Date: 2008-03-21 20:21 Subject: Bond in the bubbles Security: Public Tags: bond, customer service, home hub, specsavers, vision express

The name's Bond...

In the swimming pool jacuzzi, Michael (19 months) found himself surrounded by a gaggle of pre-teen girls, queuing up to ooh and ah over him. As I walked by the bubbling scene to take Grace to her swimming lesson, I couldn't get an image of James Bond out of my head.

The customer is always right?

I found Vision Express and SpecSavers both to be a bit rubbish in the customer service stakes this week. On taking back a pair of (pricey) specs for readjustment to Vision Express, I was directed listlessly to a seat and left waiting around like an idiot for 40 minutes. It took a bit of assertiveness, shall we say, to move things along. Their own technician then acknowledged that the glasses - fitted by one of their own - were way out of whack. Well, yes - that's kind of why I took them back. Poor show but got there in the end, apologies following me out the door (hopefully for the last time).

SpecSavers, in Inverness, fared just as badly. Simple request: a copy of my wife's prescription (which they have on file). "No problem" (that set the alarm bells ringing right away) - followed by a 30-minute wait. And then...nothing. Assertiveness time again. And it took all of five seconds to dig it out. Both requests had one thing in common, of course: neither was going to result in money changing hands. The response, though, leaves me ultra-reluctant to return to either joint. Whatever happened to the old "customer is king" adage?

Yes, I admit it: the older I get, the moanier I get.

We Have the Technology

Success in the recording story books and getting them on to CDs stakes. A small step for anyone else but little short of a technological triumph for me. I cringe listening back to them, of course...but it works and Grace seems chuffed. And that was the point of the exercise. Spurred by my success I've set up the BT Home Hub (seems to be a glorified modem, though the box urges me to "be excited") that arrived through the post after a confusing conversation with a chap in a call centre in, I assume, India. "If you were promised the Home Hub, Mr Mackenzie (I was - and by someone who called ME about it into the bargain) then I will send it to you immediately."

It sounded too good to be true. "But if you want the handset, that'll be £69.99". I opted for a handset-free hub - which is being used for the first time for this very piece on online posting. How exciting. I've already put in a begging request to our magnificent IT people at work to see if they can help me get set up with a wireless connection. The simple idea is that both my wife and I can be online at the same time - she hogging 'my' Mac and me doubtless going through work-related emails on this vintage laptop.

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