To think that since covid happened some businesses have 'got lazy and stayed lazy'

[Ilovechocolate87]

DH and i used to have an expression a couple of years back 'because covid' which we used when we thought a company was just using the virus as an excuse for not doing something properly or making unnecessary cutbacks.

But even now it seems that this is STILL continuing, but for no legitimate reason!

Some examples include;
-Our local bank shutting at 3pm...every day of the week.Crap for 9-5 working people like DH!

• No fireworks display at center parcs, which is a shame as it was really good and atmospheric over the lake.
• Soft play at our local sealife centre sitting there unused and wasted...such a shame as there is nothing wrong with it.
• Fitting rooms have been scrapped at sainsburys and asda (maybe elsewhere too?) so there is nowhere to try on clothes, resulting in either having to order online and have the expense and bother of posting it back if its not right (which it often isn't) or travelling to return it, neither of which are very good for the environment either, with all that plastic packaging and fuel!)

Has anyone else noticed that it just seems like SOME businesses/companies 'can't be bothered' anymore and are just doing the minimum possible? And the most frustrating thing is that as usual, they make the cutbacks, but the prices keep on going up!!

No toilets in fast food/ coffee shops coz Covid...

Shocking, you tell them, girl, did you actually tell them?

Tesco and Sainsburys not reopening their changing rooms annoys me far more than it should. My local Tesco even has a member of staff standing outside telling people off who are trying to get a glimpse of themselves in the changing room mirrors.

Lol, you are only meant to mention shopping in Waitrose on Mumsner

Has anyone tried ringing HMRC? Guaranteed at least 30 minutes ringing before they pick up. Then someone who hasn’t a clue when you speak to them. But you remain courteous and polite for fear they may cut you off ( and subject you to another 30 minutes wait) and then they put you through to someone else and you get cut off in the process.
Put money on it they will have plenty of staff to chase you if you don’t send you tax return correctly!

If you hear from these departments because of a genuine mistake , you can sort it out quickly or if you need to pay them money that works really well. Any other problem and it becomes vague or takes hours of listening to annoying music. Refunds can take weeks .. strange that
We had a fine for putting a parking (paid up ) ticket in the window the wrong way round once in a station car park. This same car park was filled up with lorries and vans and caravans on Saturday blocking anyone trying to get into it
I bet nothing at all was done about these people: they only go after the ones who pay up because they can for making a genuine mistake
Makes my blood boil

Gbtch
HMRC have been like that for years. I remember from at least 10 years ago having to wait for hours on the phone for an advisor. We actually changed phones for that reason to one with a loudspeaker which we could plonk on the desk and carry on working whilst listening for a response.

My daughter's GP apparently doesnt offer face-to-face appointments now, if you want to see a person it has to be a nurse.

Yep...

Hairdressers - no magazines / hot drinks 'because of Covid'

Health Visitors - only do a 4 week and 8 week check up now 'because of Covid' next check up is at 12 months. There used to be one at 6 months. How many vulnerable babies and mums are going to be overlooked due to this?

People wanting to do online consultations or over the phone 'because of Covid' instead of in person. I.e. kitchen designer / builders

GP's - don't even get me started...

Phone messages from any large company that says they're experiencing unprecendented call waiting times due to Covid...actually they have just cut half their workforce because they realise they can make people wait now they have an excuse.

NHS - not lazy but completely in the middle of a staffing crisis... but not due to Covid but Covid is often reeled off as the reason why by senior management.

Just general customer service is now so poor...there is no such thing anymore. And it's all a result of Covid. Apparently.

I don’t think the examples given are “because of Covid”, more likely “because of Brexit”. There is a huge shortage of staff!

Agree

Courier companies who have no one you can call or contact with a query

In my experience, the customer service offered by banks and utility companies was poor before Covid and is now abysmal. One of my friends is a support worker for vulnerable adults living in their own homes. He frequently has to phone utility companies on his clients’ behalf and often wastes an hour of his shift waiting on hold. This throws out his whole schedule of visits. Just answer the fucking phone

Yep agree about utility companies @Cattenberg . They were never great but now they are appalling. I’m trying to set up new accounts with British Gas, EDF and Thames Water. The first two always involve a 40-50 minute wait which is a very expensive phone call. Then they make errors and pretty much say anything to get you off the phone. Then another part of the business gets threatening when you don’t pay some incorrect amount they’ve concocted out of nowhere. My recently widowed DM has been plagued by EDF, threatening her with court and heavies turning up at her door to collect money with menaces for an unpaid bill that isn’t hers. It’s so hard to sort things out because the various parts of these businesses don’t talk to each other. These are not struggling companies. It is SO much worse than it was.

*nottodaytomorrow
Yep the NHS - sorry absolutely not sorry and not here to argue or debate it.

Agree*

Not the front line staff to be clear just the management and the way it's run

I shall quote a very wise person, whose name escapes me. "There is nothing so permanent than a temporary change."

