Well it’s Eastern Counties Cup time and I would be remiss if I didn’t wish my team, the champions, Cleveland County Cricket Club, good luck in the 2011 competition. May we keep the cup for at least another year.Today my pet peeve is customer service, or, more importantly, a few examples of poor customer service. I had a few experiences lately where the service provided was horrible, so horrible that I just have to share. And we wonder why both local and tourist customers are frustrated? More on this after we look at the top 20.Soaring to #1 is Just Can’t Get Enough by the Black Eyed Peas. Tumbling to #2 is 6 Foot 7 Foot by L’il Wayne featuring Cory Gunz. Jumping to #3 is Judas by Lady Gaga, who despite her critics and haters simply continues to put out hits which become chart-toppers.Soaring to #4 is Give Me Everything by Pitbull, Neo, AfroJack & Nayer. Improving to #5 is Taio Cruz’s current hit I’m Loving You Tonight. Up to #6 is Beautiful People by Chris Brown featuring Benny Benassi. At #7 is Till The World Ends by Brittney Spears.Slipping to #8 is Look At Me Now by Chris Brown featuring L’il Wayne and Busta Rhymes.Walking by Mary Mary slips to #9. Tumbling to #10 is Born This Way by Lady Gaga.Improving to #11 its Motivation by Kelly Rowland featuring L’il Wayne. Tripping to #12 is Rihanna’s current hit, S&M. Soaring to #13 is Run the World (Girls) by Beyonce. Falling to #14 is ET by Katy Perry featuring Kanye West. Falling into the #15 spot is Higher, by Taio Cruz featuring Kylie Minogue and Travie McCoy. Slipping to #16 is Moment For Life by Nicki Minaj. You have to hear her CD; it is loaded with hits.And now, this week’s essential new jam. In at #17 is Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett & GoonRock. You have to hear this up-tempo and massively energetic dance tune. It rocks, just as the name suggests.New at #18 is Last Friday (TGIF) by Katy Perry. Down to #19 is Far Away by Marsha Ambrosious. On the way out at #20 is Memories, by David Guetta featuring Kid Cudi.Now back to this week’s topic poor customer service. I was at a West End restaurant two weekends ago and had the following experience. I’m there with my Prince, desirous of enjoying daddy and son lunch. I chose a table that had no cutlery, so that my little dude man could look at the traffic, as he likes to do, especially taxis. At least someone is still interested in that business; but I digress.So I’m trying to figure out what to order when I notice a person who looked like a chef but could’ve just been kitchen staff, exited the restaurant to take a ride off somewhere on his bike. When he returned, I asked him what was good on the menu. His English was spotty at best, he was a bit gruff/terse and he said, “The waiter will tell you”. I didn’t want the waiter to tell me; I wanted the chef or whoever this guy was, to tell me. I’ve worked in restaurants and if you want to know what’s good on a restaurant’s menu, ask the staff. He denied me this.Then when the waiter did come, he never put cutlery out at my table; I did it myself. Then when I had the Hawaiian pizza, it was so bland and tasteless. The waiter was pleasant but his English also was spotty. I usually round up my bill, even though places now charge 17 percent gratuity. However, on this occasion, I decided that I should not pay more than 17 percent for poor customer service. I could have fought the 17 percent but I just said ‘Whatever’.And now a word to the wise and owners of such establishments which live or die based on their level of customer service enlightened customers of today will not make a fuss or a scene in your place of business. We’re much too classy for that. We will just never come back to your place of business and we will tell all our friends, as well as others who might read articles that we just might write in national publications or daily newspapers! One of the first rules of any business is to ‘know thy customer’.Had someone taken the time or had the knowledge or ability to speak to their customers, they would know their customers. Oh well.The next experience is in a Government office! I was doing a favour and dropping something off for my pops. He said, and the lady told him, please drop off this letter after 2.30pm. Cool. So I’m dropping it off for him, but it’s about 3.50pm, which, last time I checked, was after 2.30pm, and indeed not closing time.The ‘not so friendly’ sister at the front said to me, ‘You can’t drop this letter off to Ms So and So because you’re five minutes late. It is supposed to be dropped off by 3.45pm’. I have never heard anything so absurd in my 47 years. So I said to her, “You have got to be joking/kidding me right?”She was as serious as a heart attack and looked at me as if I were a leper for even daring to question the policy. Policies are meant to enhance services to the public, not make accessing services cumbersome or not user-friendly. I know this because at one time I was a policy analyst. This is another example of poor customer service.Lastly, a buddy of mine advised me that he had an encounter the other day where he tried to buy Bermuda but couldn’t. He called a local retail store to purchase something. Nobody answered the phone, after six calls. He then called another place who told him to call the first establishment that was unable to answer the phone.This can be such a frustrating experience and the dude is trying to convince himself to purchase the item locally, even though he knows from past experience that the first store, in fact any store on the Island, is unlikely to have what he wants.We have very little variety in Bermuda. Not all of this blame lies at the feet of the retail sector. Some of it is due to the size of the market; heck we’re only 65,000 people. In reality you cannot expect a retail market this size to have the same variety that you would find in an outlet mall in a major city in the US.However, one can and should expect the basics such as people answering the phone, providing good customer service, being friendly, cordial, helpful, approachable and not making the customer think that the employee is doing the customer a favour by just being present!Lastly, good luck to the Four Cs, if the match actually is played. Peace ... DJLT!