Poor Customer Service

I read a column by David Lazarus in the San Francisco Chronicle about customer service. His column deals with a wide range of consumer issues. (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/08/13/BUGT8KG7VO1.DTL)

Basically, it confirmed what many of us already know. Service sucks just about everywhere. I think about the businesses that I deal with on a regular basis, and most of the time, the service is mediocre at best. I am not one of those problem customers who feels that everyone should bow before me as I come through the door, but there just seems to be such an unspoken anti-customer sentiment, where everything is in favor of the business that is receiving your money.

I know that everything did not decline overnight. As I think back on the various businesses that I frequent, it was a slow and gradual process. For instance, my old bank stopped publishing their phone number in the local phone book. Instead, it was the 800 number for their call center. Just calling to speak to your banker was an ordeal. It was almost easier to go in person. Then the automatic payment craze started. Pretty soon, I'm paying for the privilege of receiving a bill in the mail.

In previous times, you could vote with your dollars and just go somewhere else. Unfortunately, it seems that everyone and everything is in a quest for sameness. In the past, if you did not like big corporate policies, you could go to a smaller independent and pay a little more for service. Unfortunately, those small independents are either gone or owned by the big corporation as a subsidiary. It seems like everything is becoming the same. When this happens, no one will have to differentiate themselves because everyone else does the same thing or offers the same level of service.

It just seems like our voice as consumers is getting lost. Sure, you can make demands, learn the system and figure out a way to get what you want almost anywhere, but what about the people who do not know how to use the system to their advantage? I would argue that it is up to those of us who understand how to exploit the system to educate as many people as we can. I believe that it is not the intelligence of people that let them be fooled by this madness, but the mentality of believing whatever is told to them. This causes issues far greater than being hosed by a return policy, but it is part of the larger problem in our world.

I have no scientific proof, but I see that there are three types of people in the consumer world today: Those who just go along, those who take advantage, and those who fight back. I tend to find myself in the fighting back camp, and from time to time, I take advantage. Overall, it works itself out and I sleep at night.

How do I fight back? There are hundreds of ways, but just a small one that everyone can do is asking a question. Several chain stores from pet supplies to bath soap have started asking for your telephone number when you check out. When I'm asked for my phone number, I say no. I do not make up a number, I just say no. One day, after having been to about three stores that had asked for my number, I asked why they wanted it:

The clerk said, "Oh, we won't use it to call you."

I resisted the urge to point out that was not the question I asked, but obviously the corporate script was mixed up. So I said, "then why do you want it?"

"So we can send you coupons," was her reply.

I let her think about it for a minute, then I had to ask: "How, exactly, do you send coupons to my phone number, without calling me?" She just stared at me for a few seconds, then handed me my receipt and thanked me for my purchase.

Of course, I know they use it to track spending habits and all that fun stuff. What would the world be today without business intelligence? How would they know where to place all those items during the time of the year to reach their target demographic? With that phone number, they probably use some type of reverse lookup so they can send you even more junk mail, after the coupon. The point is these people do not stop to think for a minute about how it all works, all they know is that they are supposed to ask for your phone number. Some are happy to just say no, others press harder. If you are even in a bind, (area code) 867-5309 works well. :-) Some will even happily enter (area code) 555-1212.

If you want to try something fun, go to Sears and buy something over about $20. Good grief, I'm surprised you do not have to give a blood sample. For entertainment and eduction, I like to make up fake names (Mareda Hooselfrausen) or celebrities. The odd thing is, last time I was there, I gave the name of a very famous person, the clerk did not even notice. They are so caught up in adhering to policy that common sense abandons them. So now I can only imagine what the postal carrier thinks, when he's delivering mail to several celebrities who have grills and power tools whose warranty is about to expire.

The point is, I do not think it is enough to just give bogus information. It can be fun, don't get me wrong. Really, though, we have to question, bring the workers back to reality. If you can get someone thinking, chances are these types of stupid policies will eventually change. Not everyone is open to being questioned, but I advise you to engage them in conversation. I have found that if you can get people to think like they would if they were on the other side of the counter, they are much more willing to exercise common sense.

Good luck, and we'll see you next post.