(The Customer is) Not Always Right

We’ve all heard the popular phrase, “The customer is always right,” but is it true? Can the customer always be right? Not Always Right is a website that tells the other side of the story by collecting memorable and often hilarious tales from employees that prove, “The customer is not always right.”

For those who work in customer service or in retail, I’m sure you’ll understand the gravity of the title. While I haven’t held a job as customer service as immersed as a cashier, a waitperson or a call center operator,  I can still sympathize with the experiences shared on this site. No working experience is without their interesting situations similar to the eye-brow raising, head-scratching, laugh-behind-their-back moments like these.

While customer satisfaction is the priority of every business and service out there, customers themselves can often forget that those who cater to them are human beings also. I’ve previously featured a rant site that caters to the irate and hostile customers, Not Always Right tends to show the more humorously aggravating side of customer relations. Look at it this way, I Hate Bad Service deals with the customer’s story and Not Always Right deals with the employee/business’ story. Now you have an arena to air whatever grievance you had regardless of what side you stand.

The folks running Not Always Right are based in both the US and the UK and have managed their way through their own unique customer service experiences in every position on the field. There is also a book out for those who can’t seem to get enough. On Sunday’s, a hired comic artist transforms one of the popular posts into a visual experience for those who like their world in comic form. I highly suggest you visit the site. I’d post a fav but to be honest, there are so many funny ones I wouldn’t know what to pick. It’s comical and the kind of situations and sayings that you just can’t make up. If you need a humorous break, check this site out!

If It Were My Home

“The lottery of birth is responsible for much of who we are. If you were not born in the country you were, what would your life be like? Would you be the same person?”

“IfItWereMyHome.com is your gateway to understanding life outside your home. Use our country comparison tool to compare living conditions in your own country to those of another. Start by selecting a region to compare on the map to the right, and begin your exploration.

You can also use our visualization tool to help understand the impact of a disaster. The Pakistan Flood and BP Oil Spill are currently featured. Check out the individual pages to gain some perspective on these awful tragedies.

If you’re not sure where to begin, try this week’s featured country, Canada”

Have you ever wondered whether life was better on the other side of the fence? Very few of us are fortunate enough to lead lives that have us taking flight to a new destination, to travel the world and call various countries our home. Therefore it’s not uncommon to find yourself fantasizing about living somewhere else, perhaps more tropical, more rural or even picturing yourself in one of the world’s biggest cities. While I will always love my home and the city I grew up in, as a young adult with very little ties to my present location, I often wonder where would be the next best place to settle in. Perhaps there’s even a better place to live than where I am now that would be more beneficial for the family or lifestyle I hope to have someday.

Well wonder no more. A site called If It Were My Home allows you to size up countries based on several general facts regarding lifestyle, well-being and overall quality of life. These categories include possible employment, earning potential, potential to have children, life expectancy, free time and the likelihood of contracting HIV/AIDS. While all of the comparisons should be taken with a word of caution and added investigation, it allows the general person insight on what light might be like elsewhere.

While the site takes a more closer look at the comparison of the United States and other countries, there is the option of comparing other countries against each other. This is certainly what I did first and compared my home of Canada with my future prospects for homes in the future. Each comparison gives a brief description of the country that you’ve stacked it up against, readings on the country and allows user to make their comments and weigh their opinion on which country really reigns supreme.

It is easy to use the site for other reasons than its original purpose; making it a battleground on which country is better than others but this shouldn’t be the case. It’s merely a tool to help bring our world a little closer and should be seen as such. When you compare wealthier developed countries to those in the third world, it becomes quite clear what many of us should be grateful for.

Have a try and see for yourself what you find out.