Thursday, July 31, 2008
Sometimes, Karma's Cool
After the rant the other day about customer service, I had a little run in yesterday with the pharmacy staff at CVS. BUT. In the end, the pharmacist waited on me himself, and gave me a new customer gift bag for my patience. Stuff like that? Is what gets you through.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Customer What Now?
I've had some absolutely appalling experiences with customer service lately - to the point where it's kind of actually troubling me. I know I wrote about my Father's Day fiasco with Sears. Well, then there was the even bigger fiasco with FedEx a couple weeks ago that was so bad I'll honestly never use them again, if I can in any way avoid it. DHL is my homeboy, people. Here's what happened (and I'm going to do my best to protect the privacy of the individuals involved - my friends, I mean, not the FedEx peeps - their names will be in the post).
A few weeks ago, a friend's father was diagnosed with colon cancer. Shortly thereafter, we were having a get together, so my sister, brother and I thought it'd be a fun idea to get some LiveStrong wrist bands to bring to the get together in his honor. (He is a very popular guy, so had already gone through a box of them, just among his friends and family.) So, I ordered the bands Thursday for what I thought was Saturday delivery. To make an even longer story a little shorter, I found out on Friday that I'd been mistaken. So, I called the Lance Armstrong Foundation, and after some cajoling from my sister and myself, they (VERY KINDLY) agreed to pay an additional fee to expedite the shipping to Saturday delivery (in addition to the fee I'd already paid for expedited shipping, mind you). We had a conference call with me, FedEx and LAF, and all parties agreed that this would work just fine, and we were all set. YAY! I thanked LAF profusely for their generosity. The woman told me they were glad to help.
Saturday, of course, the wrist bands did not arrive and did not arrive and I finally called FedEx. The "customer support" rep I spoke to was at a complete loss. I asked to be escalated to a manager, which I was. The manager's name was Tonya Bass. I pass this along in case any of you has occasion to deal with FedEx "customer support." Anyway, after around 45 minutes debating with Ms. Bass the fact that I was in Long Island and the facility where they were holding my shipment hostage was in Jamaica, NY (Queens), and really, that's...not that far away, and that the LAF and I had BOTH paid expedited shipping fees, and after her changing her story from, "Well, the shipment missed the truck this morning," to "Well, actually, the Lance Armstrong Foundation never did upgrade the shipping," and back again (after I informed her that I knew that to be false, since I'd been on the phone with both LAF and FedEx at the time when the shipping was upgraded), she finally informed me that she was getting off shift and would be hanging up on me. Upon my letting her know how unwise a move this would be, she calmed down enough to assure me she would have someone call me back once they were able to locate my package and figure something out.
Two hours later, shockingly, I had not heard from FedEx. I called back again, and again and this time immediately asked to be escalated to a manager. The manager who answered this time, Sheila Malone, was more pleasant. I told her the entire story and she let me know that Ms. Bass was supposed to have let her know of any outstanding customer support issues, but did not. I told Ms. Malone exactly how unhappy I was with the situation, and that I'd come to terms with the fact that I wouldn't be getting my shipment that day, but that although my little shipment probably didn't mean much to a company like FedEx, the fact that I was in the presence of five business owners who all used FedEx regularly should.
The next night when I got home, I wrote to FedEx and detailed the entire story, including the names, and including the assertion that I and the other business owners I'd been with over the weekend would not be using FedEx any longer. In response, I received a grammatically incorrect autoresponse. So, I wrote back, "Is this response a joke? Do your customers honestly mean so little to you that you can't even be bothered to provide grammatically correct responses to complaints? Perhaps it's a good thing that FedEx will lose business over this incident." At that point, I did at least receive an actual email from an actual person, but it still signed off with, "I hope your next interaction with FedEx proves more positive." Yea. Still not quite getting the point, here. THERE WILL BE NO NEXT TIME.
