How many years do I remember of poor and bad attitude and arrogance and loudness from some of these trade outlets towards customers; from personal experience if they worked for me they would be sacked on the spot. Recently I went into a well known plumbers merchants and discussed a replacement pump the person I was dealing with a great chap, then one other employee shouted across the room in what can only be described as argument on what I had described; piping and matching an existing pump and its position, finally I quietly and politely made my point and he shut up. I suppose the trade hasn't changed much in 45 years.
I remember many years ago we had an account with a very large timber merchants; who at one time were most probably the largest pre war and post war importers. We used softwood and hardwoods and via long standing account collected lengthy timber that we processed. One day I visited to collect an order and I was passed from one to the other to the other to the other employees who did not want to serve me, Finally after about 40 minutes of running around the large yard I was sent to the rear of the site to be dealt with. When I asked the chap to let me have lengths of the best Stuff, right at the top of the stacks, he blew a gasket waving his hand about and unbelievably telling me he was busy, he was not busy at all, So......here we go, as a polite and well spoken person who never lost his temper I ran up the stack about 30 feet high and grabbed a long heavy length of timber and shouted; Catch this, he did as he fell back. Good God I thought I had killed him, he recovered and loaded me up and off I went to the office to make a rather direct complaint about the service considering that we had dealt with them for years. The next time I visited it was amazing, they called me Sir, and could not do enough for me and it remained so thereafter. What a shame that one has to use one's temper to instill into those who you as a customer pay their wages that a little politeness and services cost nothing at all.
I remember many years ago we had an account with a very large timber merchants; who at one time were most probably the largest pre war and post war importers. We used softwood and hardwoods and via long standing account collected lengthy timber that we processed. One day I visited to collect an order and I was passed from one to the other to the other to the other employees who did not want to serve me, Finally after about 40 minutes of running around the large yard I was sent to the rear of the site to be dealt with. When I asked the chap to let me have lengths of the best Stuff, right at the top of the stacks, he blew a gasket waving his hand about and unbelievably telling me he was busy, he was not busy at all, So......here we go, as a polite and well spoken person who never lost his temper I ran up the stack about 30 feet high and grabbed a long heavy length of timber and shouted; Catch this, he did as he fell back. Good God I thought I had killed him, he recovered and loaded me up and off I went to the office to make a rather direct complaint about the service considering that we had dealt with them for years. The next time I visited it was amazing, they called me Sir, and could not do enough for me and it remained so thereafter. What a shame that one has to use one's temper to instill into those who you as a customer pay their wages that a little politeness and services cost nothing at all.
