O my offence is rank,

It smells to heaven.

– Shakespeare,Hamlet III, 3

That offence is poor service, disservice, or as we like to say, “Him diss me and diss the service.” To ‘diss’, of course, means to disrespect, and we all know how Jamaicans hate to be disrespected. For some reason, our people do not take service seriously, or perhaps they think that to serve means to be servile, bordering on slavery, to kowtow to the master. And Lord knows, servitude is a very bad word.

Gone are the days of the trusted butler who served the family for decades and took pride in it. Nowadays there are waiters who resent serving as they think it’s demeaning. It shows in the poor service.

There have been so many complaints about poor service that it almost seems to be commonplace and taken for granted. So much so that when good service is rendered, it stands out like a beacon.

‘Dissing’, or disrespecting those who are served is the order of the day in all quarters, ranging from private institutions, Government offices, restaurants, small and large shops, schools, hospitals, and a host of other enterprises where service should be at the forefront.

Diss service, who does it, why, and what can be done about it. We’ll find out right after these responses to ‘Husbands wish list’.

Hi Tony,

I too have a short wish list, but it remains secret and under wraps and not even shared with close friends or bartenders in fear of the sharpened or serpent’s tongue. It is more of a bucket list of fantasies which I hope will be fulfilled before the proverbial bucket is kicked.

Cecil

Teerob,

They say that if wishes were horses, beggars would ride. In this modern day, if wishes were SUVs, beggars would drive. If wishes were women, men would be happy. Men not only wish for women, but wish that their women would also fulfil their fantasies. That’s why some men wish for other men’s women, because they think that they will offer more than what their woman is giving them. Men wish for greener grass on the other side.

Dorothy

Anthony,

We bear and rear our children, wash, clean and sharpen our culinary skills so you can brag about how well your wives can cook. With all the other responsibilities, you want us to be sexually spontaneous. Now what is left for you men to do?

Valerie

Service is so important in any society that even an industry is dedicated to this noble profession, to wit, the service industry. This includes tourism, entertainment, restaurants, hotels, bars, and a host of other areas where people serve others. We would be lost without it, and as many of us know, few things are as unpleasant as poor service.

Anyone who experiences diss service from the airlines will never forget it and most likely will never fly that airline again, given a choice. We have seen and heard irate passengers remonstrating on TV about poor airline service. “Imagine, dem delay five hours and no one even say a word to us…what poor service!”

Down on the ground we are at the mercy of those who serve, as many take it upon themselves to disrespect those being served. Others do it grudgingly, as if they are doing you a favour. “What you want, siddung ovah dere, chill.” That’s if they acknowledge your presence at all.

Many motorists who have to buy petrol from service stations, note the name, service stations, experience this diss service constantly, as many pump attendants have no sense of service at all and act as if they’re doing you a favour. Not all are like this, but some really are, and I experienced one recently as I attempted to buy petrol for my vehicle. I was so incensed that I wrote the owner a letter.

Dear Sir,

I had a most unpleasant episode at your establishment when I attempted to purchase petrol for my vehicle on Tuesday, May 10, 2016. I pulled up at the pump, wound down my front window and told the pump attendant, “Diesel, please.” I always watch when attendants fill my tank for various reasons, one being dishonesty on their part, as they have been known to short-change patrons, and also to ensure that the wrong type of fuel is not put in my vehicle.

In spite of my precautions, by the time I pulled the lever to open the fuel tank cover, which also has diesel marked on it, the attendant proceeded to put 87 gasoline in my vehicle. When he realised his mistake, he stopped after about eight litres had been put in.

Naturally, I was incensed and upset, for you know what gasoline can do to a diesel engine…destroy it. Fortunately the engine wasn’t started, so hopefully no gas got into the fuel lines. He then told me that he would have the tank drained at the garage across the street from your establishment.

The vehicle had to be pushed to the garage where the mechanics proceeded to remove the fuel tank and drain it. My vehicle has a plastic fuel tank with no drainage bung, so the entire tank had to be removed and drained. This took a great deal of time to do.

After the tank was reinstalled, I was told to take a container back to your station to get some fuel to start the vehicle. I did this myself, got it filled, walked back to the garage where the mechanic poured it in, and started the vehicle.

I then drove back to your station, expecting some sort of apology and compensation for my inconvenience of spending over three hours back and forth trying to sort out the problem created by your attendant.

I was told to go upstairs and speak to a supervisor. I spoke to your consultant, who I must say was very pleasant, professional and courteous. Sadly, I cannot say the same for your staff at the pump area, especially the attendant who put gas instead of diesel in my vehicle.

I was shunted up and down, back and forth, sent here, sent there, treated like a second-class citizen or like someone begging a handout. I was asked how much fuel my tank had when I came, how much fuel my tank holds, how much fuel was put in, and a host of questions dealing with mathematical calculations of litres. The attendant was also very rude and threatening.

I asked for the owner but was told that you were off the compound. I would have thought that for good public relations your staff would have said, “Have a tank of fuel or even a half tank, and we apologise for the anguish and inconvenience.” Instead, I was made to suffer at their behest, treated like a mendicant. I am bringing this to your attention so that your staff does not treat other patrons in this terrible manner.

Sincerely,

Tony Robinson

Up until now, not a word of apology from the attendant. Maybe this tendency to diss stems from our slavery background. After all, most of our ills stem from our slavery background, even though other races also had a history of slavery.

I remember being in Japan and how service-oriented those people are. They take such pride in serving and, interestingly, refuse any tip that’s offered. What an irony, the very people who you want to tip for good service refuse to be tipped, saying that service is its own reward.

This diss service also occurs in high-ranking Government offices. There’s that word again, rank. Jamaicans say ‘renk’. I know so many people who suffer from poor service at these offices, including a friend of mine who was trying to sort out some paperwork from a Government office. She was royally dissed and treated shabbily for years, given the runaround and treated like a nuisance. “I can’t really deal with you now.”

“We don’t have that form so you have to come back.”

“When?”

“I don’t know, maybe next month.”

Fortunately, her influential brother contacted the permanent secretary directly who sorted it out. But what about those who have no such fortune; why can’t the ordinary person be treated with respect instead of being dissed with poor service?

What became of, “Yes, can I help you?” “Please take a seat and I’ll be with you shortly.” Count the number of times that you walked into a business place and no staffer even looked your way. Or the amount of times when a staffer is yakking away on their phone and is annoyed that you dared to disturb them?

Do they not know that they’re doing the establishment a disservice when they diss service? There are certain places where I will never shop, gas stations that will never see me at their pumps, restaurants where I will never dine. All because of diss service.

More time.

seido1@hotmail.com

Footnote: It is such a joy to be the recipient of good service. I will always gravitate towards establishments where the service is par excellence and have no reservations about leaving a tip, even though a service charge is included in the bill. Patrons spend hard-earned money to enjoy good service, and service does not mean servitude. No one is greater, not the person being served or the one providing service. But as one manager told me, “Some people just cannot be trained in good service.” If so, we have a serious problem in our service industry.