I feel like, increasingly, these large companies are so comfortable in their monopolies of their respective fields that they are completely complacent when it comes to customer service. (I've had similar experiences recently with not only Sears, but also Comcast and CVS.) I don't mean to be all fringe, "EFF THE MAN!" here, but it's really troubling to me that companies that should be based on customer service...don't give a sweet goddamn about customer service. And they wonder why they lose customers in this type of economy?! You know who has my business for life? Virgin Atlantic Airways. And do you know why? Because once, nearly ten years ago, they took such good care of me on a flight to London that I will never, ever forget it. Companies these days bemoan the lack of brand loyalty. But I've never heard Richard Branson bemoan it - and I don't think that's a coincidence.
A few weeks ago, a friend's father was diagnosed with colon cancer. Shortly thereafter, we were having a get together, so my sister, brother and I thought it'd be a fun idea to get some LiveStrong wrist bands to bring to the get together in his honor. (He is a very popular guy, so had already gone through a box of them, just among his friends and family.) So, I ordered the bands Thursday for what I thought was Saturday delivery. To make an even longer story a little shorter, I found out on Friday that I'd been mistaken. So, I called the Lance Armstrong Foundation, and after some cajoling from my sister and myself, they (VERY KINDLY) agreed to pay an additional fee to expedite the shipping to Saturday delivery (in addition to the fee I'd already paid for expedited shipping, mind you). We had a conference call with me, FedEx and LAF, and all parties agreed that this would work just fine, and we were all set. YAY! I thanked LAF profusely for their generosity. The woman told me they were glad to help.
Saturday, of course, the wrist bands did not arrive and did not arrive and I finally called FedEx. The "customer support" rep I spoke to was at a complete loss. I asked to be escalated to a manager, which I was. The manager's name was Tonya Bass. I pass this along in case any of you has occasion to deal with FedEx "customer support." Anyway, after around 45 minutes debating with Ms. Bass the fact that I was in Long Island and the facility where they were holding my shipment hostage was in Jamaica, NY (Queens), and really, that's...not that far away, and that the LAF and I had BOTH paid expedited shipping fees, and after her changing her story from, "Well, the shipment missed the truck this morning," to "Well, actually, the Lance Armstrong Foundation never did upgrade the shipping," and back again (after I informed her that I knew that to be false, since I'd been on the phone with both LAF and FedEx at the time when the shipping was upgraded), she finally informed me that she was getting off shift and would be hanging up on me. Upon my letting her know how unwise a move this would be, she calmed down enough to assure me she would have someone call me back once they were able to locate my package and figure something out.
Two hours later, shockingly, I had not heard from FedEx. I called back again, and again and this time immediately asked to be escalated to a manager. The manager who answered this time, Sheila Malone, was more pleasant. I told her the entire story and she let me know that Ms. Bass was supposed to have let her know of any outstanding customer support issues, but did not. I told Ms. Malone exactly how unhappy I was with the situation, and that I'd come to terms with the fact that I wouldn't be getting my shipment that day, but that although my little shipment probably didn't mean much to a company like FedEx, the fact that I was in the presence of five business owners who all used FedEx regularly should.
The next night when I got home, I wrote to FedEx and detailed the entire story, including the names, and including the assertion that I and the other business owners I'd been with over the weekend would not be using FedEx any longer. In response, I received a grammatically incorrect autoresponse. So, I wrote back, "Is this response a joke? Do your customers honestly mean so little to you that you can't even be bothered to provide grammatically correct responses to complaints? Perhaps it's a good thing that FedEx will lose business over this incident." At that point, I did at least receive an actual email from an actual person, but it still signed off with, "I hope your next interaction with FedEx proves more positive." Yea. Still not quite getting the point, here. THERE WILL BE NO NEXT TIME.
I feel like, increasingly, these large companies are so comfortable in their monopolies of their respective fields that they are completely complacent when it comes to customer service. (I've had similar experiences recently with not only Sears, but also Comcast and CVS.) I don't mean to be all fringe, "EFF THE MAN!" here, but it's really troubling to me that companies that should be based on customer service...don't give a sweet goddamn about customer service. And they wonder why they lose customers in this type of economy?! You know who has my business for life? Virgin Atlantic Airways. And do you know why? Because once, nearly ten years ago, they took such good care of me on a flight to London that I will never, ever forget it. Companies these days bemoan the lack of brand loyalty. But I've never heard Richard Branson bemoan it - and I don't think that's a coincidence.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Don't blink.
