Customer service

There's a difference between incompetent customer service and completely unhelpful customer service. The distinction between the two types comes down to whether one was unable to provide service because it was not within his capacity or whether one did not provide service simply because he was not willing to.

Unfortunately, i think the latter describes most customer service i've seen in the US. Be it checkout counters or phone-in customer service. When you are in a store and you ask for assistance, service staff here simply brush you off and say "that's not my area of expertise". This is so unlike my experience in Japan where the staff take the utmost effort to see that your concerns are addressed.

Over here, when you call a customer service agent, the first thing they say is "no, we can't help you". What's the point of calling yourselves "customer service" then?

I think i had my worst customer experience today when after being on the phone for so long and I was in the middle of processing my order, the customer service agent abruptly cut me off. I immediately called back and found out from another customer service representative that the former agent I was speaking to had left for lunch.

I was literally stunned. She cut me off halfway to leave for lunch???

Anyway, if anything, today gave me a different perspective on why some companies choose to outsource their customer care to indian call centres. its not just the cost. they're just way politer on the phone!!!