A Rant

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Working in a service industry, one of the stresses of my working life was responding to the ever increasing expectations and demands of clients. However, I speak from experience when I assure you that at the very least I always made sure that I returned telephone calls the same day, unless this was impossible as a result of circumstances beyond my control and in which event my secretary would contact the caller to explain the position and confirm a mutually convenient time for me to ring back.

Imagine, therefore, my frustration when for the second working day in a row my attempts to resolve an issue concerning a broken door still under guarantee have been thwarted by one Mr X's failure to speak to me. My calls have been met with a very friendly receptionist saying, "I'll put you through," and then reverting to advise, "I am sorry but Mr X isn't at his desk at the moment, can I take your details and I'll ask him to return your call?"

Of course, he has not done so and to add insult to injury when I last rang at 4.25 pm today the switchboard had closed. Who, in the present economic climate, is doing so well that they can actually afford to close shop before 4.30 pm? Not Mr X surely, especially when he still had not had the decency to fulfil his commitment and return my call.

I am sure you can vividly imagine the icily polite message which I left on his firm's answer-phone service.

Fortunately the relaxed aura that goes with retirement has militated against me being whipped up into a state of high dudgeon as a result; frustration and irritation, yes. However, I am now revelling in the thought that poor Mr X, who, according to comments posted on the Internet, is incapable of meeting customer satisfaction with a proper after sales service, is probably so stressed himself that he is unable to take my call. After all the weather is far too cold for him to be on the golf course.

Unfortunately his headache will get a great deal worse if he persists in evading my attempts to contact him. Freed from the shackles and time commitment of work, I can pursue him like a terrier. Obviously and in addition to adding my comments to those already available on the web, I may even have to threaten to take legal action to enforce the guarantee. A nice little court case might be all I need to keep me entertained over the rest of the winter. 

Alternatively am I now so relaxed and free from the cares of the world that I invalidate the guarantee  (potentially worthless as it is, if Mr X will not return my calls) and call out a locksmith?


Comments

Caree Risover said…
For the record and after I sent an e-mail threatening to have the necessary work undertaken by a third party and then claim the cost under the guarantee, Mr X finally returned my call. He was most charming and arranged for the necessary repair to be carried out immediately.
4 February 2015 at 20:04
Debra Journet said…
Freed from the shackles and time commitment of work, I can pursue him like a terrier.

This made me laugh out loud!
6 February 2015 at 16:29
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