Maybe you’re a lousy customer:
I replay this back to you because I realize you probably scream profanities at minimum wage customer service representatives every time you run an errand or grab a bite to eat, so you might not recall the specifics of this one incident. And that brings us to the possible answer to that query you posed in the midst of your ketchup rant. You asked: “Why can’t I ever f*cking get good customer service?” Well, ma’am, that might have something to do with you being a vulgar, miserable, malicious person. Maybe you get bad customer service because you’re a bad customer. Did you ever consider that possibility?
I get it. “You’re the customer so you’re always right.” They work here so they have to bend over backwards for you “because that’s their job.” Well, you’re partially correct about that. Yes, you are a customer and, yes, they do work here. But it’s actually not their job to deal with psychopaths. They aren’t hostage negotiators, they’re fast food workers. And even if the powers that be at these corporate chains push this “customer is always right” crap because they’ve decided it’s good business to placate horrible jerks, in the real world, outside the land of plastic chairs and soda fountains, adults who throw temper tantrums in public are never right about anything.
I’m sure some people might take your side. They might come to your defense by telling their own horror stories about all the times when customer service has failed to live up to their standards. Those folks are under the same delusion as you. They think their hallowed “customer” status somehow gives them the right to treat everyone with a uniform and a name tag like garbage. They think their past encounters with sub-par service makes it acceptable for them to fly off the handle about ketchup every once in a while. They think the rules of basic decency and respect come second when they are The Customer. And they’re wrong.
Do you ever wonder why we have so many atrocious politicians in Washington? Well, you shouldn’t wonder. Just look in the mirror. Bad politicians are generally bad because they can’t handle power. It goes right to their head and they become narcissistic, petty, controlling sociopaths. But at least it’s a lot of power so the temptation to be corrupted by it is almost understandable. You, on the other hand, become a maniacal tyrant when society hands you temporary and meaningless power over 17-year-old fast food cashiers. I shudder to think what you’d do if you had an army at your disposal.
No kidding.
Bad politicians are generally bad because they can’t handle power. It goes right to their head and they become narcissistic, petty, controlling sociopaths
Naw.
I think it’s more that power attracts controlling sociopaths.
Who are naturally narcissistic and often petty.
Attracts … and then prunes all the redeeming features off while rewarding the flaws.
Will respectfully disagree here. Any clown can run for office; it’s the voter who’s supposed to weed out the sociopaths and fools. If we have a criminal government today it’s because we wanted it- or at least didn’t want to work against it.
Psychopaths are expert liars. Which also makes them ideal political candidates in a mass democracy.
Probably one of the best things that ever happened for my growth and maturation as a human being was to be a cab driver for two years. I’ll never abuse a service worker, having been on the receiving end of it.
Of course, having a tire iron under the driver’s seat helped me deal with the would-be muggers with a smile…
In the tradition of my Biblical name sake, I admit to being “chief among sinners” on this score. The minimum wage clerk is probably not the right person with whom to express dissatisfaction with most consumer matters.
But . . .
There is so much in our society that is capricious, anonymous, and arbitrary, and there are real people making real decisions affecting real people hiding behind the veil of “corporate policy.”
A family member has some money invested in a retirement plan and received notice (after the fact) that the assets in one stock market fund were sold and the proceeds were reinvested in a different stock market fund, one under more direct control of the company running the retirement plan.
That type of action, last I checked, is a Federal crime against securities law. I helped said family member draft a letter to said financial services company offering to “settle” this matter by having them revert to the original fund holdings, and I assisted said family member filing a complaint with the Security and Exchange Commission.
A letter came back from the financial services firm with the response “no can do” on reverting the asset distribution. Sez who? There is no such thing as cannot put the money back in the other fund and make up any difference. First of all, who responded this way is now party to a Federal crime of stock fraud, and that this “policy” that they “don’t allow investment in that other fund” is a decision that some person now made, who is also accessory to a Federal crime.
The only defense against their action is that if the client signed some fine print allowing such trades on their account, and that is not how the letter came back. But good luck getting the Ferral Gummint to enforce Federal laws. It is months, and we have not received any response from the SEC.
I suppose Rand might remind me that the Obama Administration is not really interested in enforcing laws except when it suits them, and “Jim” will soon weight in that it is the Republican’s fault because the Sequester has the enforcement authorities undestaffed.
The frustration people have that leads them to bully low level clerks preceded the Obama Administration and comes from both governmental sector at all levels as certainly the private sector, although the Obama Adminstration doesn’t have a good track record when it comes to obeying, upholding, and enforcing the rule of law as a matter of moral and social principles.
Bullying out of such frustration may be a moral evil, but hiding the decisions made by people behind the veil of “policy” can also be a moral evil, especially when it breaks laws, and the failure to enforce laws is also a moral evil in the way it creates a society where persons feel powerless and revert to bullying people they don’t know at the slightest provocation.
Okay, you tried it the really polite way. I would imagine that a similar message from a good attorney with citations of the laws that were broken will get you a more satisfactory response.
Hi Paul,
All mutual funds have similar fine print. Your loved one would have had to be notified in advance that the fund was being dropped from the portfolio, and given other investment options. I’m assuming you went here to file a complaint. http://www.sec.gov/complaint/select.shtml
Lately I’d settle for the shop just being open during business hours. It seems like half the non-chain businesses in my area think closing all Monday, or Tuesday, or at 3pm each day, is acceptable. If you manage to ask them why they’re closing they’ll usually say “business drops off around now”, and they’re happy to say this while there’s a line of people that they’re turning away! Only once have I ever had someone say “shopkeepers like to have a life too”, all indignant like, which I expect is the real problem here – the hiring laws have made the longer hours of yesteryear unprofitable.
It doesn’t really matter how young they are or how little they’re paid: be kind to those who handle your food.
Amen. I worked at MickeyD’s while in High school and then in restaurants/bars through college. I never saw anyone purposely do anything un-sanitary to food, I have seen many items get left under the heat lamps way too long or flat drinks get delivered.