The Waiting (And Waiting, And Waiting, And Waiting) Game

Fucking Freightliner.  I should contact their corporate offices and suggest they change their name.

This morning I woke up at 5:45 a.m.  The reason?  We had to "check in" at the Philadelphia Freightliner in Levittown, Pennsylvania at seven for them to take a look at a wiring issue.  
We had a little short or something in the driver side headlight which Ed tried to fix - and did, for one evening - but it really needed to be replaced because the wires were corroded and old.

Ed called them two days ago to order the wiring harness and we stopped by yesterday afternoon to make sure they had received it.  When he spoke to the guy at the service desk, he was told they'd be able to get him in between ten and eleven this morning.

Fucking liar.

In fact, when Ed went inside this morning to check in, the guy didn't even remember who he was, even though he gave Ed a number to display in the window the day before to hold his "place in line" so to speak.

So at seven, they said eleven.  At eleven, they said two.  And at two, I went inside to talk to someone.

They didn't pull the truck in until three.

This isn't uncommon.  It happens at every single Freightliner we've ever been to.  It even happened when we bought a brand new truck from them.  You'd think spending over $200,000.00 on a vehicle would come with superior customer service.

The thing is, I always know it's a lie.  For the ten years I've been out here they've been lying.  Ed has more tolerance than I do about this because he's worked for twenty years in an industry built on lies and which still exists because liars continue to do business with each other.  I came from industries where people lose jobs when they lie.

The thing I'm most unhappy about is the fact that we always have to be up early to check in when they know damn well they won't get to us until hours later.  Sometimes, the next day.

Since we technically checked in yesterday, getting our "number" and all, they knew we'd be coming in today.  They ordered parts for us that they were installing.  If they're not going to honor the time they tell us to be there, why not give just us an appointment time they're not going to honor and let us show up ten minutes before?  This way when they keep us waiting three hours from the fake appointment time, it's only three hours and not eight.

Knowing they're not going to be ready doesn't really benefit us in any way though, because it's not like we can use the time elsewhere.  You can't do anything.  You can't go anywhere.  You have to sit in their lot, with the truck, until they come and get you.  It's not as if we can hang out in the Barnes & Noble ten minutes away, or go to the Nordstrom fifteen miles away.  We can only wait.

Then, after the hours of waiting to get into the shop, we have to wait for them to work on the problem.  If they tell us it'll take three hours to fix, I double that amount of time and expect to be waiting for six.  I'm always right.  

Once we got to the driver's lounge - a small room with a dirty microwave, uncomfortable chairs covered in pet hair, two vending machines, and a TV - we were addressed by another driver sitting there who said, "I hope you're not here for something big, because you've got a looong wait."

I said, "We've been here since last night.  Checked in again this morning, and have been doing nothing but waiting since."

He said, "I've been here for two days, and that other guy over there has been here a week."

"What are you getting done?" Ed asked.

"Codes.  I was driving down the road and my oil pressure was dropping even though the oil was full, and it was causing the engine to throw off codes.  And they can't figure out why it's happening.  They looked it up yesterday and have been trying to figure it out since then."

"Greeeaaat." I said to Ed.

That meant we'd be there forever.  Especially after the fetus who came to drive our truck into the bay told Ed that he'd only been a mechanic for a year.  His on-the-job training was happening at the expense of our time.

And get this - they didn't even offer free wi-fi in the driver's lounge.  That totally pissed me off.  Ed asked the guy at the parts desk if he could get the password for the wi-fi and the guy told him no.  Seriously??  They can't even provide wi-fi in their lounge??  It's the least they could do if we have to sit there for hours.

I was so pissed, I got up and went to ask another guy at the parts desk about it.  He ignored me.  Didn't even acknowledge I was standing there.  So I went into another office, through a side door, and asked the receptionist about it.

She was a bitch.  She acted as if she had no idea what I was asking, like I was speaking another language.  When I pursued it, she got up, clearly annoyed, and walked to another desk to ask someone else about it.  The guy she asked said something about not knowing what it was, so she walked to the next office.  I followed her the entire way.  She asked the woman in that office, who was an even bigger bitch, and she just flat out cut us off, saying "Don't have it, don't know it, don't know how to get it.  Can't help you."  I wanted to smack her right in the mouth.  

