25 things vanishing in America, part 2: Customer service

[Manic]

hey between you and me(and anyone else reading this) do you to get to keep the unclaimed packages?

I really have no idea what UPS does with unclaimed packages. I was just seasonal help. I assume the packages would have to be shipped back to the sender, though.

And if the drivers ever did anything questionable with the packages, I seriously doubt they'd do so in front of us seasonal helpers. We might rat them out, after all.

 

[Neto Magnus]

I really have no idea what UPS does with unclaimed packages. I was just seasonal help. I assume the packages would have to be shipped back to the sender, though.

And if the drivers ever did anything questionable with the packages, I seriously doubt they'd do so in front of us seasonal helpers. We might rat them out, after all.

Oh, then forget I ever said anything.

 

[Spider-Who?]

The menu states that the restaurant won't provide separate bills for large parties, and automatically charges a 20% gratuity to parties of 8 or more.

I don't understand how this is bad costumer service...apparantly you've never worked as a waiter before...

No offense, but i think most of your points make you out to be alittle bit on the whiney side...not to mention the fact that writing to companies telling them why that suck seems to be a hobby of yours.

sure i get alittle ticked if the gas station teller hardly acknowledges me, but the time i've stepped out the door, i've forgotten about it; its the least of my worries.

My advice to you is to take a chill pill. Just because waiters, tellers, etc are working/serving you, doesnt negate the fact that they are humans too, who deal with crappy customers, their own issues, and a (most likely) crappy job. The world doesn't revolve around you, and you shouldn't expect it to.

 

[bullets]

i'm usually the rude one so i hardly notice these things

 

[The Spawn]

"do sometimes long for a time when people in commerce were more aware of who provided the money that paid their salary, and acted at least slightly appreciative."


...what?

Things are sold, you buy them...not because you want to put food on someones table.

 

[thewhyteman]

Customer Service.

The most open ended word in the English dictionary.
What does it mean today? It means you get everything that you want or expect. It means as the customer, you are entitled to something extra because you are the customer. So if you don't get what you want, the service is horrible.

What is it that the customer deserves in reality? What ever it is they purchase, nothing more. Its simple if you want that new pair of shoes you give up your 79 dollars. You then get your shoes. You do not deserve anything more.

What people lack is appreciation. When people go shopping for their clothes, or furniture, or groceries, they don't stop to think how much work has been done so that they can enjoy in those things. If someone didnt risk everything they had and put everything on the line to open that retail store, or grocery store or service, the customer would not have the option to make that purchase or have that service in the first place. The amount of money that is needed to run a business is extraordinary. The amount of labor involved is even more. But the truth is people don't care about that. All they care about is getting what they want right now at the cheapest price possible.

So lets talk about those people. Because the evolved behavior of the average American consumer is directly related to this topic.

Anyone who has ever worked in the service industry can contest to how rude and selfish the average consumer is. As a waiter I bore witness to this first hand. I didn't know until then how mean, self centered and unappreciative people are. It made me sad actually to realize this. Everyone should become a waiter after highschool to learn this. Often ,for no reason, a patron would take out whatever frustration they had onto me although I did nothing to justify that. Sometimes the food did not taste as good as they wanted, so they yell at me as if I cooked it. Never once thinking how fortunate they are to live in a place where they can sit down and have food prepared for them. That someone gave their blood, sweat, tears, and bank account to make that sit down meal possible. Then they will complain to the manager, who then comps their food or gives them something extra. Do they deserve something extra? Ask that to someone in a third world country who doesn't eat everyday. But the patron still gets somthing extra.

Somewhere down the line, maybe sometime in the early 20th century someone coined the phrase "the customer is alway right. What started out as an effort to make a good experience for the customer to increase business, the phrase over the last 50 years has been mutated into a false sense of entitlement. And it has also birthed the bastard of a child I call the Opportunist Scammer.
This is the person who, like a hawk, looks for any loop hole, mistake, or problem to extort something more then what they should get. Often its the person who throws the word "inconvenience" around like its the cool thing to say. This type of customer makes it horrible for the waiter, cashier, salesman, or customer service rep. They will act like a complete a hole to get an extra discount or freebie. If you get just one of those customers its likely your entire day will feel horrible. And many of the American consumers fall into this category. I saw this especially when I got into retail.

There are good customers out there. But they are the minority. Unfortunately for them, the masses wear people down to the point that they expect the next person to walk through the doors to give them a headache and make them feel as tiny as a flea. So when you are complaining about customer service what you should really be complaining about is how crappy people are. Because it is them who make "customer service" the state its in.

