Friday, October 29, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
Sting
If I could break down these walls and shout my name at heaven's gate,
I'd take these hands and I'd destroy the dark machineries of fate.
I'd take these hands and I'd destroy the dark machineries of fate.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Service with a sneer
1. You order takeout from a favorite restaurant. You’re at the counter paying for your dinner by credit card and the host hands you the charge slip that includes a blank for a tip. Do you leave one for takeout?
No way. All they did was put the food in a container. You didn't dirty up a table or require any service. That's what tips are for, to tell the server they went above and beyond their duties. Taking money for food is not above and beyond their duties. If they delivered or something it would be different.
2. You’re having dinner at a restaurant you’ve never visited before and you receive poor service, a wrong item on your plate and you have an inattentive waiter. Do you leave a tip anyway, or would you leave nothing?
No way. Shitty service gets you a shitty tip. I worked in food service for many years, and I know customers can be a pain in the ass, I know how it is to work for shitty wages, but if you take a job that pays half-of-minimum wage, you should damn well bust your ass to get at least the $4-$5 an hour to make up the difference. If some self-righteous waiter... 'scuse me, server thinks he deserves a tip just for bringing my food from point A to point B without tripping, falling, or spitting in my food, fuck him. Do your job well and you'll be rewarded.
3. You’re under the weather and you decide to make a doctor’s appointment: how likely are you to search the web for your symptoms and walk in with your own diagnosis already in hand (or in mind)?
Of course! You're paying him a lot of money to make you better, and if you think you have something, tell him why. At the very least it'll force him to tell you why you don't have it. Within reason. Don't tell the doc you think you have a hernia just to get your balls juggled. That's a mistake I won't make again.
4. You see a drug ad on television promoting a “miracle cure” for a condition you know you have. How likely are you to contact your doctor and ask about that specific medication? Very likely. Once I wrote a long story at work about a new medical breakthrough technique that gives sinus relief to everyone who underwent the procedure. I asked my Asian ENT doc about it. The bitch never heard of it. How is it that a specialist in the field didn't know about something that had been around long enough that it was being put into practice and I was writing about it? I dunno. I never went back.
5. A cell phone company sells you a phone that fails to do something you feel is basic. They advertise a money-back guarantee, but the fine print says there’s a $35 “restocking fee” for returning the phone. How much are you likely to fight that charge because of the phone’s inability to do what you need it to do?
If you bitch, moan, and complain enough they'll either waive the fee or give the service to you for free.
6. You decide to buy a new computer, and there are two computer stores in town: one has low prices and an almost-absent sales floor staff, and the other has higher prices but very friendly, helpful staffers. You decide to get information from the well-informed staff at the more expensive store. If you knew you could save 25% or so by going to the cheaper store, how likely would you be to buy from the more expensive store that gives you better service?
Easy answer, go to the fancy place, get your questions answered, then go to the cheap place and buy the cheaper product. Or better yet, call the fancy place, ask the questions, then drive to the cheapy place. Even better, go online, get the answers from knowledgeable people rather than the douchebags that work at electronics stores and buy it online, and save 35%. What I do, is get my info online, and build the computer myself, save 50% That's just me.
What about you? Surely you've had some awful customer service experiences. Hit the comments and release your inner Dwight Schrute.
No way. All they did was put the food in a container. You didn't dirty up a table or require any service. That's what tips are for, to tell the server they went above and beyond their duties. Taking money for food is not above and beyond their duties. If they delivered or something it would be different.
2. You’re having dinner at a restaurant you’ve never visited before and you receive poor service, a wrong item on your plate and you have an inattentive waiter. Do you leave a tip anyway, or would you leave nothing?No way. Shitty service gets you a shitty tip. I worked in food service for many years, and I know customers can be a pain in the ass, I know how it is to work for shitty wages, but if you take a job that pays half-of-minimum wage, you should damn well bust your ass to get at least the $4-$5 an hour to make up the difference. If some self-righteous waiter... 'scuse me, server thinks he deserves a tip just for bringing my food from point A to point B without tripping, falling, or spitting in my food, fuck him. Do your job well and you'll be rewarded.
3. You’re under the weather and you decide to make a doctor’s appointment: how likely are you to search the web for your symptoms and walk in with your own diagnosis already in hand (or in mind)?
Of course! You're paying him a lot of money to make you better, and if you think you have something, tell him why. At the very least it'll force him to tell you why you don't have it. Within reason. Don't tell the doc you think you have a hernia just to get your balls juggled. That's a mistake I won't make again.
4. You see a drug ad on television promoting a “miracle cure” for a condition you know you have. How likely are you to contact your doctor and ask about that specific medication? Very likely. Once I wrote a long story at work about a new medical breakthrough technique that gives sinus relief to everyone who underwent the procedure. I asked my Asian ENT doc about it. The bitch never heard of it. How is it that a specialist in the field didn't know about something that had been around long enough that it was being put into practice and I was writing about it? I dunno. I never went back.5. A cell phone company sells you a phone that fails to do something you feel is basic. They advertise a money-back guarantee, but the fine print says there’s a $35 “restocking fee” for returning the phone. How much are you likely to fight that charge because of the phone’s inability to do what you need it to do?
If you bitch, moan, and complain enough they'll either waive the fee or give the service to you for free.
6. You decide to buy a new computer, and there are two computer stores in town: one has low prices and an almost-absent sales floor staff, and the other has higher prices but very friendly, helpful staffers. You decide to get information from the well-informed staff at the more expensive store. If you knew you could save 25% or so by going to the cheaper store, how likely would you be to buy from the more expensive store that gives you better service?Easy answer, go to the fancy place, get your questions answered, then go to the cheap place and buy the cheaper product. Or better yet, call the fancy place, ask the questions, then drive to the cheapy place. Even better, go online, get the answers from knowledgeable people rather than the douchebags that work at electronics stores and buy it online, and save 35%. What I do, is get my info online, and build the computer myself, save 50% That's just me.
What about you? Surely you've had some awful customer service experiences. Hit the comments and release your inner Dwight Schrute.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
New Orleans
We're back from our trip to New Orleans. It was fun, we caught up with so many family and friends that we haven't seen in a while. It was also a time to see the changes in the city in which I grew up. Much of it has changed, but much has stayed the same. Of course I wouldn't expect the city to stop changing just because I moved away 18 years ago. I guess you're always jarred by things changing. My view of the city also changed. The trip was jam-packed with things to do. We enjoyed much good food, including po-boys, crawfish pies, and breaking with tradition, BBQ. Much is said about New Orleans food, and many of the locals will tell you just because the restaurant is pretty shabby the food will still be good. I believe that, sometimes. Here's why: We drove 8+ hours to NO, and the last thing I wanna do is sit in some shithole of a restaurant because they make good sandwiches. For Mr. Pete's sake, 70s paneling on the walls and taped up pictures of Saints players ain't "flair," its crap. It's emblematic of the entire city. Driving up and down the roads, I see the same old rotting buildings and houses I once knew, right next to new buildings. Why should they change? That's the way its always been, and that's the way it'll always be. At City Park (where the above pic was taken), we brought the kids to "Storyland," which is an old ass mother goose-themed kiddie area. Right next to it, was a beautiful "Great Lawn" with more new construction next to that. I used to be amused by that shit and say, "Only in New Orleans..." but I'm tired of that. After Katrina, A Super Bowl, and the BP disaster, it's time to set the bar a bit higher. Don't get me wrong, I love the city and I'm already planning my next trip there. Or maybe I'm the one that needs to change.
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