What has happened to customer service?

I took my kids to the drive thru at the golden arches last week and commented to my boy about the people who take the orders and who fill the orders. I said they were always so nice and courteous which has been my experience with McDonald’s. The people on the intercom are always pleasant and patient as my children change their minds ten times while ordering. With all the changes they still manage to get the order right.

My son then told me a story about another fast food chain that is near his school that he and his friends stop by often. He ordered a pop from the counter and after receiving it was told that he better not spend the afternoon getting refills or he and his friends would have to “get the fuck out“. He actually said that. I’m sure it was the boys intention to stay and get refill after refill. They have the soda fountain in the main area for that purpose. They give you an empty cup and let you fill it. One of the selling points I guess. I can understand why a restaurant would not want a bunch of rowdy, hormone filled, teenage boys sitting in their fine establishment filling up on pop but the team member behind the counter could have been a bit more polite about the whole thing. He hasn’t lost the boys as customers as it’s the only nearby place but he hasn’t taught them anything about manners either.

I had to go to the ER the other day. The wait was incredible, four hours, and no one seemed to be any closer to actually seeing a doctor. People waiting to be seen were patient and the triage nurses and admin people were as helpful as they could be given the circumstances. When you go to the ER you have to understand that others maladies may be more important than yours. I was finally seen after leaving the ER for the night and promising to come back in the morning. After being seen by a doctor I was told I needed to see a specialist. I knew what was wrong and I knew how to fix the problem but I was in too much pain to argue so I took the appointment they gave me and went home to sleep until the appointment. I called the Dr’s office to get directions and to make sure they could do the procedure on site. I didn’t have the patience to wait any longer and would do the procedure myself if they were going to have me make another appointment. I also wanted to make sure that I would be out of there in enough time to pick up my kids after school. The receptionist said that they were able to do the procedure on site but needed to remind me that I was being worked into the schedule, they were fitting me in between patients. I was aware that indeed I had not preplanned this emergency and that yes they were doing me a favor by fitting me in. She didn’t need to tell me this. I arrived on time after her directions got me completely lost, I waited for about 45 minutes even though I saw no one else in the waiting room and no one leave while I was waiting, I saw the doctor who was pleasant and efficient.