Bug List

As consumers, we all have things that bug us. Things that bug us and may or may not be in our control are often times a part of our everyday lives, and putting together a list of those items was actually more challenging than I thought it would be. Here are a list of 20 items that I have identified in Gainesville, Florida for my “Bug List” – chances are, you’ve dealt with them at one point or another in your lives. I’ve also included reasons for why these things happen. Do you agree with the list?

1. For some reason, the Pollo Tropical on Archer Road almost always forgets to put food that I paid for in my bag at the drive-thru, and I’ve had to call repeatedly to complain about it.

R: My only conclusion for this is because they’re always pretty busy, and in fairness to them, they’ve comped me with free food to remedy this issue.

2. There are three things in life that are certain – death, taxes, and my HBO HD channels not working on basically a weekly basis.

R: I’ve called Cox Communications regarding this issue several times, and each time they’ve concluded that it’s a neighborhood issue, so it must be something about my location that causes the problem.

3. Charging for ketchup and sauces at any drive-thru restaurant. If you’re a fast-food joint with a drive-thru, chances are you’re also a Fortune 500 company – is not charging your customers for ketchup and sauce packets really hitting the bottom line that hard?

R: To reduce costs is basically the only viable reason for this.

4. Getting payment reminders before due date. This might seem petty, but if I have 30 days to pay a bill, getting constant reminders about the due date is just downright annoying. One reminder is helpful, two are sometimes helpful, and anything over that is just unnecessary.

R: Companies that do this think they’re providing their customer base with a service, and they’re mostly right. But tone the excessive reminders down just a bit.

5. ANSWER. THE. PHONE. There is essentially no good reason why any company doesn’t answer their phone during operating hours. It bugs the heck out of me when I can’t get ahold of someone when I need a question answered.

R: Being short staffed might cause this issue.

6. Getting stalked by salesmen. It doesn’t matter where it is – whether it’s a furniture store or a car dealership, please do not stalk me, sir. Let me look at and consider my options in peace.

R: I get it – they’re trying to make and close a sale, which is fine. I can respect that. But they aren’t doing themselves any favors by acting like a Stage 5 clinger.

7. On the other hand, when I don’t have the salesperson’s attention. I went car-shopping a few months ago, and more often than not, salespeople that were helping me were smoking cigarettes and texting while “helping” me. This is a no-no. I ended up buying a car from someone who DID NOT conduct themselves that way in front of a client.

R: There’s virtually no rhyme or reason for this.

8. When companies’ support staff making house calls are never available during normal hours. I have a pest control man that comes and sprays my property about once a month, yet I’ve never met the man because he always comes during very unconventional hours. Is he actually spraying? One of the mysteries of the universe.

R: Scheduling conflicts will always exist, of course, but let’s try and be amendable to help the client.

9. Walking into any business, and no one acknowledges me. This one really gets to me bad – JUST SAY HELLO. ANYTHING. I AM A HUMAN BEING, SIR.

R: Again, some businesses are short staffed, which might cause this issue for some.

10. Rude client-facing employees. Ma’am, I’m a paying customer, and I deserve to be treated with respect.          

R: Everyone has bad days, so I get it, but I serve in a client-facing capacity, and sometimes you just have to suck it up and roll with the punches.

11. Not getting change back from a server. Look, I’m great, not good, GREAT tipper. I have the utmost respect for anyone that works in the restaurant industry because the work is grueling. But just because I paid in cash and have change doesn’t mean that it is yours to keep. Let me make that decision, yes?

R: Servers don’t have a great hourly wage, so they might get desperate at times for tips.

12. Having the customer in front of me at the drive-thru at the bank NOT be ready with their transaction. In my opinion, the drive-thru for any place is for fast, easy transactions. So be ready to rock when you get there, please.

R: People are just unprepared, and sometimes they’re lazy because they even ask the BANK TELLER to fill out their paperwork for them, which makes me wait longer.

13. Getting my order wrong. Mistakes happen, but this still bugs me. Give me what I ordered and paid for!

R: This is mostly due to human error.

14. When I can’t find something in a store, and I ask the associate working if they have any more in the back, and they say no without looking. Like, I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware I was talking to the inventory queen.

R: Maybe they are the inventory queen.

15. This next one is exclusive to the store BUCKLE. If I go in there looking for a pair of jeans, they try selling me quite literally the entire store. They eventually start throwing items into the dressing room, and before you know it, I’m wearing a $500 outfit that I had no plans on trying on in the first place.

R: It is a job requirement to change your middle name to SALES at BUCKLE.

16. Dirty store. I know not every store is going to look like Abercrombie and Fitch, but please, please, PLEASE keep your store clean.

R: This could be a byproduct of being short staffed, as well. It’s hard to make time for cleaning when you just don’t have the manpower for it while trying to run a store.

17. Not providing full disclosures to something you’re trying to sell me. I get that making a sale is important, but you’re much more likely to get my money if you give me not only the benefits of a product, but also the potential caveats, as well.

R: Maybe everyone’s middle name should be SALES.

18. Unwillingness to help from a store associate. Believe it or not, Publix, where shopping is a pleasure, has given me a few, not many, but definitely a few instances where I’ve asked someone that works there where to find something, and they either don’t know where it is, aren’t willing to help me find it, or both.

R: This might be due to a lack of adequate training. Train your staff, P.

19. Inappropriate behavior among company cohorts in front of customers. If you have an issue with a teammate, address it AFTER the customer leaves or with your manager (also after the customer leaves). Keep it in the family.

R: The stresses of any job can lead to social dysfunction at times, which might be attributed to this issue.

20. Product quality and a company’s unwillingness to do right by the customer. If your product sucks, do right by the customer. Don’t let the bottom line cloud your judgment. A happy customer is a returning customer.  

R: Costs and the stresses that come with it might be a reason for this.

Coming up with this Bug List became difficult after the first 10, and I really struggled after that. I had to give the assignment a break and really become cognizant of my everyday surroundings and struggles that come naturally for any business. I’m mostly a very tolerant person that gets mad and then gets over it rather quickly. I don’t necessarily hold grudges, and often times I prepare for some of these inconvenient things. For example, I’m not necessarily going to never return to a store just because I noticed that it was dirty once. I’m also not going to not return somewhere just because they messed up my order once. Everything on this list bugs me, yes, but not to the point of no return. The good news is that most of these issues are very correctable for just about anyone.