Bad Service

              So yesterday as is always the case on the first, I took my child support check to my ex husband’s bank to cash it so that I do not have to wait the five days to have it put into my account and pay the first of the month bills. I was in a minor hurry because it was already 4:30 in the afternoon and I was hoping to make several stops before the five o’clock deadline like the utility company and the telephone company that both also close at five.  Though I was not impressed to be kept waiting for several minutes while the bank clerk read her card from Hallmark and chatted with overly loud and unruly customer at the next window, I approached with a smile and this was our conversation.

                Me:  I need to cash this check please.

                Her:  (Not one word)

                Several minutes go by

                Her: (to the customer and teller at the next window) give her a cashier’s check.  She is such a goof but she makes me laugh.  What are you up to today?

                Working on my check and looking at this account.

                Her: (to me) you are not on his account.

                Me: No, I am not and I do not have an account with this bank.  (Thinking loudly, well no, dah!  He is my EX for a reason and you usually do not keep joint accounts with your ex-spouses.)

                Her: Fine

                She begins counting out the money, which is the neighborhood of two thousand dollars, in tens and twenties.

                Me: I would prefer big bills.

                Her: No, You cannot have them because real people will be coming into the bank to cash their checks on the first.

                Me: Excuse me

                Her:  (counting as fast as possible and as loudly as possible until concluded) Here (shoving my I.D. at me) I guess you will want an envelope for that too. Goodbye

                Me:  Not one word

                Now at this point I have suffered through her rolling her eyes three times which for me is three times too many and about ten minutes of rudeness so I grabbed them from her and turned away with more than a little disgust written on my face and in my actions.  So for a closing remark she very loudly announces across the lobby, “Your welcome too! Have a nice day.”

                I left the bank as quickly as possible to count myself into calming down.  I had to stop and recount the money in private because I had no idea if it was correct.  My daughter returned to the car and reported that she was that rude to her too even though she was actually just depositing her money into her actual account. I was so angry I was crying.  The teller had actually gotten the wrong amount deposited twice and my daughter had to complain to make her do it a third time. 

                I was totally disgusted as was the next bank teller when she looked at me and said,

 “Oh my gosh, what happened here?”  As I related the story to her, I could feel the ire growing again too. She said, “Let me take care of this not to worry but I will tell you who to call so you can make a proper complaint.”

                Now after a few hours of rest, I am ready to tackle the issue.  Here is how I see it.  She is paid to stand behind the counter as a teller and to politely deal with any customer as best she can.  I am a real person; I had real business with this bank. I was entitled to a modicum of decency and courtesy. I find more and more often that people especially those in the service industries have forgotten that element of their situation.  I was reading a sign that in a local restaurant: Remember to leave a GOOD tip your waiter deserves it.  Hmmm… How do they know? Because I have sat in that restaurant when I got lousy service and waited forever for my food and I am not inclined to leave a tip to someone I feel has not earned it.  On the other hand, I have been known to leave great tips to those who have been friendly and receptive.   I wonder all the time when I am standing in a line of ten people and there are ten or more unused registers at Wal Mart and the grocery store why I even bother to give them my business. Seriously, their bottom line is affecting my bottom line too.  The more time I am tied up waiting the less time I have to study, coach, and write which in turn means less income for my family.   It is so frustrating to be told I NEED to have more patience while my needs are being ignored.  Normally, I am fairly laid back person.  I try very hard to be kind and listen.  I excel at being other centered.  However, even I have my limits. 

                Now as I was looking for a photo header for this column I discovered they actually have databases for bad tippers.  Blogs and sites dedicated to the poor waiters who have been wronged by poor tippers and customers.  I was reading them complain about their customers and call them ugly names.  One server referred to her customer as a stupid fat f***.   Other writers were patting her on the back for telling the woman off.  Really?  There were thirty-four pages of listings for my state alone.  I was horrified by remarks like B****, Darkies, trailer trash, ect.  Wow!  They wonder why they are not getting tips.  Could it be that they need to change their service.   There was one restaurant that had 20 pages of complaints.  I was tempted to call and ask their management staff if they were aware that were listed so many times, what they thought it meant about their establishment, and what they thought it portrayed to present and future customers.  I know for myself I have made a mental note of the restaurant and I will not be going there.

                Every company deals with bad service in different ways.  Some just do not care because they feel they are not paid enough to care or they are not going to change anything anyway.  Other will listen attentively but do nothing.  They feel listening is enough pacification that no action is really required and in some cases and respects that may be true.  The problem I have is that by not following up on the problem it is like another slap in the face.  I did not appreciate the bad service.  I do not want to be ignored. Finally, if I am truly at the point to call in a manager, I need to feel that some correction for the issue is on the way not necessarily compensation but the righting of the wrong.

The genuinely good companies will listen to the problem and do everything in their nature to correct the issue.  They tend to be humble and offer their apologies.  Sometimes, they offer a minor act of contrition to sooth your hard feelings. I think that is amazing.  I started thinking about my experience at the bank and what I really wanted in order to put it away.  I realized I wanted someone to acknowledge the problem.  I was not looking for her to lose her job but to understand sincerely that she is a reflection of the bank and her attitude was inappropriate.

Yes, I agree that I did not truly handle the situation well either. I truly despise when people roll their eyes. I do not think there could be another action that is so filled with obvious disrespect.  That shortened my fuse immensely.  I am not great at waiting because I do have many other things to do too so I know that further complicated the situation.  However, that being said if this had been a waiter, I would not have tipped and I would have felt just as discontented. 

So what is the appropriate form of action for bad service?  I took a small poll on Facebook.  Most people agreed that they do not leave tips or at least small tips to servers who give them bad service. Others agree that they speak to the managers before or after they leave.  Some admit they just grumble about it. For me, I am an action kind of person. So first, I called the bank manager and now I am writing this blog.  I did wait until I was calm and collected so that I portrayed the situation like a practicing adult rather than an angry child stomping her feet. 

We are all human beings.  We have bad days.  We do things we regret.   We go home and kick the dog because we are mad at our bosses.  I truly understand that but if you work as a customer representative to the public then honestly you have to be able to swallow your bad days, put aside your feelings, and do the job you are hired to do.  When you fall down, then, please, be kind enough to apologize.  People will understand.  We all just want to be treated with courtesy even when we are not at our best.  As children, our parents all drummed into us that two wrongs never make a right.  Be the bigger person.  You cannot know what that person is dealing with or going through.  You do not know when your smile and your kindness can change the day from negative to positive for the other person.  Always try to be aware that your job is to be nice and eventually it will pay off for you.  People will notice from the customer to the boss.

I want to leave you with a story of a different note.  Recently, a young man in Dairy Queen was waiting on a partially blind man.  The man dropped a twenty-dollar bill on the floor in his attempt to pay for his purchase. The clerk noticed and went to pick it up but another woman in line picked it up and pocketed it.  The clerk asked her kindly to return the money but she refused.  He ejected her from the store refusing to give her service.  He later took money from his own wallet and returned it to the gentleman.  Other customers called the manager to inform them of his heroic deed.  His reward was not only the sense of doing the right thing for the right reason but later he was promoted by his company. 

          People are always watching.   Be genuine and people notice.  The rewards are countless.   If you choose to be the malicious, discourteous, and disrespectful person that too will be rewarded with its just desserts. You are in charge of your destiny but do not be surprised when the people you failed to assist express their issues about you. No one is to blame for your lack of service and it is my right not reward you for a job done poorly.