Who remembers Customer Service?

You know the one - it was when companies actually wanted your business and set out to win it by giving you a good service, I think it went out of fashion about the same time as schools decided that education wasn't necessary on the curriculum anymore.

I ordered a laptop (you knew where this was going didn't you) and got a nice email saying it had been despatched - That's customer service, so far so good.

Got home from work yesterday to find a card from the courier firm telling me that they'd been and I had one more chance to be in when they called next or failing that I had to collect it myself within five days or the thing was going back to the supplier. I checked out their address, they're a good seventy miles from me so missing the second delivery attempt isn't really an option for a busy cosmopolitan chap such as myself.

Thinking on my feet I rang their depot, I'd had a brilliant idea, the conversation went something like this :-

'Hello, I missed your delivery today, here's my consignment no. ******** '

'We'll try again tomorrow, if you miss it again you'll have to collect.'

'Well, heh heh (chuckle designed to get obvious teenage girl on my side) I have to be at work tomorrow but...'

'We can't give you a delivery time - if you're not in then you'll have to collect.'

'Yes but I have to be at work, I can't just take a day off at short notice. Anyway why don't we try ...'

''We can't give you a delivery time - if you're not in then you'll etc...'

'Listen, I have to be at work but why don't I give you my phone no. and then the driver can ring me when he's ten minutes away and I'll make sure I'm there.'

'What?'

'I'll give you my number and you can contact me when he's on his way, I'll nip out of work and be at home when the driver gets there. Everybody's happy.'

I'll take the number but I can't guarantee he'll call you. We can't give you a delivery time - if you're not in then you'll have to collect.'

Etc. etc. etc.

Is it me? Was I expecting too much?

I've already filled the car up for the trip to collect the fucking thing!