The problem as I see it is a mixture of companies offering the moon on s stick, but not actually wanting to deliver it. So their advertising leads the customer into believing that whatever they want, they get. But the problem is, due to their own policies or processes half the time, they're actively preventing their staff from delivering on those promises, and as in any job, failure to follow company policies, or silly and ineffectual processes usually lead to a staff member not being able to do anything or bollocking or or disciplinary action which worries the employee into sticking to the rules no matter what, which pisses the customer off, who then complains and that goes one of two ways -
The customer complains to the member of staff, who is pretty much powerless to change the policy or process that led to the issue, and under threat of action if they do, and are quite often accused of laziness and incompetence if they feedback the complaints to higher up, so it goes on deaf ears and nothing changes. Often the customer has got it off their chest and doesn't pursue it too. So it's perceived as staff just moaning.
Or
The customer complains higher up and receives a platitude about more training for staff, apologies for how the staff got it wrong and how they'll deal with it, giving the impression the staff member has made a mistake or been in the wrong, instead of sticking to their own policies, because half the time the policies are absolute bloody nonsense, the processes not fit for purpose and based in money making/saving and they don't want to admit that.
The companies don't care about their customers, only how much of their money they can part them with, and they care less about their staff - they're simply the tool to part customers with their money, and keep as tighter ship as possible so less is spent and therefore profit higher. It's all about the needs of the business.
I think this leads to a poor attitude from both customers and employees, the employees are demoralised, down trodden and used as a whipping boy by the customers and a scapegoat by the companies and yes, I've got to the point where I no longer care. I felt that I was always going to be in the wrong, go against the policy and make the customer happy and I get into trouble, the customer isn't going to be interested or even aware that I've gone against whatever policy, used my common sense and delivered what they want and that's been detrimental to me. And the company doesn't care that following their policy has gotten me a humiliating 15 minutes dress down from an annoyed customer for the 8th time that day.
On balance, I'd rather take the second to be honest because it doesn't threaten my job.