Incompetence of people and companies

[am1]

Why it is that people and even more so companies are incompetent?

First I purchase online some clothes for my son with paying by credit card upon delivery. I get the call while the delivery guy is in the area where I live as I guess my address (easy to now know here), neighourhood very easy to know and google map location very easy to know was not enough. They end up coming to my farm a few miles away where I was at the moment and with my credit card out they told me they could not process a credit card payment. Apparently they are a new delivery company for the company and not able to process credit cards. No solution was provided then. No here is the product pay us later. No you can pay at the same store at the mall with credit card. Company customer service a joke. I reorder pay online and because one item was no longer available the order was delayed at least 2 days. I tell them get the product to an airport a few miles away and it can be delivered in 30 minutes to town I live. No they cannot do that as that is not the process.

Pricesmart a Costco sister company of sort. I purchase two turkeys after New Years at a huge discount and a pork picnic. But to be picked up days later. The pork was purchased just after it was even more discounted with a pick up a few days later same as the turkeys. Arrive at the pickup time and the two turkeys are there but no pork. Apparently they sold out of the pork product before the department went to fill my order a few days later. When I ask why the delay they say that is their policy as not enough space in their freezers. Doubtful but they failed me 100%.

Tried to book my son to fly to Canada direct using United Miles. Employees said they could not do that as could only book unaccompanied minors on United flights. I book what I hope I could fly with him as well as a default. Find out that date would not work for me or him but the original requested date would. But no longer available using united miles. In fact United can book unaccommpained minors for flights on Air Canada but the booker has to know and Last night speak with a united agent who was going to call Air Canada and see about a switch and call me back. No call back and no explanation in my accounts. Agents today tell me there is no availability for that flight that they see. Previous agents said there was noo flight that day as they could not see it in their system. Tried to explain that there is a flight that day even if it is not in their system.

Just 3 issues this week. Every week it seems to happen.

Amazon and Walmart are bad but at least they just seem to roll with punches and accept liability.

 

[simpsontruckdriver]

I had the same situations this past few weeks.

1. The day after Christmas, I ordered a Vizio soundbar, essentially my brother gave me $100 and I decided to buy that on Amazon. They said it would get to me in 2 days by paying $10 for shipping. I looked it up, the package was in Davenport (south of Disney World). It sat there for a day, then moved to Apopka (west of Orlando). It wound up taking 7 days to go maybe 50 miles! Amazon refunded the shipping costs, since they offered 7 day shipping for $0.
2. Last week, I ordered some food from Sam's Club to be delivered the next day. First they said it would be delayed a couple hours. By that evening, still nothing, I went to the site and it said the product was returned. The rep said they would re-send it, and they would then give me a refund of the delivery fee, the next day. The next day, nothing. I looked online, it was never sent! So, I went to Target, bought everything cheaper, and put up a tersely worded review on Google for that store.

I'm not sure why, but it will pretty much be the norm.

TS

 

[PcflEZFlng]

Whenever someone tries to tell me that government agencies are always incompetent, I remind them that it's often the same (or worse) with for-profit companies. For every gubmint story, I can counter with a "cr*ppy company" one. I've had my share of both.

 

[Hindsite]

Its always good to remember that half the people are below "average" and "average" isn't that good. Its not an education, economics or upbringing thing, just seems pervasive. Often people just don't have what they need available to do their job well or they're overstretched or torn by being given divergent objectives. I've found that, contrary to appearance, crass incompetence is relatively rare, but does exist.

 

[Talent312]

Worker-bees often would prefer to play with their cell phones, gossip at the water cooler, and plan their time off, than pay attention to what needs to get done. Admittedly, the first 1 -2 hours of my workday was usually spent loading up on coffee and flirting with the secretaries. So, real work is delayed and things slip thru the cracks.

People who pay attention to detail and take pride in a job well done do exist, but are rare.

