding they actually know anything about the product. I don't expect them to read Consumer Reports or give me a comparison between models. Just tell me where it is.

In reality if they tried to steer me to a particular model I'd be wary of their motives and advice. Generally a gentle but firm approach works for me although I can be unpleasant if they'd prefer.

One other tip...store security...if they tell you to leave the store, OK, your choice. But don't go anywhere with them, especially an office or room away from the retail area. If it's going down, it's going down right here, in public.
I know one thing....when they say try before you buy....that doesn't include bathroom fixtures like showers and toilets. :headshake

Americans have this sick sense of entitlement that sickens me.

You are right, that would be a perfect world..But that's not the way it is.

I bust my ass all night while smiling and being nice to people. It would be nice to tell some of them to kiss my ass, but I would be fired. Even if I just gave them a little attitude, I wouldn't receive a tip from them.

Now, If I have to do this, I get REALLY pissed off when I am treated like crap in a store.
That's the way things work, and I KNOW they are trained to be polite to customers. SO, if they are an asshole to me, they are breaking all the rules that I personally torture myself trying to follow.

And since no one clicks on my link and reads the rhyme of my life, here you go:

What is wrong with customer service?
I keep thinking that I don’t deserve this,
Every time that I go to a shop or a store
I decide that I won’t go back there anymore,
They don’t hire or pay well- they're worthless.

Last night to walmart we went,
The girl at the desk needs to vent
To a really good shrink,
Or at least stop and think
I stormed out-not a penny I spent.

And the guy from the grocery store deli,
Who works all day with meat that’s smelly,
He lied to us, said he can’t serve anymore,
The he made us wait while he washed all of the floor,
All I wanted was food in my belly.

All these places pay minimum wage,
And they hire kids at a young age.
If I acted like they do, I just would be fired,
But I’m able to keep a smile when I am tired,
Their “service” provokes to me rage.

Nice poetry.

Stacey should start a mag for wait staff. I'd buy it.

It is a very rare thing when a waitress is the main character of a book, much less an interesting waitress.

Particularly one that is not a waitress for a few mere pages of a romance novel before she meets the dashing rich young man, marries, and gets kidnapped by pirates.

I have not finished this book yet, but there are no pirates. Not yet anyway, and I'm about halfway through.

And she became a waitress after meeting the dashing young man.

I don't know how things are going to come out yet, but there are so many aspects of Newport and summer people who don't tip and year round rich people who have their own problems and quirks, that it might be interesting for StaceyV (and anyone else here) to read.

I know there's going to be a tragedy somewhere along the line. I have hit at least one, see the hints of a second, and am just waiting to find out what's really happening.

There has to be another tragedy, you see, because it's by the guy who wrote Fight Club.

Diary

But a lot of movies have an interesting waitress as a main character...


...and how many times do I have to tell you? Do not talk about Fight Club

I just followed your link to Amazon. This must be a relatively new feature.

Ok now you've got me going but I type slow so ????? can read it.

I've had an email account with ATT for about 10 years. I did it along time ago when I was idealistic about having one world wide phone number and one email address for life.
Anyway, a third party in the UK pays the bill for me. Every now and again about every 2 years something goes awry usually because the third party is on holiday for a month and something goes wrong with the credit card auto debit.

First gripe is ATT being a communication company does send out an email advising there is a problem it just gets cut off. Asinine

Second having been cut off I can’t access the web site to find out why. How F@#$%^& stupid.

Thirdly if one is overseas the majority of the help lines in “civilized “ countries are toll free which means they can’t be accesses from overseas. Speachless.

Fourthly. When I ask why don’t they wait a bit longer before acting. They claim a notice was mailed to the billing address. I say the person who pays was on holiday and couldn’t read any mail. They say what? on holiday for a month . I say yes. They say who goes on holiday for a month. I say a) The person who pays, b) most Germans, Italians, etc. etc.

What brilliant Customer Service from a communication provider.

And the kicker I can’t find out who is in charge of customer service so I can send an email and no I don’t want to change email address that would defeat the object.

