QUESTION: Is it just us, or do you think overall, customer service is worse than it used to be?
The Water Cooler – Is Customer Service Worse Than It Used To Be?
© Copyright 2007 – 2025 Claycord News & Talk
Subscribe to our newsletter!
QUESTION: Is it just us, or do you think overall, customer service is worse than it used to be?
Subscribe to our newsletter!
© Copyright 2007 – 2025 Claycord News & Talk
Yes. But I am not surprised because of machine take over. Most customer service functions are filled by chat bot and kiosks. Pretty soon all the brick and mortar stores will be gone as soon as will be customer service.
It’s bad when it’s almost impossible to speak to a human, and when you do, you get
someone overseas in a call center speaking with an accent that’s difficult to understand.
The one time I actually got a human, I didn’t believe it, and I asked her if she was a real
person. She seemed to be offended, so I explained to her how robots sound so human
that it’s difficult to tell a real person from a robot.
In-person customer service seems to be unchanged, I’ve never had a problem with it.
Most store employees are courteous and try to do their best to offer assistance.
One of the best stores for good customer service is Ace Hardware. I’ve never been to an
Ace Hardware store that didn’t have good customer service.
OMG hexx yes! … whether it be in person, on the phone, even chats when online, etc. People just don’t care and it’s shows very easily… the only ones that do show a semblance of good customer service are usually people on a commission where they’re selling as well. Even with dealing with utilities the CPUC used to hold the providers to certain service standards – but not any more …..There are a FEW people that are exceptions – but not many in my experience.
Yes! It’s worse than it has ever been.. almost universally among all firms. If you’re even lucky enough to talk to a human being often they are located somewhere else in the world with such a heavy accent that you are unable to understand them. Once I was talking to customer service agent who I heard children in a washing machine going in the background in some third world country I imagine.. the only memorable. good customer service experience I’ve had this year has been talking to GM fFnance. Somewhere in Texas. They were great.!
customer service died in the same suicide pact that please and thank you were involved in
Not if you come and buy from me and most of my co-workers at Macy’s. I go out of my way to help customers find the right item and save them money as well if I can. Most customers are very nice and appreciative even here at Christmas time, 95 percent of our customers are great, another 2-3 percent can be difficult, but can be reasoned with, a small percentage you cannot please no matter how hard you try. Some customers have unreasonable expectations, I had a customer get upset because I couldn’t look up her mothers Macy’s card with her mother’s phone number! I explained it was for security reasons, but she insisted on seeing a manager. The manager calmed her down. I’m astonished how many thinks we can look up someone else card with a phone number. Have they not heard of scams? Another is customer that cut in on the line, because they just want to know the price, or if we have a certain size. I know it might seem like we can just take a few minutes to help them, but often it turns into another request and then another one, it is not fair to the people standing in line. So we ask them nicely to please get in line and when it is their turn I will give them all the time they need.
I could die of old age sitting at the gas station waiting for an attendant to run up, pump the gas, clean the windows & check the oil !
It used to be better…
Well, you asked.
We are old age and still here bucking the politics of Kalifornia but not being forced out. We got no complaints over service anywhere!
I like pumping my own gas. I remember how a lot of cars had stains running down from their
gas caps because attendants would let the gas overflow and run down the side of the car.
At the 76 on Monument and Meadow Lane, sometimes when I’m pumping my gas, as
a courtesy, the attendant would come out and ask me if I want my oil and tires checked. I’d
let him check the oil but not the tires because air expands when hot, so tires should be checked only when cold. I usually check my tires in the morning when they’re cold.
I remember when the gas station had attendants that would pump your gas. However, if I remember correctly you had choice you could pump the gas yourself or have the attendant do it, but you paid more for the gas if the attendant did it for you. When I was living in Foster City and my ex-husband and I had bought a BMW 528e in Munich, I had the attendant pump the gas. However, when I got divorced and the BMW was part of my settlement, I learned to pump gas myself, because my financially situation had changed.
I remember when the gas station had attendants that would pump your gas. However, if I remember correctly, you had choice you could pump the gas yourself or have the attendant do it, but you paid more for the gas if the attendant did it for you. When I was living in Foster City and my ex-husband and I had bought a BMW 528e in Munich, I had the attendant pump the gas. However, when I got divorced and the BMW was part of my settlement, I learned to pump gas myself, because my financially situation had changed.
That’s right! some gas stations had aisles with signs that said “Full Service” I forgot about those.
Common courtesy and basic customer service have been on a steady downward spiral.