Dreams are like the ocean,
so mysterious and complex.
They can have great effects on you,
they can really vex.
I dream in the day,
I dream in the night.
I dream of the day
when I can hold my little loved one tight.
Dreams are like the ocean
So deep and so pure.
No one can take them away from you,
They are yours for sure.
The above poem was originally written on September 17, 1999. I found it in one of my old journals.
I have been very blessed in my short time on this planet and am very thankful. You are in my dreams little one. Wouldn't it be poetic if I met you on September 17, 2010?
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Survey Says???
You are completing your purchase, signing your receipt or collecting change, when you are handed an eighteen inch receipt and it is mentioned to you by the clerk that "if you were to simply visit a website and take a quick survey and give us an excellent or give us the highest score possible than you might win a shopping spree or a year supply of toilet paper or a million dollars.
Today's consumer is more informed than ever before. Business has been reinvented entirely over the last twenty years. Companies are always trying to gain a competitive edge, that part has not changed. Anyone that has worked retail before, knows that it isn't always as simple as right and wrong. You always have consumers with unreasonable expectations. Demanding that they be compensated for any ridiculous inconvenience that they may have suffered. Most people are understanding and if they aren't then some are patient enough to overlook whatever small complaint they have.
How does this all connect? Customers are bit more brave when emailing their complaints. I recently received a complaint on my performance. I know most of your jaws just hit the floor. This customer said I spoke to him in a "cold monotone voice." I wasn't even involved in this customer's transaction, I just happened to pick up the phone when he called to gripe two weeks later. The only thing that I told him that might have been cold was the truth and you all know it wasn't in a "monotone" fashion.
I can't help if a program changes and your deal would have been a bit sweeter if you would have waited two weeks. The deal is done and by the same token if it would have been altered to negatively effect your deal you wouldn't come back to the dealer and say, "I know the rebate went away that I took advantage of two weeks ago so do you want me to give you an additional $500 to make up for it?
When you give someone your word or come to an agreement with a business then you should own up to it. Is it right that the same shirt you bought six weeks ago for $35is now $12, I don't know maybe the question should be "What the hell were you spending $35 on a shirt for?" Maybe your neighbor spent less on his deck than you did with the same company, if you didn't think it was a good deal, then as an adult you HAD the right to NOT take advantage of it. Once you commit, shake hands and write a check it should be end of story. If you want to re-negotiate, then you are at the mercy of whom ever you agreed with and if they don't see things your way, then they are not the bad guys.
Is it worth it to trump up a 90 second phone conversation with an agent of a company as the worst experience of your life so that you can get a couple of free oil changes? How much is your integrity worth?
Today's consumer is more informed than ever before. Business has been reinvented entirely over the last twenty years. Companies are always trying to gain a competitive edge, that part has not changed. Anyone that has worked retail before, knows that it isn't always as simple as right and wrong. You always have consumers with unreasonable expectations. Demanding that they be compensated for any ridiculous inconvenience that they may have suffered. Most people are understanding and if they aren't then some are patient enough to overlook whatever small complaint they have.
How does this all connect? Customers are bit more brave when emailing their complaints. I recently received a complaint on my performance. I know most of your jaws just hit the floor. This customer said I spoke to him in a "cold monotone voice." I wasn't even involved in this customer's transaction, I just happened to pick up the phone when he called to gripe two weeks later. The only thing that I told him that might have been cold was the truth and you all know it wasn't in a "monotone" fashion.
I can't help if a program changes and your deal would have been a bit sweeter if you would have waited two weeks. The deal is done and by the same token if it would have been altered to negatively effect your deal you wouldn't come back to the dealer and say, "I know the rebate went away that I took advantage of two weeks ago so do you want me to give you an additional $500 to make up for it?
When you give someone your word or come to an agreement with a business then you should own up to it. Is it right that the same shirt you bought six weeks ago for $35is now $12, I don't know maybe the question should be "What the hell were you spending $35 on a shirt for?" Maybe your neighbor spent less on his deck than you did with the same company, if you didn't think it was a good deal, then as an adult you HAD the right to NOT take advantage of it. Once you commit, shake hands and write a check it should be end of story. If you want to re-negotiate, then you are at the mercy of whom ever you agreed with and if they don't see things your way, then they are not the bad guys.
Is it worth it to trump up a 90 second phone conversation with an agent of a company as the worst experience of your life so that you can get a couple of free oil changes? How much is your integrity worth?
Thursday, March 18, 2010
What Happened to the Troublemaker in Class?
Just going to get right in to it...
Fact: There is no denying that my better half and I have avoided going to the SSO for 2+ years. We have been married for more than 3 years and did not rush out to get her name changed for a couple of different reasons; we were going to be using our passports and didn't want to go through the hassle of getting new ones immediately before our trip (which was scheduled soon after getting married) and we weren't in a rush to have her name officially changed. I didn't care if she changed it or not. I was never insecure about it, it never bothered me!
A culmination of factors finally prompted us to put a proverbial check mark next to the "change last name" item on the to do list.
