Ever wonder how badly we are, lately, treated as paying customers?

Please, allow me to describe my experience at the Libertyville CD One Price Cleaners store on Thursday, March 13, 2014.

Prior to my visit on Thursday, I contacted the store and advised a person, who introduced himself as Hector, store manager, that a button was missing from my jacket cleaned by CD store. Hector told me that I had to come back to the store so they could look for the button. When asked if they could look for a blue vintage button while I was on the phone, he said no.

On Thursday, March 13, 2014, I arrived to the Libertyville CD store at cca 12:10 pm. I explained to a lady worker that a button was missing from my jacket. She started yelling:" Carlos, Carlos..." Another lady at the counter told her that Carlos was outside. The first lady asked another worker to fetch Carlos from outside - twice a worker went outside to get Carlos to assist me. The workers admitted to me that Carlos was outside smoking. I waited for another 14 minutes until Carlos finished his smoke. Apparently, Carlos doesn't regard customer service as important.

While waiting for Carlos to finish his smoke, I asked the ladies at the counter to speak to a store manager. I was told that he was not there. I asked them to contact Hector, a store manager, over the phone. I was told that he would be back in five minutes.

When Carlos finally appeared from his smoke break, he slowly took off his jacket and slowly walked towards the counter. I explained about the button and asked him if he could look for the button. He replied : "I am not here to please you. You don't pay my bill."

The women at the counter dropped their jaws in surprise. I replied to Carlos that, on the contrary, it was I and customers like me who do pay the bill. Carlos found my remarks very funny and laughed loudly into my face.

Hector, the store manager, was still somewhere outside. I requested the workers to contact him again. I was told to wait another five minutes. Carlos began laughing: "If she wants to wait for 20 minutes, he (meaning Hector) is at Walmart .."

I asked the ladies to call Hector - that was a third time - so as he would instruct Carlos to look for my button. All this time, Carlos was standing by the counter, smirking at me. When I began making notes about the incident, he told ladies at the counter:"I am here so many years, she can do nothing to me."

12:48 pm, Hector finally walked to the store with three Walmart poly bags full of chips or other type of snack food in his hand.

I requested again to look for my button. Hector left the counter, returned in a few minutes and advised me that he didn't find the button. I asked Hector why I had to waste 45 minutes in the store and why he, Hector, store manager, couldn't instruct Carlos to look for the button. Hector replied: " I don't have to explain anything to you. I am done with you." He turned his back and walked away.

I have lived in the USA for thirty years. Lately, I am simply shocked by workers' behavior towards customers and, for that matter, towards business owners. Country which was known for her high standards is falling into habits of third development countries. Arrogance, ignorance, lack of manners, lack of basic education, lack of job appreciation, lack of knowledge of proper language and lack of respect plague our country and human relationships.

I cannot comment on how CD employees spend time they are payed to work. Smoking for minimum 14 minutes, going to Walmart for minimum 45 minutes, standing around without any visible work activity, would, certainly, worry me as  a business owner. However, as a customer, I feel that I could comment on CD employees' deplorable behavior. As to Carlos' statement that I don't pay his bill, we know, that it is customers like myself who do pay Carlos' bill as well as other direct labor, overhead, expenses, franchise fees, profit, etc.

I may be the only customer who takes time to write such a lengthy description. I am, sure, however, that I am not the only customer unhappy with Libertyville CD employees' customer service. Treated with such outrageous disrespect and arrogance, I felt compelled to share about what happened in Libertyville CD store and invite Libertyville residents to demand better service and boycott the store if possible so as Carlos and like him understand that it is always a customer who pays the bill.