I recently had an interesting experience that forced me to evaluate my thoughts on helping others. The details of why I was forced to stop on Elm Street in St. Charles, MO, to make an emergency toll-free call are unimportant. What happened when I tried is important.
I stopped at the Convenient Food Mart. There they had two payphones. The buttons on one of them wouldn't work. The other phone had buttons that stuck, but I was finally able to dial my number. The recorded message that I got stated, "We're sorry, but the number that you dialed cannot be reached by a payphone at this time." Okay, that seemed ridiculous. And the clock was ticking.
I ran into the station and found the manager. At least, I assumed that she was the manager, as she wore a different shirt than the cashiers. I explained my problem . . . That I had to make an urgent phone call that was TOLL-FREE, but that their outside payphones wouldn't dial it. She informed me that she was unable to let me use their inside phone. I wonder, if I'd have been holding my spleen in place and needed an ambulance, if she would have been so calm about store policy.
I went back outside and dialed the operator. I explained my situation to her and she politely informed me, "We cannot assist in the dialing of toll-free numbers, ma'am." Ma'am? And why can't they assist in the dialing of toll-free numbers? Is it so difficult for them to dial "1-800 . . ." or "1-888 . . ." or "1-877 . . ." or "1-866 . . ." that they can't help out somebody in an emergency?
The clock was ticking.
I ran next door to the Jack in the Box. Their payphone, while in good working order, gave me the same message. "We're sorry, but the number that you dialed cannot be reached by payphone at this time." By now, I was pulling my hair out. I decided to see if the restaurant would let me use their inside phone. I went inside and explained my situation to one of the associates. He was very friendly and went to get his manager. When she came to the counter, I repeated my problem to her. She ROLLED HER EYES and huffed, grabbing a sheet of paper and asking for the number. I politely gave her the number and a message. Even though she had ROLLED HER EYES, which is one of my BIGGEST PET PEEVES when working with people who are in the customer service field, at least she was going to try to help me.
Then, she headed toward the back of the restaurant. She'd taken three steps when she turned around, gave me a disapproving stare, and said, "You know, the convenience store next door does have payphones.
I almost snapped. Was it really a HUGE inconvenience for her to make this call for me, considering the fact that the "massive" number of customers that they had in the restaurant both already had their food? I held myself in check and replied, "I already tried their payphones. I got the same message."
She turned back around and disappeared around a corner. A few moments later, she came back and said, "The number's busy," as she threw the paper with the toll-free number onto the counter and walked away.
I finally was able to make the call at a payphone and take some of the blame, as I had originally been using the wrong toll-free prefix. But that doesn't excuse rudeness. Especially in fields of customer service. I worked for three different convenience store chains and any of them would have let the customers who had an emergency use their phones. The second store even let one of the deputy sheriffs in the area call in his nightly reports.
I will not frequent an establishment where the workers are rude to me. There are two businesses on Elm Street in St. Charles, MO, where I will never again spend any of my hard-earned money.
September `7, 2003
ESSAYS*HOME