I go to my local supermarket with the children today and buy three doughnuts on a 3-for-2 offer at a reduced price of 15p each. The Cog was too busy talking to the kids to notice that not only did she charge me full price for each doughnut, I didn’t get one free either. I don’t waste my time with her and go straight to the customer service desk. She gives me back the overcharged money but still charges me fifteen pence for each one—I’m still not getting one for free. It’s only 15p, but I’m not going down without a fight. I try to get her attention but she turns away. She serves another customer, and takes a phone call despite knowing that I’m still there. She wants me to go away but, as we’ve long established, I’m going nowhere fast. ‘I’m sorry, but you charged me for all three—the offer says 3-for-2.’
She doesn’t take my word for it and calls a colleague and asks them to go check the price. This whole process takes fifteen minutes. She hands me back my overcharged 15p and doesn’t apologise. I leave, angry. I allow myself to think self-righteously that Cogs like her give us all a bad name.