Then the guy piped up and asked what I exactly I needed and I told him, "Just the password for the wi-fi.  My truck is in your shop and I can't connect to my wi-fi because the signal is too weak.  Yours is a lot stronger.  And you don't actually have to give me the password, you can just type it into my iPad."  So that's what he did.  And I went back to the skanky little lounge.

After waiting for an hour and a half, with Ed checking in with service every 15 minutes or so, they still didn't have any idea what to do with the truck.  Thirty minutes later they came out to tell Ed that installing the new wiring harness would be a minimum of $1400 - 10 hours of labor at $140 per hour.  That's one of the highest labor rates we've come across, typically it's around $100 to $110 per hour.  And then it turned out one of the two wiring harnesses wasn't even assembled correctly, which would have resulted in an even higher labor charge because they would have had to rewire it before installing it.

Ed decided he didn't want them to work on it.  He told them to pull the truck out, he was leaving.  The guy wanted to charge him one hour of labor and Ed said, "I'm not paying anything.  All your guy did was open the hood and unplug the headlights."  

The service manager didn't seem happy, but he told his mechanic to get the truck and pull it outside.  They clearly weren't very competent, the staff wasn't helpful at all, and Ed knew he could do the work himself for less.  

Ed's kind of amazing that way, being able to fix anything.  Seeing him working on the wiring problem reminded me of the time years ago, with our old truck, when he fixed the entire air conditioning system on the side of the road, at night, at the port of Newark.  He changed the compressor and all the aluminum lines that ran under the truck.  When he was done, he was filthy.  So filthy I made him change out of his dirty clothes on the side of the road as I held up a towel like our mothers did when we were kids changing out of our bathing suits at the beach.  He saved us about $1500 doing it himself and the air-conditioning was ice cold.

Not everyone knows how to do repair and maintenance work on their truck.  In fact, the guy sitting at the Freightliner for two days admitted to us that he couldn't change a fuse, let alone fix anything on his truck.  Other guys will pull into a shop because a headlight is out.  Ed just takes care of it and he does it without bitching.

After we left Freightliner, we drove to a nearby parking lot where Ed popped the hood and installed the wiring harness himself.  In less than an hour.  Now that's a well-rounded trucker. All it set us back was the cost of the parts and a little elbow grease.  Oh, and the more than nine hours we wasted waiting at Freightliner.

But at least Ed still has $1400 in his pocket.  

As for Freightliner, perhaps they should consider the ramifications of treating customers the way they do.  They can start by reading this and this.  Here are a few highlights:

• A dissatisfied customer will tell between 9-15 people about their experience. Around 13% of dissatisfied customers tell more than 20 people.
  
• It takes 12 positive experiences to make up for one unresolved negative experience.
  
• It costs 6 – 7 times more to acquire a new customer than retain an existing one.
  
• For every customer complaint, there are 26 other unhappy customers who have remained silent.
  
• 78% of consumers have ended a transaction due to bad service.
  
• Loyal customers are worth up to ten times as much as their first purchase.
  
• More than 60% of consumers are influenced by other consumers’ comments.

My work here is done.
 


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2013: I Found A Place To Live In Montreal
2012: The Bronx Is Up And The Battery’s Down
2011: Where You Go When You Need To Buy Flowersyou’re your Ho
2010: Photo Ops Amid The Goat Poo
2009: Even The Goats Aren’t Up Early Enough To Beat The Buggy Rush
2008: Before The Locusts Come
2007: Venomous
2006: Sixty Percent Lesbian
2005: Sorry, no post for this day.

Shocking

Last year I did two posts detailing some of the upgrades we did on our truck. One of those upgrades was new shocks. Just last week, Ed discovered that those shocks were leaking (whatever the hell that means). That resulted in him having them taken off the truck, then packing them up to send them back to the manufacturer for them to figure out what cause the problem.

Needless to say, he's not very happy about it. And he's written a new post about it. I now present you another installment of "Ed's View"...

