On corporate attitudes
[ One recent thing I've read about blogging was "never blog something you don't want a future employer to read". I hope my future employers will have enough sense to read my postings with an open mind. ]
Here's a simple program:
int main(void)
{
printf("I love you!\n");
return 0;
}
Let's run it.
$ ./love I love you!
Do you feel loved? ...No? Why? The program did say it loves you... Still don't feel it?
Then why am I supposed to feel important if a recording is telling me "your call is important to us"? Why am I treated like I was a "slice of the market", not a person?
This type of attitude is new in Romania. During the communists, you were happy if you did get the service you were paying for. "Our customer, our sucker", that was the motto. And people were used to taking this type of shit, and didn't even mind it anymore. And you can still see it, especially with older clerks.
And then, there are the new companies. Those that adopted the western style of public relations. Those that tell me "not to hesitate to call them". "They are always at my service". Not that they'd care more than the old-school clerks, but the "PR recipe" says they should say that. Say you care, and they'll believe you. Say you're nice, and they'll think you are.
They have those web sites where they address you with the 2nd person, singular (i.e. the informal, friendly style), and yet, when you talk to their staff it's like you'd talk to a robot, that can only repeat what it has already told you. I can read your fliers on my own, thank you very much. I needed to talk to a real human being, not to a puppet, but apparently it's too much to ask.
And by the way, my dear future-facing companies, just because you say you have prepared "everything I need" on your offers, doesn't actually make it so. Maybe I have non-standard needs. Maybe you should listen to what I have to say. Maybe you should get a fucking clue. And, who knows, maybe it'll be better for you too.
Thank you. That is all.
