I am frustrated today. My frustration actually started about 30 minutes after I woke up, which makes for a crappy day. Spencer was supposed to go to the vet this morning to get all of his vaccines. His appointment was at 8am. I usually don't wake up until between 8 and 9, so I already had to get up earlier than normal--not really a big deal, though. When I got to the vet's office to check in, I was asked if I had changed my phone number. I have had the same number for nearly a decade--it's the same number they have in their computer system. Apparently, they had tried to call me yesterday, but my number was "disconnected." Then, I was told that they only have one doctor today, and they need to reschedule my appointment for next week. If that won't work, I can drop him off and pick him up later--like around 6:00 PM when they are finished. Are ya kiddin' me? Also, I hardly think that calling me YESTERDAY to reschedule was an acceptable solution. I still wouldn't be able to get another appointment until next week.
Spencer has doggie insurance through Banfield Pet Hospital, which is associated with Petsmart. This post will hardly be a commercial for them, and I WILL be writing a complaint later on today. They recently opened a new Banfield in the area. Rather than hiring new vets, they just pulled vets from the other area hospitals to staff this new hospital. The end result? Now ALL of the hospitals are understaffed. Is that my problem? No. Are they making it my problem? Um, yes.
Spencer's appointment has been scheduled for several months. Yes, I said MONTHS. I didn't just call last week to set it up. Yet, this morning, I had to rearrange my day because of their scheduling error. My baby has to spend his day locked in a crate, just so he can get his shots. Then they act like I have no right to be frustrated about this. Seriously? I pay these people $20 a month. AND they didn't even apologize for inconveniencing me!!
What the hell happened to "the customer is always right"?!
In this case, I would be totally pissed off, too. But.....from experience.... I know for sure that the customer is not always right. Sometimes, it should even be the customer is rarely right. Having said that, as a customer service agent, it is important to make the customer feel like they are right... unless they are so off the wall that it is necessary to explain that they are wrong. If that is the case, there are still friendly ways to tell people they are total idiots.
ReplyDeleteFrom my experience... this is what you do when you need to reschedule and you can't get in touch with the person.... TRY OTHER CUSTOMERS. Perhaps it is foolish of me to assume they have the phone numbers of all of the other pet owners who had appointments. Your 10 minutes of vaccinations should not have been that much of an inconvenience anyway. Also, considering you have the pet insurance, and you pay a monthly fee, I'm glad you're sending comments to them.
I forgot to mention that they also have the contact information for my friend Julia and her husband...both of whom are authorized contacts they could have called and asked about rescheduling if they couldn't get a hold of me.
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