By Kat

August 15, 2008 10:25 AM | Link to this

I had very poor customer service at a restaurant - Chili’s. However, when I brought my concerns (okay, complaint) to the district manager, he immediately comped the entire meal by sending me $150 (approximate charge the first time) in gift cards to take the whole group out again at the same place. It made me respect the establishment again.

By Kat

August 15, 2008 10:25 AM | Link to this

I had very poor customer service at a restaurant - Chili’s. However, when I brought my concerns (okay, complaint) to the district manager, he immediately comped the entire meal by sending me $150 (approximate charge the first time) in gift cards to take the whole group out again at the same place. It made me respect the establishment again.

By yes

August 15, 2008 10:39 AM | Link to this

Pippins BBQ in Covington. That has got to be one of most miserable “young” hostess’s I’ve ever came across. Replace her and your business may pick up. Food is good but she reaks.

By JJ

August 15, 2008 10:40 AM | Link to this

Pizza Hut in Buford, at the corner of GA 20 and Buford Highway. Every single time we order from there, our order is wrong. I sent an e-mail to corporate, got a coupon for a free pizza, ordered it, and it when it was delivered, it was wrong yet again.

I’m done with Pizza Hut.

By DT

August 15, 2008 11:05 AM | Link to this

I agree that Pizza Hut seems to suffer from a severe lack of customer service!!!

By mica

August 15, 2008 11:23 AM | Link to this

AT&T - ordered 2nd line and DSL for new business line in Feb 07. Tech came out performed installation and left. Got on internet and within 5 mins, it loses connection. Have to turn off modem every time to login only to lose connection every 5 mins. Have spent over 100 hours with techs on the phone and have had them out to house at least 10 times in the last year. Problem is still the same and they flat out won’t fix it. Tech’s say since it’s working while they’re there, it’s not their problem. Who’s is it? Mine for paying your lousy service company for 2 lines and 2 dsl’s every month I guess.

By Liha

August 15, 2008 11:26 AM | Link to this

Earlier this year, I had a pair of jeans to exchange at the Gap in Lenox Sqare. I shop in nice stores. When I have something to exchange, I am accustomed to taking my merchandise to a sales person at the counter and explaining that I have an exchange. So I stopped and placed the bag of jeans on the counter and told Sales Girl A I wanted to exchange them. I looked around, tried some jeans and tops on and took them to the counter to do the transaction.

The sales girl at the counter was a different one than I left my bag with. I told Sales Girl B I wanted to make my exchange and she said they didn’t have my jeans. She looked around and asked other sales people if they had my jeans and they all said no.

I retold my story and Sales Girl A comfirmed it. They told me I shouldn’t have left my bag on the counter. I should have taken it into the fitting room with me.

The charming Gap made me stand there like a criminal for 15 minutes while they reviewed their security tapes to make sure I was telling the truth.

While I’m waiting, I wanted to spit out some gum. I took one step behind the counter to throw it in the trash. The security guy practically ripped my head off for going behind the counter. He suggested that next time I throw my gum on the floor!

They finally made my exchange without so much as an apology. Infuriating! I will never shop at the Gap again.

By jakesdad

August 15, 2008 11:39 AM | Link to this

I have not spent a cent at Best Buy since 1997 because of a horrific experience I had trying to get four month-old printer repaired that had eaten an overhead slide. the short version (& believe me it’s hard not to give the gorry details) is that it dragged out over twelve weeks, several missed dates (each of which required a trip to the Jimmy Carter warehouse in rush hour) and climaxed with them trying to pass off a signicantly inferior/cheaper model to me as the one I gave them for repair.

real smart business on their part as being an avid gadget/AV/HT buff I’ve spent well into five figures on electonics since then of which they’ve recieved exactly $0.00 but hey, they got my $400 for that printer eleven year ago…

at this point there’s absolutely NOTHING they could EVER do to get me to buy ANYTHING from them again - I feel as strongly about it a decade later as the day I finally got MY printer back in working order. the day Best Buy is the last electronics retailer on the planet will be the day I do a full 1040 (w/all supporting schedules) with an abacus!!!

By LBob

August 15, 2008 12:21 PM | Link to this

Went to a Waffle House on Howell Mill last Saturday afternoon. They weren’t particularly busy, but had 5 of 6 open tables dirty. We sat at the clean one and waited 10 minutes before the cook (who was wearing an Obama pin but no name tag) finally took our order for food and drinks. He goes back to the kitchen, and another employee immediately comes by and offers to take our order. We tell him someone already did and he suggests we order again with him because the cook is so frazzled’ right now. Several long minutes go by and we notice them starting to clean the dirty boothes without ever bringing our drinks (coffees and water) out. My husband goes up to the counter to ask about getting drinks. They apologize and begin brewing coffee. 5 minutes later the food arrives, followed after a couple minutes by the waters. Half way through finishing our meals another employee comes out with two coffees but stops at the booth next to us, who hasn’t even ordered yet. She asks if they had 2 coffees, and one replies, ‘Sure, that sounds good’ so she promptly gives away the coffees we’d been waiting over 20 minutes for. After protest, we did finally manage to get a round of coffee brought over to our table, by which time we were nearly done with our meal anyway. And yes, I realize Waffle Houses are not usually known for their good food or good service, but I guess I underestimated their ability to screw up something as simple as coffee!

By S

August 15, 2008 12:45 PM | Link to this

Best Buy in Kennesaw…Our under-warranty fridge went out, couldn’t replace the part, told us we could get the store credit, but the store wouldn’t deliver to our house now, told us we could get gift card, if we brought in the fridge, no way to get it there, they said they could pick it up in the Magnolia truck…out for repairs for a month…all this took multiple calls and 2+ months in the summer. Finally went ready to sue and send all info to newsagencies, they picked up the fridge that day and we got our giftcards (had already bought another fridge from Sears). Did I mention that I was 4-6 months pregnant through all this?

By gwarfan

August 15, 2008 1:41 PM | Link to this

How about customers that are insane? i work at a cable company in Atlanta. Your all retards. Customer service people really deep down inside do not care about you or your problem. The only people on here that might get their respect are the chilis guy because sure he had a problem but they fixed it, and the best buy guy that has not been back for a decade because at least he just doesnt go there any more instead of going back thinking it will be different two weeks later. Someone makeing seven bucks an hour doesnt care, they just want you to go away so they can hang out.

By Jessica

August 15, 2008 1:44 PM | Link to this

Dairy Queen in Norcross, GA on Peachtree Industrial. My boyfriend and I stopped by last Sunday after church and he ordered a chocolate chip cookie dough blizzard for me. Got to the window to pick it up and the girl passed a blizzard or some kind of ice cream that was NOT chocolate chip cookie dough. My boyfriend knocked on the window (the girl just handed him the ice cream and closed the window) and she came back. My boyfriend explained nicely that it was the wrong order and she got an attitude and said “I didn’t hear you” and supposingly went and got the chocolate chip cookie dough blizzard. She brought out the “right” order and it still wasn’t right. It was oreos and vanilla ice cream. Once again she handed the order to my boyfriend and closed the window and walked away. That did it, I told him to pull to the front so we could go in. The girl who was in the drive thru saw us come in and couldn’t even look us in the eye. I emailed DQ about my experience and haven’t even gotten a reply yet.

By Benton

August 15, 2008 1:49 PM | Link to this

Boy, there’s a lot of whiny people in Atlanta! If you want perfection, stay away from places like Pizza Hut, Waffle House and Chiles. Most of the servers, clerks and delivery staff can’t be blamed for their poor attitude, as they have to deal with prima donnas like YOU all day. They don’t deliver your refrigerator on time and you threaten to SUE. Come on, lady, that’s not what the courts are meant for. Customer service people can usually TELL when people are jerks, so if you are regularly dissatisfied, it may be something you bring in yourself. LBob, the very fact that you point out that the cook was wearing an Obama pin (an detail that’s completely out of left field) tells me that you probably commuicate your bad attitude in other ways too.

By Tink

August 15, 2008 1:52 PM | Link to this

LBob

What does the waiter wearing an Obama pin have to do with customer service?