 

[Maximum Carnage]

I work at Best Buy and the company prides itself by being different from everywhere else. Wal-Mart is our nemesis, and needless to say, there's no customer service involved with the Wal-Mart experience. Sorry. Even though we obviously have to make sales, we never push something or suggest something that isn't needed, you know? It's all useful and will help you out in the end.

I personally sell MP3 players and gaming consoles. If your iPod Touch takes a steaming dump on you after 30 days, you're screwed outta a lot of dough. Spend the $40 and protect yourself for two years. It's common sense.

And if we get negative customer comments, we're F'ed .. so there's incentive there, haha.

 

[Hotwire]

I found that when it comes to customer service, "The squeeky wheel gets the greese." Meaning the more you b****, the better your chance of getting the hand-out. It always pissed me off, when working in credit card customer service, I would stand by company policy. Tell the customer that, unfortunately, I could not give them when they wanted. They would then get transfered to a supervisor who would give it to them. WTF?? Why have the policy in the first place if you're just going to give the cry-baby what they want?

 

[Metamorpho1977]

A day in modern life-
Drive-thru at the coffee shop. Attendant shoves change, receipt and coffee at me simultaneously. Hurry hurry.
Stop for gas. 10 customers are pumping their own, while the single employee is inside selling lottery tickets and smokes. Never even glances at me as I spend $40.
Call my Doc to double-check the time for my physical; ninety seconds wasted listening to a menu.
Check email. More unsolicited messages from companies letting me know about all the wonderful new programs they have to suck cash out of my wallet. One, Dell, charged me $49 just to talk with them the last time I had computer trouble.
At lunch, pop over to K-Mart for some toiletries. Ten aisles, two open, with boxes stacked on either side of the cattle chute leading to the register. The clerk shoves my purchase in a bag, which she leaves lying on the shelf for me to pick up. At least they don't use the merry-go-round bag stand that WalMart does; I've left purchases behind, lost on the bag carousel, several times.
After work, settle in to watch the local "news." I wrote the station a month ago suggesting they quit using the phrase "You won't believe what happened next.," because the story is never unbelievable. Did I receive a reply? You won't believe what happened next- they ignored me.
The doorbell rings. I respond in seconds, just in time to see the UPS truck drive away. My package lays on the stoop for any passerby to see.
I pop into my online banking account to pay off my credit card balance before I"m dinged with a $39 late fee. Like many people, I like to pay my bills monthly, and resent the 28-day (or less) billing cycle used by banks to suck up billions in late fees.
My wife and I decide to go out for dinner. The waiter looks my wife in the eye and asks "How are you guys tonight?" The menu states that the restaurant won't provide separate bills for large parties, and automatically charges a 20% gratuity to parties of 8 or more.
We stop at Kroger's on the way home. The checkout person is engaged in conversation with the person on the next register and barely makes eye contact with us. I once wrote to the company suggesting that an attentive clerk at the cash register is crucial to cultivating customer loyalty. You won't believe what happened next. They never wrote back.
I'm not one who believes that the old days were better days, but I do sometimes long for a time when people in commerce were more aware of who provided the money that paid their salary, and acted at least slightly appreciative.

In that respect, have I told you lately how much I appreciate your reading WalletPop? I do. We all do.

http://digg.com/d1oKIP

I remember when I worked at Quik Trip, I would mess with people at the pumps by turning them off and waiting for them to walk all the way in and say, I don't see anything wrong, why don't you go out and try the pump again. Then i'd turn on the pump again for like a couple of seconds, then stop it again. It was so funny messing with them, then when the thugs would go to the pumps with the bass speakers pounding the building's foundation, I'd turn off the pumps for them and tell them they had to turn the speakers off because they can cause static electricity and the spark can cause a fire.

 

[Metamorpho1977]

Customer service was fun when I was selling cars. Three of my former managers were ex-pro wrestlers. And they were still big as houses. It would be funny to have someone come in say I want to talk to the F_Cking manager right now dammit. Then out of the office walks this guy about 300 pounds almost solid muscle and the customer's demeanor changes so fast. It was funny. And the owner of the dealership also owned the police department I think, because sometimes people would call the police to see if they could help them get out of their car contract, then when the police came in they'd say, sorry, we can't do anything for you. There were times I'd get pulled over for doing 70 in a 35 by the police in that area and when I'd tell them where I worked, they'd say just don't do it again.

