Is it me or has customer service gotten worse? I want to know if you feel the same way. Afterall, I have an entire category of Examples of Poor Customer Service. Having grown up in the restaurant business (many years waitressing/hosting/bussing tables) then serving 4 years in retail, I can say I’ve had my share of dealing with the public. I learned what and when to complain. I don’t complain till the last-minute but every situation has a breaking point.
The Easter Bike
For Easter, we decided to get our youngest a bike. We aren’t in the business of getting them really anything over $50 for Easter but considering as a 10-year-old he was riding a bike that was made for a 4-year-old, we knew the purchase was inevitable.
Because I plan ahead, I waited an impressive 48 hours before Easter to purchase Carter’s bike. Afterall, Walmart bragged online that I could order the bike that was in inventory and pick it up at its location just 5 miles away. Easy-pezy, lemon-squeezy. A few hours later, I received the following email:
Now, a delay to me is 45 minutes at the airport. A delay is being told your table will be ready in 20 minutes but really you wait 30 minutes. In soccer, we have lightening delays that range from 30 minutes to several hours. In today’s modern world a delay means whatever is happening that day will probably still happen that day. This wasn’t just a delay but a major postponement. It was advertised I could pick it up Friday, yet they were estimating a 5 day “delay”.
Understanding shit happens, I repeated the process of ordering online and picking up in a different store as I’m not about meandering down the aisles of Walmart. I want it ready to go so I can get the hell out of Walmart or what I lovingly refer to as the armpit of society. Going to Walmart is basically like having a mammogram. You know it needs done, you have 20 other things you’d rather be doing but you suck it up, do it and appreciate that it’s over.
The second time went flawlessly. An elderly woman rolled the bike over to me and it was nicer in real life than in the picture. I was so excited to give the bike to my son. Sure, it took me driving to a Walmart 30 miles away but it was worth it to see his smiling face.
The Cancellation
On Monday, I called to cancel the first order and have my money refunded. Without much hassle, I actually got a human on the phone and her English was perfect. I grow more and more frustrated as companies outsource customer service overseas and don’t focus on communication as a top priority. If you’re talking with customer service, you’re probably already a little frustrated or have an issue. The last thing you need is a language barrier.
Wednesday morning, I checked my checking account to see if the credit came back on. Not only had the credit not come back on, but I was charged for the bike I cancelled on freakin’ Monday! Are you kidding me? And like clockwork, my phone dinged. I looked down to find a text from Walmart stating the bike was ready for pick-up. Now I was pissed.
After lunch, I called the same number I had called on Monday and explained the situation. This time, the gentleman on the other end clearly spoke English but not well enough to have an easy conversation. At one point, he offered to place another order for the bike.
“I just want to cancel the bike, not buy another,” I said, growing more and more frustrated. I offered to give him my order number in which he said wouldn’t be necessary. After 30 seconds, he asked for the order number and I read it off.
“Is that all, Angela?” He asked like a stuffy high school English teacher. It was as if I had just read my essay out loud to the class yet he felt it didn’t reach its true potential and I should have more.
“Is that all?” I asked. “What do you mean?” I was getting more and more pissed at this guy.
“Is that all?” He repeated in the exact same tone.
Silence.
I looked at the email and realized there was a dash and an additional 5 numbers.
“Oh sorry, yeah,” and I repeated the numbers. God forbid he could have said “there should be an additional 5 numbers.”
So yeah, I think customer service is getting worse and there’s nothing we can do about it. Carter did get his bike and is over the moon about it. Here’s a picture of us on Easter, riding bikes. Yes, I do ride a large-ass pink bicycle and I absolutely love it!
First of all I love your pink bike! Second of all I too worked in customer service for seven years and I think you’re right in many places customer service is getting worse. We’re stocking up on baby essentials at the minute and we received some brilliant customer service at one shop but just a few minutes later I was left standing for almost 10 minutes waiting for my drink order at a coffee shop, clearly pregnant on the hottest day of the year and I’d been forgotten about. It took someone else in the queue to ask before I got my drink and a mumbled apology “sorry for your wait” it wasn’t even busy! I know what you mean about call centres too – I hate the automated thing where you have to speak to a robot first they never understand my accent!!
I think I could write an entire post on how my stress level goes from 0 to 10 within minutes of “voice automated” call centers. I’ll scream “Operator!” and they’ll say “transferring you to IT support” and your like WTF? That’s not what I said! How far along are you? Is this your first? Do you know what your having?
I hate them with a passion. You just want to speak to an actual human being! I’m 28 weeks so about 12 more to go! It’s our first baby and we’re having a surprise.
Ok, do you know this went to spam? Sometimes I wonder why stuff goes to spam. You didn’t have a link here or anything. So odd. Anyway, congratulations! I’m soooo happy for you! Your almost at the finish line, I think. Anyway, I’m going to guess the sex! The first thought that came to my mind is a girl. I think it’s going to be a girl!
I’ve learned that with voice automated calls just keep pushing “0” on the phone and you’ll get a live body.
Oh really? I may have to try that next time (aka everytime!).
Yes, customer service has gotten worse. No doubt. And especially with Walmart. The flip side is that customers (this is not directed at you!) have also gotten worse. My day job is an online sales manager, and some of the customers… OMG. For example, they blame us if an item is delayed with shipping, even though we have no control over the item once it leaves our warehouse. We almost always ship an item out within 48 hours, usually within 24 hours. I can’t control the post office!
I believe there is an art to complaining and it’s everyone’s responsibility to learn it. When I’m irrate at a particular company, I always make it a point to stop and say to the CSR “and this rant is not directed to you . I’m not mad at you but at the company or previous service.” Customers are too lazy to understand that that particular CSR you are speaking to, had absolutely no hand in the delay of your package. They’d rather make the CSR the scape goat. It’s easier. Now on the flip side, when you have someone who doesn’t care about their job thus giving me sub-par customer service, I want to tell them it’s not my fault this is their profession. All I ask for is the bare minimum and friendliness.