There I feel better now for another 2 years.

Complaint Letter of the Year.

A real-life customer complaint letter sent to NTL (to their complaints dept....):

Dear Cretins,

I have been an NTL customer since 9th July 2001, when I signed up for your 3-in-one deal for cable TV, cable modem, and telephone. During this three-month period I have encountered inadequacy of service which I had not previously considered possible, as well as ignorance and stupidity of monolithic proportions. Please allow me to provide specific details, so that you can either pursue your professional prerogative, and seek to rectify these difficulties - or more likely (I suspect) so that you can have some entertaining reading material as you while away the working day smoking B&H and drinking vendor-coffee on the bog in your office:

My initial installation was cancelled without warning, resulting in my spending an entire Saturday sitting on my fat arse waiting for your technician to arrive. When he did not arrive, I spent a further 57 minutes listening to your infuriating hold music, and the even more annoying Scottish robot woman telling me to look at your helpful website....HOW?

I alleviated the boredom by playing with my testicles for a few minutes - an activity at which you are no-doubt both familiar and highly adept. The rescheduled installation then took place some two weeks later, although the technician did forget to bring a number of vital tools - such as a drill-bit, and his cerebrum. Two weeks later, my cable modem had still not arrived. After 15 telephone calls over 4 weeks my modem arrived... six weeks after I had requested it, and begun to pay for it.

I estimate your internet server's downtime is roughly 35%... hours between about 6pm -midnight, Mon-Fri, and most of the weekend. I am still waiting for my telephone connection. I have made 9 calls on my mobile to your no-help line, and have been unhelpfully transferred to a variety of disinterested individuals, who are it seems also highly skilled bollock jugglers.

I have been informed that a telephone line is available (and someone will call me back); that no telephone line is available (and someone will call me back); that I will be transferred to someone who knows whether or not a telephone line is available (and then been cut off); that I will be transferred to someone (and then been redirected to an answer machine informing me that your office is closed); that I will be transferred to someone and then been redirected to the irritating Scottish robot woman...and several other variations on this theme.

Doubtless you are no longer reading this letter, as you have at least a thousand other dissatisfied customers to ignore, and also another one of those crucially important testicle-moments to attend to. Frankly I don't care, it's far more satisfying as a customer to voice my frustrations in print than to shout them at your unending hold music. Forgive me, therefore, if I continue.

I thought British Telecom were shit, that they had attained the holy piss-pot of god-awful customer relations, that no-one, anywhere, ever, could be more disinterested, less helpful or more obstructive to delivering service to their customers. That's why I chose NTL, and because, well, there isn't anyone else is there? How surprised I therefore was, when I discovered to my considerable dissatisfaction and disappointment what a useless shower of bastards you truly are. You are sputum-filled pieces of distended rectum incompetents of the highest order.

British Telecom - wankers though they are - shine like brilliant beacons of success, in the filthy puss-filled mire of your seemingly limitless inadequacy. Suffice to say that I have now given up on my futile and foolhardy quest to receive any kind of service from you. I suggest that you cease any potential future attempts to extort payment from me for the services which you have so pointedly and catastrophically failed to deliver - any such activity will be greeted initially with hilarity and disbelief quickly be replaced by derision, and even perhaps bemused rage. I enclose two small deposits, selected with great care from my cats litter tray, as an expression of my utter and complete contempt for both you and your pointless company. I sincerely hope that they have not become desiccated during transit - they were satisfyingly moist at the time of posting, and I would feel considerable disappointment if you did not experience both their rich aroma and delicate texture. Consider them the very embodiment of my feelings towards NTL, and its worthless employees.

Have a nice day - may it be the last in you miserable short life, you irritatingly incompetent and infuriatingly unhelpful bunch of twats.

Brilliant. For those of you in England, I have just written a similar letter to the ASA regarding the ubiquitous Jamster ringtone adverts. My god, they're enough to drive a sane man blind.

This thread, it lives!!!