Covid - weaponised

 Interesting last few days.

I noticed a fairly authoritarian attitude on a visit to Costa Coffee last Friday. My son and I were not asked but told to wait our turn at a certain spot withing the shop and then told to complete the 'track & trace' information which, quite rightly, the shop staff had been asked to maintain.

Thought little of it until we had the same instruction at the pub where we decided to take lunch (we were in Rayleigh, Essex); but in this case delivered with politeness and a more 'human' approach. You know 'we're all in this together'. And it is a pain. However. today I had a similar experience to the 'Costa' one: this time in Barclays Bank, Maldon. Before I run through that, and because of it, I am considering the possibility that employers are failing to treat and train their staff to deal with the pressures placed upoon them by Covid. To explain:

I had trouble this morning with Barclays online banking: couldn' log in/got lots of 'error' messages - I eventually used their automated telephone banking service to pay a bill, after which I was unsure that I had been succesful. So I decided to visit the local branch. I was, to all intents and purposes. 'interrogated' on entering, and not in the friendliest or politest of manners. I was allowed in (after a 'covid lecture) and explained the issues I had faced 'online'; and therefore should be grateful to have my account checked. It took some time (3-4 minutes) for the lady staff member to log in - even then she seemed unsure. So I mentioned that holding the phone for 20 minutes or longer is frustrating (as is being apologised to by a recorded voice) and was told that Barclays had recently 'lost' a call-centre somewhere. 

My reponse "hardly my fault" was met with something like (I do not quote, but give the gist) "I'm doing far more than I should be doing under the pressures of Covid, still can't find your details online and so you must wait longer." I politely sympathised with her, but couldn't stop myself from mentioning the fact that I am a customer of Barclays, who keep my money and I therefore do not believe that I am being excessively demanding in making such a request in branch. At this point she expressed that I had put her under so much stress that she would leave and ask another member of staff to deal with me. 

I picked up my belongings and left. (I had to vist another business and, like most businesses, they were not open 'normal hours', due to Covid, which obliged me to leave in order to get there before they closed.)

So is Covid 19 now more than just a virus? By that I mean 'is it a stick with which banks (and not just banks) can metaphorically beat us? I.E. is it causing a serious and pejorative change in the usual business-customer relationship to the effect that customer is not always right, but actually wrong to expect a a degree of service which suits the business (and its staff), however poorly treated we (the customer) may feel? 

I rememember some time ago the introduction of signs (in businesses which would be frequently visited by members of the public) telling us that abuse would not be tolerated/would be reported to police where waiting times, queues and lack of service might be forced upon any visitor simply becasue not enough staff were present to handle the requests made.  In other words we had to grin and bear bad service, waiting times and queues created by the business itself, rather than the customers; but complaint (especially verbal remonstrations) and irritation might (would?) now be considered abuse. Robotic telephone sevices have solved this brilliantly: shouting at a recording has no effect at all! 

(What damage such services - robotic telephone systems -  have caused to elderly/hard-of-hearing and mentally challenged members of the public I just cannot imagine!)

My real fear is that this has the potential to erode the old adage 'innocent until proven guilty'. We, the customers, are, I feel, being manipulated - and that is sad. Thoughts anyone?