If you suck with people...

... don't work in retail!! 

Why has the customer service I've been getting lately been so awful?  Is it happening to everyone else too? Just about every other day I have a situation with a business, whether in person or via phone, that makes me want to hunt down the Customer Service Rep and smash in their windshield.  I'm writing to you in the heat of the moment, after having dealt with a company that had me red in the face. Here's the skinny on two recent ones to brighten your Monday...

We ordered a very nice outdoor dining set in time for my folk's visit.  The table was delivered today, but no chairs.  After calling the company and nicely (I always start out nice :)) explaining the situation the CSR, I'm told they cannot discuss anything about the order with me because I'm not listed as a authorized user.  "But we were only given one tracking number, and that one has been delivered.  Are the chairs under the same number?" I ask.  She was not kind, to say the least, and elaborated about with whom she could speak, which I was not one, and that "although I'm sure he's busy, we're on Mountain time and he can call as late as midnight Eastern time", etc.... I let her have it, making damn well sure she understood that whether she could not or would not speak to me about the order, I was speaking to her about it and she'd better be making some calls because she had until WEDNESDAY to have those chairs to our house.  I mean Christ, we ordered patio furniture here, not a frigging liver.  In the end, FedEx was my hero in kind, sweet and caring armor that resolved the issue... explaining that the company had neglected to give us the other TWO tracking numbers and the chairs would be delivered in the next 30 minutes.  This was today.

Want another one?? 
I'm waiting at Home Depot to get a quart of paint mixed... and waiting and waiting.  I turn around to see a cashier talking on the phone just watching me.  I ask "Would you call someone to the paint counter for me?".  I get a "Sure" mouthed to me (as not to interfere with his important call).  After emptying my bag trying to locate a large paint chip I needed matched, I realize that over 5 minutes has passed and no one has showed up yet.  I turn around to see that little puke still on the phone.  I ask "Did you call them?".  The answer I get "She's right down that aisle if you need her".  Muthafu... I give him a nasty "Really???" and I head down the aisle.  "Are you handling paint?  I need a quart mixed and I've been waiting a while at the counter"... I say nicely and kind of drained.  She replies "Yes"... and continues to do whatever crap she's doing with the shelf price labels.  NOW NOW NOW!!!  OH MY GOD!!!!!  Needless to say I won't be shopping at HD, all due to two douchey little idiots that may not even represent the overall customer service of the store.  But you know that?  THEY DO.

Grrrrrr!!  There are unfortunately SO many more stories like this that I could go on about, and this is a regular occurrence!  We pay a price for a product, usually an inflated price to boot.  And included in that price is Customer Service.  Decent, respectful and HELPFUL people to give or get you answers on the product that you bought, that is paying their freaking rent!  What do they not get about that?  And WHY are they still employed by these companies when the market is absolutely saturated with people just begging for a chance at a job? 

Okay, vent over.  Thank you for your time.  I've got to get back to sending upbeat, positive energy out there so it doesn't happen again... at least not today, lol.