Why is good customer service so surprising?

On Monday afternoon my cell phone rang. It was the Emergency Room doctor I'd seen 14 hours earlier. He called to see if I was feeling better. I was shocked.

The last time I was in the ER I did not even see a doctor yet I got billed for it. When I called to debate the bill ($650 out of pocket - ouch!) I was told that he had reviewed my case while I was in the ER and had prescribed the medicine, which the nurse administered. I did not like this response. And yes, this was the same ER. (On Sunday night I had a reaction to something I ate, one I could not get under control at home using my usual meds, thanks all of you who asked and were concerned.)

When Nordstrom opened, their level of service set the standard. People still talk about the Nordstrom level of service. It's a nice place to shop. Their merchandise is beautifully displayed, the sales people are helpful and they have a no-questions-asked return policy.

I like shopping in France because the shopkeepers greet you upon entering the store. This is so courteous and thoughtful. In the US, it's rare that someone even looks your way when you enter a store.

Last summer we stopped at Ikeda's en route to Tahoe. I bought The Pinks soft-serve ice cream cones. Thing 1 promptly dropped hers. Before she could even start to cry, one of the people working there got down on his knees at her eye level and said: let's get you another one. I love Ikeda's.

Thom tells a great story about how his wife fired their pediatrician. She got tired of routinely waiting more than an hour past their appointment time to get past the waiting room. Better yet is Thom's description of how shocked the front office staff was when Sara marched up to the glass partition, demanded Jackie's chart and said, "I'm firing you. I will not be treated like this." Why is it okay to wait for more than an hour past our appointment time to see a doctor? Is our time not as valuable as theirs? Hour for hour, I'd bet many of us outearn them.

My birthday was last week. Dave went to a lot of work to see that we could have dinner at the new Cheesecake Factory. The day before, he spoke with the manager about their system for providing tables for large groups. He then followed the manager's instructions to the letter and still, after an hour past the time they said we'd be seated, there was no table for us. We left and had a good meal elsewhere.

It bugs me that good service is an exception now, and not part of everyday life. Am I the only one who has noticed the state of the economy? Shouldn't these bozos go out of their way to be helpful lest their employer shutter its windows and they find themselves in the unemployment office, like so many others?!

Today, though, my confidence in the courtesy of our medical professionals, at least one, was restored. Thank you Dr. Mills.