I have a rant!

Eight months ago I purchased six Road King Shocks for our Coronado and about a month after installation, they started to fail. That’s not to say that the shocks weren’t good – they worked great! They certainly absorbed more impact than any other brand shock I’ve had on a truck, and created a smoother ride, making the rough roads a little more bearable. But that didn’t last.

Built into the shock, but visible from the outside, is a plastic wiper which is supposed to keep the shock shaft clean as it travels in and out of the shock body. This wiper is supposed to stay in the shock body, but it did not. Instead, it worked its way out of the shock body and up the shock shaft where it left the shaft unprotected. The result? Six leaking shocks.

I should have known there were going to be problems with this company from the beginning, when they didn’t ship the shocks to me when they said they would. I had to call to find out where they were and when I did, was told that UPS lost them. I found this hard to believe. I suppose it’s possible, but I think it’s highly unlikely for sixty pounds of gas filled shocks to be "lost". I believe they used the age old excuse of blaming someone else - some manufacturers and sellers use this technique to cover up the fact that they forgot to ship an order, lost an order, didn’t even place the order or are just plain incompetent. I’m getting used to this way of doing business, because I have no choice, but I’m not happy with it.

I finally received the shocks in May 2011 and found them to be very stiff, which is good. Since they’re supposed to absorb energy, otherwise described as “shock”, the stiffer they are, the better. Usually stock shocks are easy to compress by hand and install with only a couple of wrenches, but these shocks needed a shop and a good bottle jack. Not knowing if there would be any other complications, I took the truck to a shop and let them do the job of installing the shocks myself. At the time of installation, I discovered the seller had shorted me some bushings, so I had to go to a hardware store to get them myself. Had I not found these bushings, I would have had to wait a week or more until the seller could ship them out to me.

This brings us to the present – leaking shocks that I had to remove and ship back to the manufacturer. I'm not holding out much hope that they will expedite the repair process. I spent $2000.00 for parts, labor, and shipping, and now I have a truck that’s been sitting a week already without shocks. I suspect I’ll be looking at another week at least before I even get them back. They hawked these shocks at the biggest truck shows in the country, year after year, telling people how they offer "ten times the damping force of other shocks" and that "no after-market enhancements are needed". They also said they can be rebuilt up to three times during the lifetime of the shock and don’t need the first rebuild until they hit three or four hundred thousand miles of use. We only went about 100,000 miles and already there’s a problem.

When I called the company and told them about the problem I was having, they told me they’d never heard of anything like it before. I hate this answer - especially from someone who just sold me their product! I am not comforted by the knowledge that the company hasn’t had any other calls like mine. Why should I care about that? It literally makes no difference to me. You’re getting the call now. I am having a problem with the product you sold me, and I can’t see how it makes a difference whether I’m the first person or the last person to have the problem. What I want to know is what you’re going to do about it.

To me, telling me you’ve never had a call like this before, is just a manipulation tactic; trying to make me somehow feel bad that I’m having an issue. As if I shouldn’t be bothering you with it, that you don’t have time for me. It reminds me of the place I bought my truck - after spending over two-hundred thousand dollars, once I was in possession of the item they sold me, they acted as if they didn’t have time to fit me in and fix problems that were occurring, even though everything was under warranty. It’s an unscrupulous technique, unfortunately practiced by far too many businesses these days, especially in trucking.

In the case with the shocks, there is not only some kind of flaw in manufacturing, but also a flaw in their customer service; there isn't any. They should be bending over backwards to make me happy, and so far I’m not at all impressed. I’ve fired off an angry letter to the company, expressing my displeasure and I’ve asked for them to cover the shipping costs. As of this writing, they have not replied. Shocker.

I’m hoping to hear something soon but I’m smart enough not to hold my breath while waiting.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
1 YEAR AGO: Awesome All-Star
2 YEARS AGO: Have Pots And Pans, Will Travel
3 YEARS AGO: This One Contains A Young Rider
4 YEARS AGO: When She’s Not Sleeping, She Tries To Look Purty
5 YEARS AGO: Eddie McSteamy Friday
6 YEARS AGO: Pepparkakor Cat

Waiting For Someone To Service Me

Today we had our valves adjusted. No, it's not as exciting as it sounds. What it actually meant was sitting, for almost four hours (when they said it would only take two), on a dirty couch in a hot driver's lounge, breathing air heavy with grease, oil and diesel smell.

