What ever happened to customer service?

By Mandy Walton

Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2009 | 11:19 a.m.

If you read my blog, you'll remember that I just previously spoke of an outstanding display of customer service at our new Hallmark. But as I continued with my life over the weekend, one very specific incident brought up this question in my mind: What has happened to customer service?

I work a couple of part-time jobs, and have a 16-month old son and a husband to care for. Needless to say, I'm just as busy as any other person out there. While trying to accomplish a slew of errands on Friday, one of them was to pick up some prints from the portrait studio where I had recently had my son's portraits taken. I had already made one trip to the studio to pick up portraits the week prior, but one set had been damaged by their developers. This second trip was to pick up my free copy of the newly printed images. Huffing and puffing from all the work involved getting the stroller out of the trunk, putting my uncooperative son into it, and walking into the portrait studio, I came upon an unfriendly person working the desk.

"Hi," I said first.

She just looked at me.

"I'm here to pick up some prints that had to be re-done. The first set was damaged," I explained.

"Well, all of our photos are locked inside the cabinet, and I can't get them out till 3:00," the worker said.

I looked at the clock. It was 1:30p.m. I was now angry. There was no way I was going to wait around for an hour and a half, or come back in an hour and a half. Can you sense my anger? First of all, it wasn't my fault that my photos were damaged. Secondly, I don't know why they couldn't have just mailed them to me. And thirdly, the clerk didn't seem like she wanted to cooperate with me, or come to a compromise.

"I can't come back at 3:00," I said.

"I can make you an appointment for another time," the clerk offered. And while this may have been the compromise, the photos were Valentine's Day themed, and I needed them for gifts for Saturday.

"Why can't you just unlock the cabinet and give me my photos?" I asked.

"I'm going to lunch in a few minutes, and I don't have time to do that," she explained.

That's when I said "forget it" and left.

I have worked with the public for over 12 years. And while there have been a few instances where a rude customer didn't deserve my kindness to go out of my way to help him, I did anyways. There were also a handful of other instances where a very gracious and patient customer appreciated my going the extra mile by meeting their needs. How rude for me to expect that to happen here. I am being sarcastic.

I was the only person around, the phone was not ringing, and there was no line behind me of other frazzled women wanting the clerk to unlock the secret cabinet of protected photos. Her doing so would not have set off a frenzy such as "if I do it for you, I'll have to do it for everyone." One instance would not have hurt.

I got my photos, don't doubt that; I sent my husband on his way home from work. But I did not make the extra, third trip back to pick them up myself.

Henderson is supposed to be an exceptional community with exceptional service. The only excuse I can offer for that clerk's rudeness is that she probably doesn't reside here.