Customer Service is Dead

Customer Service is Dead
I consider myself to be a web-savvy person. In fact, I’m happier doing my Christmas shopping online instead of at the mall – parking isn’t an issue, you don’t have to listen to Muzak Christmas carols, there are no lines at the cash registers, and if you decide to shop at 6AM the day after Thanksgiving, you can do it in your pajamas. But this year my experience has been less than stellar. Last year, all the online merchants would do anything to get you to shop at their site instead of a competitor’s – free or upgraded shipping, discounts, that sort of thing. This year, they mislead you about availability of items, the shipping times and rates are either hard to find on the site or way out of line, and they’re grouchy on the phone when you call to find out where the order you placed three weeks ago is. I guess I can understand if something’s back-ordered, but at least tell me when it’s expected, and let me change my now useless priority shipping to something cheaper. Instead, every single online customer service rep I’ve contacted has been surly and unhelpful. I understand that they deal with upset or angry people constantly, and they might not even have the information I’m looking for, but they could at least pretend that since I’m the customer, I must be right.

Next year, everyone’s going to get hand-made stuff. Or I’m going to start shopping in February. At least then, everything I order will be sure to arrive before Christmas, back-ordered or not.