A Shout-Out to the People Who Helped Me

Some people think as we grow older we have less patience and complain more. I admit as a 70 year old, I probably have a shorter fuse when dealing with everyday problems. My friend Bill might also fall in that cranky category. He was complaining at lunch about how terrible customer service has gotten since the pandemic. He said, “Prices keep rising, but we keep getting less in return.” According to Bill, we get less service before, during, and after we purchase something.

He ranted, “I went to a restaurant and they wanted you to use your smartphone to scan a QR code to access the menu. I tried to get help with my YouTube TV. But you can’t call them. You have to use their online chat. It makes it more difficult to solve a problem.”

Maybe Bill was right that shoddy service has indeed become the norm. I thought about how it took me over an hour to talk to a customer service representative at an airline. But then a few things happened to me last week that made me realize there are plenty of well-trained employees trying to make our lives easier and more enjoyable.

I’m a retiree who has a daily routine. I wake up at 4:15 a.m. every morning. I go for a long walk. I come home and I like to read the newspaper on my iPhone, while eating breakfast.

One morning, I was trying to read the Washington Post, but I was unable to access the articles. Instead, I got a message saying I have to subscribe to the newspaper. I became frustrated because I’ve been a subscriber for many years. I tried to login at their website, but I found I was already logged in. I gave them a call with the intention of giving them a piece of my mind.

A lady answered my call. I told her what happened and threatened to cancel my subscription. The more I talked the more upset I got. In a calm and soothing voice, she apologized for my trouble. She said she would transfer me to a technician who would help me solve my problem.

About thirty seconds later, she again in a calm voice told me the technician will be with me when he’s finished with a customer. She made that announcement one more time before I was connected. That human touch made me feel like the Post really valued me as a customer.

The technician came on the line. He said, “Dennis, I hear you have a problem accessing the articles online.” He also spoke in a polite and understanding voice. He asked what device I was using to read the Post. I told him I was using my iPhone, but I can no longer open any of the articles on the website.

He said I need to clear the cached data on my iPhone. Cached data is information stored on your device after you visit a website. He walked me through the steps to make sure I knew how to do it. He waited to make sure I had no problem reading the newspaper. He then asked me politely if I needed any additional help.

When I hung up the phone, I was relaxed and back to my normal routine. From the time I called, it took the Washington Post’s customer support team about 15 minutes to solve my problem. I was truly impressed by the great service.

Shortly after I finished my breakfast, I went to Walmart to buy EarPods for my iPhone. The sales person started to process my purchase and told me to push the no-button when it pops up on the screen. I said to myself, “What is he talking about pushing the no-button?” He was warning me about the attempt to sell me extended warranty insurance on the EarPods. The item cost $19.88 and the insurance would have cost me an additional $2.

He thought it was a bad deal. I agree. I don’t like this type of insurance either. He didn’t have to do that. But he wanted to make sure his customers didn’t fall into that trap of purchasing insurance on an item that didn’t make sense.

A few days later, my wife and I went to Santa Barbara. My friend told me you have to go to this restaurant called Opal. “They have great food. You won’t regret it,” he said. He was right. We didn’t regret it. The food was excellent, but what impressed us even more was the service.

We had a waitress assigned to our table. But occasionally, two other people would come over to our table to make sure everything was alright. The service we received made us feel special. It was a memorable experience not just because of the great food, but also the service.

Dealing with the public is not an easy job, especially during this pandemic. We should all be a little more understanding about the service we receive. What I’ve learned over the years is that good customer service is like gold. It can add real value to the product you’re purchasing. That’s why I like to give a shout-out to the people who helped me at the Washington Post, Walmart, and Opal Restaurant & Bar. Thank you for all your help.