Common Business Courtesy?

I like people who do what they say they will, when they say they're going to do it. I like them a lot, especially since they seem to be an endangered species.

I must have missed the email that said it's okay now to lie about what you can and can't do.

I know I missed the message about deadlines being mere suggestions.

And when did returning business phone calls and responding to business emails become optional? I'm not talking about returning advertisers' emails or calls from strangers soliciting donations. I'm referring to communicating with people who are currently working for or with you. When you don't return my phone call or email within a few days, I get angry.

I seem to be angry a lot lately.

Everyone has a horror story about waiting for the cable guy who never shows. Who claims he was there and you were not – even though you'd stayed parked in a chair near the front door for twelve straight hours waiting for him.

Everyone knows that if you pick up your order through a drive-through window, you have to check the sack before you leave, because nine times out of ten, you are missing items you've paid for. Ever notice how extra items never land in your sack by accident?

If you buy new tires and have them installed, be sure to check to see if all the lug nuts have been tightened. I've probably purchased five sets of tires in my life and twice I've had problems because the lug nuts weren't tightened.

Before I found my current hairdresser, I'd show up for appointments and the hairdresser would be absent. No one would have called to let me know not to come in.

It seems that business standards have disappeared from my world. Please, thank you, showing up on time, cleaning up after yourself, doing a good job, finishing the job on time – I guess those expectations are outdated.

What is the norm now? When did we become so accepting of bad behavior and substandard service, that we've lowered our expectations to almost zero?

Tell me what you expect from the people you do business with. Tell me about the companies or individuals who are exceeding your expectations. Anyone have any "service awards" they'd like to bestow?

Evelyn David