Nobody is perfect; all of us are entitled to some mistakes – or, even if we are not entitled, should receive some allowances for being human and therefore fallible.  When we're hypercritical of others, it does them no good, and it doesn't help us much either.  Still, I can't help being highly annoyed by individuals who inflict the consequences of their incompetence on others – the worker who does a sloppy job, the individual who makes decisions or gives orders without understanding the situation, and, most of all, the so-called expert who lacks expertise.

Most of the incompetent people I've met are reluctant to admit that they have made a mistake.  This is especially true of people who work with technology.  If I had a dollar for every time some technician has told me that I must be doing something wrong and that the fault is not in the hardware or software that the company supplied, I could afford to hire a private technician to maintain my computer.

Perhaps the most galling incompetence, though, is that of the clueless sales clerk.  I do not expect clerks to know everything about every product they sell, but is ito too much to ask that a person who sells computers or cameras or TV sets knows something about computers or cameras or TV sets?  Many seem to have only one skill – that of separating customers from their money.  Whenever I set out to make a major purchase, I am always prepared with a question about the product, a question for which I have researched the answer and one that anyone who sells the product should be able to answer correctly.  If the clerk doesn't know or gives me the wrong answer, it's no sale.  I don't expect the clerk to have a high level of expertise, merely some familiarity with the product.

As annoying as incompetence can be, it's equally irritating to be treated as if I am an utter idiot.  I do realize that salespeople deal with many clueless customers; I've heard hilarious stories from friends in the retail business.  However, when I've researched the product and have shown by my comments or questions that I'm not completely ignorant, I expect to be treated accordingly.  Many clerks, though, continue to follow their "idiot-centered" sales script, even when the customer obviously knows the basics.  One begins to suspect that the clerk doesn't know enough to go beyond the script, especially when a specific question causes the clerk to stutter – or to evade the question entirely.

Nowhere is this more apparent than with telephone help lines.  I grant that it may be necessary to start with scripted basic questions ("Did you plug in your computer?   Did you turn it on?"), but at some point the script becomes redundant.  Still, the "technician" stubbornly sticks to the prescribed patter.  Occasionally, I have begun by describing all the steps I have already taken to solve the problem myself, only to be taken through all these steps again because the script is all the technician knows.  When we get to the specific problem (not covered by what the technician is reading), we get an answer such as, "I think you need a new modem" or "You should contact your Internet provider about that" – which translates into:  "What's happening isn't in my script, so I don't know what to tell you, and I think I better get rid of you now."  So much for my call that "is very important to us."

Perhaps, as a "language person," I am overly sensitive to this, but I also expect service people to have some communication skills, including the ability to speak the language of the customer.  In my case, that is English.  I did not push the button to request an answer in Spanish, and there is no button for "broken English."  Nevertheless, I repeatedly get technicians with such thick accents or limited understanding of English that I cannot understand them.  They are put out when I ask them to repeat something, as if I am wasting their time.

I realize that dealing with the public is not easy, and I'm grateful that I've had very few jobs in which it was required.  I also realize that the fault may, in many cases, not be with the workers themselves but with the company that hired them and failed to train them adequately.  That sends a clear message to the customer:  We don't care enough about you to train our employees in how to give you proper service.  When we get that message, don't be surprised if we are not repeat customers; if we are, the only reason you haven't gone bankrupt is that your competitors are as bad as you are.