Customer Service

I can, and I shall complain. Though it won't do any good. One thing I have had to endure living here is the lack of, or any interest in, customer service in this country - in any shape or form.

Firstly, eating at a restaurant (recommended by IAmsterdam), i took a bite of my pasta and crunched on something, and it turned out - the chef broke a plate in the sauce and they STILL served me with it. They charged for everything except the pasta, even though they never brought me water to wash my mouth with so i used the wine just to wash out my mouth, before running out of there. (Restaurant La Madonnia in Rembrantplein).

Secondly, in a local Albert Heijn, I asked to purchase credit for my mobile as I had a pay as you go. Upon saying the brand name and the amount I required, I was handed the receipt, and I walked out. After trying to put the credit on, only then I noticed they had given me the wrong brand. Walking back in, straight to the person I had purchased it from, they declared they didn't care, and they wouldn't help me out. I asked for the manager, and they told me they were the manager. Shocking, and very frustrating.

I can keep going on and on, but you get the point. Everyone I know here has a story every week of something they get annoyed from. You will just need to relax and get used to this (I am still trying, god bless my partner).

My general consensus is that these people have no care or blind interest in their jobs (customer service) and thus have no interest in the company they work for, or how it is perceived. So, don't take it personally for not talking their language, it's just how they are.