By dudly

August 15, 2008 2:06 PM | Link to this

The US postal service. I had a priority package that weighed over 13 grams so I took it inside and they stamped it just for it to come back to my office, not once but (3) times with a little sticker saying “over 13g must be taken inside post office”. If you want something to get there, call fed-ex.

By Becky

August 15, 2008 2:13 PM | Link to this

T-Mobile Store at Cumberland Mall..I had lost my phone & went to replace it on a Sunday about 12:30..The person that tried to help me, only showed me one phone & when I asked her if she was having a bad day, she told me that she was just having a long day. When she couldn’t pull my information up on the computer (because I had frozen my account) she told me that there wasn’t anything else she could do for me..So, I told her that I would got to another T-Mobile store in the mall, she said that they wouldn’t be able to do anything for me either..I said, well at least they might have a person that has a personality(sp). She just looked at me like I had 2 heads..

By LBob

August 15, 2008 2:26 PM | Link to this

Tink — Because the Obama pin was where his nametag should have been. And a nametag is pretty darn helpful when trying to give constructive customer service feedback.

I suppose an employer might legitimately not approve of displaying campaign pins on your uniform while you’re on the clock and all, but to me it was just the anonymity that was bothersome.

By Jennifer

August 15, 2008 2:29 PM | Link to this

Frankly, I feel everyone on here has a valid reason to be unhappy with the service they received. Benton, I’m not exactly sure why you feel they are all prima donnas simply because they want good customer service. Sure, the places like Pizza Hut and Waffle house have poorer customer service than higher priced places. But it does get tiring going into establishments and constantly having poor customer service. And the woman who needed the refrigerator replaced wasn’t asking for too much. It was under warranty and they said they could not fix the part. And to tell them they could have the gift cards if they brought in the refrigerator was completely out of line. And the fact that Best Buy’s truck was out for repairs for a month is not the customer’s fault. Frankly, Best Buy should have figured something out much sooner than two months. Especially since the refrigerator was still under warranty. The only thing I am in agreement with is that you brought up the mention of the Obama pin. I’m not sure what the poster meant by that statement. And, considering the guy was a cook, it is not unusual for him to not have a name pin on. The customer should take that into consideration.

By RJ

August 15, 2008 2:39 PM | Link to this

macys.com

My daughter ordered a pair of jeans for $29 using a gift card she got on her birthday. She was sent an evening bag, with a sticker on it which said it was a pair of low rise jeans! I paid $8 to send the bag back via UPS. She received a gift card for $16.97 (the price of the handbag) for a refund. I called and was told that they had to speak to my daughter (a 14 year old) because she placed the order in her name. I tried to explain to the CSR that she was a minor, so I would be handling the call. She hung up in my face! Okay, I immediately call back and request a floor supervisor. He assures me that he will send me a gift card for the remaining balance plus refund my $8. It took 5 additional phone calls and 3 months for my daughter to receive her card. Needless to say, I will never use macys.com!

Side note - My mom ordered my daughter two dresses from them for Christmas and received the wrong items, however she thought they were cute so she kept them. My husband ordered me a dress last year, which came with a cute bag, I never got the bag. Buyer Beware! They can’t read, nor do they care!

By Mrs. Warren

August 15, 2008 2:43 PM | Link to this

My hubby and I bought a large sectional sofa from the Carpets of Dalton complex. The floor model was pristine, the cushions fit tightly together and were very firm to sit on. We ordered it and 12 weeks later (which doesn’t bother me) our custom built sofa arrived. There were gaps between the cushions that were so big my cat could sit inbetween them plus they squished down so far you could feel the wood frame under your butt. I called Carpets of Dalton and they said they couldn’t help me, that I would have to contact the manufacturer directly. So they get me in touch with the manufacturer who promises me they will send us a brand new sofa that will be pristine. So we wait another 12 weeks for another custom built sofa only to find it WORSE than the first. I called Carpets of Dalton again screaming. I even went back up there to sit on the sofa again in the store. It was like a completely different sofa. They refunded my money but I have been spreading the word NEVER to buy an Alan White sofa. Make sure you check who manufactures a sofa before you buy it. If it’s Alan White, DO NOT BUY!! You can google Alan White and read all of the complaints. We ordered a new sectional from Haverty’s that was cheaper but nicer than the Alan White. But be careful… Haverty’s does have a couple of Alan White made models.. I got the Amalfi which is not made by Alan White.

By Comcast Stinks

August 15, 2008 2:43 PM | Link to this

Comcast certainly lives up to its reputation for poor customer service. I recently upgraded my internet only service to the much promoted bundled package of internet, phone and cable tv. It has taken four trips by service techs. to get everything working properly. The first guy flat out refused to install the cable because the person who took my order did not include the request on the work order. I called customer service while the tech. was installing the phone and they told me he did not have to do anything that was not on the work order. Incrediable! Other issues insued and I was billed for all four service calls to the tune of some $200. After three rounds with corporate customer service the charges were removed from my bill. It certainly would have been more cost effective for Comcast to get it right the first time.

By Comcast Stinks

August 15, 2008 2:46 PM | Link to this

Comcast certainly lives up to its reputation for poor customer service. I recently upgraded my internet only service to the much promoted bundled package of internet, phone and cable tv. It has taken four trips by service techs. to get everything working properly. The first guy flat out refused to install the cable because the person who took my order did not include the request on the work order. I called customer service while the tech. was installing the phone and they told me he did not have to do anything that was not on the work order. Incrediable! Other issues insued and I was billed for all four service calls to the tune of some $200. After three rounds with corporate customer service the charges were removed from my bill. It certainly would have been more cost effective for Comcast to get it right the first time.

By RJ

August 15, 2008 3:00 PM | Link to this

gwarfan Before you call someone a retard, make sure you can spell!!! It’s you’re as in you are, not your!

BTW, I have a dish! Cable sucks!

By Jess

August 15, 2008 3:02 PM | Link to this

Don’t expect good customer service when you go to a cheap place? What? Are you serious?! Everyone who is a paying customer deserves good service (unless they are a complete a$$, which most of the times isn’t the case). I’m 28 and have worked at Pizza Hut, DQ, Arbys, high-end restaurants and now working in the corporate world. People that work in the service industry are getting paid to deliver service to people, not to sit on their ass and yak all day. Everyone has to start somewhere and just because you happen to be young and underpaid does not justify you giving crappy service to a paying customer. This is what is wrong with the young kids these days— that and the fact that most kids refuse to work anywhere besides bath and body works or the gap. It’s no wonder your order gets screwed up when no one can speak english because these places have to hire mexicans. All the American kids think they are too good to work in service jobs these days.

By JJ

August 15, 2008 3:16 PM | Link to this

Home Depot will NOT get one more dime of my money.

Bought a dishwasher. Asked for delivery, and removal, but not installation. Delivery company called the day before, scheduled my delivery between 3-7:00 p.m. They called at 7 and said they were running 3 hours late, did I mind? yes, I don’t want delivery men in my house at 10:00 on a saturday night. Resheduled delivery. They show up the following weekend, but the guy was not going to remove my old dishwasher because it was not disconnected. NO ONE TOLD ME TO DISCONNECT IT. Driver was a total jerk. I refused delivery.

Went into Home Depot, very kindly told the rep what my problem was. I asked for my money back, and told them I would never purchase another thing in their store. They asked if there was anything they could do to keep my business. I said give me free installation, ($60.). They told me Home Depot wouldn’t give free installation so I asked for my money back.

Home Depot would rather lose a $500 sale, then cough up $60 for installation.

I’m done with them too.

Benton The blog asked for our complaints…….

By Mark C.

August 15, 2008 3:43 PM | Link to this

The Sprint store by Lenox. The screen went out on my phone. I went by to have them look at. The salesperson said it was a common problem and easily fixable, but their technicians had gone for the day. No problem. I go back the next day and I get in line to put my name on the list to be helped. I get to the front of the line and say I need a technician to look at my phone. “Can you read the sign?” she says. Taped to the front of her podium was an 8x11 piece of paper saying there were no technicians in today. It wasn’t a big sign or even in a place where it was easily readable while waiting in line. I changed service on the way home. If she’d just told me there were no technicians, I’d still be a customer.