 

[The Colorado Kid]

OMGOSH I thought this was only happening to me! Weekly or more often I tell DW..."Why in the world can't people do a simple job"?!

 

[tonyg]

Seems like incompetence is increasing and I doubt if AI will improve things. A plethora of job openings and job changing has helped in the trend. I even saw one ad that said the only qualification for an applicant is that they were breathing. I think the only quick solution would be a recession where better hiring was possible and incompetent employees were fired.
Yesterday we had a power outage for about 2-1/2 hours. When the power came back on the internet connection did not. After two calls to 2 different technicians they decided to make an appointment to have someone come to the house and fix it today. After the call ended, I tried a couple of different things and got the internet back and cancelled the appointment.

 

[ScoopKona]

Its always good to remember that half the people are below "average" and "average" isn't that good. Its not an education, economics or upbringing thing, just seems pervasive.

It's pervasive here. It isn't elsewhere. Being called "The Average Scot" or "The Average Taiwanese" is not the insult that it is being called "the average American." Average is just about the worst thing I'd ever call someone. Below average people, in general, are at least trying. But it takes a special kind of apathy to have access to the most advanced society humankind has managed to create, and then wallow in reality television.

And it's not that our populace is less intelligent than theirs. It's not that our populace is poorly educated (although many "opt out" of education in general -- we can force children to sit in a classroom, but we can't force them to learn anything).

It's decades of "the customer is always right." That phrase is societal cancer. This cancer has metastacized -- and now people think "all opinions are valid;" and "the way I'm doing it must be right because I'm doing it." The average person acts as if they are the main character in everyone's story. Of course I can slap a service-animal vest on my dog and bring it into the supermarket -- because it's my dog!

"The customer is always right" has created a sense of entitlement and associated selfishness which manifests in all sorts of ways -- the job is good enough because I did it. I don't have to wear a mask because I don't want to. Most workers aren't held to particularly high standards. In fact, having high standards is frowned upon in this society.

I'm actually looking forward to self-driving cars and similar. Because I trust this cheap laptop to drive better than the average American.

 

[Sandi Bo]

Well it's keeping my husband busy, so that's a good thing...

* Changed car insurance, then the new company cancelled because they didn't have proof that we had been insured. The insurance company would not talk to him, said he had to talk to our agent who would not return calls. My husband got the proof from the old company. Meanwhile I signed a certified letter from new company saying we were being cancelled. DH assures me it's all taken care of.

* DH took out new CD - at US Bank where we've banked foreverrrrrrrrrr. He walked a cashier check from a different bank to them and took out the CD. Then someone from US Bank called saying they suspected fraud and wanted him to verify (provide) personal info. He would not, said he'd call them. I think he was on the phone for an hour or two holding for the fraud department, who had no idea what was going on. He got transferred around a few time (to the only department that would be able to help him - but they could not). I think the call was legitimate. I also think US Bank has called me before and asked me to verify info. To add insult to injury, the CD is only in his name. Because I wasn't with him (don't worry, he says, you're the beneficiary). So I can't see it when I log in, but he can. I figure if he can see it, then stop worrying about trying to verify fraud (for them).

* It sure feels harder and harder to talk to real people

* On another note. Speaking of speaking to people. FIVE orders were delivered to my brother's house. Ordered on his Amazon account - billed to his credit card - delivered to his house. Two of these were rings for over $800 each. He wan't home, but he called a neighbor (when he got an email regarding the deliveries). What's the scam here? Scary, yes, could someone really have gotten into his Amazon account and ordered stuff and expected to get to his house (knowing where he lived) before he would? I don't even know where this landed (in progress),...

 

[The Colorado Kid]

Well it's keeping my husband busy, so that's a good thing...

* Changed car insurance, then the new company cancelled because they didn't have proof that we had been insured. The insurance company would not talk to him, said he had to talk to our agent who would not return calls. My husband got the proof from the old company. Meanwhile I signed a certified letter from new company saying we were being cancelled. DH assures me it's all taken care of.

