Saturday, October 8, 2011

Customer Service

I don't know if it's just me, but as I am getting older, I seem to expect more from people at restaurants and stores. Maybe it's the effort to drag my kids places or the literal cost it takes to go alone, but when I am in a place that says it offers a service of some sort, I would like to receive it.

Last night, I loaded up the burb with my four kids and a buddy of Tru's and we drove to Little Caesar's for a couple of Hot N Ready pizzas. We pulled up to the drive through window and sat there for several minutes before anyone even walked by the window. Dude walked by and looked at me but kept going. Then, a minute or so later, he walked back by and looked at me like he was kind of annoyed I was still there. I heard shouting inside and a minute or so more passed before another guy walked by. Pause. Wait. Wait. Wait. And there he went again, also put out to see me still sitting there.

Did I mention I had 5 HUNGRY kids in the back seat?

So, really, I'm not sure my standards are too high--I mean, honestly, a mere acknowledgement would have made me pretty happy. A "someone will be right with you, ma'am" would have gone a loooong way. But, no. So we drove off and I ordered Dominoes from my phone and it got to the house a few minutes after we did for just a few dollars more than the little cheapers would have cost.

Then there were the ever so helpful (sarcasm intended) Home Depot associates in Little Rock. I went to look at some carpet samples for an area rug I want made. When I got home, Josh had a couple of questions about the process. So he called the store. The associate in flooring who answered didn't know the answers and wasn't interested in asking anyone else in the department. This was clear by the way he kept saying, "Pffff, yeah, I don't know."

Josh called the North Little Rock store and got a guy who answered all his questions and gave him the name and number of a place that could do the things Home Depot could not.

I called back tonight to make sure they had the carpet in stock and that it would still be on sale tomorrow and when I didn't hear the lady answer at first, I was met with a "HELLLLLLOOOOO? CAN I HELP YOU?"

Yeah. It didn't sound like she wanted to help me. It sounded like she wanted to smack me.

Once they finally picked up in flooring, the associate I think told me (her words were short and sweet, but not so much sweet) that they didn't have it anymore and it was on clearance and gone.

I called North Little Rock and got another adorable and kind and helpful person who went to check and answered all my questions.

So the moral of the story is get your pizza from Domino's, your supplies from the North Little Rock Home Depot, and don't hurt my feelings or I'll blog about you!

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