So tired of dealing with dunderheads

Parent Cafe
1

<p>In the last week:</p>

<p>I got a phone call from Verizon about a new package being offered for our small business. The caller had an impenetrable southern accent (we live in the northeast), kept calling me “Miss <a href=“like%20being%20called%20Miss%20Costco”>Name of Business”</a>, was obviously reading from a script whose meaning and content were unknown to her, couldn’t answer any questions I had, and when I asked her to slow down and explain more, hung up on me.</p>

<p>JC Penney advised me that the two bedside lamps I bought a year ago only had a 90-day warranty, and the fact that the switches on both broke within a week of each other and that the items were clearly defective, was my problem. (Yes, I’ll be pursuing this one further.) Really, JCP, business is so great that you are willing to lose a customer over this as opposed to reimbursing me for the cost of repairing two lemon lamps?</p>

<p>D had an interview for a summer job at a camp over a week ago. She had applied some time ago, never got a response (which I realize is the norm these days), but called to follow up when she got home from college. The director claimed he has emailed her about his interest (he hadn’t) and asked her to come in within an hour. She scrambled and got there. He was awkward and ill-prepared, had little to ask her, and spoke with her for all of ten minutes in a busy, noisy room filled with kids in an after-school program. She emailed him the next day, thanking him and saying all the right things, and asking when a decision about the position would be made. He hasn’t had the courtesy to respond.</p>

<p>Last summer D spent the 5 weeks between the end of spring semester and the start of her summer job volunteering at an after-school program at a local elementary school. They had accepted her services based on her resume that included extensive experience with children, including the developmentally disabled. This year when she called to inquire about doing it again, they said they would need a recommendation letter from one of her professors stating why they should take her on and why the position would contribute to her educational goals! (It doesn’t–she just loves to work with kid and needs to fill her time.) The professors have scattered, and frankly D wouldn’t dream of bothering one of them for a recommendation letter for a 45 hour (5-week, 9-hours per week) volunteer job (not in any conceivable way an internship) that she had already done in an entirely satisfactory way the previous summer. And it’s not as if this program routinely seeks and vets volunteers. Last summer they were surprised and delighted to have someone willing to help wipe noses and play games. She emailed them her resume, reminded them of her experience in the program and her multiple child care-related references, noted that a professor’s letter was impractical under the circumstances, and asked if they could waive the requirement for the recommendation. A week later, and they haven’t even responded with a yes or no with respect with what would now be a 36-hour gig.</p>

<p>Has it always been this way, and I’m just getting crankier and cranker with age, or is the amount of incompetence, stupidly and rudeness growing by leaps and bounds?</p>

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<p>You have a triple wammy there.</p>

<p>A long time ago I worked in a JCP store warehouse (a large warehouse and receiving dock). At that time JCP, at least the one I worked at, would take almost anything back. It was amazing what they’d take back that was clearly caused by customers abusing the items and they’d do this beyond any warranty period - especially with furniture.</p>

<p>If you want the lamps repaired or your money back, take them back to the JCP store where you purchased them and tell them they were inferior products that didn’t function as expected and that you’re dissatisfied with them and want to return them for a refund. If you don’t get anywhere with the salesperson, ask for the department manager (it’s best to do this during normal working hours). If the department manager doesn’t satisfy you then tell them you want to speak to ‘the’ store manager - i.e. the manager of the entire store. These people have the power to take it back and give you a refund. If you remain courteous but firm then they’ll likely take them back and give you a refund.</p>

<p>The story of your D and the camp is ridiculous. I wouldn’t want my kids to attend that camp given that they have people running it who can’t think logically.</p>

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<p>Well I have one piece of advice- let your kids take on their own problems.
I agree that your D has run into some incompetence with her job search, but as frustrating as it is to see your kids have to deal with that- that is their stuff to work out in most cases.
I only know about my kids job searches when they decide on & start work!
( I do hear about the success or not of such searches but not details)</p>

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<p>It didn’t sound to me like MommaJ had intervened in any way in her daughter’s dealings with the jerks at camp. Other than provide an ear for the daughter to vent.</p>

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<p>Sometimes I think it’s important not to “intervene” in the job search but at least to make your kid aware that the behavior of the other party is not typical and is not acceptable. You don’t want them to think that it’s OK to behave that way toward others, or when they are in a position of some authority, that’s what they’ll do.</p>

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<p>Most phone “advisors” or “service reps” only know what’s on the script, as soon as you go off the script it’s hopeless. I always ask for a supervisor and have been known to hang up, google the corporate headquarters of the company, find the president’s secretary, and call her. Always get my concerns heard that way! Good luck MommaJ.</p>

7

<p>Customer service is an oxymoron anymore. </p>

<p>Last year I called Sears about a problem with my dishwasher. When I got a rep with a very thick Indian accent, I asked to be transferred to a rep in the United States who spoke English as a first language. The rep in India then proceeded to call me a ‘racist’. </p>

