YLE ran an article today:

Kaupan ala pyytää asiakkaita käyttäytymään: Kassaraivoa ja uhittelua – Kuluttajaliitto: Emme halua vastakkainasettelua

Kaupan liitto tells how nasty some customers are. There wasn't the slightest hint that the problem sits almost totally at the desks of the 'johtajas' in these companies! They have - for some years now - isolated themselves into their 'castles' and put moats and alligators around to make sure no customer can reach them.

As a 'defense' they set up phony departments called 'customer service' (Wow, what an oxymoron!) and hire a bunch of 'associates' who keep one from actually reaching a person that knows something and/or could solve a problem. Yes, IKEA will send you the screws they didn't pack with your DIY project but try to reach someone who really knows something about a product. In the physical shops you are lucky to even get someone you can meet face-to-face (try to find sales people in Tokmanni, Hong Kong, K-Supermarkets, etc. - if you do finally find someone, the response is the popular iskulause: 'en tiedä mitään, mä olen vain työssä täällä').

S-Market and Prisma have NO ONE in any administrative position you are permitted to talk to. K-shops have a franchise owner from whom you can get an answer (much effort to actually reach them) but it will often be a sad tale how Kesko has taken decision-making away from them.  You will also find yourself calling 020 numbers at ridiculous rates as they are never included in your 'operator package.'

Lidl has an 0800 number but you will rarely find anyone who knows about a product. Chat lines are ok for some matters but you also find them out-sourced and the chat personnel is 'out to lunch' in more ways than one (eg Hong Kong).

RESULT - consumers are ticked off and it's a small wonder that the % of 'badly behaving customers' isn't CONSIDERABLY higher.

I'm just happy to see people are starting to react - some decades ago, Finns wouldn't make a peep!

EDIT: siirretty //TuizeKoo