By soma

August 15, 2008 3:56 PM | Link to this

The waiter wearing the OBAMA pin….where was his name tag…..this was not the convention….Name tags are for work and not advertising…..LB read again

By Becky

August 15, 2008 3:58 PM | Link to this

gwarfan, I don’t really care if they are making $3 bucks an hour, if you are in a customer service job, then you need to be nice to customers..YES,I have worked customer service before & I know that some people can be a*******es, but if you don’t like being in customer service, don’t do it..

By amos

August 15, 2008 4:03 PM | Link to this

WEARING AN OBAMA PIN AND NOT YOUR NAME TAG…..YOU ARE ……WHAT? WORKING FOR A COMPANY - LB READ AGAIN…..

By Cust Serv Rep

August 15, 2008 4:17 PM | Link to this

I will agree that I too have also had my share of “BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE”. On the other side however, how about the customers who expect everything for nothing. The customers who order items and take it for granted I know everything about them. The customers who, don’t have a clue what they want, yet expect me to know what they are looking at over the phone. The ones who you could never please, as long as you tried. And let us not forget the ones who cannot speak or understand ENGLISH. It all works both way.

By lovelyliz

August 15, 2008 4:25 PM | Link to this

I had a laptop with an extended warranty and the 3 strikes lemon rule. I had good experience with this brand. Well before the expiration date, the screen went out. The big chain electronics store where I had originally bought it said I had to go to the closest store with a service center to get them to look at it so off I drove 2.5 hours away, just in time to hear the tech say yep, it’s broke and we have to send it to a repair center to be fixed, come back in 3 weeks. I drove 2.5 hours home. Three weeks later, I drove 2.5 hours to pick it my laptop. The tech opened it up and turned it on just to show me my nice new monitor. I drove 2.5 hours home, turned on the latop and tried to connect to the internet only to find out the modem wasn’t working. After some research, I discovered that this was not an uncommmon occurrence when replacing the screen. I called the big chain electronics store and explain that they had fixed one problem and caused another. I was a bit more forceful in attempting to get them to pay for shipping which they would not do even though they cause this latest problem themselves. Again I drove 2.5 hours to drop off the laptop, drove 2.5 hours to get back home, waited 4 weeks this time, drove back to pick up the same laptop and drove back home another 2.5 hours. This time the computer lasted 3 months before the screen started gpoing on the fritz again. This time I was on the road and as a relut of my experience with the big chain electronics store I had all my warranty and service info with me. The motel I was staying at happened to be less than 3 miles from this big chain electronics store so I took my laptop in showed them the paperwork and explained that since for the third time it was broke, as per the contract I signed when I bought the warranty, they owed my a new computer. Their techs told me they had to send it off to the repair center to verify that it was broken and if should be back in 3 days. 3 days later I was calling. 4 days latter I was calling, finally on the 5th day which was my last before I flew back home, I called to say this matter had to be resolved or I would be calling ever consumer advocate I could find. Surprise ! Surprise! My laptop made it back and yes it was broken, so they gave me a new one and I haven’t bought a thing from this big chain electronics since.

Funny thing is, once the first repair is made, they are losing $$$ by fixing any laptop. Had they given me a new one when it was clear they had caused the problem, they could have saved us all a lot of grief an $$$.

By acb

August 15, 2008 4:29 PM | Link to this

DishNetwork. Called and scheduled an installation. They called the day beforee the install to confirm they would be at our home between 8AM-12PM. My husband took the morning off to wait. They don’t show. He calls. The CSR says they will not be coming out today b/c they don’t have correct equipment. Yet, they never called to tell us that!! Then they told US when they would come and install (10 days later)!!! Ummmm…no thanks. And hello DirectTV.

By Steve

August 15, 2008 4:31 PM | Link to this

I am fed up with doing any business over the phone. Cable, phone companies, ISP, etc. Before I ever do business with anyone including the local business I want to know if I get a human that can speak English or if I get something else. No more press 1 for this or press 2 for that.

By lovelyliz

August 15, 2008 4:33 PM | Link to this

JJ

I had the same experience with SONIC. You know what I did with the gift card I told them I didn’t want when I called to complain? I put it in an envelope and mailed it back to them. The best 42 cents I’ve spent in a very long time.

By Ms. Writer

August 15, 2008 4:49 PM | Link to this

Comcast sucks!

By Ms. Writer

August 15, 2008 4:50 PM | Link to this

Comcast sucks!

By lovelyliz

August 15, 2008 4:56 PM | Link to this

Since it’s my time to rant against cable companies.

My sister had a problem with her high speed internet. Explorer couldn’t connect. This happened on a Thursday. She didn’t want to mess with the modem as it is owned by the cable company and if you mess with their equipment…….

I called the service center. The person on the other end, I won’t call her a tech becuse she had to be reading a flow chart, had me running diagnostics, turning the modem off, unplugging the modem, turning the computer off, turning the modem back on, starting up the computer, running diagnostics, turning the modem off, unplugging the modem, turning the computer off, turning the modem back on, starting up the computer, running diagnostics, turning the modem off, unplugging the modem, turning the computer off, turning the modem back on, starting up the computer before she scheduled a tech.

The tech couldn’t get there until Tuesday betwen 8 AM and noon. Sister wasn’t happy at having to take at least a 1/2 day off of work, but as it turned out she was sick that day. Now here’s the real shocker The tech actaully showed up when he was scheduled to which is a first in all the years we’ve had cable. He spent all of 5 minutes at the house to hit a button on the modem which took it out of standby. No internet for 5 days because of a common problem, a switch in the wrong position that the minimum wage person on the phone couldn’t figure out to reset.

By lovelyliz

August 15, 2008 5:11 PM | Link to this

On the other hand

You generally get what you pay for. That’s for management and the bean counters who decide what to pay and who to hire. Whe I go through a drive through at McD’s, I realize that person is making minumum wage and I don’t expect much more out of them than to correctly take my order, take my $ or debit card and give my my order with a couple of napkins and a straw.

It’s when I spend good $$ to pay for a good product/service and all I get is slave wage level goods/services.

Regarding my sister’s internet problem. She spends in the neighborhood of $2000 a year for service and shouls get someone on the otherline who knows somthing about computers. When you hire a low wage employee to read off of cards, you are asking for customer complaints.

When you are a big chain electronics store and sell someone a $1200 laptop that costs you nothing to produce in China and above that sell a $300 warranty, giving service that one would expect from some fly by night operation, you are asking for customer complaints.

By lovelyliz

August 15, 2008 5:24 PM | Link to this

Still, I’ve been on the other side of the service counter and I’ve had to deal with customers returning something we haven’t sold in 2 years and trying to get the original face value without a receipt. The person trying to return a dress with deoderant stains and the tags missing. The people who complain about a messy restaurant when they’ve come in right after a couple of busloads of football players.

Don’t complain about the person who isn’t responsible. When your steak comes out with a skewer marked well done and it’s medium rare, it’s the fault of the kitchen staff, not your waiter.

When you do complain, be specific (names, dates, times) and be reasonable.

And when things go unbelievably right, send a nice e-mail to the company complementing your service.

By steve

August 15, 2008 5:41 PM | Link to this

I’ve been on both sides of this issue. I used to sell women’s shoes and i hated it. I did try my best to be polite and competent, even had a lady one time say i threw shoes at here, which was a lie. So I know what people go through that have to deal with the public. But as a consumer. My God I have met some idiots. Comcast, Wendy’s, Equity residential, Captain D’s, Dunkin Donuts, Burger Joes.. just to same a few of the places where I have received incompetent or outright rude customer service. And when I have complained… it usually falls on deaf ears at corporate.

By James T. Johnston Jr.

August 15, 2008 6:00 PM | Link to this

The Waffle House on Peachtree Industrial near Apple Valley Rd. should have an obituary written in its honor. There is a section covered by a lady waitress with an attitude of a detainee in one of those Cuban war prisons and my service was about as slow as that kind of justice. The section is to the left of the counter where the chairs are pulled up to the counter to give a customer a little more privacy while he is eating. In this case the privacy begins when you enter this dump and continues like the cold war until you leave. The women employee stares you down the whole time you are sitting there but does not take your order or gives you a clue that you are welcomed or even noticed. In the meanwhile the other waitresses are moving around like a bunch of Christmas elves spreading joy to all they meet and having great fellowship with the customers, contrasting their style to this bad apple you have drawn for service. I made the mistake of forgetting this sour experience the first time and months later walked right back into the same slapstick for breakfast. I found myself begging for a cup of coffee much to her pleasure and not one eyebrow raised to me in recognition. I went to the cash register to pay and sat there waving my money like a man afflicted by the tremors which would not have mattered if I were naked; I who had begged to be served was now begging to pay someone. I use to hate the cheesy greeting you received walking into the door of one of these joints, but to be treated like a w** in the Baptist church is much worse.

