What ever happened to customer service? Instead of adopting a process of evolution it has been going through a process of devolution.
This afternoon I went back to the university bookstore. I didn't have any other option, but revisiting this semester's torture chamber- at least for me. It brought back memories of my previous visit in which I went to inquire about my book order and one employee told me "it will come eventually". After that encounter my plan was to return that book when it finally arrive, and get it somewhere else. Today, I was trying to pick up "the book" that arrived on September 12th. I placed the order in August 30th through their online service. I have never used their online service before, so I made the assumption that it will be like an Amazon.com type experience. Not really!
After I arrived I had to wait to be acknowledge. It seemed like the piled boxes deserved better treatment and prompt attention. When I was finally greeted I explained the reason for my visit. A very polite lady asked me to follow her. She was going to try to find my order which was in the towers of boxes that were leaning against the wall. They were hundreds of boxes and bags, and nobody thought of putting them in an ordinal manner to facilitate retrieval. They were in disarray. I guess respect for people's time isn't included in the book price.
After the search came back empty she called the manager. Here comes a red head woman (not a natural one), with a medium frame. Her severe demeanor told me that things were going to be changing pretty quickly. She gave me a look that made feel like I was under attack. In a loud and rude manner-just like she was talking to the world- she asked me "why are you returning the book?" I answered because it is two weeks late and I bought it somewhere else. In an angry manner, she said, "well, you will have to wait until we go through all the boxes to be able to process the transaction." If you ever saw the movie Monster-in-Law, you might be able to remember when Jeniffer Lopez had this fantasy of slamming her future mother-in-law's head against a table. I had a similar thought, but I am aware that violence isn't a good conflict resolution technique. In my polite self I remained cool.
I was rescued by the first lady I encountered, and she took my information to process the return at a later time. I am very grateful that she treated me like I was human. Shouldn't good customer service be part of every business transaction? Who do we complaint when the department head abuses customers? Can compliants make a difference? My way of complaining is that I will never buy anything at the bookstore. It will probably not make such a great impact in their business but it will in my mental sanity. I will go and spend my money in a place that respects me and my time. It is very sad to see this type of behavior in an academic institution. Shouldn't we be an example to others?
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