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On any given day, millions of Americans are subjected to poor customer service. You wait 15 minutes on hold and the line goes dead; a flight is delayed and no one bothers to explain or apologize; a hotel check-in agent can’t find your reservation and spends long minutes staring at the computer screen while you wonder what is going on; an appliance delivery results in a deep scratch in your newly finished floor and you are given a month-long run around by the company responsible.
Thomas Dichter is a cultural anthropologist who has worked in international development for five decades.
