What is the little guy consumer to do?

Well it has been more then a week since I last posted. I think that might be a big blog no-no.

There have been many topics each day that I thought about blogging or would have blogged

about had I had the use of the Internet. The topic that has nestled  in my brain for a long winters

nap is how our consumer driven society has changed how we treat the consumer, the customer,

the one with the buying power, right? Have our  demands and wants driven the supplier to be the supreme power?

I have obviously had a tough time recently with customer service. I am not knocking those in the profession in general. My grievance is with a big fish corporation. It has forsaken its customers. Or should I say out grown the desire to have good customer relations . They have spent so much time growing the network of business that they do not bother to educate the people employed by them on company policies. I spent the better part of six hours being; disconnected, brushed off to voice mail, hung up on (my favorite), supervisor sending me to another department to get rid of me. It was frustrating and unbelievably ridiculous. My second to last conversation brought satisfaction, finally today. This was my second to last call,remember. The last call was another supervisor whom was adamant that my service that was corrected was done so without authority. I was ready to go around again if they dared undue the erroneous action that brought me satisfaction!!

So, this was a crazy and unnecessary way to spend 6+ hours of my time, but I am unemployed.

In between phone calls and on hold I couldn't help to wonder what has happened to the customer is always right? In my experience I have always thought that if you don't know an answer get some one that does know the answer. If you have a disgruntled person try to be empathetic, listen to what they say,

help them to get an answer to the question at hand.

I have the feeling in this case while it began with a mistake on my part as the customer, I was making a good faith effort to right my wrong. I trusted what information was out there in cyberspace and followed directions. How was I to know that these directions were not meant for me? It was baffling and so much so that the customer care specialist could not answer the question why I was led astray.  It frustrated them into doing their best to brush me off, even hang up on me. I was also frustrated that as a customer no one that I talked to could empathize with my situation enough to want to help me solve the mystery. I was not important to them, just another number in the 757. Are our wants as consumers driving businesses not to care? Can they sell us anything and anyway? Who has the  real buying power? I think ours  is dried up.