# My war against Trinidad cutomer service. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 26, 2014, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-war-against-trinidad-cutomer-service/684589 "2014-03-26T06:50:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-war-against-trinidad-cutomer-service/684589/41 "2015-01-08T02:18:48Z")
> [@grude](#): > > Yup, I made them all up! I’m just delusional. > > For whatever it is worth, as I stated already in richer areas where more expats live my experiences have been very different and without issue. I don’t live in those areas and am not usually there. I live around Port Of Spain. Duly noted. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-war-against-trinidad-cutomer-service/684589/42 "2015-01-08T02:24:49Z")
The stupid thing is all the employee has to say is we are out of X/that unit is missing X cable/the X machine is broken etc, is that going to be a problem? And all of these annoyances could be avoided. Instead of acting like everything is normal and assuming I’m just gonna roll with it. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-war-against-trinidad-cutomer-service/684589/43 "2015-01-08T02:26:50Z")
OMG! What are you doing in Trinidad and why haven’t you left yet? Sounds a lot like Nigerian customer service except, if you were in Nigeria and ordered that pizza, the driver would have convinced you to give him your wallet, your pants and your shirt and to let him eat the pizza and let your spouse pay for it. Those Nigerians are the world’s foremost experts on scams. They make Trinidad scammers look like juvenilles. Still, you need to be thankful you are not in Nigeria cuz if you left, they would have taken you for everything you had. Trinidad Service reps just try to take it all. But they fail. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-war-against-trinidad-cutomer-service/684589/44 "2015-01-08T02:30:31Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > OMG! What are you doing in Trinidad and why haven’t you left yet? Agreed. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-war-against-trinidad-cutomer-service/684589/45 "2015-01-08T02:35:26Z")
You might want to consider placing ten “fake orders” a day to that pizza place until you no longer feel angry for however long it might take for that to happen. My friends and I used to do that - when we were 12 years old - and it was very satisfying then. But it wouldn’t be at all satisfying now. Except maybe if we lived in Trinidad. Go get 'em, Dude! Or should I say, “Gude”? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-war-against-trinidad-cutomer-service/684589/46 "2015-01-08T05:01:54Z")
How is it you haven’t learned to check they have bread, sauce, etc, etc, etc, before laying down your cash? And to open the damn pizza box before you leave the pizza place! I think I’d be doing both of these things as standard operating procedure by now. But since it gets you so hot why not just make a scene? Who knows? Maybe that’s what they’ll respond to. Either way, you can’t be worse off, and you get to vent your spleen. Feel free to lose your shit and go freaking off on them. Raise your voice, accuse them of being racist against Americans, whatever you can dream up. Stomp around and gesture wildly. I’m assuming you’re not returning to places that treat you this way? If so, why not announce such loudly before flouncing out? Personnally, I think you’ll feel much better, than posting here. Sure to be better for your stress levels. (Okay, perhaps not each time. But once in a while can’t hurt!) ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-war-against-trinidad-cutomer-service/684589/47 "2015-01-08T06:54:55Z")
> [@grude](#): > > Like a month ago I went in a subway to get the special, and the clerk behind the counter told me sorry we are out of bread can’t make anything. > > I was pleasantly shocked, SOP would be to just throw the meatballs and veggies into a sandwich wrapper and serve them to me while pretending nothing was amiss. I was stymied by this post. At first I couldn’t understand how Trinidad could ever afford to have a subway system. Next, I was stymied by trying to understand what bread had to do with a subway train. Took me a long time to figure out you were talking about a Subway sandwich shop. I don’t know why. I think it had to do with your previous posts. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-war-against-trinidad-cutomer-service/684589/48 "2015-01-08T06:56:41Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > How is it you haven’t learned to check they have bread, sauce, etc, etc, etc, before laying down your cash? And to open the damn pizza box before you leave the pizza place! I think I’d be doing both of these things as standard operating procedure by now. > > But since it gets you so hot why not just make a scene? Who knows? Maybe that’s what they’ll respond to. Either way, you can’t be worse off, and you get to vent your spleen. > > Feel free to lose your shit and go freaking off on them. Raise your voice, accuse them of being racist against Americans, whatever you can dream up. Stomp around and gesture wildly. > > I’m assuming you’re not returning to places that treat you this way? If so, why not announce such loudly before flouncing out? > > Personnally, I think you’ll feel much better, than posting here. Sure to be better for your stress levels. (Okay, perhaps not each time. But once in a while can’t hurt!) I really wouldn’t make a scene. They may well have a deal with the cops and you might wind up in a cell and have to pay about ten times more money just to get out. Be careful with that scene shit. It’s fine if you are on the phone and they don’t know who you are. But otherwise … don’t do that. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-war-against-trinidad-cutomer-service/684589/49 "2015-01-08T12:22:55Z")
Why do you patronize the chain places? In a few days we’ll be in St Martin for vacation. I wouldn’t dream of going to a McD, PizzaHut, Subway, etc. I’ve had nothing but positive experiences with family owned and operated places. No Mike’s Pizza or LouAnne’s Sandwhich Shop? ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-war-against-trinidad-cutomer-service/684589/50 "2015-01-08T13:35:13Z")
I’ve very much enjoyed this thread. **grude** , please order more pizzas, go to more restaurants and hotels, go to more shops and pharmacies, and tell us about it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-war-against-trinidad-cutomer-service/684589/51 "2015-01-08T15:40:44Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > I’ve very much enjoyed this thread. **grude** , please order more pizzas, go to more restaurants and hotels, go to more shops and pharmacies, and tell us about it. 🙂 I am waiting for **grude** to tell us about his hospital visit for an appendectomy where they failed to mention they ran out of both scalpels and anesthetic. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-war-against-trinidad-cutomer-service/684589/52 "2015-01-08T15:53:52Z")
