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Thickheaded Corporations

14 November
Dear Internet,
A few months ago, a family-friend who we will call Valerie bought two tickets for herself and her friend for travel long overdue. They were excited to visit someplace exotic after extended lockdowns and closed international borders. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, her friend could not make the trip. Not wanting the spare seat to go to waste, she asked her airliner if they could change the name on the second ticket so that another friend of hers could travel instead. (Noting as well that she gave this airliner more than three months notice.) To her surprise, the airliner refused. They told her that the name on the second ticket was unchangeable, and that she would have to buy a third ticket if she wanted another friend to travel with her instead. After extended back-and-forth, the airliner only acquiesced to Valerie’s request after she threatened to take their refusal to the media and consumer-watchdog.  Now, executives might argue that it is well within the company’s rights to refuse services as they see fit. But isn’t this the most harmless of requests? Valerie wasn’t even asking for a refund. She just wanted to change the name on one ticket. Do we really have to make the whole experience so burdensome for her and others?  Corporate stories like these frustrate me to no end. Just a few months ago, another user on Collate wrote to the CEO of Coinbase after the cryptocurrency in his Coinbase account was stolen. The company then failed to notify him or assist with resolving the matter. In fact, he only became aware of the theft when the police alerted him. And this is despite Coinbase’s foreknowledge of it. So much for the swiftness and security of cryptocurrency. Now, I know full well that there are bigger problems in the world. But why does the customer service of big corporations have to be so darn poor? Why do these people behave so inhumanly? I refuse to believe that the bulk of their employees are bad people. Yet somehow, when large groups of people get together, everything falls by the wayside. These enterprises get so big and lumbering and self-centred that they forget what made them successful in the first place. They act like mindless single-celled organisms that respond only to the smell of profit. They are quick to amass legions of consultants, lawyers, headhunters, marketing gurus, and PR spinmeisters; but are even quicker to forget that the simple act of courtesy, decency, and occasional generosity can be an enduring advantage. If we all made just a little bit more effort, the world would be a far more pleasant place to live. Perhaps we would not have to look at business people with such scorn and disdain. And that’s the crux of it. There is not enough incentive in the system for everyone to put in more effort. Large corporations can skate on by with subpar service because their oligopoly and market power protects them from their own mediocrity. Don’t talk to me about the virtues of perfect competition when economics is anything but.  If you have any grievances with similarly large corporations, please share your story here. I am more than happy to lend my ear. 

Tobias Lim

Author profile picture Tobias Lim

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