I have decided that senile rants on crappy customer service might be getting a little tiresome, so I will henceforth be branching out on other blogworthy subjects.
As you know, we are very much a copycat nation, with everyone copying the latest trends regarding everything from handbags to automobiles. This occurred to me while watching TV, as it struck me that commercials on televison now almost always fall into one of two categories. The first category is the commercial that makes no sense and leaves you wondering, "what the heck was that all about and what does it have to do with the product they want us to buy?" The second category is the commercial featuring talking animals, which is definitely the new rage. In fact, I predict that before long every single commercial will feature a talking animal and will make no sense.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
Starbucks Misadventure #1
After my morning bike ride to work in Oakland, I usually stop at Caribou Coffee for a coffee and a little bite to eat. I prefer Caribou over Starbucks because 1) they have better air conditioning at Caribou, 2) it's usually less crowded at Caribou, and 3) I just hate Starbucks. Unfortunately, for some reason the line at Caribou was really long this morning so I headed over to the Starbucks across the street. Sure enough, the air conditioning was tepid. And wouldn't you know, they totally forgot my iced coffee order. I think the baristas are so focused on the fancy half caf mocha choca ya-ya drinks (sorry - I am plagiarizing from a Jerry Seinfeld routine), that when a simple iced coffee is ordered, it just doesn't register. And also pissing me off was the fact that an iced coffee, pastry, and newspaper at Starbucks cost about $1.50 more than at Caribou!
Starbucks Misadventure #2
I normally avoid Starbucks like the plague, but while in Somerset recently I had an uncontrollable urge for iced coffee, so I was forced to pay a visit. There's one in Somerset right off the turnpike exit. So I walk in and I notice that they have no prices posted for either hot coffee or iced coffee. When I bring this to their attention, they just say that they only put up the signs with the items and prices that Starbucks Central ships to them. This I figure is just a lame excuse for laziness or inattention to detail, or both, so my visit is not getting off to a promising start.
I then order my grande iced coffee and they ask me the usual (sweetened or unsweetened, room for cream?). I answer unsweetened and room for cream, please. So when I get my beverage, they have already added the cream! I mean what is this, Dunkin Donuts? They seemed to be totally nonplussed (I always have wanted to use that word) when I told them they're not supposed to put the cream in. Anyway, if you happen to visit the Starbucks in Somerset, PA be prepared for some surprises.
I then order my grande iced coffee and they ask me the usual (sweetened or unsweetened, room for cream?). I answer unsweetened and room for cream, please. So when I get my beverage, they have already added the cream! I mean what is this, Dunkin Donuts? They seemed to be totally nonplussed (I always have wanted to use that word) when I told them they're not supposed to put the cream in. Anyway, if you happen to visit the Starbucks in Somerset, PA be prepared for some surprises.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Customer Service From Hell
My kids are currently travelling in Australia. Before they left, we went through great pains to make sure they had cell phone service while abroad. Supposedly, this is a piece of cake when you activate the international roaming service through AT&T wireless. It's probably a bit more expensive than other alternatives, but the simplicity of it all made it very attractive. So we activated the international roaming service before the trip expecting everything to go smoothly. Boy, was I wrong!
My daughter calls me from Australia from a landline to tell me that her phone doesn't work. So I call AT&T customer service and this is the comedy of errors that ensued:
Customer Service Agent #1 - She tells me that the international roaming service should be in effect on the phone and she doesn't know why it doesn't work. But she does give me another number to call that specifically addresses international phone service.
Customer Service Agent #2 - She tells me that the international roaming service somehow did not register to the phone when it was initially ordered. The solution is to discontinue the service and then reinstate it. However, she cannot do this so she has to transfer me to another agent.
Customer Service Agent #3 - She tells me that she cannot do what Customer Agent #2 wanted her to do because my phone service is technically on a business plan and she cannot handle any service on a business plan. So she transfers me to -
Customer Service Agent #4 - This idiot tells me that my daughter's phone won't work in Australia because it doesn't have the proper bandwidth. I know this is wrong because every previous agent has checked this and said that the phone should work fine. I walk him through the AT&T website location where you can check to see if your phone will work overseas and I actually have to convince him that the phone is not the problem. Then he goes ahead and does what Customer Service moron #2 had initially recommended.
So after all this, I am dubious that my daughter's cell phone will ever get any service in Australia. My favorite piece of advice I kept getting from all of the agents was to have my daughter call this great toll-free customer service number from her cell phone so AT&T could troubleshoot the problem. I had to point out to them that she can't call the customer service number because the phone doesn't get any service!
