Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Morning Edition - 7/17/07

The Patience Of A Saint; The Temper Of A Heathen
Maturity has helped grow my patience and I can now turn the other cheek with the best of them. Unfortunately, if I’m brought outside myself, my temper is scary and I fear nothing and no one. I rarely allow my cage to be rattled, but on those rare occasions when the situation pushes me to the edge, I’m rarely – if ever – the one going over the cliff. Case in point, yesterday was the oh-so-anticipated delivery of my bedroom furniture and I took the day off to accommodate the not-so-customer-service-friendly 9-to-5 delivery hours I was given. I received a call from the furniture delivery guy at 12:30 p.m. informing me that my delivery would take place between 4-7 p.m. My morning shot to hell and now an extra two hours of wait time added to my sit-on-your-hands time, I took a deep breath and simply said, “Sure, I’ll see you guys here.” I had lunch with a girlfriend and we sat up and chatted through a few beers waiting for my delivery. When I looked up and saw the green 6:30 numbers staring back from my cable box, I dialed the number of the delivery guy from earlier in the day. He mentioned that he would be at my apartment within the half-hour. Again, I took a deep breath, popped another Heineken and told myself it would all be over soon. When the three undocumented aliens arrived at 7:20 p.m. I simply escorted them to my bedroom, pointed to where I needed the furniture placed and they proceeded to unload and arrange the pieces. Ten minutes into the scene and Pablo looks at Pedro and says, “Day didin’ have de handows for de dresoar.” Realizing that this was Pablo’s attempt to not only inform Pedro that my dresser handles where not packed with the item, but to also passively tell me that my dresser was handle-less, I heard the loud “click” in my head that said my patience had reached its end. My day wasted and NO COMPLETE DRESSER!?! Pablo sensing the impending danger looked at Pedro and said he was going to the truck, leaving Pedro staring into my now flaring nostrils. I saw him brace himself against my new dresser preparing for the roar. In TWO LANGUAGES, I mentioned that this was not acceptable. They had wasted my day, showed up after the new LATER time and now did not have my complete dresser?! Pedro began to stammer, but I wasn’t hearing it, I began dialing the store, demanded to speak with the store manager who frantically attempted to apologize and begged to speak to Pedro. I handed the phone to Pedro who took the phone as if he was handling hot coals. I heard him say a few careful, “Uh-huhs” before turning to me and saying that I could pick up my dresser handles the next day at the store. I snatched the phone from Pedro and said, “Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to deliver my dresser handles and affix them tomorrow by 7 p.m. I am not picking up or affixing anything! Moreover, if I were to damage my furniture affixing the handles you neglected to bring, you will not replace the furniture, so your suggestion is asinine and out of the question!” Long-story-long, Pedro will be returning on Wednesday evening to install my dresser handles. He frightfully extended the delivery slip for me to sign and I pushed it back and said, “Get out now and bring it back for a signature when you complete your delivery on Wednesday!” He said, “…but me leavin’ the dress…” I cut him off and said, “You have one minute to walk out before the little bit of control I’m mustering leaves me.” He rushed out the door just as it slammed behind his sweat-soaked, musty ass.

On Blast
Customer service. When you’re patronizing a vendor it is not a courtesy to receive excellent customer service. I expect it – wait, demand it – from anyone taking my hard-earned money. Likewise, when at work, I strive to give the highest level of customer service to my colleagues. When my dresser handles were not with the furniture, the store manager should have made every effort to have them delivered – that night – PERIOD! - especially, when I had taken great pains to work around their schedule and not my own.
What recent customer service disaster left you on the verge of catching a case?

Keep passin’ the open windows…

11 comments:

Joey Bahamas said...

What's it with furniture delivery people?? I can't begin to tell the horror stories I've had with them...but I am patient to a fault and so it's very rare that I get all bent out of shape....oh but when I do....

Mr. Jones said...

lmaooooooo @ undocumented aliens.

Good for you. I mean, I'm usually a refined and even keeled person, but I don't tolerate poor customer service. I don't care where I am or how much money I'm spending, quality customer service is an expectation.

When I get poor customer service, I typically refuse to make a scene, but I let my displeasure be known.

The last time I really went off on someone was at the convenience store not too far from my house. I went to get a Vitamin water out to the case toward the back of the store. As I reached for Power C, my favorite flavor, the entire shelf of drinks fell down onto the shelf below it which fell to the floor and on me.

Let's be clear...this was the result of an obviously faulty shelf and not human error in anyway. The cashier (who happened to be a older Asian lady) knew this. The following ensued:

(Waters and shelves crash to the ground)

Lady: Oh, its ok.

Me: No it isn't Ma'am. I'm bleeding.

Lady: Oh, just leave it. It's ok.

Me: Ma'am, its not fucking ok. Please stop saying that. I'm bleeding. I need a Band-aid.

Lady: (looks for Band-Aid) Ok...$0.75.

Me: You've got to be kidding me. Your faulty soda case caused this and you're gonna try to charge me for a Band-Aid? I suggest you give me that entire box of Band-Aids before I have my lawyer pay you a visit.

Me: (walks out with the box of Band-Aids professing to never come into that store again).

Anonymous said...

Furniture delivery guys usually aren't delivering furniture because they possess a PhD in economics...and usually they are only making 10 dollars an hour especially if they are undocumented.
With that being said, I try NOT to shoot the messenger in most cases of poor customer service fiascos.
I stopped taking my children to fast food restaurants because I find the service and attitudes of most of the employees are abominable.
I have too many stories to tell .... but the one that sticks out in my mind was a visit to Target where a manager named Orquidea told me that I didn't know what I was talking about.....meanwhile she could barely speak English and could barely understand what was going on her darn self.

