Archive for June, 2008

Customer Dis-Service Part 3

{ June 27, 2008 @ 3:19 am } · { Venting }
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This latest pill of poor service was hard to swallow.  I am a big fan of this retail giant.  Its the Walmart of sophisticated simpletons…Target.

While shopping online for simple furniture for the new house, I stubbled upon an online sale of Rock Band 2.  Rock Band 2  is a game that allows you to play in a virtual band…complete with a microphone, guitars, and drums.  Its the perfect party toy and I thought it’d be a cool way to entertain guests…especially at my new casa celebration.  The sales price was for $80 off.  To ensure that I would get the game by party time and to avoid paying shipping I headed to target after work to pick up the game and some other items for the new casa.  I went to the games section and found the game…looked it over and was ready to purchase.  One problem…the sales price was tagged at $80 more than the online price.  They must have had it tagged wrong.  I went to the Sales guy in the games area…

“Hey you guys have this online on your site for $80 off.  Can you honor that price?”  

The sales guy responded, “Sir, we don’t honor online prices.  The prices online are different than our store prices.”

“Um…You guys are all Target right?  I mean I can jump on the internet and buy from your store online.  I can probably buy this very box online in about half an hour.”

The sales guy seemed confused…”Yeah…well the price tagged is our price. Online you gotta pay shipping and there are other costs”…Reluctantly he said, “Let me talk to my manager.”

“Well, while you’re talking to him..I’m gonna run over to Best Buy and buy this from them.”

At Best Buy the same problem occured. The tagged price did not match the online price.  However, when I approached customer service…they actually looked online and found the cheaper price at bestbuy.com and sold it to me for that price.  How Amazing!…a store that has the same price online as they do in the store!

Am I being unrealistic here?  Am I being overly mean to a high school kid who is just making a few bucks over the summer to buy those crap rims for his ‘92 civic?…Okay maybe that was a bit mean….OR is it that we have become so accustomed to poor service?…to people that don’t care about going that one extra step…that we’ve let business take much more than $80 from us…they’ve taken our satisfaction.

See that’s the thing with good service.  At its it best strong service makes you feel satisfied for giving up your hard earned dollar.  I’l explain this further in a future blog.  But why is it that Apple users who spend hundreds of dollars more than comparative windows computers rarely complain about spending so much?  They are excited to visit their local Apple Store…excited to spend money…and they shell out big bucks with a smile on their face. There is an expectation of satisfaction that is almost always meet.

 

2:43am

{ June 23, 2008 @ 8:21 am } · { Mumbo Jumbo, feelings shmeelings, solo living }
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Its 2:43am and I’m still awake.  I can’t sleep.  My neck is kinda sore and my mind is heavy with thought.  Its too quiet so I turned on my TV and now I figured writing what’s on my mind may help tonight’s insomnia.

Living for a year on my own has had a few moments like tonight.  I feel the need to kinda decompress.  Much has happened in the last couple weeks and the quiet way each night ends doesn’t seem an adequate fit to me.  Its almost selfish to keep all this to myself isn’t it?  I’m always looking to share my story, my anxieties, my plans. I’m eager to share this experience with someone.  With THE one.  I can’t help but feel alone on nights like these. Its not something a roomate, a friend, or family will solve…And lately, I haven’t even looked to solve it.  I’m so focused on everything else, that looking for someone isn’t even on my radar.  I am more than thankful for my current disposition.  I’m not blind to the flexibility and freedoms of being single.  I’m thankful.  Even more so with the smooth way things have unfolded as of late.  However, the fact remains…Its 3:13am now and I’m awake.  And I know why…

My mind is pondering the future.  The word “when” keeps popping up. Its different this time.  I don’t feel anxiety or frustration…a bit of impatience maybe.  Its never a question of how, but when…Is that okay?…One thing is for sure, I shouldn’t be awake at this hour.

There is nothing on TV right now.  The strategy of having TV bore me to sleep isn’t working.

I”m dream-walking and wishing I was just dreaming.

Customer Dis-Service

{ June 16, 2008 @ 6:11 pm } · { Venting }
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Why is it so hard to find solid customer service?

My personal feeling is that if you provide a customer with a solution that truly fits their needs that they will come back to you.  However, my personal experience has not been this pleasant.  Everyone is out to empty my pocket books. Why is this so hard?  It is a simple process.  I will tell you want my needs and wants are and you tell me what products and service that you offer that match those needs.   Simple.

My latest experience with idiotic customer service is with U-Haul Truck Rental.  I am planning on moving from my one bedroom apartment to a 3 bedroom house.  I contacted a few moving companies and found them to be way too pricey.  I saw an advertisement offering a 10’ truck for the very affordable price of $19.95 plus the cost of mileage.   I called a U-Haul location by my house and asked to reserve a truck.   I knew exactly what I wanted, but was interested in hearing what other services/options they could provide me with.   I told the customer service agent that I was moving to Pearland.  He did not ask for an address or mileage estimation.  I told him I had one room of furniture and should be able to complete the move and return the vehicle back to the rental location in about 5 hours.  Then the greediness and stupidity of the agent ensued.  He told me he could rent me a 14’ truck for $95 for the day and that I could drop it off at the Pearland location.   He said I would save mileage because I would be driving the truck more than 30 miles.  HUH?  “Um…how did you get to $95 bucks?  Your ad says $19.95 plus mileage.  I’m moving to a location that is about 15 miles from your location.  So let us assume that is 30 miles right there.  30 miles at .99 per mile is $30.   Add that on to the 19.95 and you get $50.  What is the additional $45 getting me?”   The agent then promptly reserved me a 14’ truck with the .99 per mileage charge.

