Seriously now people!

[pandafishowner]

Another one that's annoying... getting a call from Dell asking if this is the right person, to please press 1. So you press one, get a CS agent only to get told they have no idea why you were called?

[dsaundry]

Wow! It's interesting and somewhat bizzare to watch this thread. I am not surprized by some of the feedback people are getting. I am in a business that does service the public and finding qualified people to do the job is like finding a Gem Tang at the grocery store. Just nobody qualified or interested in doing their apprenticeship anymore. I know it just isn't my industry that is suffering {automotive repair shop} its all the trades. There is a severe lack of skilled workers out there right now and as the older qualified people are retireing as I plan to do in the next 5-10 years there is nobody to take their place. So be prepared to put up with the automated phones and voice mails that nobody responds too and poor service when you go out for a meal or try to find help in a hardware store. Nobody is training people properly either, they just "Throw them to the Wolves" so to speak. Sad but true. One thing I do try to do is if you are somewhere and you get really good service..TELL THEM.
If you don't they will never know and appreciate what they are doing. If you get lousy service..TELL THEM. They will just keep assuming that they are doing ok. This applies to all of our suppliers for our hobby too. Nobody complains so everything has to be ok, Right? I value the odd complaint we may get from time to time, nobody is perfect and stuff happens, but in this and other industries the studies have shown that most people dont complain, they just go somewhere else. Too true.....

[pandafishowner]

I had an arguement with a guy from Dell because he refused to answer me regarding my own account. When I asked for a number to call to get an answer, he mumbled the number. I kept repeating for him to speak louder. When he finally did and I asked for his name, he wouldn't even give it to me. After he'd hung up on me, I tried the number he gave me and it didn't even exist. When I called Dell back to try and find out who I'd spoken to so I could make a complaint, I got told they can't tell me that kind of information.

[dsaundry]

Heard that one before. That is most of these tech lines companies policy. Unusual from Dell as I have had pretty good service from them for the most part. Last time I had an issue the tech gave me a case number and a personal line to phone back on. Either that or I have just been lucky. had good and bad service from a lot of places. I had the absolute best service I have ever had in a "Boston Pizza" retaurant in Mission the other night. Had the "perfect" waitress. Prompt and courteous, didn't interupt at inappropriate times, when my glass was getting low I never had to ask for a refill. I havent had service like that in a restaurant including the high end ones in a long, long time. I made sure I told her and her manager how special it was finding a place that provides such great service.. little things go a long way sometimes.
God I sound like my parents..

[fishoholic]

I've had a few interesting experiences too with fellow employees. That last girl we hired worked for a day then called in sick for the next 2 days then told us that her psychiatrist told her she shouldn't work for us due to her mental problems I guess it was good of her to quit, but it makes you wonder...

[Johnny Reefer]

Originally Posted by pandafishowner

Another one that's annoying... getting a call from Dell asking if this is the right person, to please press 1. So you press one, get a CS agent only to get told they have no idea why you were called?

I got a phone call the other day...picked up and say "hello"...and was immediately told by a pre-recorded message that my response ("hello") was incorrect . Then there was some kind of "push this button" direction, but I am never ever ever going there!

Cheers,

[dsaundry]

As a small business owner I see a lot of crappola. I had to fire a guy a couple years back, he set one car on fire and damaged another, cost me a fortune even with shop insurance, when I fired him for being incompetent he was real quick to say that he wanted his sevriegns pay for being fired. Learned my lesson there, now all new employee's sign a contract, it states that I can terminate their employment without compesation if they screw up all the time. I document any and all infraction because the small business owner has virtually zero protection nowadays..I think there are a lot of employee's with "mental problems"

[SeaSerpant]

hey where would be a good place to work that you can reach in the west end?

[Sebae again]

Having been involved in the construction industry for almost 25 years and been hands on with training apprentices on a daily basis for the last 20 years,this has been the worst I've ever seen it. When I started in the business,journeymen trades people were making $ 18/ hour and new houses were on average 80 to 120 k . Now those same houses are 450 to 800k.and trades people would be lucky in say a city like Vancouver to make $36/ hour.Over a year ago with a minimum down payment for a shoe box apartment in Vancouver you needed an income of 120 k/year so at 72/k per year you were more than a little short. Now a lot of people have a BAD habbit of saying well why should a trades person make that kind of money when these other people are making minimum wage. Here lies the problem people,negative reverse thinking -taking something positive and twisting it into a negative.Maybe other people deserve more money as well.
So IMO some of these people in low paying jobs have gone into the trades so they can make better money when they don't posses the necessary skills and the skilled workers have moved on to other fields which will qualify them for that shoe box apartment.
Inflation only ''works'' if everything increases. Because of this, young people [ not all ] have no drive ,determination or goals because the goals that we had are unobtainable to them,so called ''a thing of the past'' eg. that trip to Europe ,that new car ,that new house. There is no incentive. They will be born ,live and die in a rental apartment and a holiday will be just be time of work.
If this seems cold and dark it's because it is .Welcome to the future.After 25 years ,I've been contemplating a career change because of a lack of skilled employees because to too many a job is just a job.Just something to try and pay the bills and keep the landlord at bay.

[EmilyB]

Originally Posted by SeaSerpant

hey where would be a good place to work that you can reach in the west end?

You are a young person, if you lived next door I would give you lots of work...you should look towards that type of thing.