Sharing Time with Others...a Message of Communication.

Now, you may argue that I am simply kvetching about bad customer service and I would concede. However, we are all concerned about wasting our time, but we rarely notice how we are wasting other's. We are forced to share time with other people all day, the bank teller, the random person who answers the phone, the person you are waiting for an e-mail from, the person in front or behind you in a line.
Here is my real life example of communication gone awry, causing shared time to be wasted. Fast food drive-thru, 8:45AM, must have caffeine! I order my large Diet Coke from the voice box on the curb. The voice says, "large diet coke, will that complete your order?" "Yes." "$2.00 at the first window." I see that the writing on the screen says large Coke, so I say, "I see that the screen says Coke, I want a Diet Coke." Voice Box says, "it's still $2.00." Fair enough, so I drive around and pay my $2.00, as there is no discount for having the sugar removed, apparently. A seemingly disembodied arm is extended from window #2 holding what I assume to be my beloved large Diet Coke. I grab it, check the lid...the "diet" button is pushed, almost there...I ask the woman who is attached to the arm, "I just want to make certain this is diet." "Yup" and the window closed. Phew! As I drive off while stripping my straw and sticking into the lid, I feel that I am ready to begin my day. At the stop light, I finally get a sip of the sweet nectar. Ugh! This is not my sweet nectar at all! I can feel the fur start to form on my teeth and that tingly feeling in my gums...this is REGULAR!!!! Spitting and sputtering throught the intersection, me, not my car, I am so angry! I gave them two opportunities to correct what I suspected may become an error in my order...two chances not to screw up my morning! So, do I turn around and get a replacement, afterall, I did pay my $2.00! Or do I toss this out and settle for a can from the vending machine at my client's office? I spin my SUV around in a parking lot masterfully pulling off the 20-point turn and head back! In my head, the various ways to play this swirl around. Ask for the manager? Point out whose error it was in a blow by blow manner in a very teacher-esque voice? Or just flat out bitchy? I pull open that glass door with a vengeance, cup in hand, saunter up to the counter and....sweetly say, can I have another cup, please, I asked for diet at the drive-thru, but got regular? The girls says sure and hands me another cup, the disembodied arm chick sashays over and say, "ohhh, that wasn't diet?" I really wanted to punch her in the head, but I wanted my firestarter beverage more, so I got my own damn drink!
My lesson here is sharing time requires good communication, not only delivering it, but receiving it, as well. Listen to what people say to you, ask questions if you don't understand it, and for Heaven's sake do it right the first time and you only have to do it ONCE!!!