The thing I hate most about taking the truck into the shop is that I have to get out of my comfortable sleeper, with my ice cold a/c, and a selection of food and beverages that would put any kitchen to shame, because some idiot tripped over an air chuck. It's all about liability now. They don't want you in the truck for fear of you getting hurt and suing them. They should be more worried about providing a better level of customer service.

Oh, they did the job, but their attitudes left much to be desired. Their attempt at providing any service at all, was as empty as the window in the photo.


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1 YEAR AGO: Rockin’ Rockaholic Haul
2 YEARS AGO: Just Don’t Call Me Late For Dinner
3 YEARS AGO: In This Case, R & R Means Recumbent And Recuperation
4 YEARS AGO: Posthumously Famous In The World Of Cheap Lodging
5 YEARS AGO: What Better Reason To Dine Out?
6 YEARS AGO: Hudson Valley Summer

Spreading The Word

After spending a week at Fyda Freightliner in Columbus, Ohio - for an electrical problem we've been having since we bought the truck in 2009 - only to be told, "We can't find anything wrong with your truck", you might say I'm not very happy. And anyone who knows me or reads my blog knows what a stickler I am for good, if not exemplary, customer service.

We have dealt with everyone from the salesman we bought the truck from (who was useless from the get-go, which should have been the first red flag), to the service manager, to the General Manager Gary Tiffan (useless), and finally even the dealership owner, Tim Fyda.

Ed is easygoing and gives everyone the benefit of the doubt.  I don't.  First, we spent as much money to buy this thing as some people spend on a house, and since they sell this truck, they should probably know how to work on it.  THAT is their job.

When it got to a point where I couldn't take it anymore, I spoke to the General Manager, Gary Tiffan.  After much back and forth, he said to me, "I don't know what you want me to do."

What??

"I want you to fix the truck.  That's what I want you to do." I said.  

Are you fucking kidding me??  I can't even believe he uttered those words, essentially throwing his hands up in the air.  And Tim Fyda, the guy with his name on the door, wasn't much better.  Funny thing is, they have these plaques displayed in the lobby area, customer service awards recognizing them for their excellent customer service.  The majority of them are over a decade old, many are even older than that.  I'd like to know whose ass they had to kiss, or what organization they gave money to, or which executive they took out to lunch in order to receive them.  Because it's certainly not truck owners who are filling their mailbox with letters of praise.

I will never recommend these people to anyone.  I will never buy another truck from them.  And I will warn anyone who crosses my path, whether they're in the trucking industry or not, of their business practices.  They may cater to fleets, who largely use Freightliner trucks, but they certainly don't give a shit about the individual truck owner.

Remember the old adage, "A happy customer tells one friend, an unhappy customer tells everybody"?

I do.

And thanks to a readership of tens of thousands of people, the world wide web, blogs, online forums, trucking industry websites, Facebook, Twitter, and all the other social networking sites out there, "everybody" truly means everybody.

And we all know how much I like to talk.


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1 YEAR AGO: He Had A Dream. Tomorrow We See It Come True.
2 YEARS AGO: Who Do You Know?
3 YEARS AGO: South Beach Blue
4 YEARS AGO: Jawl Spake Anglesh??

Have Pots And Pans, Will Travel

This is our home away from our home away from home. Since our truck, the original home away from home, is in the Fyda Freightliner shop for the bazillionth time for something that should have been fixed the first time, Ed and I are stranded in a hotel in snowy Ohio. I think after this whole ordeal is done, I might be doing a post about how satisfying the customer is probably in your best interest if you are a service provider. To say I'm not happy would be a gross understatement.

Instead of getting a regular hotel room, this time we decided to stay at one of those extended stay places with a kitchen. It's a little messy because we hauled everything out of the truck into the room late last night, but as you can see, it's quite roomy. I'm standing in the kitchen taking the picture, while Ed lounges on the couch.