By AJ

August 15, 2008 6:05 PM | Link to this

Equifax - RE: Identity Theft

I recently fell victim to identity theft. The first step is to notify one of the three credit bureaus and place a fraud alert on your credit file that will alert potential creditors that you have suspected fraud which gives them the option (not requirement) to call you if there is an attempt to open an account in your name. Identity Theft has now become a business. And, Identity Theft protection has now become an additional revenue stream for the same financial institutions that should already be protecting your information. Not the case. Upon placing the fraud alert on my file with Equifax, there was immediately a sales-pitch for the theft protection product. I explained to the person on the phone that I would sign-up for the product but I did not want any electronic correspondence or email to be used and that any passwords or ids be sent to the address on file. I was told that if I had any problems I should call back within 24-hours. The next morning, I checked my email to find not 1 but 3 emails from Equifax with passwords, ids, more product offerings to “safeguard” me. I called (within the 24-hour period) to cancel. I was told that the charge WOULD NOT be reversed and that I WOULD STILL BE charged for the product although I had never logged into the product, used the product or even informed of all the details of the product. When I asked to speak to a manager, the manager informed me that he also would not reverse the charge and that I had been protected for ONE day so the product HAD BEEN used. He further stated to me that if I had a problem I would have to dispute the charge with my credit card company. Equifax (a credit bureau) specifically told me to dispute a charge assessed by them with my credit card company who REPORTS to them. Now what kind of sense did any of this make except to say that no financial institution is particularly concerned about identity theft, protecting a consumers information or listening to any consumer going through identity theft unless you are willing to pay. I expected a lot better service from Equifax.

By SuwaneeMom

August 15, 2008 6:17 PM | Link to this

RJ, I would encourage you to log your complaint on the “Tell Us What You Think” on Macy.com. I personally know the “right” people actually READ these and will follow up. That was bad service…..

By SuwaneeMom

August 15, 2008 7:41 PM | Link to this

So here is mine. In June, Delta (alias ASA) was NOT ready when I was. Booked non-stop flight from ATL to Burlington 2 months before flight. Had assigned seats. Showed up at the airport 2 1/2 hours early. Checked our two bags and got printed boarding passes with assign seats, from Delta ticket agent in main terminal. Ate lunch and arrived at gate 45 minutes before departure. Right before boarding, ticket agent calls our names and informs us we have been bumped because we did not “check-in”. I’ll spare the details of the fireworks in the conversation between my husband, me and the worthless gate agent who had a major chip on her shoulder. They rebooked us on a flight to JFK and suppose to get on flight to Burlington at 10:00. Get in the air to Vermont around midnight and the VT airport closed due to fog…back to JFK. Because we were bumped, got a third world hotel room out of Delta (next time I would rather sleep in the airport). Was suppose to be in VT 3:30 day before, but arrived noon the next day to meet our bags which arrived in VT on time the day before. Did I mention I was traveling with a 7-year old too?

Here are my lessons learned..1) With ASA you MUST stand in line at the gate counter, declare you are at the gate and want to get on the plane. Your boarding pass means nothing. Wave goodbye to your luggage. 2) I would sleep on rusty razors then douse myself with rubbing alcohol before I ever fly thru the hell hole that is JFK again. 3) I would rather eat broken glass and drink lighter fluid before I fly ASA again. 4) AND I will never, ever complain about ATL airport again. After seeing how JFK and the misfits who run that airport work, ATL is a well-oiled, fine running machine.

Next time, it’s AirTran and, oh yeah, my brother is a freaking 767 Delta pilot – no joke. BTW, yes, I complained to delta.com and got some “vouchers”. Whoopee!

By The Awful Truth

August 15, 2008 8:40 PM | Link to this

Number one: lovelyliz, that “common problem” you mentioned (modem on standby) could have been easily fixed by yourself. You shouldn’t have to rely on those minimum wage workers when your problem could easily be solved by my 5-year old cousin.

Number two: I used to work Customer Service at Publix. People make mistakes, it’s that simple. Usually, a mistake will be rectified without any hassle. However, it does not help the case when the customer’s attitude is similar to that of my bowels after dinner at Taco Bell. It also does not help the case when your “problem” makes your IQ appear lower than that of a disabled individual with Down’s syndrome. Here is a list of some of the garbage I heard/saw from customers:

-Trying to return a bag of solidified sugar that was bought three years previously.

-Trying to return an empty jar of peanut butter, saying they didn’t like it.

-Trying to return an empty jug of laundry detergent, saying it made them break out.

-Not knowing any English.

-Having no ID when buying alcohol (the rule is that we have to check ID if they look under 25) and then throwing a fit over the law.

-Cursing out the managers in front of the entire store because we ran out of/don’t stock a particular item.

-Parking right next to the No Parking sign and then throwing a fit when, surprise surprise, they got a ticket.

-Flipping out because their coupons are expired, then demanding that we accept them anyway.

-Walking through the store muttering things like, “I hate this place, Kroger does it much better, I’m going there.”

-Calling corporate and complaining when another customer knocked over a bottle of wine.

-Getting offended when they were offered a Senior Citizen’s Discount.

-Getting offended when we gave them a Senior Citizen’s Discount.

-Getting angry when we **didn’t give them a Senior Citizen’s Discount.

But by far the worst experience I ever had in that job was as follows: It was 10:30 p.m., 30 minutes away from closing time. I had been at the counter for the past 3 hours without a restroom break. Needless to say, I had to go. There were no customers in sight, so I went. I returned 5 minutes later to find a man, red-faced and screaming, raising an absolute ruckus about not being able to check out. I offered to help him, and he went off the walls, cursing me out for being away from the counter for even a split-second, screaming about the cashiers (whom he could easily have gone to instead, and all of whom were open) while using numerous racial slurs, and making such a scene that my manager came out of his office to investigate. I assumed he would regain control of the situation, but then Mr. Nice Guy started spewing the racial slurs again, at which point the manager kicked him out of the store. On the way out, he yells, for the entire world to hear, that he is going to call corporate and complain.

My point is, people, if you have a problem, we will usually be happy to help as long as it is a legitimate problem, and as long as you are being polite. Rudeness and irrationality will not help you.

By valady

August 15, 2008 9:20 PM | Link to this

My nomination for bad service is Denny’s. Bad customer service must be written into their corporate mission statement. Once my husband, two young sons, and I entered a Denny’s in late afternoon. We were traveling and there were no other restaurants in sight. The host seated us in a back room. We waited and waited and waited. When we had been seated for fifteen minutes, the host seated another party in the same area. Almost immediately, a waitress appeared to start taking the order of the just-seated party. I spoke up and said that we had been seated for 15 minutes and would like to be served first. The waitress replied that we were not in her “station” and our waitress was taking her meal break. I immediately sought out the host to voice my complaint. Why had he seated us in a station when the waitress was not available. He shrugged and said that she would be finished eating soon. Needless to say, I hustled my family out. We dined on snack foods from a gas station convenience store. I would rather eat road kill than to enter a Denny’s ever again!

By lovelyliz

August 15, 2008 9:28 PM | Link to this

*By The Awful Truth * Not when you are told by the owner of the equipment (aka the cable company that if you fool with the equipment, you will be responsible for said equipment. I know modems aren’t expensive, but that’s the reason why.

By Troglodyke

August 15, 2008 11:20 PM | Link to this

However, it does not help the case when the customer’s attitude is similar to that of my bowels after dinner at Taco Bell. It also does not help the case when your “problem” makes your IQ appear lower than that of a disabled individual with Down’s syndrome.

