Anonymous wrote:Learn to leverage the chat feature thats the new way forward, I've gotten a lot of stuff done w/ it. Sometime even AI will give me exactly what i want which is often a refund.

You must be an exec if you use the term “leverage”. Horrible word. Maybe you can write a post using the word “synergy”.
Chat bots are generally useless and are only capable of basic things. Most times they tell me you need to talk to a person.

Anonymous wrote:I don't know what you're talking about. Yesterday I called CVS pharmacy because my new medicine refill looked different than what I'd gotten in the past. The guy who called me back was very nice and thorough. Last week I called a theatre about an actor in a play and the person I spoke with was lovely. Today I called a store to ask if they had something in the size I need that I saw on their website. The person asked if I could hold while she finished with a customer and then she'd check. She came back to the phone breathless and apologized for the wait and had the item and offered to hold it until Thursday when I can get there.

Maybe it's you?

NP.

Yet this is even a new process. A worse one IMO.

I am still paying the same or more to CVS, and now I can no longer reach a person, even after waiting forever on the line listening to music. One night we waited 45 min., and then were disconnected at the pharmacy closing time.

That is not customer service. It is a decline in customer service.

A family member takes a drug that has been on shortage for over a year, so it's hit or miss what pharmacy has it on any given month.

Calling around, vs., driving and standing in line at each is of course preferred.

Now, it's call and leave a message. Wait wait wait. Call call call. No thanks.

Anonymous wrote:DC is worse than elsewhere.

Southern efficiency and Northern charm. Been like this forever and it's the worst of both worlds.

I think it's just the DC area.

As others mentioned, if you go elsewhere you will find better customer service. Especially at in-person transactions.

Some of the best customer-focused people I've dealt with have been older workers - like those past 60. Most of them are working because they can't live on their Social Security. Their job is absolutely necessary to their survival.

Much different attitude than many younger people who have their basic needs covered by parents, are still living at home and who could care less if they get fired.

DC is worse than elsewhere.

Bad attitudes = Bad service

Anonymous wrote:Are any of us willing to pay more for better service?

Quit being an apologist for mediocrity and worse. You are part of the problem.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are any of us willing to pay more for better service?

People are getting payed higher wages than ever before in customer service

When you take inflation into account vis-a-vis the minimum wage (not to mention the increased COL relative to HHI), that is absolutely not true.

I believe it.

Glad I’m not a customer facing small business

Anonymous wrote:I think business execs regard customer service as an undesirable and unnecessary overhead. Their priority is their bonuses which are dependent on the company’s numbers. Abysmal customer service is everywhere, but I’m not sure if there’s any worse than Verizon.

It's extreme capitalism at work.

See also: Self check-out.

It’s gone because we keep lowering the bar and it’s pretty much rock bottom right now. There are many apologists for bad behavior.

I went to Bath and body Works and one of the sales staff was sweeping and talking on the phone. She was the only one around and I needed help. She turned her back to me when I asked for help. And before anybody starts apologizing and speculating about why she was on the phone, she was making weekend plans with her friend and talking about her nails.

Anonymous wrote:Are any of us willing to pay more for better service?

People are getting payed higher wages than ever before in customer service

Anonymous wrote:From the pharmacy, to the doctors offices, to calling my ISP when the internet is down, What the actual crap has happened to any customer service? I don't mean being treated like the Queen of England I mean like people doing their basic job requirements. What has happened? HOW are they getting pay checks for not doing the work? If I just stopped my job I'd be fired pretty quickly.

If customers revolt, leave businesses will regular (not great, just basic) CS come back or is this permanent? How are these companies functioning? I just can't wrap my brain around this. Maybe this is mostly an issue where I live I don't know. It's so bad.

Yes. Good manners and customer service are a thing of the past. It's sad.

Anonymous wrote:Learn to leverage the chat feature thats the new way forward, I've gotten a lot of stuff done w/ it. Sometime even AI will give me exactly what i want which is often a refund.

I agree. I get excellent customer service when using chat or text feature. Just yesterday I got a substantial refund in the middle of a snowstorm

I smile a lot and chat, and usually get decent service. So when I don’t get that response it’s really obvious. And in DC it’s nonstop disgruntled workers.

It seems like entitlement.

I can go to a Walmart or restaurant or McDonald’s back home in Minnesota and the teen worker or retireee or mid aged worker is healthy and normal and talkative. Here everyone’s too entitled and pompous.