It's not the most beautifully decorated room, but it has a pretty spacious living room and an equally big bedroom; one that can be closed off by an actual door. Two TV's, a large closet area and a giant bathroom complete the suite. And it's a corner room, which is always bigger, with three large windows giving us a great view of the local snow covered neighborhood.

Tucked next to a residential neighborhood across the street is a Walmart, which we actually walked to today, and The Mall at Tuttle Crossing is also within walking distance. We probably have at least a week here, so I'm sure I'll be hitting the mall, in addition to the local Barnes & Noble.

It was my idea to get a suite with a kitchen, which now when I think about it, seems to indicate I was not in my right mind. I could have had a little vacation from cooking had I not tried to be so practical. I really don't mind the cooking part, but since our room is right next to the balcony that opens to the large atrium in the lobby, I hope I don't cause a stir when the scent from my Sausage & Peppers starts wafting down to the front desk!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
1 YEAR AGO: This One Contains A Young Rider
2 YEARS AGO: When She's Not Sleeping, She Tries To Look Purty
3 YEARS AGO: When She’s Not Sleeping, She Tries To Look Purty
4 YEARS AGO: Pepparkakor Cat

It's Probably Best To Not Piss Off The Devil

Last month I told you about Cletus, the leader of the Hillbilly Trio who were working on our truck. Well, today I was told he had been trying to get in touch with us to "settle up".

I guess he didn't understand when Ed told them he wasn't getting another dime of our money. When we left his shop, our truck was still not fixed properly and the money he was asking for is for work that was never authorized.

Ooops, sorry. I can understand how it might take a few more times before it sinks in, but if you weren't told to do it, don't take it upon yourself to install another part and then expect to be paid for it. Especially when said part does NOT fix the problem.

When I talked to him today, he cried poverty and told me that the check he wrote for the parts he bought bounced (as if it's my fault he wrote a bad check), screwed up his whole checking account, and that he really needed that extra money and his wife is going to have to sell her Jeep to cover his bank charges.

We had a little back and forth when I finally had to clear things up for him.

First of all, you are not getting any more of our money. Period. So stop telling me your bank account is all done messed up; it's not my fault you wrote a bad check.

Second, if a few thousand dollars is going to make your business go belly up, then you probably are as good a businessman as you are a mechanic. Which as we've noted, isn't all that good.

And third, it's unfortunate that your wife has to sell her Jeep, but quite honestly? I really don't care. You could tell me you have to sell your house to cover the insufficient funds fees and I still won't care.

Here's the tough lesson you had to learn: Don't write bad checks. Isn't that some sort of felony anyway?

Well. That's when he said this to me:

"I shoulda took you for the devil you are. I knew you were evil when I first laid eyes on you."

Well bless his heart. For a minute there, I thought he didn't like me.

E Vac You A She Own!!

It's 1:38 am central standard time and Eddie and I are packing and getting ready to hightail it outta Sliiiiiidell, Loooosiana. We don't really have a choice, as they've issued a mandatory evacuation of our Parish.

We got our truck back from the Hillbilly Trio and although it's STILL not fixed, we will be making our way a few hours north to have them repair what Cletus, Bubba, Enos and the wife with no teeth "couldn't done figger out."

We will be joining the thousands of others in the evacuation process so we won't be here when the winds, flooding and possible tornadoes hit. Did I hear someone say something about locusts?? Fire and brimstone? I mean, really, what else could happen?

When we hit higher ground, I'll post again. In the meantime, keep your eyes on Gustav and we'll keep our eyes on the road.

There's a reason why the most famous drink in the Big Easy is called The Hurricane.

Maybe We Should Sell Our Truck And Buy An Airboat

Well, it's been 22 days now since our truck broke down and we're still in Louisiana. It all started with our transmission basically "falling" out of the truck (while Ed was driving thank God). Between the truck repair, car rental, hotel room and dining out, we have spent $23,649.19 and that's just the beginning. The truck repair has been a big chunk of that figure as you might imagine ($18,936.08), but we've only been here three weeks and I think that's a record even for us.

