Thursday, April 10, 2008

So Sorry to Have Bothered You...

What IS it with so-called service professionals?!?!?! I am seriously about to blow a gasket over here. Never mind not doing their jobs, common courtesy seems to have totally and completely gone out the window.

OK, so, now that it seems that we WILL actually be moving soon, I'm trying to get some movers. The county is supposed to be in charge of this, but after a week and a half of trying to get a response from them as to who we should contact to get quotes, we decided that we'd better take care of it ourselves, since not getting it taken care of will only result in our hearing, 'oh, gee, we didn't have time to cut the check, so we can't pay movers for at least another two weeks, sorry' on the day when we're supposed to move. I'll do it myself, thank you. Then, two days ago, one of the subcontractors actually had the nerve to send my DH an email saying that she was ready to make appointments with movers to do walk-thrus, so email her some dates to pick from. Since she had copied the actual county rep, Joe, on her email, I just copied him right back when I emailed her explaining that since neither she nor her coworkers had responded to three emails and two phone calls over the course of two weeks looking for assistance she was supposed to be providing, we had gone ahead and started looking for movers without her. Ha!

So, now I'm calling movers. Actually, initially I went to a website and filled out info, and have been harassed continually by various companies ever since. However, every time I talk to one and explain the situation (they must insure all our things to the full replacement value, which will be paid for by the govt, and they will be paid via check by the govt on our moving day in the amount they quote, and will have to bill for any additional amount of time they spend over what they quote initially), they act all interested and say they're emailing a quote... that never comes. Now, I understand that working with the government can be a hassle (BELIEVE ME, I understand), but why not just say up front that they're not into doing the work?! Why make me wait for a quote that's never going to come? Argh! I mean, it's not like the moving business is bustling these days, with the market being so slow, and this is going to be a big job for someone, since the govt is paying for us to have everything packed, too. Today I actually had a mover stand me up when they were supposed to be here giving me a quote. WTF?!

Where do all these Boobs come from?! I know I probably sound like an old fart, but if I tell someone I'm going to be somewhere, I'm There, and as long as I don't have the kids with me, I'm even usually on time. If I'm not coming, I call. If I'm not going to do whatever it is at all, I say so. It's not hard.

I have noticed this same kind of rudeness everywhere lately. It seems like anyone who deals with people on a regular basis can't manage even a smile anymore. The people who bug me the most are librarians and people who work in doctor's offices. Of all people in the working world, they should be kind, at least be able to be CIVIL to children, and (gasp) actually want to help you. People at the stores want to wait on me before the poor woman with three kids in front of me has time to even put her money away, and then in turn want me to fall through the floor as soon as they hand me my card back so they can get to the next person. (That is my hugest pet peeve, BTW.) One of my favorite things to do is piss those people off by politely waiting for whoever it is to gather their things, kids, and purse and head off before I move up to the counter. It totally drives them bonkers! Very passive aggressive, I know, but really, these days I have a LOT of frustration, so it's superfun to pass it on to someone else!!! :)

Any of you totally sick of XYZ doing PDQ, please share. I can't possibly be alone in finding that the people who are PAID to help me find me to be a total cramp in their cell-phone talking style.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

You are so right. Customer service of any type has gone down the toilet lately.

I used to think somethingmust be wrong with me, but hey that's not right, I always smile and thank the stupid burger boy for handing me my bag, while he just stares at me blankly. What? They didn't teach you to be polite? Smile? Say "thank you" to Me, because I just gave over precious dollars for that burger?

Arrgh, I have a whole list, but I'll stop now.

Good luck finding a mover. Someone will come through. And hopefully they will have a smile for you.

Swistle said...

I hate when receptionist types give me the full delinquent treatment when I've never been delinquent or even late.

Dentist receptionist, sternly: "Now you DO know there's a FULL CHARGE if you cancel with less than 24 hours' notice!"---then tells me the same thing when she calls me for the THIRD TIME to remind me about the SAME appointment.

Librarian, answering machine, stern voice: "The book you put on hold is in. We DO ask that you pick it up AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, as it IS on hold for you. So come get it as soon as you can, THANK YOU. And PLEASE let us know if you can't pick it up. THANK YOU."

Swistle said...

Oh, ALSO. I hate when customer service implies something's my fault. Like, they ship me an order that's missing an item, and they ask to "confirm my address" so they can "make sure the package arrives this time." Which, um, the package arrived FINE, it was just MISSING ITEMS.

Kristin.... said...

People in general just lack common sense. It's just that simple. In these economic times, especially, people should be bending over backward to please us.
I hate to be late. I hate it when other people are late. It makes me crazy.
How can our children learn proper manners if we are dealing with a bunch of morons out there in the world? Sorry, but it's true.
ugh.

AndreAnna said...

You already know of my issue with lab tech workers. WHY in the name of all that is good with cheese, would you work in a profession where you deal with people all day if you are a total DILLHOLE?!?!

Astarte said...

OMG, DILLHOLE is the best word EVER! I'm going to use that All The Time now!!! Ha! Dillhole! Ahhhh.... the perfect word non-swear swear.

Bacioni, I can't get to your blog! How to I get there? All I found was a blank blue screen when I clicked on your username. The only polite people at fast food places are at Chik-Fil-A. They always smile and say 'My pleasure' when I thank them. It honest-to-God makes me go there more often.

creative kerfuffle said...

i hate when i'm at the checkout (anywhere--grocery, big box store, etc.) and the clerk is busy talking to another clerk or the bagger or whomever and doesn't speak to you once during the transaction. grocery stores are the worst for this.
CK

Susiewearsthepants said...

I hate when you go through the drive thru and they shove your food and change at you. They don't even give you a chance to situate your food or money. I love to sit there calmly taking my time putting my food and money away. I can tell they hate it but...who cares? I started going through the self serve isle at Wal-Mart so I don't have to deal with the rude cashiers. No one knows how to smile or say thank you either. My NINE year old daughter has better manners than most adults!

LoriD said...

You need to stop telling the movers who will be paying them. It's kind of like getting the best deal on a car THEN telling them you also have a trade-in... the deal becomes better.

I too hate it when I am ignored at the check-out. I once had a staring contest with a tanorexic at the shoe store who simply held out her hand for my money while carrying on her conversation with a co-worker. When she finally realized that I hadn't even reached into my purse and gave me a quizzical look I said, "this would be a good time to tell me how much I owe you." Dillhole (hee).

creative kerfuffle said...

lol at "tanorexic." i heard that for the first time today and now here it is again. too funny. you'd think with the economy the way it is (let's not say the recession word) that retailers would be all over offering some good customer service.
CK

Bring A. Torch said...

Dude, Chick-Fil-A is amazing. Last week I drove by after 10 pm, and things looked dismal for the drive-thru but there were still lots of cars and folks inside. I spotted a worker outside, so I hollered out from my car,"Are y'all totally closed?" And he was completely polite, and did the whole "my pleasure" thing, even though no one was watching, and even though he was probably on a smoke break or something. I mean, wow.