NORMAL LIFE: Service Ain't What It Used To Be!

Am I the only one who seems to think that service ain't what it used to be? When I was a kid and we went out for dinner as a family, staff would wait on you hand and foot, rushing back and forth to see if there was anything they could do to make your meal that little bit more of a pleasant experience. And don't get me started on the Chinese. They always seem to be in a rush in an obvious bid to increase table turnover. Fuck off! I am paying to have a nice meal so don't ply me with more food until I'm ready, bitch! I am not paying you to give me indigestion, geddit?

Recently, I had the most appalling experience when Bree and I were in a Chinese restaurant in London's ChinaTown. We were asked if we wanted to leave a tip so Bree left the standard 10% on the electronic receipt. When we left, I realised that the standard 12.5% service charge was already included in the cost of our meal and they had happily taken an additional 10%. Fucking capitalists! They only heated up some food and bought it to the table! God, whatever happened to treating the customer with respect?

It's interesting to see how services are delivered in different countries. For example, if you go to shoe shop in England, someone will eventually ask if you want to try on some shoes. In some stores, they will even fit them to your feet and tie up the laces for you. In Finland, you try on the single shoe you like then actively have to hunt down a sales assistant to find the matching shoe for the other foot. Before you know, the purchase of a pair of shoes becomes a one hour task. And when you do get the other shoe, you are left alone to try them on which kind of defeats the object of not putting both shoes on the shelves in the first place!

Recently, I've been amazed also by how the Finnish Tax Authority seem to love receiving my letters, but refuse to do anything with them other than to admire the lovely fonts and perfect formatting! And then there's this HR consultant who, commissioned by my last company to assist me in finding work, has sent me one lousy email (containing information I already knew) since our meeting in December.

Bree has been surprised by the fall in service standards. In Finland, one thing I admired about services is that tipping isn't part of the culture. Knowing this, you then have to question where the motivation comes from for service providers to even bother trying to deliver good service. In Spain and Italy, for example, tips form a large part of many salaries. Isn't it standard business knowledge that a salary is an overhead of the business and shouldn't this therefore be included in the cost of goods - or services - sold? I just don't see why organisation's should rely on the charity of consumers.

I know I sound like Victor Meldrew, but am I missing something here??