The truck is still not fixed and I think tomorrow I might have to go into bitch mode; up until now, believe it or not, I've stayed pretty quiet. It seems as if Cletus, Bubba, Enos and the wife with no teeth "ain't never seen nuthin' like this before" and they're having a hell of a time figuring out what to do. I sort of feel as if I'm one soo-eee away from Deliverance.

Now, Gustav is on his way. It's only Thursday and the line of traffic leaving town has been growing. Home Depot is selling sheets of plywood, people are stocking up on water and canned food and the surrounding Parishes, including the city of New Orleans, have been broadcasing their evacuation plans on the local news. Greaaat.

Ed and I watched the local news tonight and on the break I looked over at him and said, "We should probably get some stuff tomorrow."

He said, "Yeah, it's not looking too good, huh?"

"Well, we have a half a gallon of water, a few Diet Cokes, a bag of Oreo cookies and a box of Fruit Loops. I think we should probably get some other stuff if we're going to ride out the storm."

So tomorrow it looks like we'll be buying another box of Fruit Loops and some other necessities. The hotel we're staying in is only five months old, so I'm assuming it's been built to a more stringent code and can withstand high winds, but I'm guessing I'll have to buy a flashlight and some batteries too since I found out today that the building not only doesn't have a basement, but it's not equipped with generators either.

By Tuesday, I might be a lot closer to swampland than I'd ever imagined.

A Body Temperature Of 98.6 - The Only Requirement To Work At McDonald's

This morning, while on Prince Edward Island, Ed went to McDonald's for breakfast. As most people know, you don't have to go far to find a McDonald's - even in other countries. Although, up here in the Maritime Provinces of Canada, you'll find McLobster on the menu.

I kid you not.

Anyhoo, since it was breakfast, Ed was ordering a sausage, egg and cheese McMuffin; but instead of an English Muffin, he wanted it on a bagel. No problem you'd think since they also serve another breakfast sandwich on a bagel, but the girl at the counter, when asked if they could put it on a bagel, said no.

"No? Why not?" he asked.

"Because we don't have the right egg for that bagel."

Ed and I looked at each other, sure that we didn't hear her correctly.

"The right egg?" I said.

"Yeah. We don't have the right egg for that bagel." she repeated.

It was clear that our confused I-can't-even-believe-you-said-that-with-a-straight-face look wasn't going to sway her and it was also clear that she wasn't going to accomodate him, even though they had another breakfast sandwich that was served on a bagel. So, we paid for our order, got our food, and left.

I guess she just couldn't make the jump to figuring out how to use one piece of bread in place of another.

We Need A Manager On Register Three Please!

On days when Ed and I are trying to eat better, we often do McDonald's because I like their new Southwest Chicken Salad, because really, what other reason would there be for going to McDonald's when you're trying to diet?

Yesterday, Ed got our lunch and brought it back out to the truck. We started eating when I commented on something I noticed he'd been doing lately; getting a salad instead of fries.

"Oh, you got a salad."

"Yeah," he said. "and everytime I ask for a side salad instead of fries, the cashier is like 'a salad? You mean instead of fries??' and then they have to call over a manager to see if it's okay."

Is that what they teach their staff at Hamburger University; to consult with a manager before making those big decisions?

The Department Of Mindless Vegetables

Is there a federal mandate that requires The Department of Motor Vehicle to staff their offices with lifeless, rude, incompetent people?

I imagine the hiring process to be one where applicants are given a series of tasks to complete and the one who finishes last and with the most errors, gets the job. Oh, and if they have an expression of disgust on their face the whole time, they get extra pay or something. The key is to show the interviewer how they are able to appear as if they are so absolutely horrified should a customer actually expect them to do their job; and if their body language indicates that they have better things to do than their job and that you are a mere interruption keeping them from taking their lunch break, I am sure that particular person will be hired on right away; probably as a supervisor.

This details my most recent experience with DMV:

After waiting two hours for my test and paperwork to be processed, I was told that the photo processing machine wasn't working and I would have to either wait, come back or go to another office, just ten miles away, to have them print my license. OK, a little inconvenient, but not horrible.