 

[thedeadite]

Legit customer service story from a few years back (pushing 10 now..wow, i'm getting old).
I was working at a video rental place in metro-detroit (pretty rich suburb), and one of my employees rented a rated R movie to a 16 year old. It was the night before the kid's birthday (17 was legal to rent R movies to) so the cashier thought nothing of it.
A few hours later in comes dad to complain how his son ended up comming home with a restricted movie and lambasted the cashier who then sent the guy to me.
I do my job, apologize profusely, allow him to trade the movie for any other 2 he wanted and offered him 5 free rental coupons for the trouble, but this was not enough. The guy wanted money for the whole thing too.
After I told him I couldn't do that and he'd have to talk with the general manager, the guy left with his 2 new movies and 5 free rental coupons.
Our general manager, after talking to district, offered the guy $50 (in store credit) as compensation. Again the man refused, saying "multiply that by 10 and we're looking at more what I'm talking about".
So this guy was obviously sent to head office for this request.
About 3 days later my general manager tells me to take a look at this guys account, and low and behold there's a $500 credit on it.
It's amazing what a-hole customers can get away with if they complain enough.

 

[Addendum]

The only thing I don't like is when I'm in a store, figuring out what book or movie or game to purchase, I'm always asked "Do you need help with anything?"

If I can't find a particular item, then yes, I'll ask for help to see if it's in stock and can be special ordered. Otherwise, just continue stocking shelves or ask someone else.

 

[UltimateBatman]

To lighten the mood:

notalwaysright.com

 

[Manic]

I found that when it comes to customer service, "The squeeky wheel gets the greese." Meaning the more you b****, the better your chance of getting the hand-out. It always pissed me off, when working in credit card customer service, I would stand by company policy. Tell the customer that, unfortunately, I could not give them when they wanted. They would then get transfered to a supervisor who would give it to them. WTF?? Why have the policy in the first place if you're just going to give the cry-baby what they want?

Now that I'm working at Kohl's, I've noticed that they're the one company I've seen that has a "give them whatever they want so you don't have to bother the management" policy. Officially, it's called the "Yes We Can" policy (a slogan Kohl's has been using long before Barack Obama's campaign). If there's any kind of discrepancy, chances are that a cashier or customer service rep is empowered to fix it right away.

I freaking love it. Back when I was working at Fry's Electronics, if there was a price discrepancy at the register, the cashier would have to take the problem to a sales rep in that product's particular department. That sales rep would take it to a supervisor, who'd take it to a manager, who'd approve it by printing out a price quote that had to be taken back to the cashier. It's a great policy if you don't mind spending an extra 10 minutes either waiting at the register or following different employees around the store.

 

[Tyrinus]

The only thing I don't like is when I'm in a store, figuring out what book or movie or game to purchase, I'm always asked "Do you need help with anything?"

If I can't find a particular item, then yes, I'll ask for help to see if it's in stock and can be special ordered. Otherwise, just continue stocking shelves or ask someone else.

I feel the same way, but the problem here is half the people agree with you and the other half will ***** and moan that the customer service in a store is horrible if they aren't approached and asked.

I usually just ask people when they walk in if they have come for anything in particular. I found that shuts up the people that want to be asked, but doesn't bother the people who don't so much.

 

[Majic Walrus]

Customer Service.

The most open ended word in the English dictionary.
What does it mean today? It means you get everything that you want or expect. It means as the customer, you are entitled to something extra because you are the customer. So if you don't get what you want, the service is horrible.

What is it that the customer deserves in reality? What ever it is they purchase, nothing more. Its simple if you want that new pair of shoes you give up your 79 dollars. You then get your shoes. You do not deserve anything more.

What people lack is appreciation. When people go shopping for their clothes, or furniture, or groceries, they don't stop to think how much work has been done so that they can enjoy in those things. If someone didnt risk everything they had and put everything on the line to open that retail store, or grocery store or service, the customer would not have the option to make that purchase or have that service in the first place. The amount of money that is needed to run a business is extraordinary. The amount of labor involved is even more. But the truth is people don't care about that. All they care about is getting what they want right now at the cheapest price possible.

So lets talk about those people. Because the evolved behavior of the average American consumer is directly related to this topic.

Anyone who has ever worked in the service industry can contest to how rude and selfish the average consumer is. As a waiter I bore witness to this first hand. I didn't know until then how mean, self centered and unappreciative people are. It made me sad actually to realize this. Everyone should become a waiter after highschool to learn this. Often ,for no reason, a patron would take out whatever frustration they had onto me although I did nothing to justify that. Sometimes the food did not taste as good as they wanted, so they yell at me as if I cooked it. Never once thinking how fortunate they are to live in a place where they can sit down and have food prepared for them. That someone gave their blood, sweat, tears, and bank account to make that sit down meal possible. Then they will complain to the manager, who then comps their food or gives them something extra. Do they deserve something extra? Ask that to someone in a third world country who doesn't eat everyday. But the patron still gets somthing extra.

