The Wrong Squid: It's official! Well, the Dorf would argue that it was official a long time ago, but I think I have crossed over into full time being a Crank. Yes, that is a capital C. I found myself thinking this morning, "The state of customer service in this country is down the shitter." That is a direct quote. Who thinks sentences like that? Cranks.
I came close recently thanks to ordering things for the computer lab I manage, paying for next day shipping, and then not having the stuff ship for a week, with no notice from the company. Apparently next day shipping is just a suggestion, and in no way indicates urgency of need. But a week and a half ago I ordered a spindle of blank DVDs from Best Buy. I was told that when it shipped, it would be 3-7 days. It has been more than that, and by checking the USPS tracking page, I see that it arrived in a facility in Illinois a week ago, and hasn't left. So I emailed Best Buy and asked why it was taking so long, and if they had better information than "it is sitting in Illinois," and they told me it would take 15 days to arrive. That is not 3-7, and I paid enough in shipping that it could have been shipped Priority no problem. If it's going Pony Express, I can see it taking 15 days. Otherwise, fuck you Best Buy. I ordered something from Musician's Friend on Saturday, and got it Monday, shipped Priority for the same cost.
What really pisses me off, aside from being jerked around, is that I can't really complain to anyone that will make a difference. If I call the customer service line, I'll sit on hold for forever, and then just yell at some most likely outsourced kid in India who could give a shit. Someone on a messageboard I read was applauding the demise of Mom and Pop stores, saying that they had made their money off of gouging the customer for years and their time was up. Even if that was the case, you could at least go in there and yell at someone who was in a position to care when there was a problem. And maybe even get an apology. All I got from Best Buy was "we appreciate your enthusiasm to use your order."
I'll appreciate your enthusiam to bite my ass, Best Buy.
So, yeah, my Crank certificate (suitable for framing!) is in the mail, but I won't have it for 15 days.