Well they hardly pay the staff they have. I can’t imagine businesses can afford to employ anyone else. They just haven’t sorted themselves accordingly.

British Gas. British bloody Gas!

I agree about pay, but a large number of companies, especially in the service industry, have lots of vacant posts. They used to be filled by staff from the EU.

Our local Starbucks, Costa, and Nero are all opening 6-10pm to provide warm spaces. The local Nationwide is dead and so the staff will often offer extra services like hosting foodbanks, helping vulnerable people with letters, and opening up their waiting area as homework spaces. Not everyone is lazy.

So you think it's unreasonable for customers to expect phone calls to be answered within a reasonable amount of time (i.e. not have to listen to inane messages for an hour or more), and for the person finally answering it to be able to do pretty simple tasks?

FFS - why are people incapable of understanding posts????? I didn't say that - the part in bold is a quote from another poster, and I was disagreeing with them. Bangs head on desk !!!!!!

A lot of businesses have always been crap. Now they just use Covid to hide behind as an excuse, get worse and lay off staff.

My GP is refusing to use the reusable wide straps for taking blood tests. Now they use skinny disposable straps that pinch horribly. They actually make me feel really sick. Thought I was just strange, but mentioned it to the phlebotomist the other day and she said lots have said the same. She'd also gone back to using the wide reusable straps, as she struggles to get the disposable ones tight enough. She was told off by the GP and had to go back to the disposables.
The plastic waste from all these things that became single use over covid must be massive.

@Gbtch & @species5618 if I ever have to call HMRC I'm logged on at 7:45am ready to call at 8am on the dot & at that time usually get through straightaway & get a helpful person on the other end.

Any later than 10am & it could be over an hour waiting time & then the work experience lad picks up!

Exactly @oldbrownjug I was mulling over this thread yesterday when at work - and getting patronised and condescended to - again - over the 'lack' of customer service, and I've come to a couple of conclusions -

1. some places are delivering practically non existent customer service, and people are experiencing that and are now coming at anyone in customer service with a combative attitude, before you even start. Yesterday I answered the phone to be greeted with 'Huh, so you answer the phone then!" Quite aggressively, it's confrontational before you start and it's certainly not mine or my company's fault you've been on hold somewhere else for an hour. It's like you're the enemy.

2. people have no concept that we're not there just for them, and get arsey when you're giving someone else good customer service and they are waiting, in order to provide the type of one on one service that people seem to expect now, it's going to cost a lot more, but people don't want to pay more, it's completely unrealistic to expect a 1:1 service when you're not paying for it, people have no problems cutting in when you're talking to someone else, demanding your attention instantly because they deserve great customer service, totally disregarding the fact that by doing that they're taking away from someone else's customer service and they too deserve great customer service - and then complain when it's done to them - somehow making it the fault of the person serving, making me responsible for someone else's shitty behaviour.

3. people don't listen, don't pay attention to information provided to them and cut you off when trying to explain something to them, and then will come back at you with a complaint when they get what they ordered, what they booked or what you told (or attempted to) them would happens, happens. Then will tell you they didn't know, you didn't tell them, and if you try and point out the written information or the glaringly obvious signage etc - you're accusing them of lying.

4. some people have decided that everything is about them and that anyone they deal with is trying to disadvantage them in some way, picking on them, discriminating against them - I had this last night when we didn't have something available and the alternative was more expensive "Why are you making me pay more? Why is it more expensive for me? Why are you trying to rip me off?" Because the cheaper alternative has been taken by someone else and we don't have any more available for the time you want it, not some kind of vendetta against you by all customer service employees! I don't think "Do you know, what today needs is a little more of a challenge, because I don't get shouted at and moaned at enough so I'm going to create a deliberate situation where I piss someone off to make my own life a bit more difficult!"

Sometimes it's a genuine, human mistake when something goes wrong, sometimes the tech fucks up, and sometimes it's just what happens in life - but these days someone has to pay , there has to be someone to blame and take anger and frustration out on - and that someone is customer facing staff, and we wonder why no one wants to do the job?

@Maverickess

people don't listen, don't pay attention to information provided to them and cut you off when trying to explain something to them

You can say exactly the same about customer "service" advisers in large organisations. I've certainly experienced, many times, staff within HMRC, local council, insurance firms, banks, doctors, etc., simply not listen to the information I give them. I often wonder if they're on two calls at once, or doing something else, as they're certainly not concentrating on the call in hand.

it's confrontational before you start and it's certainly not mine or my company's fault you've been on hold somewhere else for an hour.

It often IS your organisation's fault if the caller has been on hold or passed around wrong departments within your own organisation. Not "your" fault personally of course, but if the customer has been passed from pillar to post by YOUR organisation, constantly put on hold, maybe ended up at the wrong person after listening to inane music/message for an hour or so, then they're not going to be sweetness and light when they finally get to talk to you, are they?