Somewhere down the line, maybe sometime in the early 20th century someone coined the phrase "the customer is alway right. What started out as an effort to make a good experience for the customer to increase business, the phrase over the last 50 years has been mutated into a false sense of entitlement. And it has also birthed the bastard of a child I call the Opportunist Scammer.
This is the person who, like a hawk, looks for any loop hole, mistake, or problem to extort something more then what they should get. Often its the person who throws the word "inconvenience" around like its the cool thing to say. This type of customer makes it horrible for the waiter, cashier, salesman, or customer service rep. They will act like a complete a hole to get an extra discount or freebie. If you get just one of those customers its likely your entire day will feel horrible. And many of the American consumers fall into this category. I saw this especially when I got into retail.

There are good customers out there. But they are the minority. Unfortunately for them, the masses wear people down to the point that they expect the next person to walk through the doors to give them a headache and make them feel as tiny as a flea. So when you are complaining about customer service what you should really be complaining about is how crappy people are. Because it is them who make "customer service" the state its in.

QFT

 

[Schlosser85]

Apparently SoulManX feels so passionately about this that he posted a blog he got from someone else, and never came back to join the discussion...

It goes both ways. I used to work at Burger King, and now I work at a florist shop, and some customers are the rudest freaking people that I have had to grit my teeth. They comment on how incompetent they think you are to your face or within your hearing. I have had customers call me an "ass", decide I am incompetent and completely turn their back to me and continue with another employee, grab pieces off arrangements they are unsatisfied with and shove them in my face, and throw cold food that I didn't make at me.

At the same time, as a customer, I have seen drive-thru people chatting on their cell phones, front counter people gossiping with girlfriends while a line forms, and had my orders mangled more times than I can count. It's aggravating. But I can say from personal experience that in a job like Burger King, after a while, you really. don't. care.

And I don't know what the answer is.

 

[Majic Walrus]

I think people that complain about customer service and customer service representatives cause more problems than they fix. Working with customers is stressful, working with customers for low rates of pay is even more stressful, dealing specifically with customers who have problems is even more stressful. It probably doesn't help that they get *****ed at by their superiors and their customers just to have someone get offended when they don't give them an extra special pleasant smile.

Yeah yeah, you're the customer and you've been waiting on hold for 20 minutes. Guess what? That person you're now connected to doesn't give a **** about that and doesn't need to hear it. It doesn't make him any happier and he can't do anything about it. He's been on the phone for 7 hours and he could really care less that you had to wait on hold.

When I worked on the phones doing customer service I remember so many customers who started off conversations complaining about previous representatives accents or the amount of hold. They'll say things like "I'm sorry if I yell at you but I'm really frustrated."

So my reccomendation to people who complain about customer service industry workers is to stop doing that. Really if you want these people to treat you more nicely and to go that extra mile for you maybe you should all collectively agree not to be a total ******* to them every chance you get. Maybe they wouldn't be so disgruntled every time they saw you.

 

[BlackLantern]

I think people that complain about customer service and customer service representatives cause more problems than they fix. Working with customers is stressful, working with customers for low rates of pay is even more stressful, dealing specifically with customers who have problems is even more stressful. It probably doesn't help that they get *****ed at by their superiors and their customers just to have someone get offended when they don't give them an extra special pleasant smile.

Yeah yeah, you're the customer and you've been waiting on hold for 20 minutes. Guess what? That person you're now connected to doesn't give a **** about that and doesn't need to hear it. It doesn't make him any happier and he can't do anything about it. He's been on the phone for 7 hours and he could really care less that you had to wait on hold.

When I worked on the phones doing customer service I remember so many customers who started off conversations complaining about previous representatives accents or the amount of hold. They'll say things like "I'm sorry if I yell at you but I'm really frustrated."

So my reccomendation to people who complain about customer service industry workers is to stop doing that. Really if you want these people to treat you more nicely and to go that extra mile for you maybe you should all collectively agree not to be a total ******* to them every chance you get. Maybe they wouldn't be so disgruntled every time they saw you.

in addition....asking for a supervisor doesn't help your cause....because in most instances, they will back up their rep and instead of going with the solution the rep gave you, you just spent another 10 minutes hearing the same thing from a different voice....

 

[Majic Walrus]

in addition....asking for a supervisor doesn't help your cause....because in most instances, they will back up their rep and instead of going with the solution the rep gave you, you just spent another 10 minutes hearing the same thing from a different voice....

Very very true. It has been my experience that supervisors, especially at call centers where I've worked, aren't as concerned with your problem as they are with doing their actual job. Their job, of course, is to supervise a team of agents. In some cases this could be up to 30 agents.

Furthermore a supervisors call isn't really subject to any monitoring or quality assurance. This means that when you act like a dick you will get hung up on.

 

[thewhyteman]

I think people that complain about customer service and customer service representatives cause more problems than they fix. Working with customers is stressful, working with customers for low rates of pay is even more stressful, dealing specifically with customers who have problems is even more stressful. It probably doesn't help that they get *****ed at by their superiors and their customers just to have someone get offended when they don't give them an extra special pleasant smile.

Yeah yeah, you're the customer and you've been waiting on hold for 20 minutes. Guess what? That person you're now connected to doesn't give a **** about that and doesn't need to hear it. It doesn't make him any happier and he can't do anything about it. He's been on the phone for 7 hours and he could really care less that you had to wait on hold.

When I worked on the phones doing customer service I remember so many customers who started off conversations complaining about previous representatives accents or the amount of hold. They'll say things like "I'm sorry if I yell at you but I'm really frustrated."

So my reccomendation to people who complain about customer service industry workers is to stop doing that. Really if you want these people to treat you more nicely and to go that extra mile for you maybe you should all collectively agree not to be a total ******* to them every chance you get. Maybe they wouldn't be so disgruntled every time they saw you.

I cant understand why people don't get this. I guess many feel if they come off all big bad and angry they will get what they want. But when someone, right of the bat, acts like a jerk, I don't wanna do anything more then I have to.

in addition....asking for a supervisor doesn't help your cause....because in most instances, they will back up their rep and instead of going with the solution the rep gave you, you just spent another 10 minutes hearing the same thing from a different voice....

That depends on the industry. Restaurants and many big boxes like Home Depot do the opposite. Once a customer has chewed out the little guy they ask for the manager who seems to always side with a customer. My brother who worked at a Home Depot spent a long time telling a customer that he cant take back a Kenmore Dishwasher that was old used and broken. Kenmore... by Sears which they don't sell. As soon as they got to the manager, they got their way. One of my friends who worked thier told me his manager let the customers return some tires. (Used tires. again they dont even sell tires)
Restaurants managers are spineless when it comes to the customer. Soon as they *****, the manager is going to give them something free.

 

[Darthphere]

I work at Best Buy and the company prides itself by being different from everywhere else. Wal-Mart is our nemesis, and needless to say, there's no customer service involved with the Wal-Mart experience. Sorry. Even though we obviously have to make sales, we never push something or suggest something that isn't needed, you know? It's all useful and will help you out in the end.

I personally sell MP3 players and gaming consoles. If your iPod Touch takes a steaming dump on you after 30 days, you're screwed outta a lot of dough. Spend the $40 and protect yourself for two years. It's common sense.

And if we get negative customer comments, we're F'ed .. so there's incentive there, haha.

1. Best Buy's customer service is horrendous. I don't know where you work, but down here it's a common train of thought.

2.It's not common sense to spend $40 on protection because geez, people expect that something they spent $300 works for more than 2 years.

 

[BlackLantern]

the Best Buy I go to has decent service....I always manage to find someone if I really need help

 

[Hobgoblin]

i work in retail, and try and be nice to the customers. but honestly it's hard when most treat you like something off the bottom of there boot.

you want good service then treat the person serving you with respect

Bingo.

I really try to give my customers good service but they obviously like to be the "superior" one of the two of us. We have to treat them nicely, but they dont have to do the same to us. Try dealing with that all day every day and see if you are always feeling so helpful.

The only thing I don't like is when I'm in a store, figuring out what book or movie or game to purchase, I'm always asked "Do you need help with anything?"

If I can't find a particular item, then yes, I'll ask for help to see if it's in stock and can be special ordered. Otherwise, just continue stocking shelves or ask someone else.

I dont know about a lot of places but at my store we are required to ask a customer that is looking around if they need help. We get chewed by management if we dont.

 

[Maximum Carnage]

1. Best Buy's customer service is horrendous. I don't know where you work, but down here it's a common train of thought.

2.It's not common sense to spend $40 on protection because geez, people expect that something they spent $300 works for more than 2 years.

LoL! You'd be shocked when you see how many iPod Touch models we have returned because it's a piece of s***. You have your time and money saved.

Don't even get me started with XBOX 360s..