We pulled in to the parking lot and upon opening the the car door, we were hit with a cloud of what can only be described of as a combination of body odor, ash trays and day old empty beer bottles. I will forever associate that smell with apathy.
The SSO opens at 9am, we entered the building at 9:15. On the back wall there were four windows, three of which were occupied with agents whom were servicing the early risers. The place had been open for 15 minutes and the security guard was already looking at his watch. The atmosphere in the room seemed to suck the energy out of anyone/anything that occupied it longer than 12 seconds. It was teeming with people that already had taken a number, after taking ours we relunctantly sat in the corner.
After 85 seconds, I empathized with the security guard. Three minutes in to the experience, my neighbor realized the guy across from him was an old high school buddy and they proceeded to reminisce, which would have been fine if they were next to each other but they were separated by more than twenty feet. We were all privy to the convo which consisted of comparing parole officers, food stamps and the holy grail "section 8". "I'm trying to get me a piece o dat sektion 8" one said to the other after comparing notes on the two local Hope Centers....
While taking it all in, I was speechless. I couldn't hear myself think. I tried to block it out and converse with my wife but after stuttering uhhs and umms (clearly distracted) I gave up.
I'll tell you what it was like....In grade/middle and high school, everyone had two or three kids in thier class that were different. You could tell they had a rough start to life, their home life wasn't "ideal". They came to school unkempt, they were loud and insolent and distracted. They were the ones that your parents didn't want to be friends with....right??? That Social Security Office was nothing more than a room full of those kids, they were all grown up, same story but different setting.
No doubt, there were people there for legitimate reasons with unfortunate circumstances, I realize that and am not insensitive to that. I am not an elitist, I know that some people cannot help themselves. But the overwhelming majority of people in that office were just trying to get a free ride. They were trying to do just enough to get by.
I can hear my parents now, "don't be lazy, do it right", weather they were talking about doing homework or cutting grass, it was the same philosophy. It takes twice as long when you "half ass it" (dad's words, not mom's) as opposed to doing it right the first time.
Fact: There is no denying that my better half and I have avoided going to the SSO for 2+ years. We have been married for more than 3 years and did not rush out to get her name changed for a couple of different reasons; we were going to be using our passports and didn't want to go through the hassle of getting new ones immediately before our trip (which was scheduled soon after getting married) and we weren't in a rush to have her name officially changed. I didn't care if she changed it or not. I was never insecure about it, it never bothered me!
A culmination of factors finally prompted us to put a proverbial check mark next to the "change last name" item on the to do list.
We pulled in to the parking lot and upon opening the the car door, we were hit with a cloud of what can only be described of as a combination of body odor, ash trays and day old empty beer bottles. I will forever associate that smell with apathy.
The SSO opens at 9am, we entered the building at 9:15. On the back wall there were four windows, three of which were occupied with agents whom were servicing the early risers. The place had been open for 15 minutes and the security guard was already looking at his watch. The atmosphere in the room seemed to suck the energy out of anyone/anything that occupied it longer than 12 seconds. It was teeming with people that already had taken a number, after taking ours we relunctantly sat in the corner.
After 85 seconds, I empathized with the security guard. Three minutes in to the experience, my neighbor realized the guy across from him was an old high school buddy and they proceeded to reminisce, which would have been fine if they were next to each other but they were separated by more than twenty feet. We were all privy to the convo which consisted of comparing parole officers, food stamps and the holy grail "section 8". "I'm trying to get me a piece o dat sektion 8" one said to the other after comparing notes on the two local Hope Centers....
While taking it all in, I was speechless. I couldn't hear myself think. I tried to block it out and converse with my wife but after stuttering uhhs and umms (clearly distracted) I gave up.
I'll tell you what it was like....In grade/middle and high school, everyone had two or three kids in thier class that were different. You could tell they had a rough start to life, their home life wasn't "ideal". They came to school unkempt, they were loud and insolent and distracted. They were the ones that your parents didn't want to be friends with....right??? That Social Security Office was nothing more than a room full of those kids, they were all grown up, same story but different setting.
No doubt, there were people there for legitimate reasons with unfortunate circumstances, I realize that and am not insensitive to that. I am not an elitist, I know that some people cannot help themselves. But the overwhelming majority of people in that office were just trying to get a free ride. They were trying to do just enough to get by.
I can hear my parents now, "don't be lazy, do it right", weather they were talking about doing homework or cutting grass, it was the same philosophy. It takes twice as long when you "half ass it" (dad's words, not mom's) as opposed to doing it right the first time.
occupied
I know it's been a while since my last published post. I feel like I should apologize to all 4 of my faithful blog readers but I won't....
All kidding aside, the last 10 weeks have been extremely exciting for me and I look forward to sharing my thoughts and emotions at the right time.
On a side note, I did import a blog from our 2007 trip to Italy.
more to come....
All kidding aside, the last 10 weeks have been extremely exciting for me and I look forward to sharing my thoughts and emotions at the right time.
On a side note, I did import a blog from our 2007 trip to Italy.
more to come....
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