My Friday Rant

I know this will date me, but I actually remember driving into a service station, where attendants came out, fueled the car, checked tire pressure, looked under the hood, washed the windows—and made pleasant conversation. 

Sometimes, it can feel like service has gone the way of typewriters, bell bottoms, and S&H Green Stamps (now we are really dating). And yes, thankfully some of these things are gone—and mercifully gone for good. But hopefully, service will never be obsolete and antiquated.

Triggering all of this is an experience I had this week with a business (I will leave nameless). There was a breakdown that needed addressing, but the emails gave no indication that one could simply talk on the phone with a service rep. There were no phone numbers to be found. This seems to be a growing problem. There is no one to talk to, at least by phone these days. Hence, issues that should take a moment to resolve end up taking days. The exceptions seem to be those businesses that allow one to speak to a computer. 

It is ironic, that in a day that seems to provide the technology that enhances communication, it is harder and harder to speak to a live voice. When I clicked on the person who might help, this is what came up—

Random Facts about Me

-I believe the only worthwhile sport is professional wrestling

-I used to build racing boat parts

-All of my favorite movies are objectively terrible

-I can eat an entire sushi boat

Please. This is like getting on a church website and reading about their “personalities” (a.k.a paid staff). Instead of finding information about one’s credentials and convictions, we get to discover a pastor’s preferred pizza topping and favorite movie. But then, what matters is that we are cool and relevant.

If we come to a day our church has an impressive website, but no stated phone numbers (without knowing the secret code), please close us down. And please do not refer to the weekend meetings as church “services.” Girrrrrrrrrrrrrrh!