July13

On the Bad Side of Good Customer Service

I wake up on Tuesday morning and head into my normal routine. Get up, check email, eat breakfast, shower, get ready for work and fix my lunch. On this particular Tuesday, I felt like I was missing an early meeting at work, so I check my work schedule... nothing. Shaking off the bad mojo, I grab my keys and wallet and start heading for the door.

Then it hits me, I’m already two minutes late for my dentist appointment.

I run down the stairs to my car and start speeding up north towards my destination. Once inside the car, I call the dentist’s office to let them know that I’m running late.

“Hi, my name is Seth Gunderson and I’m late for my appointment,” I blab into the phone.

“Oh no problem, we’ll see you when you get here,” the kind receptionist says to me.

No matter how un-urgent she tried to make the situation sound, I was still hauling ass. Perhaps, however, too much ass-hauling was taking place... while rounding a curve, I failed to notice the speed trap set up on the highway. I got a speeding ticket. 70 in a 55 – not too bad, but that didn’t help my already being late.

It didn’t take too long to get the ticket, and after four minutes, I was back on my way.

So I’m nearing the end of my drive and my phone rings...

“Hello,” I said, knowing it was the dentist’s office.

“Yes, are you actually coming in today,” asked the receptionist?

“Yeah. I got a speeding ticket, but I’m one minute away.”

“Well... uh, hang on............yeah, we’re going to have to reschedule your appointment.”

“What?”

“It wouldn’t be fair to our other patients. We’ll call you back to schedule another time.”

I. Was. Pissed.

I’ll be the absolute first person to say it, I was late. If I weren’t late, this would’ve never happened. I take the blame for the ticket AND the need to reschedule the appointment.

But... you don’t call someone and ask where they’re at, hear that they got a speeding ticket trying to make it there and then tell them that you’re rescheduling when they’re TWO BLOCKS AWAY FROM YOUR OFFICE!!!

Yes, I was late. Yes, it was my fault. But the first time I call, couldn’t you ask how far away you are from the office? Couldn’t you say that if you can’t make it here by X time, then we should just try again some other time? I was in the car for 50+ minutes since I was told to turn around, that’s the LAST thing you want to hear when you’ve just received a speeding ticket.

This is a dentist that I love. A dentist that I’ve never been late to. A dentist that I’ve paid all my bills on time for. And it’s a dentist I’ve referred several friends to.

I appreciate the concern for your other patients, really I do, you don’t see that a lot these days. But throw me some slack!!!

+ original post date: July 13, 2006 10:25 PM
+ categories: I'm An Idiot, KC, WTF