And now for something completely different

My friend Conor Cahill wrote on his blog the other day about fighting with Sears to get his washing machine repaired, and the difficulties in getting adequate service. Then I came home and read a Washington Post story about Mona "The Hammer" Shaw, who decided to get the attention of Comcast for their lousy customer service (including not showing up when promised, showing up without necessary parts, etc). After here first visit (when she was left waiting for two hours to talk to a supervisor, and then told he had gone home for the day), she decided to get even. Her solution was to return to the Comcast office with a hammer, which she used to smash the keyboard, monitor, and telephone of the customer service rep.

As the Washington Post says, "Being a responsible newspaper, we must note that this is a misdemeanor, a crime, a completely inappropriate way of handling a business dispute." As a responsible blogger, I'd say the same thing. Right, uh-huh. Can I hire her to help with my customer service problems? Sears would be a good place to start, then maybe my health insurance company which routinely misprocesses claims.

Ms Shaw was sentenced to "a $345 fine in restitution and a year-long restraining order barring her from the Comcast office". Where can I contribute to paying her fine? If every American who felt the way Ms Shaw does about lousy customer service contributed a penny, we'd have that $345 paid in a moment!