Having been a consumer for at least 30 years, and after having worked in retail for 6 years, and other customer service gigs, I agree that both customers and employees can be rude and demanding. Getting pi$$ed off at the person you are dealing with is NEVER appropriate, especially when you are the employee. NEVER.

Employees generally have to put up with some serious crap from consumers who feel like they are owed something over and above what they have been promised. Customers have to waste many hours of their time and endure lots of frustration at the hands of dimwitted minimum-wage idiots who are barely smart enough to keep their own pants pulled up.

If I go to a store and see any employee in a store uniform with his britches falling off his a$$, I complain to management. That looks stupid on anyone, but if you are going to look stupid, at least do it on your own time. Your boss doesn’t pay you to look like a thug.

As a customer (I no longer work in retail, thank goodness), I strive to smile and be polite to employees, even when they are not very nice. I know what it is like. It doesn’t cost me a thing to do it, and you get more bees with honey. If I have a complaint, I am pleasant and respectful.

Today’s retail establishments have spoiled customers into thinking they are “always right.” They aren’t. Many are rude, demanding, overbearing, and stupid. But guess what: you have to serve them anyway. Get used to it, or get out of retail/customer service.

Anyone who tries to return an empty jar of something or food that is old and outdated, or a dress that has clearly been worn, is an IDIOT who should be forced to work in the crappiest retail job ever (or wait tables) for a month. Nothing makes you more empathetic than living in someone else’s shoes for a while.

By ihorizon

August 15, 2008 11:31 PM | Link to this

Hmmmmm. Looks like we need to follow the FISH f-lisophy. Read FISH! by author John Christensen. It may be wishful thinking but it does put a smile to my face.

By ihorizon

August 15, 2008 11:33 PM | Link to this

Hmmmmm. Looks like we need to follow the FISH! f-ilisophy. Read FISH! by author John Christensen. It may be wishful thinking but it does put a smile to my face.

By patience&persistence

August 16, 2008 7:37 AM | Link to this

Never underestimate the power of a complaint letter. The secret is to complain to someone who can actually do something, NOT to a low-paid customer service person whose job it is to take flak and keep smiling. You can pinpoint who is the corporate Mr./Ms. Big by doing a little research. It worked for me in a $178 dispute with US Airways and a $5 dispute with Dekalb Farmers Market (which netted me $20 in store credit). Write down everything that happened, cite names and times — and try to be a mensch about it (you can write a flaming first draft, then dial back the anger and inject a bit of self-deprecating humor.) Treat it as a game, but play to win — and you probably will. I did.

By huh?

August 16, 2008 8:08 AM | Link to this

There used to be a soul food restaurant in Morrow next to a Cracker Barrel right by I75, don’t even remember the name.

One evening I wanted to pick up dinner for the family after working late & decided to go to this soul food restaurant for the first time ever. They were scheduled to close in about 10 min. when I got out of the car, so figured I had time.

As I walked to the front door, someone inside literally ran from behind the counter, locked the door, turned & walked away.

Now if they didn’t have food, or if the person had waited at the door and said “we’re closed” that would’ve been cool.

I NEVER went back to that restaurant again and was HAPPY to see them go OUT of business.

There is a very nice IHOP in it’s place today which has great customer service and I go there with my family often. As a matter of fact, think we’ll have breakfast there this morning.

By Waffle House Complaint

August 16, 2008 8:28 AM | Link to this

Waffle House on Mt. Zion Road, near Costco.

Last time I spent money there was early 2007.

Went in for breakfast. Took them so long to clean up the tables I sat down at a dirty one because I was tired of standing.

Watched all of the servers avoid eye contact with me and walk around me pretending like they didn’t see me sitting there. That went on for almost 20 min. It got to the point where I wanted to see how long they were gonna ignore me.

One server who remembered that she had seen me in there before came over and asked if I was waiting for a table. She cleaned up a table in her area (not where I was sitting) & I finally sat and ate.

My food cost $7 and I tipped her $5. I saw her waving the bill around as I got in my car & was glad that those other lazy servers knew they blew a good tip with their laziniess and ignorance.

Never went back there again.

By lovelyliz

August 16, 2008 8:39 AM | Link to this

Complaing works, but don’t foget to complement. Be specific about names, dates, times, addresses and details.

If the service is unbelievably bad, don’t use that coupon/gift cerificate to go back. The only way to change bad service is to rightfully complain and then to not go back until the siutation changes.

I hear people complain about how lousy/non-existent the goods/service at Wal-Mart is and some of them will even write a complaint. Then they turn around and go back only to have the same thing happen over and over again.

You should avoid companies that give you bad service and frequent those that do it right. Otherwise, things will not change. Your $ is your vote of support.

By target sux

August 16, 2008 9:21 AM | Link to this

I have completely stopped shopping at Target since they changed their return policies. and before you say it nope I’m not talking about returning used items to say I tried them out or whatever. I’m talking about brand new stuff with a receipt.

Target now allows only 1 or 2 returns per year & you have to show ID to do it. Haven’t shopped there since don’t even look at their circulars.

By gerry

August 16, 2008 9:37 AM | Link to this

Mine involves Delta Airlines. Years ago, I had to plan a trip that was likely going to require my changing the date of travel. I explained to the reservation agent that I would need a fare that would be able to be changed without penalty. He said that he would quote a fare that I could change at any time. Sure enough, I had to change the date. The airline charged me $100. I told them that I had asked for a changeable fare and they said I either paid it or flew on the dates I chose. (This trip was a “must go.”) I decided to pay it and then dispute it later. My pleas fell on deaf ears. I threatened a small claims’ suit. (Very cheap to file here and I could represent myself. They would have to hire counsel.) They told me that if I did that, they would ban me from flying Delta forever. I got my revenge though a few years later in a gentle fashion that put more than the money back in my pocket. I played the “squeaky wheel” over a minor incident that I would have ordinarily have ignored and that resulted in a $275 travel voucher. I played stupid at a check in counter, holding up other customers, and they couldn’t get rid of me fast enough.

By Shell

August 16, 2008 10:27 AM | Link to this

Something I learned while working in many facetsof the service industry:

The ones who are paying the least complain the most. And God forbid they’re getting something for free and it’s not dead perfect, then they go off like an air raid siren.

On the other hand, people who are paying handsomely for something simply make their displeasure known, quietly and politely. If it’s not handled to their satisfaction, they inform management and take their money elsewhere.

Exception: certain members of the nouveau riche; they insist on proving that money can’t buy class.

By jackp

August 16, 2008 11:08 AM | Link to this

Good hired help is hard to come by.Work ethic is at an all time low as is respect for each other. You young people have your inept parents to thank. You parents ought to get off the pills and wake up.

By GCM

August 16, 2008 11:27 AM | Link to this

I bought a Master Cylinder (brake part) for VW at Auto Zone in Lagrange, I went home and installed it and used the method to bleed the cylinder that the sales person told me to use. Well it did not work after hours of work. I called an independent VW shop in Carrolton and explained my problem and even admitted that I bought the part at Auto Zone, the owner of the shop said junk from China. I took the part out of the car and returned to Auto Zone and the manager looked it up on the computer and told me the part was not correct and stated it was dirty and could not take it back, I told him of course it had some oil on it, I had cleaned it the best I could. After discussion he gave me a store credit but not cash due to the part being dirty? I asked if he was going to update the computer to let others know the part was not correct, he said it was not his job? I ordered the part from Carrolton and it was at my house the next day, cost less, was made in Germany and working in 1 hour. I email Auto Zone headquarters and never got a response, once these companies are taken over by Wall Street investment bankers they cut cost so much that the sales people could care less out of frustration of their pay being cut along with hours, look at Home Depot.