Me: I am entitled to a 10% discount for opening up a Target account. On the day that I opened the account the merchandise that I wanted was not in stock, so I am entitled to the 10% discount per the coupon

Orquidea: What chu said?

Me: I am entitled to a 10% discount for opening up a Target account. On the day that I opened the account the merchandise that I wanted was not in stock, so I am entitled to the 10% discount per the coupon

Orquidea: No you not

Me: Are you a manager

Orquidea: Jes

Me: Can I speak with your manager

Orquidea: WHy?

Me: Because you have no idea what it is I am talking about

(Orquidea's hood rat friends, 3 strong, start to gather around the register with their red shirts and khaki pants)

Me: DO you all have a permit for the rally you are starting to organize at register 12?

Orquidea: Ima call the register, but he isn't going to give you the discount (teeth sucking, eye rolling, head twisting ensues)

Hakeem (a manager): How can I help you

Me: I am entitled to a 10% discount for opening up a Target account. On the day that I opened the account the merchandise that I wanted was not in stock, so I am entitled to the 10% discount per the coupon

Hakeem: No problem

Orquidea: Why you givin that to her?

Hakeem: Thank you Ms. Hanley. Have a nice day.

Me: Orca, they next time you organize your homies against the white girl, understand that I grew up in the hood and one of you b.... should call an ambulance before you mosey up to me because I WILL F**K you UP. TRUST.

Long story short....customer service and common courtesy are a rarity.

Caspar 608

Anonymous said...

Dire Straits "Money For Nothin" describes the plight of delivery folks.....

yet another black guy said...

waiting on my car to get repaired has been an exercise in patience i never knew i had.

Anonymous said...

Do not EVER fool with Marlo Furniture!! I ordered a beautiful bedroom set, but it took SIX, count them, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 deliveries in order for them to FINALLY get everything straight. By deliver attempt number 5, I was crying so hard that one of my sisters ran out my front door chasing and yelling at the delivery men (now that was funny). They were so incompetent, and the Customer Service office was even worse!! Do you know those lousy bastards gave me only $100 off my order? You will love this -- Before taking the $100 off, they tried to give me a $100 coupon for my "next" order!! Are you kidding me? There will be NO next order! I took off work, my boyfriend took off work, I even had his retired mamma up in my house waiting for furniture. One of the deliveries was on a Saturday, and you KNOW how precious weekend time is. Bastards came through the door talking about, "Can I get something to drink"? What, you haven't even worked up a sweat yet, although they were clearly sweaty/stinking off the break! I swear, this tragic experience made me want to strangle every person that works for Marlo, but what they really need is some damn Customer Service training!! I will NEVER purchase anything from them again!

Anonymous said...

LOL @ Casper608...I'm feeling like that was at the Target up on 225th st?

yeah, I don't shoot the messenger either, unless they get stupid with me, but for the most part I have been blessed with good customer service delivery wise. As for CVS, Target, KMart and the like. I've had to tell a girl or two that when she put in her application for Customer Service that meant she would have to provide SERVICE for the CUSTOMER...and yes, that was a part of her damn job. *smh*

That Dude Right There said...

I can see that none of you work in customer service. While I agree that people in customer service should actually give customer service, some of the customers need to be cursed out.

Now in Cocoa's case I fully understand his anger because it was warranted. But I have had people go off on me because of shit that I couldn't control. When that happens, I let their asses have it right back.

I had a lady snap at me because her credit card was authorized twice. When I told her that I wasn't sure why, she got upset and told me that I should never tell a customer that I don't know something. What the bitch didn't do was give me a chance to find out or hand the situation over to a higher up. I let her have just as much disrespect back that she gave me and told her that I would no longer help her with her situation. I then called my boss and told her the ENTIRE story of what had occured. And I also told her that I would not let any person, no matter who, cut a fool on me.

So the next time you think about going off on someone in customer service, don't. Try to handle the situation in a diplomatic manner. You can get more flies with honey than you can with vinegar.

life said...

It's something about ppl delivering your bedroom set.

E said...

Oh my god...you're my new role model! Way to tell off the furniture delivery guys. I totally hate waiting for them because they tell you 10-6 and show up at 6. Only once did a particular company actually show up early.

Anonymous said...

I recently made the mistake of patronizing a Circuit City...need I say more?!? I find the product intended to be purchased only to find it $20 more than the online sales price listed. I flag down a sales representative to inquire about it. They relay to have the cashier or customer service dept look it up and give a price adjustment. I go the customer service department to find ONE representative working the desk.

This person is overwhelmed with the continous calls coming in as well as trying to locate a purchased monitor for another consumer. I make the decision to go see the cashier and find indeed that I am correct about the pricing. They convey that I will have to return to the understaffed customer service dept for the price adjustment.

I tell the cashier the situation and they apologize as the customer service dept can only do the adjustment. So I make the trek back to the dept and after a few minutes wait tell the CS rep what is going on...

CSRep: Can I help you?

Me: Yes, I was told to come back here to get a price adjustment. The online sale price is different from in store.

CSRep: WELL, ONLINE PRICING AND STORE PRICES ARE DIFFERENT!

Me: OK, well I was not told that by the 3 reps that helped with this item.

CSR