To think that customers / members of the public have become increasingly rude post Covid?

If it's genuinely like quikfit/MoT I agree, it's matters outside your control. But if your organisation is in control of appointments, and can't provide a timely appointment, then that is poor customer service. In some cases (Michelin starred restaurant) people accept the poor customer service, if it's a large central heating company saying, yes we can look at your non-functioning boiler in 8 weeks from now, I think most people would walk away and find another company. Or your GP saying "I need to see that again, make an appointment for three weeks time, and the receptionist saying "sorry, the earliest I can do you is 6 weeks/sorry, you'll have to ring up on the day.

This isnt new at all.. I worked for a well known electrical hire business and at Christmas 2003 we had a big banner across the window. Order Sky TV fitted for Christmas by 10th December. End of October that banner was put up. Come 23rd December a bloke came in the shop and moaned and griped that he couldnt order Sky there and then to be fitted on Christmas Eve

Yep. My brother has a small gift type business and part of it is selling his products online (the rest is wholesale sales).

The number of people who order on a Saturday night and are furious when nothing arrives on Sunday are unreal. Especially at Christmas.

We had a guy order on 23rd December which was after they closed for Christmas and he ignored the huge warning about it not being shipped until they reopened in the new year - apparently we ruined Christmas for all his kids. I wasn't allowed to tell him to plan ahead next year. Prick.

They don't read any of the information about shipping being done Mon-Fri as a small business!!

I think that is very true. Many things can be delivered within the hour, people just expect that everything will be given to them as soon as they ask.

You can shop, watch tv, eat, order food online 24/7 but when it comes to things that are not available at the touch of a button people become nasty, entitled and unreasonable. I call it the Amazon effect.

Companies & service providers are reaping what they sowed.

There is no need for people to take it out on the staff though.

How were kids and people treated like shit? I know the kids were homeschooled for large parts of it, but surely parents are responsible for their kids behaviour.

Given the shocking decline in levels of customer service across all consumer facing businesses, the rise of useless chatbots, infuriating self-service checkouts, endless waits for calls to be answered, the impossibility of seeing a GP etc etc, it’s hardly surprising that there are more pissed off customers around.
Companies & service providers are reaping what they sowed.

Service though everywhere is abdolutely crap. It went downhill during Covid, and then afterwards companies just maintained poor service. Eg, GPs just had phone consultations during covid, liked it so much that now theyre happy to not physically be in the same room as a patient unless they have to be. Some companies had to work with a skeleton staff during covid, and have just carried on with less staff once covid restrictions lifted.

Yes I get that.

But then they get people like me who go straight to Trustpilot with a 1star review after the first unsuccessful communication. And end up with 300 negative social media reviews and even debt collectors onto them, on one occasion.

They still have yo deal with md do why not do it politely and efficiently the first time?

Had customers think it’s disgusting staff shouldn’t have asthma and other life threatening conditions.

Expect fewer staff then

It comes down to money. It's one thing that AI should actually improve if done properly.

Because they hope people will give up and then they won't have to deal with the enquiry/complaint.

Front line staff need higher wages so they can be retained and are motivated to stay and develop in their role.

Chatbots, endless phone menus need to go unless it is the customer's choice to use them.

Customers need to remember that the person serving them is a human being with feelings.

So can I ask @Busyteal, I've always wanted to know. Why do organisations persist with the crappy automated phone systems? Do they enjoy winding people up or something? I don't listen to any of it and just cannot be arsed with security questions and just go through to Option 47 or have to receive 45 emails and codes or whatever, thus prolonging the agony for both sides.

It was better 20 years ago without all this digitalised shite.

That's part of it. Public facing roles are less attractive than they used to be, and people have more choices.

I agree OP. This thread has provided many examples of posters justifying rudeness.

I think everyone is just out for themselves, no-one is more in need of the service then they are and it's fine for others to wait, just not them.

I think that part of the problem is that people want good customer service, with enough staff, but they don't want to pay the higher taxes/ higher prices that would be needed to actually hire more staff, or in many cases, to fund the investment in housing that is needed to retain staff in areas without affordable housing.

Completely agree.

People are rude entitled arseholes.

@MereDintofPandiculation not really

It's the equivalent of ringing kwik fit and yelling at them because they don't have an MOT slot
You could pick from a thousand other places, it's not bad customer service to say we can't do it because we are full
I don't yell at my hairdresser because he books 4 months in advance

Thank You