I am PLB, hear me roar.

A few years ago, I earned the unfortunate nickname of Prissy Little B*%^$, which I was happy to have shortened to PLB after the story had been retold enough to satisfy everyone.

I like to think that normally, I’m not a PLB. I mean, there are generally only a few days out of the month that I wake up ready for a fight. But even on my most ready-to-be-nice days, the whole quandary of where customer service went can be baffling, and sometimes a girl’s just gotta sound her barbaric yawp to get heard around here.

My first PLB label -- and very bad customer service experience -- came when I was a junior in college. I was headed to work when I stopped to fill up my car on Hwy 49. After a ridiculously rude run-in with the cashier, I spun around on my heel, tossed my hair, and said, "Fine. Have it your way. Your manager will hear all about it in the letter I’m going to write." Still reeling from the shock that I had said that, I heard the chainsmoker’s gravelly voice mutter, "Prissy little b*tch."

This was obviously quite the hilarious story to my friends and family -- especially after I did write that letter and received a sincere apology letter in reply along with a significant amount of free gas gift certificates. (Why did I already cash those in?! Worth GOLD today! But anyway...)

Since then, I guess my PLB occurrences have taken an upward turn. Not something I’m proud of, necessarily, but something that occasionally is deemed necessary to get any customer service, much less good customer service. A few of those instances over the years have included living/landlord/car wreck experiences (I have a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time), and the most recent is in progress now. It involves carpet replacement and lack of communication and workers who are "too tired" to finish the job when they said they would, but I won’t bore you with all that.

My basic point is that today, I had to be somewhat of a PLB in order for a company to do what they said they would. And why is that? Why can’t jobs be done right the first (or God forbid the second) time? I know I’m sounding really ancient here, but what happened to "the customer is always right"? Many friends who own their companies, I’m sure, can name situations where customers can’t always be appeased. And I understand that. But doing a job and doing with a smile seems to be a thing of the past.

I’m pretty sure that if I went to work, griped all day about how hard my work was -- and not just to a select few at lunch -- kept looking at my "customer" (coworker, boss, branch, department, or division I’m working with) and shaking my head while complaining that I’d never seen a job this hard, actively did things to put the work I’d accomplished in peril and ruin its quality, then proceeded to leave with the job half-completed (but still during working hours) because I was "too tired," this is "really hard work," and "I’m having to work with HER, and she’s never really done this before," I can almost guarantee that would not total job security for this redhead.

Do I run into those very issues at work? Of course. Do I sometimes have some of the same temptations? Naturally! But do I give in? No way, man. I like my paycheck. My bills really like my paycheck. And most importantly, I was not taught to get out of work, but to tackle it like the (closet) PLB I am.

Now that I’ve given myself a major pep talk, I’m pretty sure this is where the blog ends. Maybe I’ll remember these words next time one of my "customers" isn’t happy with me. One can only hope.

Until the next rant,
Your (closet) prissy little b*%^&




2:23 PM - 5 Comments - 2 Kudos

Focus on what these people do for a living, what their education level is, what their pay level is ... etc ... also focus on where we live. The comination of these things should explain to you why good customer service is a thing of the past. Take one person who disappoints you and follow their career... they work at a certain gas station for a few months, switch to a fast food restaraunt for a few months ... and so on. A pretty, educated young lady like yourself is just a PLB to them because they wish they were :)
Posted by Susan on March 27, 2008 - Thursday 7:58 PM

Sigh. You're right. Bye-bye, wind in my ranting sails. Your words are so true!
Posted by Arr-Jay on March 28, 2008 - Friday 6:35 AM

(I mean your words about their place in life are so true. Not necessarily about their wishing to be in my place! But thanks for that, too.)
Posted by Arr-Jay on March 28, 2008 - Friday 6:36 AM

Bekah....Bekah....BEKAH!!!! Terms of endearment are what makes us each *special*... Now I dont mean Window-licking "Special", but the kind of special that all of your friends see and go, "I really DO love this Pri$$y Lil Beyaaaatch!!! At LEAST the Chain Smoking Ass-jacket didnt turn around and start into the third verse of.... "Say You..........Say Meeeee........"Love, CRB(Crazy Redneck Bastard)
Posted by Jammit on March 28, 2008 - Friday 12:56 PM

You are a total nut job! I definitely thought of you while writing this, wondering if you would read it and call me out on those work times together when I reared my ugly PLB head. :-) Love and miss you!!!
Posted by Arr-Jay on March 30, 2008 - Sunday 5:28 PM