Today, B is nine months old. In some ways, it kind of seems like I've always been his Mommy, but in others, nine months seem to have gone by in a blink. Last weekend, on the ferry back from Long Island, I was standing on the deck with B in the Baby Bjorn, when a man turned to me and said, "Don't blink. Whatever you do, don't blink. Mine is 16 already and it seems like yesterday that she was that age." So, along today's recurring theme of staying in the moment, I'm going to try not to blink, because I don't want to miss a thing!
Perspective
I've written a couple different times in this space about how I'm trying to be a more positive person. I mean, I think I've always been a reasonably positive person - a worrier, yes, but generally a pretty upbeat person. But because I AM admittedly a worrier, I do have to devote some focus to staying "in the moment" as my Mom would say. I have to remind myself sometimes to enjoy the moment I'm in and to take the positivity from it that I can, and not worry about what's coming next or how things will turn out.
I do also tend to stress out pretty easily. Ironically, my reputation among my colleagues is that I handle stress well and don't get worked up. They have no idea what a toll stress takes on me internally. Just because I'm not flipping out in hte middle of the work day doesn't mean my insides aren't in turmoil. I'm sure my husband, who sees the aftermath, could enlighten them to the myriad ways my stress can manifest itself.
Lately, because I've had a stressful couple of weeks, and because work has been less than ideal, and because we have such a brutal commute, and because having a baby is crazy expensive and we're both underpaid (it's all relative, I know, and we do just fine - we're both just underpaid for our specific roles), I've been really stressed out. And I can tend to have episodes of self pity when I'm stressed out. I've had a couple of Woe Is Me moments this week. But when I really take stock of all the wonderful, wonderful people and things in my life, I feel downright embarrassed about having even moments of self pity. I am so blessed in so many ways, and I know that. So, although I lose sight of that during my stressy moments, I never truly lose sight of it.
I do also tend to stress out pretty easily. Ironically, my reputation among my colleagues is that I handle stress well and don't get worked up. They have no idea what a toll stress takes on me internally. Just because I'm not flipping out in hte middle of the work day doesn't mean my insides aren't in turmoil. I'm sure my husband, who sees the aftermath, could enlighten them to the myriad ways my stress can manifest itself.
Lately, because I've had a stressful couple of weeks, and because work has been less than ideal, and because we have such a brutal commute, and because having a baby is crazy expensive and we're both underpaid (it's all relative, I know, and we do just fine - we're both just underpaid for our specific roles), I've been really stressed out. And I can tend to have episodes of self pity when I'm stressed out. I've had a couple of Woe Is Me moments this week. But when I really take stock of all the wonderful, wonderful people and things in my life, I feel downright embarrassed about having even moments of self pity. I am so blessed in so many ways, and I know that. So, although I lose sight of that during my stressy moments, I never truly lose sight of it.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Back in the Saddle
Well, last week's vacation started out a little rocky, but did get better. We spent the latter part of last week and the weekend at my brother's house in Bridgehampton, NY, where we had a family reunion. There were 27 of us staying at the house and 10 others staying at hotels and my aunt & uncle's place in Orient, NY. Of the 27 at the house, four were under 15 months old. It was nutty. But it was SUCH fun. My brother and sister in law have the most amazing yard with a pool, hot tub, pool house and huge deck, which is ideal for a summer family gathering. And it's big enough to be comfortable for that many people. Plus, the weather was just ideal, which helps.
Yesterday, I was suffering from a MAJOR case of let down. I had been looking forward to my vacation week, and especially the family reunion for SUCH a long time, and between the stressful stuff that happened last week, and the fact that the reunion was over, AND the fact that I was returing to work, I was just a ball of anxiety yesterday. Shocking, I know. Thankfully, I do have one more week of vacation coming up in August. No big plans for it yet, but I'm just hoping it won't start off with a trip to the hospital.