* DH took out new CD - at US Bank where we've banked foreverrrrrrrrrr. He walked a cashier check from a different bank to them and took out the CD. Then someone from US Bank called saying they suspected fraud and wanted him to verify (provide) personal info. He would not, said he'd call them. I think he was on the phone for an hour or two holding for the fraud department, who had no idea what was going on. He got transferred around a few time (to the only department that would be able to help him - but they could not). I think the call was legitimate. I also think US Bank has called me before and asked me to verify info. To add insult to injury, the CD is only in his name. Because I wasn't with him (don't worry, he says, you're the beneficiary). So I can't see it when I log in, but he can. I figure if he can see it, then stop worrying about trying to verify fraud (for them).

* It sure feels harder and harder to talk to real people

* On another note. Speaking of speaking to people. FIVE orders were delivered to my brother's house. Ordered on his Amazon account - billed to his credit card - delivered to his house. Two of these were rings for over $800 each. He wan't home, but he called a neighbor (when he got an email regarding the deliveries). What's the scam here? Scary, yes, could someone really have gotten into his Amazon account and ordered stuff and expected to get to his house (knowing where he lived) before he would? I don't even know where this landed (in progress),...

@Sandi Bo maybe all the above average workers are now the fraudsters! They seem to be very smart and innovative

 

[Sandi Bo]

@Sandi Bo maybe all the above average workers are now the fraudsters! They seem to be very smart and innovative

The other night 3 teenage boys came to the door and wanted to shovel the driveway. I came very close to hiring them -- it's was refreshing to see that. In the interest of keeping DH busy, I declined. But very seriously considered it. (It's -9 degrees at the moment, that's how our weather has been, so definitely kudos to those boys).

 

[ScoopKona]

The other night 3 teenage boys came to the door and wanted to shovel the driveway. I came very close to hiring them -- it's was refreshing to see that. In the interest of keeping DH busy, I declined. But very seriously considered it. (It's -9 degrees at the moment, that's how our weather has been, so definitely kudos to those boys).

Never, ever do this.

If there's a slip and fall, the homeowner is on the hook for medical and legal expenses. It's just like hiring people in the Home Depot parking lot. You can do it, sure. There probably won't be a problem. But if there IS a problem, you're going to wish you had hired a company which pays for Workman's Comp insurance and has a business license. The Home Depot dudes know this. And they probably have a personal injury attorney's phone number already plugged into their phone.

Babysitters, kids mowing lawns, kids shoveling driveways -- we're too litigious for any of that today. This sort of thing can bankrupt a person now.

 

[The Colorado Kid]

Never, ever do this.

If there's a slip and fall, the homeowner is on the hook for medical and legal expenses. It's just like hiring people in the Home Depot parking lot. You can do it, sure. There probably won't be a problem. But if there IS a problem, you're going to wish you had hired a company which pays for Workman's Comp insurance and has a business license. The Home Depot dudes know this. And they probably have a personal injury attorney's phone number already plugged into their phone.

Babysitters, kids mowing lawns, kids shoveling driveways -- we're too litigious for any of that today. This sort of thing can bankrupt a person now.

OMGOSH really? You are hilarious...this has never once happened to me OR ANYONE I KNOW in 60 years of babysitters, lawn mowers, kids shoveling driveways, washing my cars, pulling weeds, hauling sand, moving heavy furniture etc etc etc

 

[ScoopKona]

OMGOSH really? You are hilarious...this has never once happened to me OR ANYONE I KNOW in 60 years of babysitters, lawn mowers, kids shoveling driveways, washing my cars, pulling weeds, hauling sand, moving heavy furniture etc etc etc

Yes really. Call your insurance agent and ask what happens if someone injures themselves on your property. And then ask if it's a smart move to hire neighborhood kids to shovel snow, babysit, mow lawns, or chop wood.