Gosh, it sure makes one happy to live in a place where people tell me if they are out of something. :eek: I would be dreadfully annoyed if these things happened to me. Just goes to show that while I may be envious of Trinidad for the weather (it was -3 F this morning here in Albany NY) I definitely wouldn’t want to live there. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-war-against-trinidad-cutomer-service/684589/53 "2015-01-08T18:00:17Z")
Up with this I would not put. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-war-against-trinidad-cutomer-service/684589/54 "2015-01-08T23:29:52Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > Funny post, but this one is sort of a gray area IMO. You were now the proud owner of a bottle of cough syrup, and even though the (complementary) bag they gave you broke, I think ultimately the loss is on you. But it’s certainly good business to offer the replacement since it’s kinda sorta their bag’s fault. So? start carrying your own permanent cloth shopping bag. No rip, no drop bottle, no whine possible. I rarely trust those cheap plastic t-sacks, they tend to be very shoddily made. And as someone upstream said, before ordering _ask_ what they _do_ have, never go by the posted menu. Hell, I do that and I am in the continental US. ---
**Author:** ![get\_lives](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@get\_lives](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/get_lives)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2015, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-war-against-trinidad-cutomer-service/684589/55 "2015-01-09T05:10:25Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > In the middle of Canada, I called in an order for a pepperoni pizza. They prepared a pepperoni pizza without any sauce. The next time I called in an order for a pepperoni pizza to the same place, they prepared a pepperoni pizza without cheese. The last time I was there, the owner was crying because there was not enough business. This sounds like a spiritual parable of some kind… ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2015, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-war-against-trinidad-cutomer-service/684589/56 "2015-01-09T05:40:52Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > [slight hijack] > The whole notion of “cheese pizza” gets my goat. A pizza requires at least one topping, and cheese is not a topping – it’s just part of the base that the pizza is made on. Calling a pizza with no toppings a “cheese pizza” is like calling an empty pie shell a “crust pie” or calling two slices of bread a “bread sandwich”. > [/slight hijack] are you offering your goat to be a topping? ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2015, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-war-against-trinidad-cutomer-service/684589/57 "2015-01-09T08:31:46Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Why do you patronize the chain places? In a few days we’ll be in St Martin for vacation. I wouldn’t dream of going to a McD, PizzaHut, Subway, etc. I’ve had nothing but positive experiences with family owned and operated places. No Mike’s Pizza or LouAnne’s Sandwhich Shop? When you live in the islands sometimes you crave that chain store stuff. Satisfying that craving keeps it from evolving into a craving for something you can’t get locally. So scratching that itch for that Subway sandwich for $5 may keep it from turning into Big Mac attack that can only be satisfied with a plane ticket added to the price. Island mentality with regards to customer service is… uh, different. I remember stopping in at a small general store in, IIRC, the Grenadines and talking to the shop keeper. I noticed he was out of a certain size of batteries and asked when he might get more in. His reply was that he was no longer going to stock that size. Kept selling out. Couldn’t keep them on the shelf so he wasn’t going to bother ordering them all the time. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2015, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-war-against-trinidad-cutomer-service/684589/58 "2015-01-09T12:44:17Z")
> [@Iggy](#): > > Island mentality with regards to customer service is… uh, different. I remember stopping in at a small general store in, IIRC, the Grenadines and talking to the shop keeper. I noticed he was out of a certain size of batteries and asked when he might get more in. > > His reply was that he was no longer going to stock that size. Kept selling out. Couldn’t keep them on the shelf so he wasn’t going to bother ordering them all the time. :smack: For a visitor to the Caribbean, that is a particular kind of charm I enjoy. If you or Grude can make it to St Martin this coming week, look me up; I’ll buy a bucket of Caribs.😃 ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2015, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-war-against-trinidad-cutomer-service/684589/59 "2015-01-09T15:24:15Z")
In POS pretty much all groceries and general stores have test batteries handy at the register, light sockets by the cash registers, and electrical plugs available. Customers won’t buy anything that uses a battery, light bulbs, or something that plugs in unless they can test it first because they know the business will refuse an exchange should any of these be non-functional and you’ve just wasted your money, they have been burned before. Your food processor looks used and won’t even turn on? TOUGH SHIT! Don’t see that in more modern chains or bigger stores outside the area. I’ve seen people argue because outside the POS area stores don’t have any of this and just say if it doesn’t work return it and people don’t believe it. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2015, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-war-against-trinidad-cutomer-service/684589/60 "2015-01-09T15:57:47Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Why do you patronize the chain places? In a few days we’ll be in St Martin for vacation. I wouldn’t dream of going to a McD, PizzaHut, Subway, etc. I’ve had nothing but positive experiences with family owned and operated places. No Mike’s Pizza or LouAnne’s Sandwhich Shop? There are few independent pizza shops, there is Joes in Diego Martin but that is way out of my way. The local chains like Marios and Pizza boys make local style pizza which I hate, it is mostly crust with very little sauce and cheese and locals slather on a bunch of mustard and ketchup. So I apreciate the foreign chains where I can get a real pizza. I don’t know how my wife can eat pizza covered in mustard and ketchup even. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-war-against-trinidad-cutomer-service/684589.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-war-against-trinidad-cutomer-service/684589.md?page=4)