When I got to the other office, their first response was "Sorry, we can't do that here." I had the absolute balls to question the woman who gave me that response. And when I asked why, she told me "Cause my supervisor said so." (neck roll) OK, great. Let me speak to your Supervisor. (eye roll and big sigh)

Well, when they realized they actually could do it; (but really didn't want to), I was told I would have to take a number, fill out another form (identical to the one I was holding in my hand) and wait. Possibly another two hours. "Sorry, that's policy." she said, with a bwah ha ha ha ha, I hold all the power tone.

Being told that I had to wait again to have them push the "print" button was like being told you can't get breakfast at McDonald's because it's 11:02 am and they stop serving breakfast at 11. I stood at the counter watching the woman print out everyone else's license knowing she could do the same with mine. The information was in the computer, she just had to bring my face up on the screen and print it. But noooooo. I needed a number for that.

The rude supervisor, who I was apparently inconveniencing, contacted the first office telling them, "I doan know whah y'all be sending dem people over here, we done got enough people waitin' here, linin' the walls and sitting everywhere up in here already." as if I wasn't even standing there. I guess I should have felt bad for her that after having waited two hours at the other office, I had the absolute nerve to come over to her office and bother her to do her job.

She learned during her phone call that the original office had their machine up and running, so I went back there to have them print out my license. Good God. By now, my ordeal was going into its fourth hour. FOUR. Although I have never in my life been to a motor vehicle office that was both friendly and efficient, these two offices in Memphis, TN had to be the worst by far.

I think comparing them to vegetables might be insulting.

To the vegetable, of course.

Customer Service Vigilante

I have really had enough. Done. Finito. No more.

Today while having lunch, I was appalled at how the supervisor on duty treated one of the customers. Apparently, the order got screwed up (not the customer's fault - I was standing right there) yet the woman had such an attitude, she made him feel as if he were out of line for even asking to have the problem corrected.

The thing that bothered me more is that he was old - that is the final straw for me. I don't like rudeness in the customer service industry to begin with, but when you are rude to an old person?? Unacceptable. He was humble, approached the counter with his receipt showing that he didn't get what he ordered and she huffed and fucking puffed as if it were an incredible inconvenience for her to correct it, asking him in a snotty tone "Well, what did you order???" He had the receipt IN HIS HAND, she could have politely took it from him and looked her damn self!

I often stand by observing this type of situation with every fiber in my body saying I should do something, but then I just think Eh, it's none of my business or What a bitch or Man, I can't believe she's talking to him like that. Then I walk away pissed that I didn't do the right thing, which is to stick up for another person who is being treated poorly and call the offender out on their behavior.

I usually make the same New Year's Resolutions everyone makes; lose weight, exercise, don't smoke (ok, I don't smoke anyway), take a class, be nice to my boss, whatever. Usually, those resolutions are broken by January 2nd. What I am going to do this year is not make a resolution, per se, but launch a campaign of sorts. An action that is going to be very easy for me to do on a daily basis...

I am going to hold people in the customer service industry accountable for their poor behavior. I am going to tell whoever is committing the offense, exactly what I think of their actions. I will be as nice as the situation calls for and as diplomatic as possible, but I will NOT tolerate another year of people who get PAID to do a job serving the public, not treating the public as they should but instead treating them as if they are a annoying gnat flying around their head and the quicker that gnat is swat away, the quicker they can get back to the conversation on the phone they were having with their probably-cheating-lame-without-a-job-boyfriend.

I think if more people did this, instead of just letting people get away with unacceptable business practices, we just might have a better experience when out shopping, dining, talking to customer service representatives, going to the doctor's office and dealing with the bitchy clerk at the front desk who tells you in a snotty way that there is no way you can see the doctor this millenium if you don't have an appointment and having to pay good money for things that you are not happy with, be it a product or service or both.

So why don't you join the Customer Service Vigilante Justice Team and let's see if we can turn some of this around? I missed my opportunity today to stand up for a little old man and his wife, who looked stunned and confused because the request he made for something he paid for wasn't handled properly. Maybe he didn't realize what transpired, but I did. And from now on, I will be doing something about it.

