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.

getting used to poor service BECAAUSE LABOR SHORTAGES WILL COTINUE — GETTING USED TO POOR SERVICE. Practice your patience skills 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.

July 4 started out to be a pretty good day. Decided to go out for brunch to celebrate our country’s independence. There aren’t a lot of choices in our city, but we decided to try a place we hadn’t been to for years. The parking looked great—plenty of handicapped places. And we were pleased when seeing so many customers wearing patriotic clothing. Got inside, and looked for the host, or whatever they call the person who meets you at the door and arranges for seating. Nobody at the desk. Waited awhile. Nada. Finally called out, ‘anybody here?” That brought someone out from the back. Everything went downhill from there. Warning! Help Wanted is a bad sign.

Warning! Help Wanted is a bad sign. The service will be poor.

Warning! Help Wanted is a bad sign. You will not receive good service.

Got seated by a pleasant young woman who brought us our coffee right away. We perused the menu, and decided what to have. She took her time getting back to our table, but we weren’t unduly concerned. While waiting, we looked around. The place was half empty. Unusual for a Sunday morning. She finally came back and took our order. And then the long wait began.

They didn’t have WIFI, so I couldn’t get much on my phone to pass the time. After half an hour, she came and asked if we wanted more coffee. We said, “no, we’d like to have our food, if that’s possible.” She swallowed hard. “I’m afraid it’s going to be awhile,” she said. “Like, how long?” I asked. “Maybe 20 minutes,” she replied.

We debated whether or not to leave. But by now, we’d invested too much time to leave, go somewhere else, park, and start all over again. The hunger pangs were making us cranky, so I looked for the waitress. Nowhere in sight. I rose from my seat to find her standing outside the kitchen. Asked her if she could fix us a couple pieces of toast while we waited. She agreed. I looked back in the kitchen and saw only one cook at the grill. No wonder the service was so slow!

We had never waited that long in any restaurant for a simple brunch. How much time does it take to cook bacon and eggs? But as we drove away, we looked at the sign outside. It said, “HELP WANTED. SERVERS AND COOKS AT BOTH LOCATIONS.” If only we had seen that before we walked in.

Obviously, the poor service is a result of the federal unemployment compensation due to Covid-19. When combined with state unemployment checks, restaurant workers can make more money staying at home than going to work. Especially in places that don’t serve liquor– which generates bigger tips.. I felt sorry for the young people who were working that day. Glad we left our waitress a good tip. It wasn’t her fault.

Warning! HELP WANTED is a bad sign.

Tag: poor service

GETTING USED TO POOR SERVICE

WARNING! HELP WANTED IS A BAD SIGN.

We had never waited that long in any restaurant for a simple brunch. How much time does it take to cook bacon and eggs? But as we drove away, we looked at the sign outside. It said, “HELP WANTED. SERVERS AND COOKS AT BOTH LOCATIONS.” If only we had seen that before we walked in.