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4A = THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
OPINION
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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2002
TALK TO US
Jay Krail
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you know how it sucks when you take a drink and it goes down the wrong pipe? Well, it sucks even more when that drink is a shot of 151.
Missouri sucks, and columnist Eric Borja is living proof.
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you know how it sucks when you take a drink and it goes down the wrong pipe? Well, it sucks even more when that drink is a shot of 151.
Does anybody know where William Burroughs' house was in Lawrence? I'd like to know.
roommate, except for the whole "he means well" part.
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Michael Bolton is the spawn of Satan
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Man, I wish this guy didn't drive a Durango, because he's such an idiot, but I can't keep away from the Durango.
roommate, except for the whole "he means well" part.
My roommate and I just decided that since there's a horrible lack of hot guys at KU that we're going to be 40 years old, 450 pounds apiece, eating frosting out of the can, watching reruns of Golden Girls and Oprah, with 30 or 45 cats.
roommate, except for the whole "he means well" part.
Hey, it's the end of the night, and I just want to let you know, and you know who you are, that I'm just too nervous. It's all about the nervous.
Since when does not being in a sorority mean that you're rejected if you're a girl?
I just wanted to let you guys know that I walked into Kinkos to make some copies for a project, and Jared Leto was in there, and I met him and talked to him, and I think that's really cool.
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I just saw that damn Gap commercial for the fifth time today, and all I have to say is people all over the world, join hands, start a love train, love train.
roommate, except for the whole "he means well" part.
You know the part in Dances with Wolves when Kevin Costner says, "I know he means well, but he's quite possibly the foulest man I've ever met." I just wanted to say that relates 100 percent with my
true than the death of customer service in this country.
You know you're a stoner when you're going to drive to Kansas City to meet Chong and you decide to smoke a bowl instead.
true than the death of customer service in this country.
I wash my roommate would quit leaving all her Playgirls all around. She thinks I enjoy that smut...well, actually I do.
--true than the death of customer service in this country.
This is to all you gun-toting conservatives out there. Go see the movie Bowling for Columbine. It'll do you good.
true than the death of customer service in this country.
I think every time a K-State walks on KU property, the property value goes down. Because every time my roommate's boyfriend, who's from K-State, comes here, I feel like I'm living in the projects. What's up with that?
true than the death of customer service in this country.
I just want to know why, why, why is gas 12 cents more a gallon in Lawrence than in Overland Park? It's not like it costs an extra 12 cents a gallon just to take it another 30 miles. They're ripping us off people.
Pachookie, the sacred stolen missing goldfish that used to live in murky, dirty water, recently went to toilet heaven. Sorry.
true than the death of customer service in this country.
Kansas may not be hell, but you can sure see it from here. God, I miss Alaska.
true than the death of customer service in this country.
--true than the death of customer service in this country.
To the girl who said that the sexist comments about guys blowing freshmen girls back to their senior year reminds her why she's a lesbian. I just wanted to say that I agree with you. I see these guys who salivate over every single female specimen. And they have to make the most lude and lascivious comments. And to me as a guy, it's extremely disgusting. And it makes me feel lecherous just to steal a quick glance at a beautiful woman. And I don't know... guys are cave men and they're never going to change. And at least all you women are smart.
true than the death of customer service in this country.
This message is for the mean sorority girl who suggests that girls aren't in a sorority because they are rejected. Some of us didn't have to join a sorority to make friends.
So Saturday was my friend's birthday, and her boyfriend, who claims to love her, was the only one who forgot to even say happy birthday. So we wanted to take a vote: lost cause or forgivable mistake?
true than the death of customer service in this country.
I want to protest those DEA sponsored anti-drug commercials I've seen on TV recently. Have you seen the one where the two boys are cheefing and one boy shoots the other accidentally? Might the problem be that he has access to a loaded gun? Propaganda distorts your judgment.
I
STAYSKALES VIEW
PERSPECTIVES
COMMENTARY
Workers, employers need to improve customer service
Gene StayskalKnight Ridder
Steve Vockrodt opinion@kansan.com
I hate to be the one to break it to everyone, but as an advocate of honesty, I find nothing is more
Pay heed, because the future of business and entrepreneurship in the United States is at stake, and everyone going home for holiday shopping is bound to encounter some horrible experience.
Three attempts to get my statements sent to the correct address only resulted in my financial information going elsewhere.
Whatever piss-poor experience they have, I only hope it does not compare with recent run-in's I have had with unmotivated businesses who do not seem to realize they are pushing the genocide of every goose that lays the golden egg in each customer they give the quick in-out.
For instance, how about being stranded at KCI for hours while your shuttle service is half an hour late.
Once they got me out of the cold, the driver toured the terminals endlessly in search of other folks wondering if they needed their service. My guess is they would have called them if they needed it. Meanwhile, the person who did make arrangements and payed way too much for the service is getting home 90 minutes later than they told him.
