There are restaraunts that don't make any money in the restaraunt biz. They maintain the storefront just to gain awareness (spread their brand) of their catering business. That's where they make their money. In a similar vein, some, maybe just a very few, swap meet vendors may attend the swap meets to gain a customer base, not to sell the lowest price junk to the unsuspecting consumer. When I used to attend the local swap meet, I had no issues buying components I knew about from local vendors that also had a storefront.
Phone reps: I don't blame the reps; their the messenger. Blame the telcos themselves. They're the ones who are forcing the reps to follow the up-sell scripts. The same can be said of tech support departments pretty much anywhere (cel phone service, cable TV, ISPs, PC vendors).
Car dealer service departments: Very dependent on the dealership & the manager; somewhat dependent on the brand(s) they sell. My Mitsubishi dealer's service department has been quite good. They're honest and will tell me if something is marginal, but can go a bit longer vs. needing immediate maintenance. I frequently get discounts on my service, and they go beyond the call sometimes. This past service interval they cleaned my K&N air filter gratis. That's not something I would have expected since K&Ns aren't OEM and essentially never get replaced (you clean them every couple of years or 50K miles). OTOH, I've heard plenty of horror stories about other places, including universal bashing of Dodge and Chevy dealership service departments.
Politicians: More like 98 of 100. It's a shame, too, that the ones you do see that are probably genuinely interested in being public servants find themselves mired in the muck from the rest.
Accountants: I work in a building with well over 80 accountants. Other than not making a fresh pot of coffee when they take the last of it, they're mostly decent folk. But we're talking corporate accounting, not for individuals/small companies.
Marketers: Yep. Plumbers: Dunno as I've never used one, but my HVAC guy (also my electrician) is pretty good. He is always interested in doing the job right vs. just slapping something in.
RE agents: I don't know how it is in Oz, but in the States the average RE agent puts their photo on everything they do, from their web site to their business cards to their advertising. A Chicago Tribune columnist had a really insightful comment about that awhile back. She said that agents need to realize that they're there for the customers, not themselves. Putting their photo on everything just reinforces that they're interested in their personal wealth / popularity / self image / etc. and not the success of their clients. What a turn-off. I always think of this when I see RE ads. Especially those that have over half the ad devoted to agent head shots, leaving precious little room to actually show photos of the RE that's for sale. You know, the PRODUCTs. :roll:
Dandenong High: I'll take your word for it.
I'll add to the list:
Distracted drivers. Doesn't matter if it's cel phone usage, eating while driving, fiddling with the radio or whatever's in the front passenger seat, distracting the tots in the back. Whatever. Related: Drivers who fail to maintain their vehicles. I couldn't tell you how many times on any given day I see cars with multiple lights (brake lights are the most common) that don't work. Or have tires with radically different inflation levels of the tires.
Employers / managers who fail to value their employee's contributions / knowledge / experience. I've quit jobs for this reason before.
