Well originally it was a mythical creature or a type of hobgoblin apparently. It was used a bit like the bogeyman as a way of scaring little kids into behaving.
You know the whole, "The bogeyman will get you if you don't behave" speech, parents so loved.
It later became a term for things that irritates or annoys and that's the format I want to focus on today.
What are your bugbears?
I faced one of my bugbears this weekend in the form of customer service calls or more specifically, the people who answers them.
Let me explain:
Friday night, as with every week I was awaiting my shopping, because of my disability I find it easier to order online and have Asda bring it right to the door.
This works well for me and my family and has done for several years now. There are the occasional annoyances, like when they send you lots of items that have to be eaten within two to three days because they have a short shelf life and Asda didn't bother to pick the ones with the longest use by dates, the way we might if we shopped for ourselves, but for the most part we are pretty happy with their service.
This Friday; however, our shopping never arrived. It was an hour late when Asda called to say that their van had broke down could they possibly offer us a new delivery slot for the next day.
We agreed, these things happen and we were home so it wasn't really going to be a big deal. We were also quite pleased as they had given us a 10 pound discount for the inconvenience. Great!
Only the next day, Asda didn't come and this time they didn't call either. So I checked my email. thinking perhaps I had got the time wrong, but there it was clear as day in black and white, the confirmation of time and day as well as they discount they had given us.
So I ring Asda and thus ensues a conversation with someone I am really struggling to understand and who is clearly struggling to understand me.
Eventually, the woman manages to get across that she needs to contact the store as she can see no record of the delivery. Though she cannot understand that I received a confirmation email about the delivery. Instead she tells me over and over, "No I cannot confirm it, it is not shown."
She then says she will contact the store and get back to me.
Another hour passes and we hear nothing.
Hubby instructs me to call them back so I do and this time I get someone who is very difficult to understand. I ask if it is possible to speak to someone who is Bristish as I am having trouble communicating with him and he tells me "No, this is Africa, no British here."
Africa!!!!
Why am I being sent to Africa, to talk about my groceries in the UK?
This is my bugbear.
It is not that I have anything against people in Africa, I don't. They are after all people just like us trying to make the best of life.
What I have a problem with is the fact that we pay out for a company to provide us with services and they put that money into the pockets of people in other countries instead of supporting those here in the UK and why, because they can charge these poor people a pittance.
On top of that, it seems that these people struggled to understand us, almost as much as we struggle to understand them and if they can't understand us, how can they fully understand the issues we are calling about.
BT is the same. It's in the title British telecommunications, yet even they don't have British call centres. I tried for months to get hold of a Brit when I was having issues with my broadband and as hard as I tried, I could not get those who were answering the phone to understand what I was trying to tell them.
They just kept trying to repeat the same steps with me over and over, steps that had been tried and failed and that's not their fault. They are given a script to follow a set of procedures and very few of them know how to actually go beyond that. So when those things don't work, they don't know how to fix it. So they repeat.
We did get our shopping in the end, but not the discount and not until late Saturday night.
So is this something other people find frustrating or is it just me?
What bugbears do you have?
love and hugs
Joss xxx
We have the same problem here and it's ridiculous. If there's a language problem the company doesn't seem to care as long as they keep making lots of dollars. Not until they actually hurt in the profit department will they do something about it
ReplyDeleteIt's so frustrating isn't it, There is a company over here that provides internet connection that promises British call centres. Although not a very well known company I am half tempted to switch provider and give them a chance just because they do have British call centres.
DeleteI understand this so well. Usually, I find many people/companies who sell various products are very nice, friendly and so approachable at first. But after we've bought their product, their service pales in comparison to how they were when they were courting us. It's all in the name of business. And I thought business was all about service... so annoying!
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by my blog and glad you enjoyed my post. Hope you can visit again :)
That's so true Anne and also incredibly frustrating. I think in part it's probably due to those of us who stick once we find a company, even when at times, they provide terrible service. I have many times said that's it I am changing provider and then some how never seem to get around to it. Companies I think see a lot of that and so perhaps don't feel the need to try so hard once they have us. We are our own worst enemy's sometimes I think.
DeleteThis is one of mine, too. For starters, I don't like the jobs being sent elsewhere, but I understand the concept in this day of globalization. However, it's not the best person for the job when neither side can understand the other. It's one of the most frustrating things in the world to deal with.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree Carol thank you so much for stopping by and leaving a comment, really appreciate it :)
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