If anything ever happens you'll wish you had.

The only time you're free-and-clear is if whoever injures themselves is trespassing -- but even then, having a dangerous yard (putting broken glass on the privacy wall, for instance) can mean a massive judgement.

 

[clifffaith]

We dropped our car off for a repair on a Monday morning at 8am. That afternoon the dealership’s phones and computers were hacked rendering them non-functional for the entire week, and beyond. Ford dealership full of employees with cell phones, and no one could call us to tell us our car was ready Tuesday? Not one person thought to use personal phones to call out to customers since no one could call in? They finally patched a single line together on Friday and when we got through we were told car was ready. Picked it up Saturday and immediately discovered they had never touched the car during the week it sat there. Good news is their complete incompetence led us to finding a business who cared about their customers and did the job in two hours for less than half the price, and dealership is now relegated to recall notice work only.

 

[Cornell]

My rant: I am living in a Midwest and in my neck of the woods it's currently a winter hellscape.

Car battery dead. Got a jump. Drove over to Auto Part Store #1 (which I called in advance to make sure that they had my battery in stock - they did). Couldn't enter the lot to purchase battery b/c they didn't have an entrance to their parking lot cleared of snow.

Directly across the street is Auto Part Store #2. Parking lot cleared. Got my battery purchased. They installed it and guess what? Store #2 quite a few customers in store. Store #1 -- looked like no one was there at all.

 

[TolmiePeak]

Worker-bees often would prefer to play with their cell phones, gossip at the water cooler, and plan their time off, than pay attention to what needs to get done. Admittedly, the first 1 -2 hours of my workday was usually spent loading up on coffee and flirting with the secretaries. So, real work is delayed and things slip thru the cracks.

People who pay attention to detail and take pride in a job well done do exist, but are rare.

Yeah pretty much. I recall back in 2020 when we went to remote work one of the other managers was fretting about people just goofing off when they are "working" from home. I shot back that the people goofing off at home are the same people that just walked around the floor and hung out at the water cooler socializing and wasting time.

 

[TolmiePeak]

Part of the problem lies with customers. I recall when Rukeyser asked Bob Crandall on Wall Street Week about the outlook for improved customer service. Bob in his no nonsense style said the service cuts will continue because even if he offered a first rate customer experience that the customers will book a flight that is $5 cheaper even if the other airline provides a lousy product.

 

[The Colorado Kid]

Yes really. Call your insurance agent and ask what happens if someone injures themselves on your property. And then ask if it's a smart move to hire neighborhood kids to shovel snow, babysit, mow lawns, or chop wood.

If anything ever happens you'll wish you had.

The only time you're free-and-clear is if whoever injures themselves is trespassing -- but even then, having a dangerous yard (putting broken glass on the privacy wall, for instance) can mean a massive judgement.

You convinced me...gonna cancel the kindergarten woodchipper event next weekend.

 

[Ralph Sir Edward]

Here's one for all you AMEX fans. . .

Wrote a check for December 2023 balance (I pay off the balance every month) for $2500. Call in the middle of the month to see what my current balance was, for future planning. Check wasn't credited to my account. Oh boy!

What was credited to my account was $384.86 (an amount that I had never written in the last year to anybody.) Called customer service. Gave all the details. They said i needed to verify the account had been debited. Ok, I drive to the branch and got printed verification the check had been paid out to AMEX. (as an ACH transaction, which is Standard Operating Procedures for AMEX. Called back with all the info. Said they would look into it. (Note: I am nearly 40 year experienced financial mainframe programmer, including 5 years working credit cards.)

