Is Customer Service Dead?

Robert is the man.  Drop the mic.  Done. 

My wife likes to tell me how customer service is dead.  The times just aren’t what they used to be.  People used to care and offer you help – go the extra mile for that sale. 

But not today… yeah… sure as fuck not today. 

And she’s right.  She works in the dental field with patients all day long.  So she knows what she is talking about.  She lives it. 

Me on the other hand, I’m your typical corporate white-collar shmuck.  Customer service is dead in this dreary and dying realm.  People talk about it occasionally, alluding to its existence like ancient bones dug up from a bygone era.  But it’s more like searching for that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.  It lives in myth, but in reality, it’ s become a unicorn. 

The only time I encounter customer service is when I need other services done. 

So why am I pumping up Robert so much?  Because he saved my ass when he didn’t have to.  And frankly, I don’t see that happening all that often these days.  And it moved me.  So Robert gets his very own post today.  Because he’s the fucking man! 

Here’s what happened… 

The other day my wife and I were driving home from Big Bear Lake, a local mountain town that we love to get away to on the weekends, and I was stressed because we had taken my car and it is not equipped for snow.  The weather had been forecasted to be sunny and mellow that weekend, but sure enough, one day later a big storm was slated to swoop right in on us. 

Usually this would be no problem.  We could just leave very early in the morning and that would be that.  But on this weekend, we happened to have company so we couldn’t bolt.  We had to play the proper host and do the things expected of us, which bumped our departing time to around 11:30am-12pm, right in that window of no man’s land when the snow-storm was about to hit. 

When we finally cleaned up the cabin and packed the car, I shot down the mountain like a man possessed.  With every several hundred feet of elevation drop I breathed a little bit easier, my pulse softened and that lingering knot of anxiety in the pit of my stomach shifted into a “we’re going to do this” pacifying mantra. 

But then the snow came, and my mind focused like the edge of a honed razor.  Now was go time.  We had made good distance, but there was still about a thousand-foot elevation drop we had to descend.  It would be a coin flip as to what would happen next since I had to slow down and drive safely for the worsening conditions. 

I held my breath.  The going was getting tough. 

Luckily, after only 20 minutes of mid-to-light snow, the storm shifted to icy precipitation.  We had made it. 

Upon arriving home an hour and half later, I was exhausted both physically and mentally.  It’d be a few hours before the storm caught up to us “flatlanders” as the locals up the mountain like to call us.  But I had a lot to do on this Sunday afternoon to get ready for the work week.  I tinkered around doing what needed to be done and then the rain hit us like the wrath of God cutting a whole in the sky right above our house. 

A week ago, I had made a key shift in my insurance coverage from AAA to Geico. I know, that’s a monumental decision, but it wasn’t made lightly.  And when I talk about customer service in this article, AAA embodied it to perfection.  They had always been great, tip top.  And for the longest time I couldn’t pull the trigger on the change.  But the problem was, I was paying a hefty premium for this great service that I barely used. 

At 6pm the rain had let up, so I went out front to my wife’s SUV to switch out the new insurance cards from Geico.  When I clicked the clicker to unlock it, nothing happened.  That’s weird, I thought.  After a few more tries I didn’t think anything of it, manually opened the door and switched out the cards.  When I was back inside, I went to replace the battery in the clicker and then tried it again. 

Fuck, I thought as my stomach dropped and the fear washed over me with a wave of dread.  Nothing happened.   Not now.  Not tonight.  Not like this.  It’s fucking Sunday and raining – I don’t even know if any place will be open? 

But I already knew what the outcome was going to be.  Slowly I opened the door and slid back into the driver’s seat.  I took a deep breath and turned the key in the ignition. 

Click… click… click… was all that happened.  Shit, the car battery was dead. 

Would this be the end of the world?  No.  But damn, it sure felt like it would be. 

I went back into the house and told my wife.  Feeling exhausted and stressed out, I sank into the couch utterly dejected.  Quickly I dialed up my new insurance company, Geico, and crossed my fingers.  Please don’t let leaving AAA be a bad decision. 

I didn’t have to wait too long before they had a guy come out and look.  He checked everything and told me what I assumed would be the situation.  Yep, bucko… the batteries dead alright.  Go get another he told me before giving me a jump and leaving. 

I wish I was a car guy, but I’m not.  I can do basic stuff, but that’s it.  AAA would have had a battery on the spot to switch out.  Sure, it would have cost me more, but my tremulous nerves would have been put at ease.  Despondently I started second guessing myself about my insurance decision, which only made me more upset. 

Quickly I looked up local battery suppliers on my phone.  There was an O’Reilly Autoparts right around the corner.  They closed at 7:30pm.  It was 7:10pm.  I hopped in the car and hit the gas. 

I walked into the store at 7:15pm and to my luck it was empty.  The clerk stood at the counter and greeted me with a smile. 

“Hi, my name’s Robert.  How can I help you sir?” he asked. 

“I need a battery,” I told him. 

“Sure,” Robert replied as he looked down at his computer screen. 

Before he could type anything into the computer I kept rambling nervously.  “Can you replace the battery as well?  I know it’s close to closing time and all.  But I’m in a bind here.  Anything you can do is a big help to me.” 

Robert didn’t even look up.  “Sure, sure,” he replied smoothly.  “Most of them we can do, just let me pull it up.” 

Then he frowned and lifted his head to meet my eyes.  “I’m sorry sir, but we don’t provide that service with your model of vehicle.  Here, let me show you,” as he turned the screen around for me to see.  “Anything that takes over 15 minutes to swap out we aren’t allowed to touch.  And yours says 30 minutes to change here,” he pointed with his finger.  “I’m sorry.” 

And that was it.  My last ray of hope snatched right before my very eyes like a thief in the night.  My shoulders sagged and I let out a loud sigh of defeat.  I just stood there not knowing what to do – a sorry sack of shit feeling sorry for myself and the frustration building by the minute.  I’d need to get back home and figure out how to do it myself.  This night was just getting more and more fucked up. 

Robert watched me self-implode for a minute, probably not knowing what to do until he decided to take pity on me. 

“Well… hold on sir.  I’m not supposed to do this, but I can swap it out for you.  My boss is going to be here in 20 minutes for our weekly meeting after closing but I think I can sneak it in.  Just don’t tell anyone I ever did this, okay?” 

My eyes lit up like I’d been handed a free pass to heaven.  “Yeah, of course,” I stammered.  “Anything I can do to help?  Man, just… thank you so much.  You don’t know how much I appreciate this.” 

But Robert was gone, disappeared in the back to grab all the tools. 

When he wheeled out his cart and we headed outside, I felt like I was walking on sunshine.  This guy had just literally turned my mood from one of the deepest of despairs to I’m ready to conquer the world attitude.  My mind was racing for how I could help someone else out tonight just like Robert had done for me.  His kindness was contagious and all I wanted to do was pay it forward.  He switched out that battery for me like I was some old friend that he hadn’t seen in a long time.  No problem sir, it’s nothing.  You would have done the same for me. 

And that’s why… Robert is the man. 

Most of the time in this world (and this is my bias of living in a big city, I assume small towns are much better) it can feel like customer service is dead.  The world is a darker place than it needs to be. 

But all it takes is that one great experience to have faith in the human race again.  It’s the little things in life that warm the heart, nourish the soul and put a sparkle back in your eye.  You take in a deep breath and realize that everything is going to work out after all… and for that one moment in time… no.  No, customer service isn’t dead. 

-Q-FI 

P.S.  Have an experience lately when someone went out of their way and helped you out?  Give them a little love below and let’s hear about that unsolicited benevolent deed?