Am I bound to get a refund, discount, or even an apology? You bet your ass the answer is no. Why would they? They got my money, and in their case, the ends justified the means.
That means someone else gets control of my account number, and because lazy tellers are too occupied with not doing their job correctly, they don't ask for
Then there is the case of my bank.
identification for transactions, so therefore, somebody racked up an impressive overdraft on my account. Did the bank help me out any?
No, they just acted as though I was the stupid college student who spends too much. Then they tacked on all sorts of overdraft fees at my expense. Again, their profitable ends justified whatever means came at my expense.
These and many other similar experiences leave me wondering how customer service got so bad in this country.
I know when I used to bus at a burger joint in high school, I was always told to do anything and everything to ensure customer satisfaction.
That meant even if someone had all but one bite left in their meal, they could complain and we refunded them or gave them another meal, no questions asked.
Now, dealing with employees who are supposed to help you with your problems is about as enjoyable as a shotgun blast to the face.
The demise of customer service leaves customers standing in lines forever, working with surly employees, and otherwise being left to solve their own problem or lament at having no control over the situation.
The only explanation I can think of for this troubling phenomenon is people's motivation for even having a job.
With all this talk of ends justifying'means, the end result in employee's eyes in only the paycheck, and the means for getting one is simply showing up to work on time and doing just enough not to get fired.
That obviously does not include ensuring customer satisfaction.
In the minds of these unmotivated employees, why should the employee give a damn about a customers problem, or even if a customer comes back?
They get their paycheck anyway, so why bother?
This produces a potent recipe for apathy and no motivation in the workplace. In turn, the recipe produces enough servings of lousy customer service to feed the death of customer satisfaction.
The solution to this can only be more pressure from a company's management.
One job I had where I had to make sure I was doing a good job was one where they sent in secret customers to evaluate my interaction with the customers.
If I did well, I was rewarded on payday. If not, I was applying for new jobs.
When parents do not ask to see a youngsters report card or chastise them for doing poorly, is the kid motivated to any better? Same concept here.
Sure, being more involved requires more work and trouble, but working harder is better than losing customers because they aren't being served.
Vockrodt is a Denver junior in political science and journalism.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Minority issues important
In regards to the latest diversity issue featured in the paper ("Take a look around and see a diverse KU student body," Dec. 5), I just have to advise the few that when setting standards on how we should live our lives, I think you first have to think beyond your standpoint of epistemology.
All of KU is aware of the differences between students on campus. Whether or not one reads Rolling Stone or The New York Times is of no consequence. These are differences that we are all taught as young kids.
By this I mean you have to think about life from a perspective other than your own. That is where the debate about whether or not true diversity is necessary takes shape.
It is obvious and evident that everyone on campus is different and unique in his or her own way. The idea that we do not need to seek out different ethnic groups to feel comforted is both naive and close-minded.
Minorities who feel lost and powerless
at times because of a lack of diversity is an issue that many minorities and many in the majority can wrap their minds around.
If you can't relate or understand then try to put yourselves in the place of a minority. Imagine going to school on a predominantly black campus.
Would you look for the "diversity" in your fellow students' reading preferences or would you be on the lookout for other faces like that of your own?
Wanting people like you on campus is not a horrible request to ask for. It's neither a threat nor a hate request. It's human nature.
Tish Merritt Liberty, Mo., senior
Respect women athletes
I have read Ryan Wood's commentary,
"Rowing gives glory to females," (Dec. 9)
and his statements have no clout.
Obviously, he has not been a Division I athlete and does not know what these women have done to be in the position
Although half of the women had not rowed before, the KU rowing team has been a top-25 team. He cannot say that for many other teams. So, although they may not have experience, the coaching staff saw potential in these ladies and trained them hard to be outstanding KU athletes.
Has he even done any research on these ladies? Has he gone to a practice and watched how hard they have worked? He has no room to criticize them in front of the entire KU body without understanding the facts.
they are in today.
As for men's soccer and wrestling, if a male is good at those sports, they can go to another school! They are not obligated to go to KU and play pickup basketball...that is not a consequence of KU rowing.
Instead of criticizing something he has no idea about, how about appreciating 36 ladies who wake up in the morning to lift, run, row and train harder than some people ever dreamed. Ryan should go to a regatta and watch the rowing team, and if
I think these ladies need an apology and should be applauded for what they do for this University.
he still has his current opinions, that is fine. But, he should never publicly write a story on something he knows nothing about.
Stacy Schneider
Atchison senior
Don't be jealous of success
First of all, Eric Borja is obviously jealous of Meghan Bainum's popularity as the Kansan sex columnist, as shown by his recent commentary of her column being overrated.
I personally think columnists — Borja get a kick out of being retaliated against, almost like "Wow, someone actually read my work!"
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