Customer service takes the info. They are going to have it researched. (programatically I know exactly what has to be wrong based on the data. It's a debug 101 type of problem. I won't bore you with details, unless asked.) A week later I get a letter from another part of AMEX. Send them a bunch of information I don't have. Copy of cancelled check front and back (which doesn't exist, because AMEX scans and sends the scan as a string of data (ACH transaction). In that case they want the detail of my bank's ABA number and my account number (fine, I have those), AND AMEX's ABA and account they credited it to. There's no way in <BLEEP> I could find out what they were, unless I could get the entire detail of the ACH transaction that AMEX sent on the transaction.

Call the bank's problem resolution line, they are sympathetic, but won't give out the information on the ACH transaction, for audit security reasons. Fair enough. I understand the security consideration. What they would give me was the ACH tracer number, which both parties, the sending and receiving can use to pull up the transaction to look at it.

Rather than sending the info via email (insecure) or snail mail takes too long for the window given me, I called the customer service line again, and asked if I could add the information to the online help request. They said yes, and I did so.

The next day I got a letter from the review people, agreeing that the $384.86 dollars was misapplied to my account, that payment was for another account. They would remove the payment from my account.

A few days later, my complaint was closed because I hadn't sent them the information by either email or snail mail. Needless to say, I was not amused. I called the customer service again to ask about whether or not the information I gave to the previous CS person had been included in the complaint. It had not. Annoyed, I insisted they open another complaint.

I then copied everything and added a long letter explaining what the problem was, and mailed it Express Mail with return receipt. Got the RR 3 days ago, but I have heard nothing back yet.

A bunch of butterfly brained bovines. . . .

 

[WaikikiFirst]

LOL. People think I'm cheap because I shop so little. You nailed the true reason.
Though, any complaints I may remember about amazon are far outweighed by the compliments.

 

[WaikikiFirst]

Part of the problem lies with customers. I recall when Rukeyser asked Bob Crandall on Wall Street Week about the outlook for improved customer service. Bob in his no nonsense style said the service cuts will continue because even if he offered a first rate customer experience that the customers will book a flight that is $5 cheaper even if the other airline provides a lousy product.

Yeah? Well Bob Crandall is full of it. I have heard that excue for lousy customer service before. Nothing but an excuse. The reality is that none of them offer anything close to first rate customer experience and have not for 45 yrs at least. Not even close. And when everything is 2nd rate, the $5 savings converts people. Only then.
CEOs making lame excuse. Did his lips move?

Do you want a GOOD excuse for terrible airline customer service? I can give it to you in 2 words

 

[Talent312]

... When the power came back on the internet connection did not. After two calls to 2 different technicians they decided to make an appointment to have someone come to the house and fix it today. After the call ended, I tried a couple of different things and got the internet back and cancelled the appointment.

Alexa is a better tech than those phone CSRs.
She'll tell me to reset my modem & router.
Usually that works.
.

 

[ScoopKona]

Yeah? Well Bob Crandall is full of it. I have heard that excue for lousy customer service before. Nothing but an excuse. The reality is that none of them offer anything close to first rate customer experience and have not for 45 yrs at least. Not even close. And when everything is 2nd rate, the $5 savings converts people. Only then.

I could not possibly disagree with this more. Take airlines. With the exception of smokers, everything about flying was better last century than it was this century. The reason for that is that the price was set by regulators. Airlines could only compete on service. So that's what they did. I used to love flying Pan Am and TWA -- except for the smoke. It stunk arriving smelling like a dirty ashtray. But other than that, the meals, seats, boarding, everything was better.

Now prices are cheap. The smoke is gone. Range is better. And despite Boeing being determined to bankrupt itself, airplanes are safer than ever. But every other thing is much, much worse.

Why? Airlines compete on price and price only. The average consumer is too dense to look at anything other than the price. They'll pick the ticket which is $5 cheaper. And airlines respond by racing to the bottom to oblige them.

 

[am1]

You convinced me...gonna cancel the kindergarten woodchipper event next weekend.

Right better to invite offer some adults and offer free beer and shots while working. I did buy a hand feed cornstalk and sugar cane chopper for my farm a month ago.