When I was a letter carrier 73-94 I took pride in the job. If you weren’t home in the AM to sign for something then I’d come back in the PM before returning to station. I’d mail stuff for customers, no waitng in line for them, and bring receipt the next day with an envelope to reimburse me. It was wonderful. I even got to meet the band “Offspring” as Dexter Holland lived on my route. And I always had the opportunity to play a few holes at the Los Alamitos Naval Base Golf Course as the clubhouse was my first delivery stop. Just an aside, there was a holiday where I went up to my brothers in Kensington which borders on Berkeley CA. My Mom mailed cookies, they were always the BEST, from the PO located at Buffalo NY airport on Saturday and they were delivered on Monday. When I called her she didn’t believe me !
Welcome to the new world. We old timers/boomers, remember a time when the USPS used to advertise that neither snow, ice, wind, rain, hurricanes and tornadoes, highwaymen, gunslingers and stage coach robbers, never dissuaded the appointed rounds of the US Postal Department. OK, I went a little overboard but there were times when this was actually the scenario.
Tony, you’re not too overboard; I had to wait for moose to cross the street in Fairbanks and was attacked by a German Shepherd once, he bit me in the stomach and I still have a scar on my little finger trying to push him away. Besides the snow, ice, heat, cold, storms and gloom of night there was the famous Fairbanks flood of 1967. We were civil defense at the time and me and my 2/12 ton parcel truck became transportation for many a weary resident as my supervisor and I collected what was left of mail in the drop boxes.
On my second to last day in Dallas before I retired a kid approached me with a pistol; he just angered me and I don’t remember what I said to him (it probably wasn’t very nice) but he lowered his gun and ran. The policeman I reported this to said he knew the kid and would take care of it.
Steve, I too am proud of my time in the Post Office as I did my best at what I did. After working the best we could after the Fairbanks flood (mentioned in my answer to Tony’s post) we were given a banquet by the USPS and was awarded this “beyond the call of duty” pin.
We are in a new world where no one gives a rat's rump about their job performance.
Absolutely right John. And it is particularly worrisome because we're old enough to remember when people like Steve Jacobs and David Vandermeer did their jobs proud and we not only relied on them doing their best, but looked up to them for going over and beyond. Not today with almost any job working with the public.
"We are in a new world where no one gives a rat's rump about their job performance."
My two cents:
About 10 years ago John, I would've agreed with this statement AND there's ZERO DOUBT that the "dumbing down of America" (something I've been complaining about for over 30years ) continues! With each passing hour, more & more Americans continue to believe in BS lies, ignore facts, and ONLY associate with groups (online or otherwise ) that share their same twisted BS agenda. A.I. algorithms only foster this dangerous alternate reality.
HOWEVER:
In the past 5 years or so I've experienced a surge in GREAT customer service!
Everyone I speak to (in person or otherwise ) seems to have stepped up their game and repeatedly goes out of their way to ensure my satisfaction. At least from my experience, people DO CARE about their job performance.
Overall, a dichotomous situation for sure, but I'll take what I can get - where I can get it! 😉 😉 😉
@chris I wish I could agree Chris. Obviously you have never lived in my state and tried to register an antique car with DMV. I truly believe, before they are face to face with the public, they are trained on the art of being deliberately hateful. On a different subject, I believe that AI is a root cause for most problems regarding public service. Try to call your phone, internet, provider and ask to speak with a real live person. By the time you finally get someone after being hung up on, and then connected to someone who doesn't speak understandable English, you're so upset you almost forget why you called in the first place.
@perrone1 I agree Tony. We are very fortunate to have a terrific mail carrier. Should we get a package that is too big to fit in our oversized mail box, she will drive down our driveway and place our mail in the carport. The only problem we have is the person who covers for her on her day off or vacation as they act as though they are mad at the world and doing you a favor. The folks at our local post office are also terrific.
@chris Come to Deutschland, mein freund, where customer service is composed of a bland stare and little else. When I arrived, I asked several young folk (30+) at a dinner party, why shopkeepers seemed to resent it when I greeted them cheerfully, and they told me it created suspicion, for I must want something. I found this odd. But, odder still, when I told them how I greeted everyone who entered any commercial environment where I was employed: 'Hello, how are you today, and how can I be of service?' they said it sounded like I wanted something from my customers. Yup. I wanted their money!!! I wanted sales!!! Why else would someone have a business?! It hasn't changed much in the past 20+ years, either, though they do warm up to you if you are a regular.
@gdh No question that's an odd & unique approach for shop keepers & personnel to adapt - seems counterproductive and contrary to a successful business model. However, I appreciate their incredulous disposition and apprehension. I still don't understand why there's a lack of A/C? Surely, the infrastructure can support any power demands placed upon it, no? 🤔 🤨 🤔
@bob-jackman When a business farms out its customer service to a call-center, they are putting their reputation in the hands of strangers. Strangers with no vested interest, or connection to the company and its core values. The best customer service I have ever experienced, over and over again, without fail, is Nordstrom's. Unbelievable customer service.
In just one instance of many, the store I had called to check on an article I wanted to buy as a gift for young lady didn't have it in stock, but she asked me to hold on for a moment, and seconds later I was talking to a saleslady in a store over a thousand miles away, and I was able to secure the item and have it shipped immediately. All from one phone call. THAT is customer service.
