Apathy in Customer Care: That's PSE

Every few months we see our power bills increase. I’m supposed to trust that these increases are entirely necessary. What I saw yesterday gives me doubts.

When I walked into my local Puget Sound Energy office to pay my bill, I was relieved to see that only one person was there before me and that two more customer service representatives were available to help the next customer.

Well, kind of.

As I stood waiting to be invited to a window for service, the other two gals were engaged in a hairstyling moment: one sat in her chair --- in her customer service window, mind you --- while the other appeared to be either removing or placing the first gal’s hair extensions. Two more PSE customers entered the lobby behind me; neither of the customer service reps acknowledged that any customers stood awaiting service.

I muttered, “Are they kidding?” to the two others who looked at disbelief at what these two ladies were being paid to do. Three representatives, three open windows, one working rep.

The rep who was “doing” the hair of her co-worker gestured to her designated window after a couple of minutes and told me, “I can help you over there,” Then she continued working on her co-worker’s hair.

I doubted that she would actually finish her little project before the working representative’s window would become available. When she finally attended to her window, she was unapologetic and simply took my payment. Certainly, she does not answer to me, but even a lighthearted joke on her part would have hinted to me that at least she realized how ridiculously unprofessional it was.

This was absolutely careless. Do these ladies know how this display looked to us customers? Couldn’t they do this on a break, or at the very least, style hair in an area away from the customer service windows? And where was their supervisor?

What I saw makes me wonder: “If such conduct is acceptable in plain view of their customers, what has ‘customer service’ become?”

This is not a mountain; it really is just a molehill. Had I simply dropped my payment in the drop box as I normally do, I would not have seen the disregard these reps had for customer care. So really, what difference does it make?

Well, just one: now each month when I pay my bill, rate increases and all, I will wonder whether the higher rates are justified, or whether they are simply paying the wages of some customer service representatives who just don’t get it.