The flip side of getting good service is being a good customer. It baffles me how people expect that yelling and screaming and claiming "the customer is always right" will somehow net them better service.
You're paying someone to do something for you, that either you can't (neuter your dog, tile your floor, make really fantastic food) or you don't want to (clean your house, make mediocre food).
Why should they serve you if you're not worth the money?
One McDonalds I worked at twice banned customers from its store and many more times told the customers that, if they abused the employees, they were not welcome there. In turn, the employees were fairly chipper, because we knew we weren't going to lose our job when someone's fish sandwich meal came to 4.01 and she started screaming at us that she didn't need to pay a penny.
Because, you know what? Your 4.01 doesn't pay for an hour of work, so why should the management cater to *you,* instead of siding with the employees who keep the not-crazy, full-price-paying customers coming back?
I play World of Warcraft, I have characters that can craft things in demand by the general player base. I'll cut you a break if you're polite, such as offering to come to you or throw in some of the materials myself. If you're a thorn in my side, I reserve the right to charge a "crafting fee" when I otherwise don't.
In my real world jobs, if you're nice, I will work with you to get the results you want. If you're a dick to me or my staff, you're going to get a hack job. Hey, I offered to work with you, you're the one who declared that it was fine the way it was. It's not fine, and I have to make it meet my boss's specifications, not yours. Your specifications are last in the equation, especially when you're unwilling to tell me what they are.
And, wouldn't you know it, friends and family in the service industry say the same thing. Be nice, get your cable hookup fee waived. Be a dick, don't. Be nice, and a few magic button pushes get you the best cell phone plan that they don't advertise. Be a dick, and you can pay 25c per text message for the next two years.
I realise I'm beating a dead horse here, that this has been said all over the internet and this is just one more post in the tubes. But surely, these asshats who demand that I check a price for them when they're standing 20 feet away from where to check it (and I'm somewhere else entirely), or say that something is wrong but refuse to suggest why or how or even what they'd like it to be, or threaten to pee in the pool if the lifeguard takes her kids out for adult swim, surely some of them must have access to computers and the web.
I'm sure they do, because they somehow access websites where they complain about the "bad service" they get, that they bring in the dead hamster and the pet store won't replace it because they bought it two years ago even when she threatened to sue them because her little girl was traumatised.
I.. I can't even think of a proper way to end this. Teaspoon of honey, people.
*headdesk* *headdesk* *headdesk*