By finally

August 16, 2008 1:54 PM | Link to this

BESTBUY Pleasant Hill-Worst service ever in Atlanta and I have been here 41 years. We had the extended warranty on a Vacuum (the Kennesaw location always honored it when we lived in Cherokee county.) We were told the Geek Squad would “look at it” clearly it was not worth trying to fix to all involved but they insisted on sending it for repair. Wrong info was entered on repair order, so we waited and waited about 10-14 days and we get a call that they can’t repair it due to the incorrect information. So I buy a used vacuum on Craigslist for 35.00 because we have 2 dogs and it was getting rough-the used vacuum works better than the Best Buy one ever did. Then I call and waste my lunch break and cell minutes complaining to “corporate” no one ever even aknowledges my problem. A month later we get back our tired old vacuum from the repair center in Suwanee, not even 10 miles away. So I email my complaint, call repeatedly just simply asking for 35.00 for the vacuum I had to buy while they were playing pocket pool with ours. I finally get the most snarky hateful male customer service person I have ever dealt with on the phone and he proudly told me that no one would ever call me, I would never get any money from them, the others I talked to previously at least feigned concern. I later worked with a guy who worked there for 3 years and he told me it was always that bad. I don’t see how they are still in business, there are a lot of complaints on the web about them. They do NOT care about the customer period the end.

By catch231

August 16, 2008 2:10 PM | Link to this

My worst experience was a service when I hired a photographer to photograph my daughters wedding. I had shopped “price”. The photographer that I had hired was priced at $500 and offered me the world with the pictures. Not only did they not know what they were doing at the wedding. But their camera broke and they didn’t have a backup camera. THEY BORROWED 2 GUEST CAMERAS AND FINISHED OFF THE PICTURES. Needless to say the pictures looked awful. The wedding is gone and we have a bunch of trash to look at for memories. This was an important day for us and it was ruined by a person who sold himself as a photographer.

By Unhappy Camper

August 16, 2008 2:23 PM | Link to this

I fired BellSouth (now AT&T) two years ago. The sad fact is that I am a BellSouth retiree.

My phone suddenly changed so that I could still make outgoing calls, but whenever someone tried to call me they got a message that “the number you called is no longer in service.”

I worked for the phone company long enough to know that this was a computer translation problem in the central office, and I had called in repair requests to correct this same problem on other customer’s phones when I was an employee.

I called the BellSouth repair number to report it. They said they would have to dispatch a tech to my home. I said that was not necessary and that if they called the problem over to the cental office’s translation tech it could be fixed in minutes.

They insisted that they would need to dispatch a tech to my home and an appointment could be set up for in about 4 days. They then said the tech would call me before arriving to ensure someone was home, so he/she could make the repair call.

I asked them how they expected me to answer the the tech’s call if all my incoming calls were routed to the intercept message “the number you called is no longer in service.”

There was a silence at the other end as the repair service rep contemplated the quandry that I had presented her. Finally she said this was the correct company procedure for residential repair and I would need to adhere to it if I wanted my phone fixed.

I hung up and then called the BellSouth business office (a different number) and issued a disconnect order for my residential service effective that day.

I now use my Sprint cell phone for both my home use and when I travel. I can understand why other people also do that now.

By Henry homes

August 16, 2008 2:24 PM | Link to this

I would say buying a house from one of these so called mega-builders out here can be a consumer’s worst nightmare. There were so many latent problems with our house that at least every day for a week after closing we had someone from the builder customer service department sending someone out here to correct a problem with our house (plumbing, electrical, etc.). This was despite getting an independent home inspection before going to closing. I might add that the inspector was really thorough, and caught lots of things that were corrected before closing. Never again.

By Getting Even and Then Some

August 16, 2008 2:51 PM | Link to this

My BellSouth Cingular cell phone bill was incorrect and I called the Cingular business office on my cell phone to have it corrected. The call was supposedly free.

However, when I got my next bill there was the call to BellSouth Cingular listed on my bill. The time I spent waiting for a rep to come on line accounted for the minutes of overage I was billed for at an additional amount.

I felt calling in to have this corrected would be fruitless as the additional call would end up being billed to me also, costing me more.

My contract was up so I called back in the next day and cancelled my service. A few days later I received a final bill for the service.

I paid the bill and wrote the check for 1 cent more than the billed amount. I know how large companies work.

For the next two to three years I received a BellSouth Cingular statement every month with a credit of 1 cent.

I figured if they were going to stick it to me out of their own ineptiness, then I would use that same ineptness to stick it back to them.

Call it Karma.

By ncgreybr

August 16, 2008 3:55 PM | Link to this

Oh…So many complaints…so little time to type!

Years ago I was working on Ponce De Leon and called William-Sonoma at Lenox and asked if they had a particular platter that I wanted for Sunday after Thanksgiving dinner. This was Wednesday afternoon about 4. The lady said yes, they had several of them.

The trip from Ponce to Lenox took over an hour due to traffic and I was snarling when I got there. I went in and asked the salesMAN for the platter and he said they were out of them. I asked for the saleswoman I had talked to less than two hours earlier and was told she had left for the day. When I said she had told me she had several, the guy said “No, we’ve been out of them for several days.” I started to say soomething but caught myself and just turned and walked out. I got out in the mall and thought “NO, damn it! I’m not going to just walk away!” I walked back in and asked the guy for the manager. He said he was the manager. I immediately flew off the handle and said “Well, it’s not doing me any fu**ing good to talk to you, is it?” and stormed out again.

I got home and realized it was still business hours in California and I called the corporate headquarters iin San Francisco and talked to the “vice-president of customer relations” (alledgedly). I told him I needed the platter for Sunday dinner. He assured me it would be there. I came up to my cabin in Franklin and Friday the platter arrived. Saturday another platter arrived. I called them Monday and said I would keep the second platter but would not pay for shipping. No Problem! Tuesday a gift certificate for $25.00 arrived from California and Wednesday a box of cookies and an hand written apology from the salesgirl arrived.

Needless to say…I’ve been shopping there ever since!

By catlady

August 16, 2008 4:05 PM | Link to this

Ferrellgas: Two years ago when I ordered gas they required that I pay in advance. Okay. I did, but they could not be bothered to bring out the gas for 3 weeks, with me having no heat (which I called numerous times to explain.) The PSC says they have no jurisdiction, by the way. Anyone know who regulates the gas industry in Georgia?

Last fall I decided not to continue business with them. I got another company (with local ties) who came out, took the gas out of the old tank, and set the new tank, all for free, the day after I called. Since I wanted to be there when Ferrellgas picked up the tank, I called Jan 2, 2008 to tell them to come get it. I called weekly for several weeks when they did not show up. In February I got a bill for rental of the tank, but a phone call cleared that up. ON JULY 25th, when I was not home, they came and got it and sent me a bill for $85 for removing their own tank which I had stored for them for almost 7 months. Now, you have to understand that the tank required nothing except them to load on their truck—everything was already disconnected, etc. I guess I will send them a bill for $140 for my storage fee. This story will probably drag on, but I am telling everyone to stay away from Ferrellgas! I should have sold the dmd thing for scrap metal!

By joey

August 16, 2008 4:22 PM | Link to this

Just last week, I was in a local Chinese resturant. We had had a few Kirins waiting for our table, and I had to go. On the way to the restroom, I must have wandered into the kitchen. Trying to find my way out, I walked right into a dry storage area and was about to turn and leave. I stopped and the chef going into the cooler did not see me. He went in and came out with, I swear this is true, a butchered dog, head and all still on the creature. Then, he saw me and my look of horror. He quickly set the dog down and offered me whatever I wanted to keep quiet. I whispered into his ear my demand and he smiled.

It tasted pretty good with the sweet sauce.

By Emmm Good

August 16, 2008 4:56 PM | Link to this

Dang I had the same thing happen to me at the same Chinese restaurant, only when I looked in the cook was bringing out a Zebra. I am partial to dark meat so I only ate the parts under the dark strip. What a numskull.

By ncgreybr

August 16, 2008 5:54 PM | Link to this

And another….

I was disappointed with my cable company. I’m in NC and the only one in the area was Mediacom. The rates just kept going up and up. I origionally was paying only 4.95 for basic 17 channels and it was finally up to almost 20.00 for less channels. I decided to go to dish.

I contacted Dish Network and got 3 different prices (that should have warned me!) I had a advertisement that was sent to me giving the price of 19.99 a month for 10 months (which included a 10.00 a month “rebate”) plus 5.00 for local channels. I repeated SEVERAL TIMES it would be 24.99 plus tax, RIGHT? and the answer was always YES! After 10 months the price would revert to 29.99 a month plus the 5.00 for local channels…JUST LIKE IN THE AD!

