Satisfied or Settling?- The decline of customer service.

[DrSwade]

I could write a paper on this subject but the TL/DR nature of things here...well.

In the 8 months or so I have been back in the States I have witnessed some of the worst customer service and business practices I have ever been exposed to.

On the short list: Beer second rounds that are not even close to the first beers. Pointed out only to be argued with by server. (lack of turbidity and fragrance af cardamom should be pretty easy even for the brewski neophyte.)

Went into very cool pub the other day with killer ambiance and for the third time in as many visits, when inquiring about drafts, am handed a folded up sheet of paper serving as a beer list. Ask for descriptions of some of my choices "let me check with the bar tender" (dumb ass behind the bar) only to discover that the three choices I made are no longer carried.

Sitting at a bar at a restaurant during happy hour. Manager decided to have a staff meeting behind the bar (directly in front of us), replete with scheduling complaints and admonition toward the staff. Wow!

At a pizza joint. The hostess takes my name stating there is a 30 minute wait. They continue to take name after name and for 20 minutes I see three tables in direct view of the hostess station sit empty. They had the staff to wait them as it was Friday at 7pm. Not the 17 y/o girls fault but certainly the fault of the 3 managers on duty.

This shit is everywhere.

I am staying in The Woodlands, Texas, filled with the most egocentric, inconsiderate and entitled people I have ever seen. (and I used to live in Mill Valley!!!)

In this age of detachment from humanity due to electronic devices, etc and the lack of general social graces being taught to our children, are we just settling for what we get or are most of us annoyed at the general lack of professionalism and decorum?

 

[scootergmc]

Just to confirm- you're complaining about service at beer and pizza joints?

IBTFWPC (in before the first world problem comment).

I nominate for best of BARF.

 

[Wormwood]

Your in a right to work state that has some of the lowest paid service sector workers in the country. Talk to some of these poor servers about what it takes to make a living and the struggles they go through.

 

[SM610]

I guess I don't really understand the first one. What was it about the second round that was different?

 

[RightCoastBias]

I get what you're saying.

If you're going to do a shitty job, you should at least do it well.

 

[mikev]

but they are "just" shitty minimum wage workers. You can't expect people to treat them like "real" jobs

 

[russ69]

One thing is for certain, if you get a recording that says "Your call is important to us." , it's not.

 

[Johndicezx9]

Drink more, the service gets better and the women get prettier...

 

[fast4d]

you can still get EXCELLENT service at restaurants but you will PAY alot. high end restaurants are not cheap.

 

[jdhu]

I am staying in The Woodlands, Texas, filled with the most egocentric, inconsiderate and entitled people I have ever seen. (and I used to live in Mill Valley!!!)

This is shocking!

Some companies just suck, but I notice some local establishments that seem almost proud of their shitty service.

Went to Rosamunde in SF the other day. Worst service ever. My gf ordered their vegan sausages, but the salad comes with cheese (the sign doesn't mention anything about cheese; it's called a "green salad").

Not a huge deal, I'm not vegan and eat the salad. My gf goes up in the most polite and considerate manner to suggest that they either list that the green salad comes with cheese, or ask if a person orders vegan items.

The two workers, a super effeminate guy in his early 20s and an older, blonde women in her late 40s, dismiss my gf's suggestion, and then proceed to talk shit about her when she walks away (I'm still standing nearby). Of course, can't let that slide, proceed to get into argument with both.

It was like the Internet thing, arguing with pigs that enjoy rolling in mud. Anyway, I wonder if some of this is a backlash to techies, and the feeling by "locals" that they can somehow get these rich fuckers back through shitty service. Was the feeling I got (I'm no techie, but gf and I are in our early 30s and might pass as ones).

 

[maxandgrinch]

Place with a view, $25 a plate meal, and secure S2000 parking?

People and their expectations :rolleyes

 

[DucatiHoney]

Might be the result of shifting expectations rather than a material change in the way things are done. I used to think that most places were pretty decent when I was in my teens and 20's. Unless the service was really atrocious, I had few complaints. And when I look back on it now, I was probably the sh_t-head in those situations. Now that I'm a little further along in life and have dropped respectable coin at places other than Kent-Taco-Hut for dinner, I've come to realize that at some establishments, you get clean silverware and a folded napkin when you come back from the ladies room. Not to say that this is your expectation now when YOU go buy a meal for $3.99 that comes in a bag...but the bar overall has probably been raised a bit. I'm sure there's other stuff in there about the quality of people being a direct result of wages not keeping pace with cost of living expenses, but I can't speak intelligently to that. I've only got my own observations. I'm generally excited when I don't have to bus my own table, so everything that happens from there on out is usually a plus.

