The Arrogance of Poor Service

It's only Wednesday but two examples of poor service have been brought to my attention already this week. These are beyond the usual rude checkout clerks we've come to anticipate but are surprised are rare occasions not to encounter. Being top-notch companies who proclaim themselves as service providers, their lack of service comes across as arrogant to me. What do you think?

The first example is at a highly regarded vision center. For the second time in a row, the patient was kept waiting for more than 30 minutes without being spoken to. After 45 minutes and an inquiry to the front desk, the patient was taken to a room in the back for a routine blood pressure check. He was told the doctor would be "right in." But, the doctor did not come right in. After 30 more minutes, the patient opened the door, put on his coat, and began to leave. A nurse asked if he would like to reschedule. He did not. It has been more than 48 hours and no one from the doctor's office has been in touch with this long-time patient.

Is the doctor's time more valuable than the patient's?If two incidents are the norm, which they might not be, it appears that blatant disregard for patients' time is the culture of this organization.

Have we all come to expect less of people who disrespect our time?

The other example is from a contemporary museum. A couple met with the catering/event manager about hosting a 70-person event at the museum. The manager was told budget is no issue and she promised to send a proposal. It's been more than two weeks since the promise was made and none was sent. She has not followed up in any manner about the event.

Perhaps rather than being arrogant, the event manager is overly busy tending to all the events being held. From what I gather around town, however, there is event space to be had and most restaurants appreciate a 70-person booking with an unlimited budget. Apparently the contemporary museum is disinterested in such an event.

Does the disinterest, lack of follow-up, and broken promise indicate arrogance? If the manager thinks the customer is going to call up begging for a proposal, that's about as arrogant as it gets.

Poor service is disrespectful to customers and coworkers who rely on you to build the business. If your business is not enjoying and endless supply of profitable clients, as the two companies here clearly are, make sure service is impeccable. Start by making sure the people with direct contact with customers are not arrogant and work from there.