Remember the olden days when good customer service was the norm? You weren’t expected to put up with bad service.  And no one blamed you for complaining to the higher ups.  The funny thing is, they didn’t have follow-up surveys for everything you bought or every service you used.  Didn’t need them, because it wasn’t a very big issue.   However,  there’s really no point in taking a survey or making a formal complaint these days, because there’s nothing can be done about the labor shortage that is hitting stores, hospitals, plumbers,  doctor’s offices and even locksmiths. We may as well start  getting used to  poor service, because it’s not going to get any better.

Since the holidays began, we’ve encountered  lackluster service almost  every where we go.  Which , at our age, is far less than the average family of four.

It started with our hearing aids specialist.  When we purchased them three years ago, we were assured that there would always be someone in the office to help us with any problems we might encounter.  That went well for a couple of years.  Clogged up?  Twisted?  No problem.  Stop by this afternoon for a quick fix by the audiologist.  Except, now, the audiologist is only available one day per week.  He’s moved somewhere else, and they haven’t found a replacement. So, you might have to go  full week with poor hearing.

If you need your locks changed, it’s probably for a reason.  You want to keep someone out who may have gotten hold of  the key to your home, or office.   In the old days, your trusty locksmith would be out by the end of the day.  Trouble is, there aren’t many experienced locksmiths available now.  It may be several days before they can come to the rescue.  You’ll just have to put a chair up to your door, and hope for no uninvited visitors.

Bought a new dishwasher last week when our old one gave out.  They delivered it promptly, and the installer quickly explained which buttons to push, before rushing to another job.  I was confused , because the instruction sheet did not include a control panel diagram. Called the dealership, and was promised the service man would give me a call-back to answer any questions.  That was four days ago, and I still haven’t heard from him.  Thank heaven for YOU TUBE, where I finally learned how to operate the dishwasher

It’s an epidemic.   School bus drivers are working double shifts. Consequently kids are late to school.  Restaurants are short of help so it may take an hour to get served. Grocery stores have empty shelves (crackers, especially), because there aren’t enough truck drivers. I’m not sure what’s causing the shortage of workers, but I suspect it’s not going to get any better.  We may as well start getting used to poor service, and it won’t help one bit to answer that follow up survey.  Remember: patience is a virtue.