How’s the customer service you’re getting these days?

I’m upset. I was due to have my teeth cleaned in January. Since I’ve been busy taking the Dean Ornish heart health program and working on my writing, I just called a couple of weeks ago to get an appointment.

What did I learn? My dentist, Dr. Attila Talaber, was in Europe and the other staff were just in the office now and then. After a week, someone finally called. The next available appointment is in October. I asked to be put on the waiting list, in hopes that I could get in when a cancelation occurs. The answer? There are 100 people on the waiting list.

This kind of customer service is happening again and again these days. I have to wait months to see my gastroenterologist (his PA and nurse practitioners aren’t helpful), I wait hours on hold to place the simplest orders, and if I can find a sales associate in a retail store to ask a question or even take my money, I’m lucky.

I did get good customer service Friday. My washing machine wasn’t working, it wouldn’t spin the water out in most settings. I called GE on Thursday and remarkably, a repair person was available to come out the next day. He said the water pump wasn’t working. It’s wonderful to be able to wash clothes again.

However, the repairman did say that he carried the water pumps in his van because on the model I have, the water pumps fail frequently. Disappointing. That’s a photo of the failed water pump above. The bill for getting the repair was $421.

A recent survey shows Americans are more unhappy with the customer service they’re getting than ever.

Seventy-four percent of Americans say they’ve had product or service problem in the past year, according to the 10th edition of the National Customer Rage Survey, which tracks satisfaction and incivility. The incidence of problems has more than doubled since 1976. 

Sigh. I expect customer service problems are just going to get worse, unfortunately.

 

Comments

[Jennifer]

Finding good any kind of healthcare is hard in Florida. The best doctors become concierge doctors where they charge you a yearly fee of 5000 or more just for the right to visit them. We learned that if we found a good doctor and got an appointment, we'd make our next appointments while we were there, even if that was a year out.

[Carol Cassara]

Companies today do all they can to distance themselves from consumers. Endless phone trees and even no phone numbers. Things really have gotten bad.

[Rita]

Yes, and things have deteriorated so much, more than usual, during the pandemic. My expectation now is that I'll get poor customer service. When the GE guy could come out the next day AND he had the parts in his truck, I couldn't believe my good fortune.

[Laurie Stone]

The worst is when you can't get a human on the phone and keep getting bounced from automated operator to automated operator. It makes me crazy.

[Diane]

5 months for an appointment? Good gravy!
Sadly, even our super-excellent healthcare here in Canada has taken a big hit these days. Our doctors are retiring in droves and, as our present Provincial government is bent on pushing to privatizing everything, the new, young doctors coming out of our own schools here in Edmonton (at a pace of 250 per year) are going to other, more welcoming places. The office managers and staff are still trying to serve, but they are struggling.
What does that say about a machine when the repairman carries droves of a part because 'they fail frequently'? That is criminal! I'm so glad you didn't have to wait 10 months for THAT repair! Yow!

[Rita]

Yes, I'm glad the GE repairman came the next day. However, since I haven't had a cleaning for more than a year I hope I don't have to have scaling done again. Years ago when I couldn't afford to go to the dentist for a year, I had to have scaling -- a more intensive form of teeth cleaning -- done.

Thanks for the information about the Canadian health care system. I just so wish we had universal health care here. I'm skeptical we'll ever get it because the right wing doesn't even want to fund basic services, except for the military, of course.

Yes, it's criminal that the pump on my model of washing machine fails so frequently the repairman keeps them in his truck. I picked a GE appliance, which wasn't rated as highly the Kenmore brand from Sears that I used for years, because when I got a Kenmore machine it smelled so bad I had to return it. Fortunately, I received my money back.

[Meryl]

Satisfactory and timely customer service is a wish rarely fulfilled. We have unfortunately become accustomed to poor service, postponed service, or no service, and unconcerned, uncaring workers. Will it every improve? I don't have high hopes...

[Rita]

I agree, Meryl, we have become accustom to poor customer service. I also don't have high hopes. However, when I do get great or even good customer service, I'm really grateful and I let the person know how appreciative I am.

[Rebecca Forstadt Olkowski]

There is something weird going on with dentists, especially. I've had too many trying to gouge the Medicare system by telling me that I need procedures that are completely unnecessary. Some never call to confirm appointments and there is always a long waiting period to get in.

[Rita]

Rebecca, maybe these dentists offices have been purchased by private equity firms or a hospital or corporation. I recently wrote about how my gastroenterologist's office was purchased by a private equity firm. The model is they make changes so they can earn about 20 percent profit, then in five to seven years, they sell the practice for a big profit. The doctors, dentists, and vets get big payments when they sell their practices. After the sale, they get a "market rate" salary from the purchasing company. Some ways the new owners make more money is to recommend procedures that aren't necessary. An article in the news recently was a child on Medicaid who died getting crowns put on its baby teeth.