Monday, August 17, 2009

What Customer Service?

Whatever happened to customer service? I've noticed the steady decline of professionalism for a while now but today really confirmed what I already knew.

First we went to the fabric store. They have set this thing up where the line for the checkout kind of wraps around the two checkouts and nobody is ever sure where to go. The check out furthest away had a girl serving someone else and the check out closest to me had a sales assistant yakking on the phone (surprise!). I didn't want to go around and stand by the one furthest away in case the one closest stopped talking on the phone and served the person behind me so I stood by the sign and waited to see which one would want to take my money first. Not surprisingly, the one who wasn't on the phone opened up first. She yelled across the room at me to go around to the end of her counter in a crabby tone that suggested maybe I was the one with the lower IQ. She scanned my items while constantly scanning the room for more interesting people. So busy was she looking for people who were not me, she didn't even notice when I handed her my money. I just stood there wondering how long it would take for her to notice. I got the feeling that I would have warranted more attention if I'd had a penis. Don't you just love women like that?

Then it was off to the bank. First I went to the teller who told me I'd have to go to the desk to do my transaction. So off to the desk I go to be told I would have to put money into my debit card account in order to complete the transaction. So back to the teller I go, put my money in and return to the desk. Oops, the debit card isn't working; can I go back to the teller, get my money out of the debit card account and into my chequing account? Sure, why not? I only have a life to live, what is that worth these days anyway? So off to the teller again and back to the desk again. Ah relief, it is finally done.

Then to the hardware store where once again it seems as though nobody wants to take my money. Of course only one check out is open and the person in front needs a price check. Can't these people check that there are tags on the product before schlepping it down to the front??? But wait, what is that over there? Is it a check out complete with sales assistant who doesn't seem to be doing anything? No, it's not because this sales assistant is actually doing something....she is gossiping very loudly with another sales assistant who is also not doing anything besides gossiping about her weekend. Given the choice between being served and going home or hearing about some teenagers drunken slutty weekend, I think I'll pick the former. Especially since I've been towing all 4 kids around with me this entire time and they are starting to grate on my nerves. And they also don't want to hear how the sales assistant spent the weekend with her legs wrapped around her head, puking into her own hair...nor do I want them to hear it.

But wait, there's more. I had to pick up a parcel from the post office. I walked in and it was totally empty. I can't tell you what a rare occurence this is. I am beaming from ear to ear at the thought of being served straight away. But then I spot them. The gaggle of hens laughing it up out the back. One looks at me and all of a sudden her face turns into a haggard scowl. I have obviously ruined her whole life by my very existence in that room at that moment. She drags her feet (and her knuckles) over to me, chomping hard on her chewing gum as though they have just sent her down the Green Mile. I politely ask for my parcel and she gives it to me as though she has just done the biggest favour in the world for me and I might have to give her a kidney one day in order to repay her.

I then do the best thing I could have done and go home. Whatever happened to a smile? Whatever happened to helpfulness? Whatever happened to taking pride in your work? I don't know but I miss it and I wish it would come back. Or else I might have to start running errands with hand grenades....

11 comments:

  1. I have to say I totally agree, and from a small business owners perspecitve, what ever happened to being able to hire a teenager who took pride in their work. Those kids are hard to find now!

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  2. Gah! I experience this all the time and it *kills* me when you can't get anyone to let you give them your money. Loved the bit about the Green Mile and the kidney donation! ;) Great post!

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  3. We still have pretty good customer service here, but I know how frutrating it can be when you are treated badly. I mean, you are giving them your money...You think they could be nicer.

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  4. You have seperate accounts for debit cards and checking? Here ours are on the same account, so we don't have the run around like you had to deal with. When I lived in Atlanta I encountered a lot of issues with customer service like that. In a smaller town it's not so prevalent.
    Why did you not accept my comment on the dinner post?

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  5. I have had days like that which leads me to do a lot more shopping and bill paying online...where i can sit here with my coffee and see my blog friends at the same time...:)

    http://unicyclemomm.blogspot.com

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  6. ThankYou - I'm not sure what post you're talking about. I've never rejected a post ever so obviously your dinner post comment hasn't come through for whatever reason. It's been acting a bit funny lately. I had all these posts to read in the dashboard then they all disappeared before I got to read them. I was miffed! So don't take it personally or think that I didn't like your comment or anything. If you could comment again, that would be great!

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  7. I 100 percent agree with you. What is it with people these days? I worked in customer service when I was younger and it was just different. I knew customer's names. Now, it doesn't matter how often I'm in a store. All the people want is for me to leave, as quickly as I entered. Running would be even better.

    Times they are a changing.

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  8. Boy do I feel you! A while back I was getting a couple pizzas. My one year old was in my arms as I struggled to carry the pizzas to the car. Not one employee at that joint offered to help or even open the door. I was the only customer and there were no less than 7 employees. I'm afraid this economy has put everyone in a foul mood!

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  9. It does seem like "service with a smile" is a thing of the past sometimes, eh?

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  10. Oooooh, I have been in tech support for 10 years and did customer service previous to that, but all of my CS was over the phone...it's pretty bad to get face to face with your customers and act like a total ass, though...hahahaha!

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  11. Whoa, this post was an experience. I'm not laughing at your day, but it was a thoroughly entertaining post. I work at a hardware store and i haven't been trained on checking people out, and people always ask me too and get really upset with me. but it's never personal. I have horrible customer service experiences whenever i buy clothes anywhere. Even if i buy a bunch of hanes shirts in packaging, i get weird looks, don't even get me started on those hipster mall stores. I'm about as welcomed Bill Maher at the Vatican.

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