I've noticed a steady decline over the last 10 years in the "care" in customer service but ever since the financial meltdown it seams as if the "service" has been entirely removed from peoples lexicon. What's up with that?

Maybe when most of these companies where bailed out by the govt they thought they were no longer beholden to the customer anymore (even though it was our taxes that provide them with their buckets).

You call up with a question about your acct and they act like you're intruding on THEIR time. You want to restructure your terms and they behave as if you're asking them for a personal loan or if you need to make a payment arrangement, its like you've insulted them on a personal level and they're angry with you.

Whenever you need to get in contact with a company that is somehow involved with taking YOUR money, after going through an automated menu that seems bound and determined to making you forever cross-eyed and then putting you in a long que forcing you to spend what seems like forever listening to crackling, static ridden musack, you finally get to speak to a real person that from jump is angry, rude, aggressive, disrespectful... why?

You know there are MILLIONS of Americans out of work that would just LOVE to have one of these jobs that these people act as if is beneath them. Maybe these folks should remember that lil tidbit.

And if the economy doesn't turn around any time soon and if more people continue to lose their jobs and can't afford to make their payments and have to walk away from their homes/cars, can't pay for those credit cards or have to turn off such luxery items, such as cable, cell phones (do people REALLY need $400 smart phones?) And high speed internet? How many people will then need to contact these "lovely" friendly, personable customer service representatives? These people will then lose their jobs as these companies start shutting down for lack of customers.

And what's wrong with us? Why do WE put up with it? Why aren't we leaving companies that treat us poorly? Why don't we protest this horrible treatment, who without our money (late or not) wouldn't be in business? If people keep losing their jobs and can't pay taxes, how many more bailouts do they think they're going to get then?

Maybe its time for cars to be parked in front of banks with keys left in them and people need to start carpooling, walking, public transportation, ect?

Maybe its time to find small community banks that would be GRATEFUL for our business/money and transfer those big impersonal credit cards/loans to them instead? (With probably a better interest rates).

Maybe instead of being stuck indoors, being distracted by whatever useless gadget that's usually broken or replaced long before the thing has been totally paid off, we will decide to organize block parties or apartment potlucks, start getting to know our neighbors. Maybe we'll start comapring notes, decide we're sick and tired or being abused and taken for granted and decide to do something about it!

Maybe instead of putting those things on our credit cards, we'll organize barter and trade community events.

Trickle THAT down!

Who knows, maybe their rude behaviour is dictated to them from on high? Maybe its some crazy reverse psychology scheme to get us to apologize to them for taking up their valuable time in doing their jobs? I don't know. But what I do know is I'm about done putting up with it.

When I used to get some rude as... person on the phone, I'd typically ask to speak to a supervisor. I don't do that anymore as it seems the supervisors are even worse than the person they just replaced on the phone. Who knows, maybe there's some sort of internal bonus/recognition levels to see just how much of a jerk they can be and that's how they got to be supervisor?

Or maybe they're having their own personal financial traumas and it makes them feel better to treat the rest of us like dirt.

And they may have us over a barrel right now as everyone seems to be hording their money but that won't be the case forever. Eventually this ship will be righted (as these companies see how squeezing out taxpayers out of jobs won't produce tax revenues and pushing people out of homes and cars, their won't be anything to manage if their aren't any customers left. Or maybe they'll realize that if they don't loan out money, well its kinda hard to make money off interest they can't charge) and this period of hardships all around will be over.

When its over, I hope these companies realize that we'll remember this treatment! That when they regain their sanity and start crawling back to us, begging for our forgiveness, it won't be so easily given!

Well I can't speak for anyone else but I'LL remember that back ache I've had over the years from their horrific treatment and it will be a joy to see that smirk wiped off faces and hear that impatient sigh be replaced with apologetic courtesy and respect!

But if they wait too long to come to their senses, I may just decide that I can live without their services. Maybe I'll realize how much simpler my life would be to either save for the thing I want, until I can pay for it with cash or live without it altogether. That maybe, instead of paying for increasing rates and hidden fees, that I can use that money for a family vaction (which memories will be with me for far longer than whatever "made in China" POS their company helped me aquire)!

To those in customer service that think its acceptable (or fun) to treat people with such crass indecency, please try to remember that the person on the phone is someones mother/father, brother/sister, husband/wife and how would you like your family or friends treated? Would you like to have them treated the way you treat us?

And to those judgmental, unfeeling, high horse riding cretins that like to pass judgment on folks and comment along the lines of "just pay your bills and you won't be treated the way you are" (or something of that sort of uncaring mentality)... just remember "by the grace of God..." someday you can be knocked off that high horse by unforeseen lifes circumstances and that fall from that distance can really hurt!

Things happen to people that they didn't think could happen to them. With 10% (in some places as high as 25%) unemployment (and those numbers don't include underemployment), with more than 70million people with no health insurance (and illness unfortunately doesn't wait for people to be able to schedule it for a more convinient time), 1 out 7 people living below the poverty line (and growing by the day) and 1 out of 8 people going hungry everyday... where's your compassion? Or does it make you feel somehow superior to gloat at other peoples misfortune? Yes there are some people that over extended and brought their misery upon themselves but their are many, many more people whose lives took a turn for the worse. Unless you're a CEO or manage a hedge fund (which if you do, I have some choice words for what you've done to our once healthy middle class country) you'd be naive to think it can't happen to you as well! If you're so busy looking down at your nose at others misfortune, you won't be prepared to catch yourself when its your turn to fall!

Okay, done with my vent! Thanks for listening.