More bad customer service

I had another horrible experience with employees at a store today.  It is a large chain pet store and the location was one I had not been to before, and never will again.  I needed to purchase two dozen crickets for my leopard and bibron's geckos and had promised my girls a new fish for their fish tank.

It was busy inside the store and I stood in the cricket area for 10 minutes without being helped.  I was within sight of the cashiers and I know they saw me as we made eye contact.  After ten minutes, I went to an office where I found three managers and a dog trainer chatting.  I asked for assistance with crickets.  A manager told me there were two people in that department.  I informed them I had been waiting and no one was there.  She rudely told me again there was two people over there.  I demanded she help me.

One of our plecos

After she angrily packaged my crickets, I went to look at the female betta fish.  I was finally approached by an employee who did not ask if I need any help, he simply stated "Are you ok?"  All of the fish were in filthy water that had chunky debris floating in it.  It was obvious that the water hadn't been cleaned in a very long time.  I am an avid fish keeper and generally would never buy a fish kept in the conditions these fish were in. As I was checking out with what appeared to be the most "healthy" fish, the cashier told me all the fish had come in a day or two before.  It was very obvious this was not true.

I typically buy my crickets at another location of this store and don't have any problems.  It just reminds me that it is not always the company that needs to work on its customer service.  Sometimes a few bad people in a store are enough to ruin the whole experience.  I can guarantee I will never go to this location again.

What's happened to customer service?

Nadia had a doctor appointment with an children's orthopedist yesterday.  She has been walking on her toes for a few months and her pediatrician referred her just as a precaution.  She had already seen a neurologist to rule out possible cerebral palsy.  The orthopedist seemed extremely busy/rushed, saw us an hour after our appointment time, and didn't even introduce himself to myself or Nadia.  He spoke very gruffly to me and never spoke to Nadia.  All in all he acted like I was wasting his time.

I realize that doctors have a lot on their books and tend to have emergencies that force them to run late.  I am not one of those people who get angry for waiting five minutes past my appointment.  What does anger me is being treated as a burden when I am a paying customer and being forced to wait an extremely long time with no explanation.

I have worked in the retail world before and have seen all kinds of angry customers that my job required me to be polite and smiley to.  Why is it that some doctors and other professionals have got out of the habit of providing exceptional customer service?  Many people won't return to a store they have had a bad encounter with an employee but are willing to continue to see a healthcare provider who is always late and rude.  There are many choices for a doctor, yet some doctors feel they are entitled to be rude.

I expect good customer service from any place I pay for a service.  I am more than willing to pay higher prices to receive a good experience.  I drive 40 minutes for my children's pediatrician and even further for my veterinarian.  This doesn't stop for me with healthcare, I also choose where to grocery shop, clothes shop, pet food shop and home product shop based on the experiences I have had with employees and the reactions and actions of management.

I feel it is time that our society works their way back to good customer service and bedside manner.  We all deserve to be treated well and shown our business is appreciated.