So if you see me coming, I suggest that you be on your best behavior and provide your service with a smile. I don't care if you call me a bitch behind my back after I'm out the door, but while I'm there I better feel you lovin' your job.

Free Mudflap

Today, Ed went into the truckstop shop to buy a new mudflap. This is the ACTUAL conversation he had with the Einstein behind the counter.

Einstein: Hi, may I help you?

Ed: Um, yeah....I'm looking to get a mudflap.

Einstein: Well you know, if you buy eight new drive tires you can get a mudflap for free.

Ed: You expect me to spend $3,000 to get a free mudflap?

Einstein: Well, I can throw in another mudflap if you want.

Ed: No, that's okay. Thanks.

Mudflaps are $20. Idiots are free.

Great Expectations

I will be the first to admit that my expectations for most everything are too great. Not unrealistic, just too great.

Tonight I had an unpleasant experience at a service plaza with a clearly annoyed "assistant manager" as indicated by her nametag. She made no eye contact, stood with one hand on her hip and spoke in an irritated, curt manner. Her body language expressed that she was not happy to be there and she just wanted to get the transaction over quickly.

We placed our order, got our ticket number and stepped aside to wait. I commented to Ed on how I thought she was a bitch and had a bad attitude. He reponded with his usual shrug of the shoulders and babbled some "excuse" for her. He sat down with his food as I stood by the side of the counter waiting for mine. I watched her wait on the people who were standing in line behind me, displaying the same attitude and treating each one with the same apathy.

I was finally handed my sandwich from another employee and went to join Ed at the table. When I sat down, I said to him "Man, she had a shitty attitude." There was a woman and man sitting next to me and he overheard me, turning to his wife to repeat what I said. I looked up at them and when they looked at me, I said "right?". They heartily agreed and we discussed her poor attitude, her body language and the tone in which she spoke to everyone. I said "I think I'm going to go up there and tell her."

After sitting there a few minutes, steaming about the fact that she was just getting away with acting that way, and sitting next to LOCALS who came here for dinner, I decided I was going to say something to her. Ed said "Go ahead - it will make you feel better. When I got to the counter, she was on a personal phone call. She did not acknowledge my presence, kept her head down, kept talking and even turned her back to finish her conversation. I had to put my hands between my thighs and the counter to keep them from reaching over to press the button on the phone to hang up on her...or throttle her...I was having a hard time deciding, but I thought it best to keep my hands crushed up against the counter.

When she got off the phone, she looked at me in her half lidded, bored manner and said in a clipped tone, "What can I get for you?"

I said "Well...you're the assistant manager here, right? I just wanted to tell you that I don't think you have a very good attitude. Your body language, your demeanor and your manner of speech are very rude. Even the people at the table sitting next to me mentioned it. I know it's late and you probably want to go home. Believe me, I know the feeling. My family owned a restaurant and I know what it's like. You may not realize that you are acting this way, but I would rather come up here and say something than leave this place and say "Boy, that girl was a bitch." I think you should know and try to be more aware of how you are coming across." I spoke quietly, calmly and was not in earshot of other employees or customers.

WELL. She stood there with a look in her eyes that said "Shit! I was just caught being rude." but she said "I'm sorry" and I said "Well, I just wanted you to know." and she said "Thank you" and that was that.

I walked back to the table feeling good about doing what I wanted and I've decided that from this point forward, I'm going to do that more often. I wish I had done that last night at the movies with the people that talked through THE. ENTIRE. MOVIE. If I did, I still wouldn't be annoyed about it today....but that's another blog entry. Look for it in the future.

I feel that we all let these incidents go and they become more abundant. These people are in the CUSTOMER SERVICE industry. They need to be professional and serve their customers. I don't want to hear excuses like "they don't make enough money", "they are not educated", "they might have had a bad day", "maybe they don't like their job".

Bullshit. I have had ENOUGH of the excuses. Do your job. Do it well. Or do something ELSE.

Just make sure it's not in customer service.....