<p>Several phone calls later, when I did get to speak to someone in management in Texas, because of the ‘racist’ remark, I got the several hundred dollar service call for free as recompense.</p>

<p>But I choose not to deal with Sears ever again.</p>

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<p>Sadly, sometimes I do think this behavior in the job search is becoming more and more typical. It is so sad what is passing for how prospect employee’s are being treated. I’ve been searching for a job and am finding behavior that just would not have been acceptable in the past. My H hires people and is so surprised by how the search has gone for me and how not to behave.</p>

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<p>^^Ditto about rudeness during the internship job search…</p>

<p>my daughter was shocked how rude and disrespectful some of the people have been this year…</p>

<p>It really turned her off to some of the most respected companies in her industry…</p>

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<p>I wonder how much email and internet contributes to this problem. My daughter was very interested in doing an internship (unpaid and for college credit). She spent months first trying to phone and email the contact person at the place trying to determine how to set up her school schedule so as to fit in with the internship (if she got it). Never got a returned call or email. Then just went ahead and submitted her application on the internet as the instructions said, thinking she would change her school schedule if she needed to. Never heard back.</p>

<p>Many months later, she recently was involved in something where she met the contact person. My daughter had a long chat with her and when she was asking about the volunteer and internship opps the contact person told her all their current interns were finishing up so new spots were opening. When my D asked how to go about applying she said to snail mail her the application as that way she would definitely look at it. Said she gets such a huge amount of email that she can not even read half of it. </p>

<p>It will be interesting to see if snail mail plus the fact that she has met and talked to her will help.</p>

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<p>One HR person told me one time that sometimes they didn’t get all applications because of computer problem, those applications disappear into thin air. In this case it cost them a lot of money. I had applied online, but they never responded. I was then referred to them by a head hunter, so they ended up having to pay a fee for me.</p>

<p>I get a lot of emails at work, I try to respond to most people right away or I forget and just move on. Sometimes people are not really rude, but just have too much to do. I think it is perefectly reasonable to ping a person again in a few days if he/she doesn’t get a response.</p>

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<p>…rudeness in my daughter’s case was over the telephone…during “supposed” interviews…and in both cases involved a junior HR representative</p>

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<p>Wow… that is really unacceptable. I can see why it would turn her off - who wants to work for a company that is rude to you during an interview. Imagine what they would be like once you worked for them.</p>

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<p>^exactly what I said…</p>

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<p>It didn’t sound to me like MommaJ had intervened in any way in her daughter’s dealings with the jerks at camp. Other than provide an ear for the daughter to vent.</p>

<p>I didn’t think that she had. However, I try and not take on for myself, real/imagined slights that occur to family members. I may listen at the time if they need to vent, but I wouldn’t use their experiences as an example of what * I * had to deal with.</p>

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<p>There’s the flip side. A family member worked as a customer service person at a major electronics retailer and she has some stories of how customers treated her that there’s no excuse for.</p>

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<p>I once had a very bizarre interview (many many years ago). I was in the middle of the interview with one person and a big wig came in and sat behind me where I couldn’t see him then would randomly shoot very aggressive odd questions at me. By the end of the interview there was no way I wanted to work for the company. The original interviewer actually apologized as he walked me to the elevator. I just laughed and shook my head. Some time later I told the boss at the company I did end up working for, and he said I should have said “Sorry, I can’t see you” and turned my chair to where I could see them both. Wish I’d thought of that.</p>

<p>My Mum still remembers a very rude interview even longer ago where the interviewer sat with his feet up on the desk and was really rude. </p>

<p>So it is not new I guess.</p>

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<p>There is no excuse for how a huge percentage of customers treat you when it comes to customer service. Horror stories!! There was a customer who once wished death upon one of my co-workers so she hung up on him. She didn’t even do anything wrong she was just trying to help him. He then called back and complained that she hung up on him. Manager told her not to worry that he would have done the same thing.</p>

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<p>To the poster that said just bring the lamps back to JCP: my recent experience is that there is no actual management on site. Or not much. There is no longer an upstairs office, a customer service desk, or even anyone in the store that has that kind of authority. It is kind of sad.</p>

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<p>I’m sure JCP stores still have managers on site assuming it’s a ‘normal’ store but the offices are usually in non-obvious areas. There are too many on-site employees to deal with in addition to the customers and other issues a manager needs to deal with.</p>

<p>The following is from JCP’s employment website. Note the second bullet item.</p>

<p>[JCPenney</a> - J. C. Penney Company, Inc.](<a href=“http://www.jcpenney.net/careers/n3_stores/n4_mgmt_hrly/n5_store_mgr.aspx]JCPenney”>http://www.jcpenney.net/careers/n3_stores/n4_mgmt_hrly/n5_store_mgr.aspx)</p>

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