Customer Service Oldies But Goodies: "Attention? I Don't Want Your Freakin' Attention!"

Last week work overload prompted me to miss my usual deadline for my ClickZ marketing column, so my editors published an "oldie but goodie" entitled "Attention, I Don't Want Your Freakin' Attention!"  The article resurfaces at a time when the topic of customer service is elevating to a new level of debate and discourse in marketing circles. The topic is loaded with irony, and I think the pseudo "conversation" here well reflects that.  If you want to get a taste of real interactions (at least from the consumer side), you might want to peruse some of the letters and comments on PlanetFeedback.com.  Customer service ironies ooze throughout the site.  (Disclosure: I founded PlanetFeedback, and am darn proud about that!)  Other good resources for getting smarter in this area is the website of the Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals (SOCAP), as well as website of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA).