This weekend was an amazing adventure in how crappy customer service has gotten. Ma and I ventured to the big city to run some random errands and the minute we crossed the threshold, things went downhill.
- First stop, a semi-well known restaurant for lunch. It wasn’t fast food but it sure felt like it. We were eating right after the place opened and there were hardly any people in the place yet our table was filthy. Like, patches of sticky sprinkled with pepper. Ma’s silverware had some miscellaneous sauce crusted to the outside of the napkin. I would have made it a point with the waitress but she was sprinting so fast that I didn’t have time to bean her with the dirty silverware. Aside from the grossness, the speed was a bit excessive. About 10 seconds after getting our drinks, my salad was delivered. Three bites in, our entrees came. Had I not stopped eating my salad in the middle because I didn’t want my entrée to get cold, I would have still been munching on lettuce by the time the check/dessert menu arrived. Sometimes speed is nice but I don’t think getting in and out of a sit-down style restaurant should be done in 20 minutes.
- Next we had to make a stop at a popular cosmetics counter. The staff was the typical level of labcoat friendly but I was put off when I saw the sales goal posted right by the register. Now, I know that these kinds of things exist. I just think that seeing a neon sign saying “$8100 – Make it Happen” with a pie chart right in plain sight is in poor taste. When I brought it to the attention of one of the lab coats, she just rolled her eyes and went back to the conversation she was having with another labcoat. At least pretend like you’re going to do something about it. Not planning on giving them any more business…
- After having a day full of a general lack of customer service (with the exception of the the lady at White House/Black Market…but when things are that expensive, they better be helpful) we went to soothe our frazzled nerves with Cheesecake. AGAIN, the tables were filthy. Not quite as bad as the other place but my arms still stuck to the table and you could see rings from glasses. When my coffee came, I was again grossed out. The Factory uses clear glass coffee cups and mine had obvious streaks and watermarks from the washer. There were also a couple little specks of godknowswhat. If you’re going to have clear glasses, you should probably make sure they stay clear. Gross.
Now, most things I tend to overlook. But poor customer service drives me nuts. In my line of work, I go out of my way to make things perfect for people. Even when I worked for the petstore, I worked my hardest to give the best service and make the experience pleasant for the consumer. Is it just me or do people just not care anymore? It’s frustrating because even if you complain, nothing happens. Is the general work ethic in the service industries slipping? I hate to think that it can get much worse…
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3 comments:
Well.. I WAS gonna blog about this... but you beat me to it...and said it probably better. I agree 100%.
Well you just stole a commentary from my distant past. I remember making these same statements twenty years ago, and yes they can get worse. My personal blame falls on MacDonald's for introducing fast food to the world. I know there were car hops on rollerskates a decade earlier, but MacD injected micro skill labor and frozen french fries. But then smarter people generations before me suggested the true blame falls on old Henry Ford and his introduction of the assembleyline.
Once upon a time there was a reason (besides the Martini) people took a three hour lunch. Now days data geeks claim that an average employee can obtain a meal, consume it and return to work in less than 35 minutes.
Once the "shopping experience" consisted of taking in the ambiance, the personal attention, and the process of selecting your consumer goods instilling fond memories every time you used or admired the product.
Today that same "shopping experience" consists of the adrenalin rush compounded by a starbucks super mocha special, the competative gain by being the first to the counter, the flash of plastic and blur of cashiers as you race to your next destination and as you get home instead of admiration, when you pull an item out of the bag there is that mament of confusion when you ask yourself "How did that get in there?" and "When did I purchase that?"
chivalry and customer service are both dead.
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