 

[SpeedyCorky]

Millennials are starting to enter the work force, pretty much always at these service position jobs - as time goes on, expect A LOT more of what you are staring to see......

 

[Yakoo752]

while you are complaining about poor service using shitty establishments as your medium

I would agree completely with you

bought a brand new car and had roof racks, cargo tray, and cargo cover installed on it (all factory OEM through the dealer)

get the car back and the bumper is scratched pretty significantly and the roof rack has 2 chips in it through the paint

they send it to a body shop and polish the bumper and instead of replacing the roof rack, they just touch it up... not sure how I feel about the later but the former is acceptable.

They also installed some weird trunk protector thing we hadn't ordered and didn't install the cargo cover. They resolved it but failed to mention a significant price difference in the 2 parts - I had to ask what the cost difference was. (I now have a $2000 service credit :wtf)

what are you going to do :dunno

Although I did go a buy an anniversary gift for my wife yesterday and the service at the store was top notch. They handed me an iPad and asked me to wait in their waiting area while a sales rep finished up. I said what I wanted, the sales woman grabbed several identical ones, looked them all over and said this one looked the best... wrapped it up and sent me on the way. (no, not jewelry)

service is out there but as others are mentioning - you get what you pay for SOMETIMES.

#1PP

 

[mikev]

Millennials are starting to enter the work force, pretty much always at these service position jobs - as time goes on, expect A LOT more of what you are staring to see......

Depends on what you consider a millenial.

As of 2013, the average age of a fast food worker was 29.

 

[maxandgrinch]

Could be that OP got hooked on the live like a king $3/day lifestyle of Mexico and forgot how 'Merica really was?

 

[flying_hun]

It's been my experience that there is a tight correlation between the way employers treat the staff, and the customer service the staff provides. Treat folks like shit, and in turn they treat others like shit. Whoddathunkit?

 

[JesasaurusRex]

This is shocking!

Some companies just suck, but I notice some local establishments that seem almost proud of their shitty service.

Went to Rosamunde in SF the other day. Worst service ever. My gf ordered their vegan sausages, but the salad comes with cheese (the sign doesn't mention anything about cheese; it's called a "green salad").

Not a huge deal, I'm not vegan and eat the salad. My gf goes up in the most polite and considerate manner to suggest that they either list that the green salad comes with cheese, or ask if a person orders vegan items.

The two workers, a super effeminate guy in his early 20s and an older, blonde women in her late 40s, dismiss my gf's suggestion, and then proceed to talk shit about her when she walks away (I'm still standing nearby). Of course, can't let that slide, proceed to get into argument with both.

It was like the Internet thing, arguing with pigs that enjoy rolling in mud. Anyway, I wonder if some of this is a backlash to techies, and the feeling by "locals" that they can somehow get these rich fuckers back through shitty service. Was the feeling I got (I'm no techie, but gf and I are in our early 30s and might pass as ones).

:laughing

 

[DrSwade]

"Beer and pizza joint" aside, these are not shitholes. EVERY place here in The Woodlands, at least the Market St and Waterway places I am talking about, are ridiculously expensive for the most part.

Let me change the language some for you: (**Not what was said but implied)
Me "I'll have another one of the $9 beers please"**
Actual dialogue:
Waiter "Here you go"
Me "I don't think this is the right beer"
Waiter "Yes it is, I watched him pour it."
Me "There is no way that this is the same as the first one you served me"
"Waiter "Yes it is!" Slams beer down and walks away.

If you get paid to do a job, do it.
If you work in a place where pay is shit and you are dependent on tips for income, you might want to be at the top of your serving game.

As I said, I could list dozens of these occurences.

 

[jdhu]

This is shocking!

Some companies just suck, but I notice some local establishments that seem almost proud of their shitty service.

Went to Rosamunde in SF the other day. Worst service ever. My gf ordered their vegan sausages, but the salad comes with cheese (the sign doesn't mention anything about cheese; it's called a "green salad").

Not a huge deal, I'm not vegan and eat the salad. My gf goes up in the most polite and considerate manner to suggest that they either list that the green salad comes with cheese, or ask if a person orders vegan items.

The two workers, a super effeminate guy in his early 20s and an older, blonde women in her late 40s, dismiss my gf's suggestion, and then proceed to talk shit about her when she walks away (I'm still standing nearby). Of course, can't let that slide, proceed to get into argument with both.

.

:laughing

Super-effeminate guy, is that you? :laughing