This is rare conventional blog post for me. Conventional because its all about me and my own life, about which I don’t personally think anyone cares much apart from people I speak to all the time anyway. Still, here we go.
I am writing to whinge – the ultimate act of powerlessness. Blogs are, I think, an attempt to delude us into believing the contrary.
First whinge: Datapro. I have complained about them before, but hardly enough. Possibly the worst collection of service experiences I’ve had to endure have come from this ISP. I have been a customer of their’s for 5 years. You’d think that’d buy you some kind of care. But no.
Last week, the MD of Datapro told me that the reason IS provides “more consistent”service is beause they have more customers and a higher price tag. In fact, the latter is not true, and the former is a bizarre statement at best. I am startled by this kind of attitude. And I’m firing them as soon as I can as a result, and advising anyone who’ll listen to avoid them.
Second whinge: why bother putting up directional signs on highway offramps if they cease the moment you leave the highway. Is it useful to know that this is the right offramp for Olivedale Clinic if there is no sign at the next intersection telling you you need to turn right?
And lastly: what the hell is the deal with doctors and ‘waiting rooms’ and waiting fullstop? As Jerry Seinfeld said, who else is so bold as to not only make you wait but to have a room named for the purpose? Why is it so hard for these people to stick to appointment times? Do I really have half the day to spend reading old Cosmo magazines?
Fortunately, my cool new Nokia e61 and accompanying Bluetooth keyboard, means I can write this post while waiting. Small consolation I guess.
Jarred Cinman 
Hi, I read your blog on Woolies from Meira’s site and I have to say that one of my biggest pet peaves is poor customer service and the fact that huge money-sucking corporations continue to provide shameful service unabaited. I have no problem whatsoever with companies making money, but I do have a problem with companies monopolising an industry and then treating their customers like crap. For years I have been saying that my dream is to create a consumer complaints organisation that goes after these corporations and makes them pay for their service in a way which actually affects them, through their pockets. I don’t really know how to do this but perhaps it would be a good idea to launch an organisation which helps consumers bring thousands of claims in the small claims court – just to piss off the corporations. Anyway, I like the website idea. Go forth and protect our consumer rights!!
Jarred – fully! What do you think of the idea of a site that reports bad service. I’m not talking Hello Peter here, I don’t mean “oh i bought some meat from picknpay and it was off”; but I mean a site aimed at giving feedback on services of suppliers that are in the corporate market. Say divided up by industry or type of service offered. You think would anyone use this? I would plonk Two Tone there in a heartbeat.