When the installer came out (from the national company) he said I needed to have the dish grounded for the price of 300.00. I cancelled the order and decided to check with a local company that had several different dish companies. Their installer came out and said “no problem. We can run the ground to the meter box! No charge!” My Dish Network was installed from the local company.

The first bill came for 34.99 plus tax. I called and they said I had not filled out the “rebate form”. I told them I had never been given one to fill out. They said they would send me one. They did and I filled it out immediately and sent it back. My second and third bills arrived for 34.99 and each month I called to complain and they would say the rebate took time to “kick in”. (On the advertisement it says 19.99 FROM THE FIRST MONTH!)

On about the 6th month, I called and they said since I had not sent the rebate form in within the first 30 days, I could not get the rebate.

Great Catch 22: I won’t tell you about the rebate and you can’t get it becuase you don’t know about it!

They are adamant!

They have also raised the price and I called about that. I said I was under contract and they said “No. The contract is just that you need to pay for 18 months. We can raise the price anytime we want.”

I said “So you can gerk me around any time you want, right?”

“Oh, no, sir! We wouldn’t do that!”

“BUT YOU ARE!”

I can’t wait until my 18 months are up!

The amazing thing is that they send me coupons every month to give to my friends and I will get 50.00 off my bill. DO THEY REALLY THINK I WOULD RECOMMEND THEM TO A FRIEND?

Just 6 months to go!!!!!!

By LeeBrant Fan

August 16, 2008 6:10 PM | Link to this

I took a Tag Heuer watch for a battery replacement to Jared in Kennesaw. They said they had to send it off to a third party so the watch could be pressure tested after battery installation. Later, they said the (quartz) watch needed cleaning and that it would cost $200!

I told them to return it to me without “cleaning” it (not to mention my wallet). They told me I’d be responsible for the shipping charges.

After getting the watch back, I took it to Lee Brant jewelers who said “it probably just needs a battery”. They installed the battery and pressure tested it on premises while I waited. They were very nice and performed the service at a very reasonable cost. The watch has worked fine for more than 2 years. They are honest and competent.

I just received a mailer from them indicating they are opening a new location near Perimeter Mall.

Thanks LeeBrant.

By catlady

August 16, 2008 7:32 PM | Link to this

Kudos to Georgia Power in Athens when we had the ice storm back in last decade (1993?). They sent no less than 3 crews to look at (and take care of) the tree threatening the line and my house, and then called back several times over the next 2 days to be sure we were okay. I was very impressed with how well they took care of us.

Wish my EMC was able to work so quickly, and seemed so concerned about us.

By Bob

August 16, 2008 7:57 PM | Link to this

I have a three strike rule. After that, no more biz from Bob.

Arby’s got me started back in 1972. Three days of double ender food poisoning. I tried them again in 1975. Identical symptoms. Tried again in 1986 and it was OK and tasted great. Ate there a few more times that year and WHAMMO! Three day double ender again.

I have not eaten at Arby’s since.

Sonic has two strikes and it’s been 8 years since my last visit.

Adam’s Garden of Eaten, now closed, served a gyro with only one thin sliver of meat accompanied by a sour beer. Owners response. That’s the way we make our Gyros and the employees drink the beer.

Taco Mac…three strikes on the sour beer. I haven’t been in a Taco Mac for 5 years.

La Fonda Latina. Three strikes. Service is fine but aside from the salsa, the food is consistantly bad.

There are some exceptions. most notable is Publix. The employees are so nice that they make up for never ending management fumbling. Why can’t they stock sale items? Why do they have amnesia regarding repeated, WRITTEN, special orders? Management TRIES so I keep shopping there.

By Racebaiter

August 16, 2008 11:32 PM | Link to this

D. Geller and Sons. Just check out their reviews at www.kudzu.com for examples. It’s unbelievable that anyone shops there.

By gigi

August 17, 2008 1:22 AM | Link to this

Here’s my story:

Walmart Pharmacy in Roanoke, Al., earlier this year. I was discharged from the local hospital at 9:30 a.m. after minor surgery the day before. Went directly to Walmart with antibiotic and painkiller ‘scripts. Clerk said it would be about 45 minutes. Sat down and waited. 45 minutes later, “Oops, forgot to put it in the line!”, whatever that means. Starting to feel a bit of pain now. Waited another 45 minutes. New clerk. Can’t find my meds. Doesn’t see them listed on the computer. Dosen’t know where the first clerk is. First clerk returns. Who am I? When did I drop them off? Who was at the counter? Oh, no, not her! I was sweating like a hog, sick as a dog, and mad as a bull. I don’t remember much after that, but I remember being escorted from the building by a security guard. I actually had to go back to the emergency room, where one of the nice doctors phoned in my meds to the Walmart in La Grange.

By savhldy

August 17, 2008 8:08 AM | Link to this

To the guy going round and round with AT&T regarding your DSL- you should contact the public service commission and the federal communications commission. We had similar problems even GETTING DSL! The family across the road has DSL, and the box was actually CLOSER to us than them! AT&T repeatedly made excuses as to why we couldn’t get service. Too far from the box, not any ports available, etc. None of them were true! (We asked the service tech on the ground who actually knew more about the problem than the IDIOTS AT&T has in customer service.) Three months and a letter to the PSC and FCC, we have our DSL.

By savhldy

August 17, 2008 8:08 AM | Link to this

To the guy going round and round with AT&T regarding your DSL- you should contact the public service commission and the federal communications commission. We had similar problems even GETTING DSL! The family across the road has DSL, and the box was actually CLOSER to us than them! AT&T repeatedly made excuses as to why we couldn’t get service. Too far from the box, not any ports available, etc. None of them were true! (We asked the service tech on the ground who actually knew more about the problem than the IDIOTS AT&T has in customer service.) Three months and a letter to the PSC and FCC, we have our DSL.

By John Doe

August 17, 2008 9:20 AM | Link to this

I was so sick, that I foolishly went to one of those Wellstar “Quack in the Box”, you know, the little stand alone strip mall type mini-emergency rooms. I had to sit there with Typhoid Mary herself, sneezing and coughing all over me, (and that was just the doctor, you should have seen the bacteria colony in the waiting room.)

From now on, I’m only using folk remedies for my conditions. To treat my ED, I’m going with the watermelon instead of the Viagra. There’s a downside to watermelon in lieu of Viagra: The last time I was in Vegas, the hooker kept spitting out the seeds. Totally ruined it.

Can it get any worse for consumers?

By Bird

August 17, 2008 9:53 AM | Link to this

I, too, have stopped shopping at Target since they changed their return policy. Target used to be my first choice. I know many people who no longer shop at Target because of the current return policy. I would be curious to see how the figures compare re: revenue lost due to dishonest returns vs. revenue lost due to honest consumers abandoning Target due to Target treating customers as though everyone is a criminal?

By KennCouple

August 17, 2008 10:34 AM | Link to this

My husband and I went to a Red Lobster in Marietta one evening. We asked how long the wait was for a table and the hostess said 90 minutes. She asked if we wanted to put our name on the list and we said no thanks because we were short on time and very hungry. In her most sarcastic tone, she said “well, there is a McDonalds across the street that will be happy to serve you!”. We were floored as were the guests that were waiting. Ah, customer service at its best.

By Steve Hicks

August 17, 2008 10:50 AM | Link to this

I had a bad experience at a restaurant that had valet parking. The valet stole my car. No, really. I pulled up in front, and this guy wearing a red vest opened my door, gave me a ticket and drove off. So I goes inside and orders my Double Cheese Whopper with supersized fries and a coke……

By Natalie

August 17, 2008 11:38 AM | Link to this

Our AT&T DSL service never worked, so after several unsuccessful attempts to get the problem resolved after being passed from service rep to service rep over the phone, one service rep politely told me to hang up and call their tech support at a 1-800 number she gave me. I called it and got the number to a credit card porn sex site. Fuming, over the next few days I tried to get our DSL service fixed as I was again passed from customer service to tech support to customer service back to tech support in the same phone call. No one seemed to want to try to fix the problem and kept handing me off to a different department. Finally we canceled the service that never worked in the first place (even though we had to pay for the time we supposedly had service, even though we had no service, and got our service through Time Warner Cable instead. We had absolutely no problems with Time Warner.