Yesterday, I was suffering from a MAJOR case of let down. I had been looking forward to my vacation week, and especially the family reunion for SUCH a long time, and between the stressful stuff that happened last week, and the fact that the reunion was over, AND the fact that I was returing to work, I was just a ball of anxiety yesterday. Shocking, I know. Thankfully, I do have one more week of vacation coming up in August. No big plans for it yet, but I'm just hoping it won't start off with a trip to the hospital.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Life Is a Crazy Ride
I had so much going on this weekend that I forgot that originally, I was going to post Saturday about the fact that it was the 10th anniversary of the day I moved to Atlanta. I cannot believe that was ten years ago. That just seems crazy.
That, along with various events this past week, has reminded me that life is short (and goes by fast), and it is precious, and it is so important to make the most of it. It is so important to live the life you want to live. It's so important to believe you deserve that life and to chase it down and hold onto it with everything you've got.
Last night, B had a tough time sleeping, so we were up late. I happened upon ABC Family. There was a replay on of that guy Joel Osteen who has that hayooge church in Houston, TX. I'm not generally someone who would watch a Christian sermon on television, but occasionally, one of his will catch my attention enough that I'll check it out for a few minutes. I kind of dig his positive message. So much of Christianity, and especially Catholicism is based in negativity - judgment, guilt, etc., that it turns me off. But this guy preaches positivity. He makes Christian seem like a good thing to be, without making other religions seem like inherently bad things to be. Anyway (those of you who know me to be a left wing, hippie dippy spiritualist can pick your jaws up off the floor now), the reason what he was saying last night caught my attention for a few minutes was that he was talking about recognizing that faith entitles you to good things in life. It was just an interesting way of putting things. Basically, he was saying that we should put our trust in God to help us through our trials, and that he will lead us through them (not necessarily a new concept) and that we can achieve peace of mind by realizing we deserve this (that's the new part). I don't know. Several people who are very important to me had very difficult weekends for different reasons, so this idea just really hit the spot for me, spiritually, last night.
It also kind of goes along with what I've been thinking about so much lately about being a more positive person. Negativity doesn't really do anything for us, does it? So, why spend our lives in the dark place? Why NOT trust that things will get better? Why NOT trust that, if we hit a rough patch, it's just that, and that God (or whatever you believe in) will bring us through it and we'll reach the happy place on the other side? I mean, shit, it'll make life more fun, at the very least.
That, along with various events this past week, has reminded me that life is short (and goes by fast), and it is precious, and it is so important to make the most of it. It is so important to live the life you want to live. It's so important to believe you deserve that life and to chase it down and hold onto it with everything you've got.
Last night, B had a tough time sleeping, so we were up late. I happened upon ABC Family. There was a replay on of that guy Joel Osteen who has that hayooge church in Houston, TX. I'm not generally someone who would watch a Christian sermon on television, but occasionally, one of his will catch my attention enough that I'll check it out for a few minutes. I kind of dig his positive message. So much of Christianity, and especially Catholicism is based in negativity - judgment, guilt, etc., that it turns me off. But this guy preaches positivity. He makes Christian seem like a good thing to be, without making other religions seem like inherently bad things to be. Anyway (those of you who know me to be a left wing, hippie dippy spiritualist can pick your jaws up off the floor now), the reason what he was saying last night caught my attention for a few minutes was that he was talking about recognizing that faith entitles you to good things in life. It was just an interesting way of putting things. Basically, he was saying that we should put our trust in God to help us through our trials, and that he will lead us through them (not necessarily a new concept) and that we can achieve peace of mind by realizing we deserve this (that's the new part). I don't know. Several people who are very important to me had very difficult weekends for different reasons, so this idea just really hit the spot for me, spiritually, last night.
It also kind of goes along with what I've been thinking about so much lately about being a more positive person. Negativity doesn't really do anything for us, does it? So, why spend our lives in the dark place? Why NOT trust that things will get better? Why NOT trust that, if we hit a rough patch, it's just that, and that God (or whatever you believe in) will bring us through it and we'll reach the happy place on the other side? I mean, shit, it'll make life more fun, at the very least.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
A Birthday Wish
A year ago today, a very special little girl was born. She was only with us physically for seven weeks, but she had an enormous impact on an enormous number of people in her short time here. And so, I'd like to wish a Happy Birthday to Willa Vaughan Jones. All my love, precious girl. I wish I could've gotten to know you. And thank you for helping to keep watch over my little man last night.
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