Last week I found out that my grocery store replaced the lemon tea that I've been getting for a decade with a different brand.

It's not a bad brand, but it doesn't taste quite the same.

It's had me pissed off all week.

What little things like that really dust your dander?

For me, someone getting into the elevator without a mask.

But, also I have nightmares when they changed to New Coke years back. It crushed me!

Man I don't think I've been in an elevator in forever. Only ever see them in Paris, not down here in Montpellier

5 hours ago, TotallyOz said:

someone getting into the elevator without a mask

Wow, I haven't experienced that yet. Many buildings here in Manhattan have strict entry protocols that won't allow it. I am totally amazed by the discipline I've witnessed in NYC. New Yorkers are notorious for hating being told what to do. I hear compliance does depend on neighborhood, and someone told me my neighborhood ranks amongst the highest for mask wearing. I was glad to hear that. The only place I may not see someone wearing a mask is out on the street. They are not as crowded as they once were, and as long as those folk stay six feet away, I can deal. But you have to keep your eyes open and your wits about you. I've seen plenty of people at the curb coughing out a lung. Plenty of sick people here.

Regarding things that irk...

I'm sure I have a list, but at the moment, I'm at war with one of my longtime IT suppliers. In case readers can't tell, I'm a customer service authority. There is a lifelong story to go with that claim, but I have no intention of pulling a Steven Kesslar. 

In my world, if you show contempt for a customer, you get FIRED and/or CANCELED. If I'm a longtime customer and you turn on me (without offering a reasonable explanation), I may turn on you.

I don't enjoy getting ugly, but I don't fear confrontation. I view war as a last resort strategy, sometimes necessary when all else fails. In my experience, a few business owners deserve to be shut down when their behavior towards a customer crosses a line.

I'm nearing the end of a three-month fight, and the irk is fading as the longtime relationship fades. I've secured a replacement, but I'm still unhappy about the fight. My gut is affected when once good people change to become assholes, and the history you have with them turns to meaningless dust.

Covid could be at the root, but when communication shuts down, there's no way to know someone's truth if they are unwilling to share it.

Telll us who it is. I have clients that deal with IT suppliers and I'd like to warn them.