By Magenta

August 17, 2008 5:51 PM | Link to this

I guess compared to many previous stories I have little to complain about. Sometimes it’s just the timing of the incident — you’re in a hurry, or you’ve already had a crappy day, and somebody just piles on you.

Some years ago I was trying very hard to get a job — I was about to be hired and the last step was a drug test from an outside company in Marietta. The appointment was for early morning and the traffic was horrendous. Even though I left early, both I-75 and Cobb Parkway were jammed with wrecks. Meanwhile, I had, well, a water deficit. So I went to the drive-thru of McDonald’s which was just a short distance from my destination. I pulled up to the speaker and asked, in a distinct voice, for bottled water. The person at the microphone said “What? Huh?” I tried three different times to say “bottled water,” and even tried “agua,” thinking maybe English wasn’t her first language. She gave me a “No, we don’t have that,” as though I’d asked for lobster on a silver platter. I know perfectly well McDonald’s has bottled water. Out of sheer stubbornness and annoyance, I parked my car (oh, yes, it was pouring rain, I just remembered that), went in, asked for bottled water and the person behind the counter handed it to me without blinking an eye. I told her that I’d just gone to the drive-thru and been told McDonald’s didn’t have bottled water. The person at the drive-thru window, who looked like she was about 11 years old, heard me. She turned around, smirked at me and the counter person as if she’d just played the best joke, then walked toward the back of the store. The counter person twirled her finger next to her head. This is customer service in the 21st century. Yes, I called McDonald’s later to complain; they said the franchise would have to respond directly. Needless to say, I never went back there. And yes, I passed my drug test and got the job.

By Racebaiter

August 17, 2008 8:11 PM | Link to this

D. Geller and Sons. Just check out their reviews at www.kudzu.com for examples. It’s unbelievable that anyone shops there.

By Nickie

August 17, 2008 9:09 PM | Link to this

About 15 years ago at an Applebee’s in Cumming my then 10 year old son ordered fresh squeezed lemonade with his meal. He had had this several times before and really liked it. When it arrived It did not look like it had in the past and I asked the waitress if she was sure this was the lemonade. The reply was a very snippy, “Of course it is”. My son took one sip and literally spit it out. I gingerly tasted it and it was definitely some alcoholic drink. The waitress had already flounced away so I simply said in a loud voice, “Miss, you just served alcohol to a 10 year old”.” That brought the manager with a halfhearted apology and no offer of a small comp of at least my son’s meal. We never went back there again. In contrast we went to a now closed American Grill in Marietta. There were a number of people waiting and at least 8 open clean tables and noone being seated. After being finally seated we had a good meal. I wrote an email to the store telling them about this ( and complimenting the meal) suggesting that if tables are clean and ready, and people are waiting seat them. If staff is short handed that night, make a simple explanation and explain it might be a short wait. I got back a nice reply thanking me for bringing the problem to her attention, sending me a coupon for another meal for my husband and I. We went back several times before they closed.

By Susan

August 17, 2008 10:10 PM | Link to this

Mine is with AT&T as well. When it was still BellSouth, I never had a problem. Now, it’s all I ever have. I have DSL and of course you have to have a land-line for it. Well, I decided to get a cell phone, and close down the land-line for calls, and keep it for DSL. The phone still makes outgoing calls (except I can’t call AT&T’s 800 #!) and they have been charging me for 2 months for caller ID, Voice mail, and several other “extras” I had, and I can’t even get incoming calls. WHY would I need these things? I have been calling for TWO MONTHS trying to get my bill straightened out. They are charging me $60 a month for a $34.99 a month service. I’m through with them. I am getting rid of AT&T all together, and going with Comcast or some other DSL service. There are too many companies offering DSL to have to put up with this crap.

By thomas

August 17, 2008 10:58 PM | Link to this

I have to admit that there are a lot of arrogant prick “customers” out there. I think this is why a lot of customer service people become jaded. Think about how you would feel delaing with demanding, condescending pricks all day long.

By dixiewife 44

August 17, 2008 10:59 PM | Link to this

Wendys in Marietta, corner of Macland Rd and PowderSprings Rd. Everytime i go there, I’m served cold food, (burgers and fries), and the order is usually wrong. No wonder they hardly have any people in there restaurant. The service isnt very good either.

By DH

August 17, 2008 11:03 PM | Link to this

My latest customer service horror was Miss Ella’s bakery in Mableton. I was hosting a dinner and ordered key lime and strawberry petit fours. I’ve had them before and they are scrumptious! On the day of the dinner, and before I drove to the bakery, I called to confirm. I got that bit of advice on kudzu.com from a disgruntled customer. I was informed that they didn’t have time to bake my strawberry petit fours so 1/2 of my order was not available. When I get to the bakery, the woman that spoke so rudely to me on the phone was at the counter but thankfully the gentleman there addressed my concerns. The woman had the audacity to get angry that I was angry. “I TOLD HER THAT ELLA DIDN’T GET TO MAKE ANY”. I admit that I acted every much like the folks customer service professionals complain about… BAD. I YELLED that I had a right to be upset that I didn’t receive what I had ORDERED and what I had been prepared to PAY FOR. And I explained that Miss Ella was not doing me a FAVOR and that business is just that - business. The gentleman - who is Miss Ella’s brother - apologized for his co-worker’s bad behavior and the fact that my order was incomplete and he also gave me some extras. Oh, yeah. Even the key lime petit fours that had ordered had to been set aside so I was actually lucky to get the ones I got. The gentleman also gave me Miss Ella’s number so I could call her personally and complain. I was unable to do so but I am okay with that. I just can’t go back there and deal with the woman that was rude. I probably won’t go back ever again. It’s too bad considering the quality of her baked goods.

Switching sides here, I am going to tell you how some customers act up in stores! I’ve never worked in retail but I’ve seen plenty of things that would cause a customer service professional to really, really act up. I have a friend who, admittedly, likes to get over. She never acknowleges the fact that she could be wrong. She got upset when some clothing was not rung up as on sale. Come to find out they weren’t on sale. She assumed that because some of the round racks in the store were on sale that all of them were. No, the rack was not even marked “on sale” like the other racks. She acted bad and thought the folks at the counter should have given her the items on sale just because she thought they were. Uh…no. Another time is when 2 of similar shoes were different colors and different prices, she was prepared to complain about the difference until she realized that they weren’t the same shoe.

Both customers and customer service people can drive the other crazy! That’s why I try to shop online.

By dixiewife 44

August 17, 2008 11:06 PM | Link to this

US postal service. Our regular postman is great ! but god help all of us in the community when he’s off and a replacement mailman has to work. Last year, the mail sat in the community mailbox for 5 days becuase the substitute mail carrier couldnt be bothered to pick it up. The substitue mail carriers never pick the mail up, cant put the mail in the right boxes, and when u complain at the mail annex, (Powder Springs Rd in Marietta ), they act like they couldn’t give a s** and nothing is done to improve the service.

By Steve Hicks

August 18, 2008 5:55 AM | Link to this

I hear you dixiewife. Yesterday, on sunday, a guy rode up on a pony and gave me a package my great grand-daddy mailed me in 1822. It had postage due which I paid for with some beef jerky. The pony express never worked, and I have no idea why they didn’t fire all those cow-pokes, or let the Indians get ‘em. You see, the problem is nobody takes responsibility for nuthin.

By Mike

August 18, 2008 6:17 AM | Link to this

Macy’s.

I bought a gift for my mother at Marshall Field’s in Chicago, when it was still called Marshall Field’s but was owned by Macy’s. The saleslady spent twenty minutes with me picking out my item, even though I ended up getting something on the clearance rack.

It was the wrong size, so I tried to take it back at Lenox. The only salesperson in the department was over by their clearance rack, looking for things to buy with her discount. I stood at the register for twenty minutes with no one offering to help. Then they said they couldn’t! So much for service across the country!

There are a lot of Macy’s employees that only care about their discount and socializing with their friends. I want Rich’s back!

By Critic

August 18, 2008 8:30 AM | Link to this

I quit eating at Wendy’s 25 years ago because I got tired of having my order screwed up 95% of the time. I think if I had ever tried ordering a milkshake “without cheese”, they would’ve put cheese in it.