I need to get this out of my system. This is not my “shtick”- it’s something Jeffrey Scott has perfected. But, I am just fed up with the way things have been for the past two weeks and if I keep this bottled up, I will explode. Once I share this with you- I will be free to move on (pun intended). (Or sue…)
Where to start? Well, let’s start with the movers (All in One Moving and Storage). If you’ve been reading my blog, you know I moved about two weeks ago. And, the move went…abysmally. It’s not like the movers did not know that I was downsizing. It was perfectly clear that I was leaving my 6 story, 6 bedroom home to move to a 3 story, 3 bedroom home. So, even though I got rid of lots of stuff, I still needed things staged properly, to find a way to get everything into the new abode.
Which they didn’t. Nor did they pack carefully. No, this firm mixed pots, pans, and (what used to be) Waterford crystal. They mixed stuff from my living room with my kitchen and the bedroom with the basement. They placed heavy materials on top of an almost two century old leather ingrained coffee table, shattering the legs and scratching the top. They broke Erte Champagne Flutes (or “borrowed” them- either way, I no longer have them).
They packed china service for 24 in a box- that was way too heavy and was clearly breaking apart upon delivery. And, they brought in the big items first, so there was no room to unpack things to make room for others. And, this was a supposedly top-rated firm. Yeah, right. Since they have not responded to my formal letter, I’m guessing we’ll be seeing each other in court within a fortnight.
Or, Comcast. You know, the firm that advertises to be there within a two hour window. And, offered me a 4 hour window. OK, I could live with that. If they showed up… at all! No, after waiting for 5 horus, i was forced to reschedule the appointment. So much for customer service. (It didn’t help that they delivered defective equipment, necessitating my driving to a non-local office [it wasn’t in stock locally] for the replacement, either.)
Or, Home Depot. This firm provided me with a four hour window for the delivery of my dishwasher. Who called three times to confirm I would be home when they came. Or, maybe, when they didn’t. After 5 hours, I called them- and they said, “Don’t worry. Your delivery is on its way.”. Sure, staying home for 6 hours was just what I had on my agenda. Oh, and when the delivery guy came, he could care less. And, said it wasn’t his problem. (No, he just causes them.)
I could add how each of the utility firms have websites that state you can start and stop service without calling up, being on hold for half an hour. They assure everything will be fine over the web. Except, their policies really are that you can’t start up new service without being on the phone (and on hold) for 30 minutes or more.
Or, the US Postal Service. I notified them of my move well in advance. I paid the $ 1 credit card fee to insure everything would be as planned. As they continued to delivery my mail to my old address for two weeks, until I was forced to call them. Who had the audacity to tell me that these changes take 10 business days. (I reminded them this was day 15, but that fact did not impress the sentient being on the phone.) To this date, I still have not received any forwarded mail at this address. (I did tape the old mail slot shut, so they can’t misdeliver my mail there. The new owner will not be happy with the tape job, but something had to give.)
You will notice that every one of these entitiess I mentioned all have executives making big bucks. Who believe they are the reason why their company makes a great profit. Yup- and they worry about customer service, too…
Roy, you have hit upon the one topic sure to get me ranting. I don’t rant often, but when I do, it is usually about customer service – or more accurately – the lack of customer service. I used to manage a customer service unit and have often said, it is not rocket science. Yet somehow it eludes most companies.
It is a sad commentary that most of us are surprised when we receive good customer service. The mishandling of your treasures is tragic.
Cathy Miller recently posted..Your Marketing Plan B May Save the Day
Yes, Cathy, we both can’t figure out why companies do not recognize that it’s customer service and support that keeps the dollars rolling in!
This is tragic-why is bad #customerservice so prevalent? http://t.co/XQNIWNMoyp
Sorry to hear about your problems. I hate when problems like that happen, obviously. But now that the r.a.n.t. is over, don’t you feel better? No, after this ordeal, I suppose even ranting about it won’t make you feel better.
Packing: I’ve moved several times and I have always done it myself (for the most part), it’s a lot of work, but things are done the way you want them. Though I have to admit, I do hate the store baggers who throw my cans of spaghetti sauce on top of my loafs of bread.
Postal System: At my office, we regularly get mail that we’ve sent out, returned to us. Not because of insufficient postage, but simply because it’s delivered to us. HUH?
Taping Mail Shut: Sounds like the episode of Seinfeld where Kramer bricked up his mail slot to stop receiving junk mail. Oh yea, you don’t watch Seinfeld. Trust me, it was funny.
PS – Thanks for the shout out!
Jeffrey Scott recently posted..Spring Ahead
If you pack yourself and something breaks, you have no recourse, Jeffrey.
I (and our company) have had problems with the USPS since we moved to Alexandria. Which is why we have a PO Box- because the mailman was too indolent to deliver our mail. And, I was not worried about junk mail- just all the mail being delivered to an empty house- or to the new owners. I want MY mail! (It’s much better than Maypo, trust me!)