The Customer is a Liar

Customer service has gone to the dogs. Remember the days of "the customer is always right"? If you had a disagreement with a store clerk and stood your ground, they would always take a deep breath, and then grant you your wishes. Well, that school of customer service is officially extinct. Now, the motto of customer service is "the customer is a liar".

Store clerks on power trips: The first time I encountered this attitude was 12 years ago. My husband sent me to a software store to return a program that did not work. It had been opened but it was defective. The store manager went ballistic. How dare I try to return a program that I had downloaded! She did not ask questions, but instead was loud and insulting. Went as far as to tell me to not come back to the store again. I held my ground, and finally got her to understand that the disk was defective, but she remained unapologetic and rude. She felt justified in being an evil ma'am.

Telemarketers steal your money. Over the years, situations have gotten worse. Telemarketers call your homes with the intention to defraud you, and become rude when you do not fall for their tactics. Bill collectors ask for you by first name, and give their first name when you want to know who they are. Customer service reps argue and hang up the phone.

Store policies assume customers steal. Do not even get me started with customer service face to face. Now not all business establishments are bad, but the others are so bad as to balance out all of the good stuff. For instance at one discount brand store, they have a policy of banning the customer from making more than a set number of returns a year. They do not track how much you spend, just how much you return. At one point, I was buying $100.00 dollars a week worth of clothes, but had made a few returns without receipt. When I went to make a return I was not only declined, but the assistant manager informed me that my rate of returns made me a suspect of theft. Yes, he accused me of having stolen clothing from the store and then returning it for money.