We could say it’s because the unions have made so many demands on business that it is cheaper for them to do their manufacturing overseas and ship to the United States. We could say it’s because the economy tanked and Congress failed to do its job. We could say it’s because businesses over hired in the first place. There are a lot of things we could say, but they are mostly symptomatic of the real problem:
- American business does not give a damn about the end consumer.
To begin with, businesses got rid of live people to answer phones and went to voice mail systems that usually make you wait, sometimes for hours, to talk to anyone. Then they started hiding behind their websites. Many of them no longer even have a customer service email address; all they have is answers to generalized FAQ’s. And, if you do get past the voice mail or website, you end up talking to a jackass in Jakarta.
You simply cannot talk to an American businessman anymore and, therefore, people are not buying. When people stop buying, sales and revenues go down and layoffs result. Let ME be clear: If I want to purchase anything of value, I go to a local small businessman if I can find one who is still in business. I no longer order from Amazon.com, Office Depot Online, Wal-Mart.com, or a slew of other businesses because they simply do not give one iota about me, the guy who is paying the way.
It’s not just a customer service issue. These problems start at the top and flow down through the departments. Be assured: if you have a President who hides from customers and employees, you have a customer service rep who doesn’t mind telling you where to take your damned problem. And the lies… the outright lies they tell you. One rep had the audacity to tell me that the UPS driver opened my box and discovered that the order was wrong, so he sent it back.
I just spent $3,000 on a new TV, sound system, digital recorder, etc. The delivery was scheduled for June 2nd. On June 1st, the delivery company called to arrange a delivery time… on June 21st. As it turns out, the seller shipped it to the wrong area… 300 miles from me. In taking on this challenge, I discovered the shipping company didn’t give a rat’s ass; after I finally got past the front line at customer service, the immediate response from the next guy was, in essence, “We don’t care when we promised delivery. If you don’t like it, you’ll have to wait for it to be delivered, (on the 21st), then ship it back and we will issue a refund within 30 days.”
These are the reasons you or your neighbor are out of a job. Money is so tight that when we spend it, we want value and we want service. If your company was not providing value and service, we quit buying there and you are out of a job. And while we, the consumers, hope that your employer goes out of business, we really don’t want to see you lose your job, but those are the breaks in a world full of businesses that just don’t care.
That’s MY AMERICAN OPINION, respectfully submitted.
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