Customer service has gone to hell in a handbasket

[endeka]

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.

[Lunaephiliac]

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.

[melidasaur]

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.

[SmurfAbuser]

Originally Posted by melidasaur

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.

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.

[staceyv]

Originally Posted by melidasaur

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.

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.