Customer Service?

Just a bit of a follow up to my last post here and then on to the topic in hand. At the gym I go to , I catch a bit of an "infotainmment" program called Sky "News". A bit of digression here first. I am not by any means a fitness freak but there comes a point in your life when you look in the mirror each morning, and you begin to wonder who the old guy is, that is staring back at you. I tried shuffling round a bit and if you catch the light just right you can improve the look of things, but when parts of your body begin to sag, it is time to do something about it. So I have got into the routine of dropping Georgia at school and then calling into the gym for 20 minutes graft on an elliptical trainer. After 4 weeks you will be pleased to hear that my nipples have now removed themselves from under my armpits and are making their way back to their starting position in life. While on the subject of getting older, how come I am losing the hair on my head, but it is growing on my feet! What's the story here, you get old and turn into a Werewolf? Any way in the last post I mentioned about the pharmaceutical companies and by sheer coincidence the next day Sky News invited a doctor on to the show to talk about the asthma drug "Symbicort" which has just been made available on prescription in Australia. The news presenter did not ask one serious question, like are there any side effects, is there any advantage over the current drugs, how much is it costing the Health Service. Instead it just ran like a commercial, with the presenter and doctor agreeing how lucky we all are that such clever doctors like himself have developed this wonderful drug that is now available to everyone. By the way the side effects are:

• Common side effects
  mild irritation in the throat, coughing, hoarseness, thrush (fungal infection in mouth and throat)headache, trembling, rapid heartbeat
• Less common side effects
  sleep difficulties restlessness, nervousness and anxiety dizziness, sickness, muscle cramps
• Rare side effects
  skin rash and bruising, itching, spasm in the airways, depression, behavioural disturbances, facial swelling, high blood sugar levels, chest pain, irregular heartbeats

To get on to the thread of this weeks post. I went into the local newspaper office this week thinking I could get an advertising rate card. Now not a big ask you might say, but the woman behind the desk informed me that they do not give out that kind of information. I must have had a blank expression on my face which the woman must have assumed meant I was stupid, because that is how she treated me. I rephrased the question and got the same answer. I asked how people are supposed to know how much their advert is going to cost them. The reply was that if you have an idea of the type of advert you want, that they can give you a rough idea but not a definite price, I said I knew roughly what I wanted, but I must have used up my quota of time as the woman turned away and restarted her conversation with her colleague. It is a fact of life in NZ that customer service is poor in most places, with untrained staff that really don't care and get shirty if you show signs of frustration. The worst is the retailer Dick Smiths, They have some good buys but you have to know all about the product you want before you go in. I asked once for some information and got the response "I don't know" I asked again in a different way and got the response "what I am saying to you is, I don't know" with an edgy tone, I asked if there was any one in the store that would know? "I don't know" came the reply and off he went. I could go on with more examples but I don't want to bore you. Just expect untrained, unmotivated, unhelpful customer service and you wont be disappointed.