204 days to Go

     I have no patience for people or things wasting my time. I would have thought that with age, I would be more tolerant but no, that is not the case. I don't want to wait while a web page unfolds with countless graphics while I try to decide why I was actually there in the first place. And to the individuals who design the pages, give me an option to cut out the slow building graphics.  There are plenty of other web sites I can switch to, to get less frustrated.  Graphics  might be nice to show how something works but don't  hog the screen with them.
     Several years back, I opened a bank account because the bank was close to where I  worked.  I thought, that since the bank building was small and never seemed terribly busy, I could do my transactions quickly and still have time to down a quick lunch.  For several months I had no problems until the bank changed management.  I would patiently stand in line while the two tellers talked with each other while they helped the other patrons.
     When I got to the window, my teller barely said  'Hello' and began to talk with the other teller, while she counted out my money.  If the other teller was at lunch or a break, the remaining teller would be on the phone to her boyfriend or girlfriend.  I was not considered important enough.
     When I had had enough of the 'Customer Service' the bank claimed I was getting in every personal transaction, I closed my account.  The manager of the bank did not care that I was leaving even after she asked me to explain why I was closing my account.
     I am pretty patient with cashiers who are just starting out but the patience stops when I am not the center of their attention while I stand in front of them.  Answering their cell phones or yelling across the store to a friend who has just come through the door, is totally not acceptable.
     I have complained in nice restaurants to the managers and if the manager has seemed luke warm to my complaints, I have gone up the corporate  ladder.  Usually my wife asks that I wait for her to leave the building before I file my complaint.  Sometimes I have found it necessary to speak with someone who seems to care during the dinner.  For the most part restaurant managers are more understanding and willing to bend over backwards for the customer than most any other manager.  There is one restaurant in town that my wife and I both like to go for special occasions. Unfortunately we have not always had a memorable dining experience. But the managers and district manager have usually compensated us very nicely. The district manager gave me his cell phone number and said that the next time we were dining at his place, I was to call him before we arrived and he would take care of us. Now, that's customer service!
     When I make an appointment for a doctor two months in advance, I don't think it is too much to ask that the doctor be there on time.  I understand that there are emergencies and doctors are called away. But how about some understanding doc!  I just drove 30 minutes to be told that you were called away again and would I mind if the receptionist rescheduled me?  So now I have to get another appointment and come back and wait. And lord help me if I am late because some doctors slap a late fee on you for being 10 minutes late. It's okay for the doctor to be two hours late but it's not okay for the patient to be late.
     Getting older has made me a less patient  patient.