This Customer was Right!

I’ve readily admitted to being a geek. Whether it has to do with debating Heinlein vs. Scalzi, Original vs. Next Generation, or David Tennant vs. Matt Smith, I’ve enjoyed some interesting conversations with many people of the “nerdish” persuasion. So, it pains me to admit this to my tech-savvy brethren, as well as to you, the “normal” reader, but I must get this off my chest.

I don’t have an i5.

No, it’s true. I will understand if you delete my address from your multiple contact lists and email address books. You may “un-Friend” me without shame. You may even kick me out of your WoW guild. I will understand. It will hurt but I’m certain I will get over it… someday.

Please, before you “textcommunicate me,” allow me to explain. I WANTED an i5. I even BOUGHT an i5. I went into the local AT&T store, selected the black, 32-gigabyte beast, signed that contract, paid those “upgrade fees,” and was told that the phone, my personal light-saber, tricorder and sonic-screwdriver, all in one shiny plastic case… this golden ticket to the new age would be in the store in two weeks.

Two weeks passed by in agonizingly slow motion. I checked the order status, on-line of course, and could find no “recent order” on my account. I was horrified, aghast, shocked, I tell you, Shocked!

I called the store to learn when I might come and collect “my Precious!” and I was told that there was “some misunderstanding.” The person on the other end of the conversation could find no information about my order, other than it was “pending.”  I was transferred to the saleswoman who had been “so helpful” when my wife and I were at the store in person. She now told me that the phone would not be in the store until “14 to 21 business days.” When I pointed out that this was NOT what she had told me on that beautiful Saturday afternoon, only two weeks ago, her response was simply, “well, YOU signed the paperwork.” Her closing comment was, “The only thing I could do at this point is to cancel the order… but that won’t get you your phone any faster.” Stunned and crestfallen I discommed and sat in sullen silence.

This conversation flipped a switch in my brain and my entire attitude changed. The “salesperson’s” tone had reminded me of a voice from the past. It was Lilly Tomlin’s character, Ernestine the telephone operator, who spent her days ridiculing, sabotaging and insulting customers and ended each interaction with the slogan: “We don’t care. We don’t have to. We’re the phone company.”

I also realized something very basic, very simple and absolutely true: I didn’t need an “i5.” There was nothing wrong with the phone I had, in fact, a short two years ago, it was the “cutting edge” of technology. It continues to make calls, send/receive texts and works quite well as my “e-reader.” And if I didn’t NEED a new phone, why the heck was I allowing AT&T, Apple, or whatever combination of the two corporations, to treat me like they were doing me a favor to string me along and abuse me this way?

Another two weeks came and went… and nothing had changed. No phone, no “record of my order” and no contact from the office. So, on Tuesday I went back to the AT&T office. It’s amazing how “face-to-face” contact improves the quality of service. But… they still had no information about “my” i5. So, I told them to sho…. to cancel the order. Lo and behold, the almighty computer NOW said that I “couldn’t” cancel the order because it had “been dropped for shipping.” (I still don’t know what that really means… and I still don’t really care.) The salesperson spoke with a manager and he agreed with me when I said that the way my order had been processed was unacceptable. He also assured me that, “whether the order is cancelled, or if it arrives at the store, I would be ‘taken care of’.” This was the type of service and respect I expect.

Guess what? Early the next morning I received an email from AT&T, informing me that “my” phone was on the way and would be in the store on Friday. Friday evening I received a call from a person in the store, telling me “my” phone had arrived and that I could come pick it up.

Today, I went to the store and confirmed that I did NOT want the phone and that I DID want the cost, upgrade and fees to be refunded to my credit card. The salesperson (who was the person with whom I first spoke, over a month ago) was absolutely STUNNED that I would not want the phone. However, with her manager's assistance and authorization, she was able to cancel, return and refund all the necessary things to their appropriate spots, slots and places.

So what? What did I learn from this and why am I bothering you with the story? It’s not like either AT&T or Apple will care that I didn’t buy the latest toy. In fact, someone else has probably already purchased the damn thing. So, obviously, this wasn’t about changing the “corporate giants.”

Nope. This was only about my choosing to respect myself and choosing not to accept disrespect from others. If the salesperson on the phone had been more respectful and demonstrated some interest in satisfying the customer, I probably would have waited. Oh, sure, I would have sulked, paced, and grumbled but I could have accepted the delay. What I chose not to accept was being treated shabbily, as if I was unimportant. The delay offered me the time and space to remember that I am a valuable person. But, I am only going to be treated as such by others if I treat myself with respect and refuse to accept anything less.

I still like my toys, but, today, I like myself just a little bit more.