ACROSS THE COUNTER DIVIDE

They don’t care about you and me 
They don’t feel the need to offer courtesy
They upset everybody

Our interaction with bureaucracy of any kind
Is often a stumbling block
In having our needs fulfilled

Nothing riles us as bad service
We expect to be pleased
Our every whim acknowledged and catered for
We must have it just the way we like it
No other way will do

Good service exists
But it is best for us to remember
The instances that have caused us much headache
We love to heap distaste in spades

Lack of efficiency sounds the death knell
Of being customer friendly
The drone that serves seems not to care
He has great power
Which he can often yield quite ferociously
Knocking us aback with its chill
And its stupidity

Procedures are forced on the client
Who contorts to meet the needs
Of the god inherent in the system
That demands conformity;
No individuals here please

The fake smile
Matched by the impatience
Of the box ticking mentality
Gnaws at the resolve of those who are wronged
When the computer says no

An opaque system
Of rules and complex algorithms
Of no customer value
Backs up the grab but do not give
Value systems of the drone across the counter
And his masters that pull his strings

He who thinks he is
Underpaid and
Undervalued
Treats us with contempt
And barely concealed disdain;
All we did was refuse to play
His silly game

His outrage at our apparent lack of
But only to him
Fair play
Riles us
Raising the bile of frustration
That a genuine smile would do much
To dissipate

Service as received varies
We bring our own ideas of the rules
That never matches the rules as they stand
We often create our own frustration
Through our ignorance

The Pre-conceived ideas of both parties
Often leads to vexatious interactions
Everyone blames the other party
But everyone admits things
Are going quite badly