Customer Service….Whatever happened to Customer Service? When was Customer Service replaced with a toll free number? At the risk of coming across as negative, I sometimes wonder why people are so frantic to talk to a “real person”. It is not just the older generation who feel this way. Many people are reluctant to use the toll free number for the US Post Office, when in fact it is very efficient. When asked for the zip code for your local post office, you are given the local number to your office. Yes, I have spoken to them several times this year as our mailbox has had several hits from the snow plow this year. 
             What about a trip to the grocery store these days? You can spend $150 dollars, transfer money to the cashier and receive change back without ever having the cashier make eye contact and sometimes not even a thank you. I have been witness to several conversations between bagger and cashier as if I am not even there. So much for the customer feeling valued. Maybe it is not all their fault, because most of them are masters of Multi-tasking. I am amazed that they can talk on the phone, and keep six or seven IM conversations going at the same time. I think being a cashier is a demanding job but it also requires some people skills and eye contact with your customers and a thank you is a necessity. Perhaps the management should revisit this on occasion.
            Speaking of customer service, I had a great experience recently regarding a used computer we purchased online. My son has wanted a Mac computer for some time. We looked at new ones and they were not within our price range. So my son checked online at a few places. He found a business called DV Warehouse at www.dvwarehouse.com  and spoke with Patrick at ext 14. They have a regular number and a toll free on the website. My son enjoyed the computer for a month or so and we found the drive not working correctly. Patrick verified that it was still under warranty and also is in the process of correcting another small problem. If you need a Mac, I recommend this company as an alternative to spending big bucks on a new computer. As for customer service, they are exceptional. We waited a little over two months to correct the problem but it was not all their fault, as they were waiting for parts and had been sent defective parts. When we received it, it had been packaged with care and was in excellent working order. I am skeptical of purchasing online however Patrick was patient and professional with my many emails. He just wanted to be sure we were happy with the final product. I highly recommend this company.
            How many really go the extra mile for the customer? My current job involves customer contact all day. If they were treated badly by another person, I promptly apologize and tell them I will stay with them until we solve the problem. Even if they may be directing their frustration towards me, I just listen and try to give them good service to make up for a bad experience. Today’s world we are prompted to death: press this, press that… am I talking to a real person? To top it off, if your option is not there, you try pressing ‘0’ and hope to reach a switchboard operator….and then you hear , “I’m sorry, that option is not available….Goodbye” Yes, I have almost blown a gasket when I have spent 15 minutes trying to navigate the menu.
            Lastly, one of the funniest experiences I had this year was when I tried to renew my Norton Antivirus. I had to call tech support and after four connections, I was connected through a New York number to Raj who lived somewhere in Southern India. Imagine, my surprise after he told me to login on the address bar. He explained that he would be taking control of my mouse. (OK I thought… what the heck do I know?) The next thing I noticed after I logged in, the mouse was moving all by itself, like a OUIJA board. He was talking to me at the same time. This is after supper, and I was a little tired, looking a bit ragged as well. He asked me, “Suzan, is that you?” Well I sat up straight, fixed my hair and smiled, “Yes it is me” Then he asked me, “Is that your son?” I looked over at my son Mike and said, “Yes that’s Michael at the table” I then looked at my husband and said, “I can’t believe that he can see us” I said this in a low voice because I did not want Raj to hear me. My husband was cracking up with laughter and told me I must be nuts. He said, “Suzan, He can see your screensaver.” [The screensaver has a picture of my family] Hey what do I know? I am glad I can at least entertain my family.