My daughter calls me from Australia from a landline to tell me that her phone doesn't work. So I call AT&T customer service and this is the comedy of errors that ensued:
Customer Service Agent #1 - She tells me that the international roaming service should be in effect on the phone and she doesn't know why it doesn't work. But she does give me another number to call that specifically addresses international phone service.
Customer Service Agent #2 - She tells me that the international roaming service somehow did not register to the phone when it was initially ordered. The solution is to discontinue the service and then reinstate it. However, she cannot do this so she has to transfer me to another agent.
Customer Service Agent #3 - She tells me that she cannot do what Customer Agent #2 wanted her to do because my phone service is technically on a business plan and she cannot handle any service on a business plan. So she transfers me to -
Customer Service Agent #4 - This idiot tells me that my daughter's phone won't work in Australia because it doesn't have the proper bandwidth. I know this is wrong because every previous agent has checked this and said that the phone should work fine. I walk him through the AT&T website location where you can check to see if your phone will work overseas and I actually have to convince him that the phone is not the problem. Then he goes ahead and does what Customer Service moron #2 had initially recommended.
So after all this, I am dubious that my daughter's cell phone will ever get any service in Australia. My favorite piece of advice I kept getting from all of the agents was to have my daughter call this great toll-free customer service number from her cell phone so AT&T could troubleshoot the problem. I had to point out to them that she can't call the customer service number because the phone doesn't get any service!
Friday, May 9, 2008
Money Changing Woes Continue
It happened again today. My bagel and coffee cost $4.04. I gave the cashier $10.10. He gave me six dollar bills in return. I politely advised him that he still owed me six cents change. He was totally confused. Finally he gave me back a dime.
This is really starting to get worrisome. I really think it is an indictment of our educational system. All of the cashiers I've encountered recently that don't know how to make change are young. Unfortunately for them (and me), they are using cash registers where the change is not calculated automatically so they have to do it in their head and they are obviously not up to the task. At some places the cashier enters the amount of cash submitted by the customer and the register figures out the change automatically, so it's almost impossible for the cashier to screw up, but I'm sure they'll figure out a way eventually. Maybe I'll just go cashless and use my credit card for everything, but I really don't like using plastic for small transactions. It tends to make my credit card bill as long as War and Peace.
This is really starting to get worrisome. I really think it is an indictment of our educational system. All of the cashiers I've encountered recently that don't know how to make change are young. Unfortunately for them (and me), they are using cash registers where the change is not calculated automatically so they have to do it in their head and they are obviously not up to the task. At some places the cashier enters the amount of cash submitted by the customer and the register figures out the change automatically, so it's almost impossible for the cashier to screw up, but I'm sure they'll figure out a way eventually. Maybe I'll just go cashless and use my credit card for everything, but I really don't like using plastic for small transactions. It tends to make my credit card bill as long as War and Peace.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Land of the Challenged Money Changers
Didn't Jesus go berserk when the money changers pissed him off? Well, I was almost tempted to pull a comparable tantrum when I last visited Starbucks. I was charged $4.07 for a coffee and apple fritter. By the way, can't Starbucks get some decent pastries? Those things really suck! But I digress.
I gave the sweet young thing behind the counter $4.27 and she gives me a dollar bill as change. When I patiently explained to her that she owed me twenty cents, she looked at me like I was from outer space. Finally, a co-worker had to come by to instruct her on the finer points of making change. I think the trend towards using debit or credit cards for all transactions these days, no matter how tiny, has nothing to do with speed or convenience. It's because no one knows how to make change anymore!
I gave the sweet young thing behind the counter $4.27 and she gives me a dollar bill as change. When I patiently explained to her that she owed me twenty cents, she looked at me like I was from outer space. Finally, a co-worker had to come by to instruct her on the finer points of making change. I think the trend towards using debit or credit cards for all transactions these days, no matter how tiny, has nothing to do with speed or convenience. It's because no one knows how to make change anymore!
Oh Joy in Muffin Land!
I know you're probably sick of my search for the perfect muffin, but I couldn't help myself because all is well in Muffin Land. Yes, the Giant Eagle on Centre Avenue finally got its act together and has a cart dedicated to muffins and bagels with everything clearly labeled. So today I hade a delicious raisin bran muffin and made up with the staff I have been terrorizing since they downsized their muffin selection a few weeks ago.
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