Being Taken for Granted
Nobody likes to be taken for granted, but I'm starting to see more and more of this from a consumer point of view. For example, consider magazine and newspaper subscriptions where you are not rewarded for longevity; instead, you carry the load as rates go up and up with each passing year. It seems the longer you are a customer, the less you are appreciated and the more you are taken advantage of. I guess seniority and tenure doesn't carry much weight anymore.
One way to overcome this problem is to shop around every now and then. It seems the only way you can get someone's attention is to cancel their service and go with something else. I have a friend who runs a restaurant and he felt his coffee supplier was taking him for granted. Please understand, this was a vendor he had been using for over twenty years. Their service wasn't that good anymore and their prices had been escalating in recent times. Worst of all, the vendor simply didn't care if the customer was satisfied or not, and this was really the straw that broke the camel's back. My friend shopped around and found a new supplier who provided better service at a fair price. He then told his old supplier that his service was no longer needed. This shocked the vendor who couldn't believe my friend was going elsewhere after so many years of service. Only then did he try to make amends with my friend.
Maybe by canceling service and trying something else is the only way we can send companies a wake-up call. And if enough people did it, we might just get the type of customer service we all deserve. For example, imagine the effect a "National Subscription Cancellation Day" would have where everyone canceled their magazine and newspaper subscriptions. Then on the next day they could subscribe again as new customers thereby entitling them to the new lower rates and all of the fun prizes the publications like to offer. First, such an event would probably bring the publishers' computers to their knees. But more importantly, it would send a powerful message to the publishers that we do not like to be taken for granted. I know people do not like to interrupt service, but it would be worth it in the end.
Two other areas where we are being taken for granted are insurance rates and gasoline prices. Living in Florida, we are acutely aware of the high price of coverage for wind-storm damage. Frankly, it's pricing a lot of people right out of the state and has had a dramatic impact on new home construction. The gulf coast, the Atlantic coast, California, the tornado belt, and the frozen north are also feeling the pinch of escalating insurance costs (and I think that just about covers everyone in the States). I don't think I need to explain the problem with rising energy prices and how the oil companies are making record profits. I just wonder who is standing up for the consumer? It sure isn't our local, state, or federal government as our leaders all like to dance to the fiddle of lobbyists.
No, the real power lies in the consumer, a slumbering giant who could cause havoc if he ever woke up. We just need a lot more people like my restaurant friend who was tired of being taken for granted and finally put his foot down. We do not necessarily need a major organized campaign to protect ourselves, we only need to refuse to accept inferior workmanship and service. More simply, we just need to refuse to be taken for granted. Just remember, in most cases you can only be taken advantage of if you allow yourself to be taken.
Tim Bryce is a writer and management consultant located in Palm Harbor, Florida.
You can find his work on the Internet at:
http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm
He can be contacted at: timb001@phmainstreet.com
Copyright © 2007 Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.
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