Will I use U-Haul again?  Probably…they are the cheapest alternative I know to professional movers.  However, being the lowest price in town is no excuse for below par service. 

Unfortunately for me this has been an all too disturbing trend with several businesses and not a onetime incident.  For now my remedy is sharing my story…good or bad of products and services that meet, exceed, or in this case disappoint my expectations.

Dinner For One.

{ June 10, 2008 @ 5:41 am } · { solo living }
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I’ve been living the single bachelor life for a lil over a year.  Its taken that long to overcome my fear of going to the grocer.  I still have issues on buying proper quantities and I get strangely annoyed in the inefficiencies of product placement at the locale supermarkets.  Nevertheless, I’ve taken on the challenge of learning to cook.  While I wouldn’t consider myself decent by the smallest of standards…I have made some discoveries that can help the novice chef.  So without further adeiu

Chef Jimmy’s Guide to Cooking:  Dinner For One.

K.I.S.S: Keep it simple stupid.  Its my motto in the kitchen.  I rarely stray from my standard approach.  Chicken or Beef and a sauce to marinate.  I never bake.

SAUCES ARE YOUR FRIEND:  Sauces do the work for you.  Simply marinate in your choice of soy sauce, indian powders mixed with water.  The more water you add the more your dish turns into a stew or curry.  The longer you keep it in the fridge before you cook, the softer and more flavorful your dish will become.  I can imagine you veteran chefs out there saying “duh!”

You’re on the clock:  Try to get the meal ready to eat in 30 minutes or less.  I think you got to build up stamina and knowledge to cook longer than that.

Today I cooked a beef poblano dish using a poblano pepper sauce and added a few jalapenos for extra spice.  I cut the beef into small flanks and then marinated it in the sauce and then added the jalapenos.  I left the marinated beef in the fridge for a lil over an hour.  I then put some olive oil in my wok and cooked the marinated meet along with some additonal sauce for about 15 minutes. Done Deal.  Made some rice and sauteed some veggies and my meal was good to go.  With sauce as my friend, I KISSed that meal good bye in less than 30 minutes prep time. :)

While I’m still not convinced that I’m saving money cooking at home…there is definitely something cathartic in cooking and eating my own creation.  Today its dinner for one, tomorrow its dinner for One Hundred!  I kiiid…I’ll aim for 10.

What’s your speciality dish?  What cooking tips can you offer Chef Jimmy?

 

Leaving the 319…

{ June 2, 2008 @ 6:29 pm } · { feelings shmeelings }
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In a few weeks I’ll be moving to a house in Pearland.  Its a sweet 3 bedroom 1 story house with a really peaceful backyard.  I’m looking forward to having more space to accomdate family and friends.  The backyard is so serene I can imagine chillaxin there for hours.

Its bittersweet leaving my apartment in the Med Center.  319 was my first home away from home and I’ll never forget it.  It was small, private, and comfy.  Its locale to city hotspots is what sold me…and all the friends that would stop by after work or on their way to a coffee shop is what made it chill.  There is not A moment that stands out.  Just a comfy couch, a leather chair, a 32″ TV, and good times.  But, to please the cheesy side of me…here are a few special random moments that I remember:

-  Mom’s Here:  Mom spent 2 weeks with me after I moved into the new pad.  She treated me like a prince.  It was the best food the 319 EVER saw and will EVER see.  Although Mom staring at me when I woke up every morning was a bit spooky.  I love her.

-  911 at 319!: Learning to cook I almost burned the place down.  I put a pan on the stove unaware of the hot plate that was underneath it.  The hotplate apparently was not fireproof.  Thank God the sink was so close to the stove.  Those were some scary flames.

-   Stayson’s Chair:  Stayson sat in my brown leather chair so often that I felt like I had to call him and ask permission to sit there. Its lil coincidence that all who sit in the chair become instantly lazy and angry with the Bush run ‘America first’ government.

-  Thanksgiving:  Jolie came over for thanksgiving.  Was a chill weekend.  For thanksgiving we had brauts and chips and I was thankful :).

-  The Sharon Brothers and YouTube:  I don’t know why this quite sticks out in my head so much.  But, one night Justin, Stayson, and Shane came over and we watched Borat youtube videos til about 2AM.  Its what single guys do on a Saturday Night.

-  Sheena lets Justin in on her secret:  At a praise and worship practice I urged Sheena to let Justin in on the news of her marriage to Sajan.  Sheena told Justin the news and then said…”just kidding”…this went on for about 3 rounds before Justin believed her.

-  HYPF is on fire:  The HYPF committee spent some time in prayer at my place.  Small problem the AC was out.  We were on fire!  Spiritually and physically.  How symbolic.  The March meeting we were praying for was amazing!…Josh and Justin don’t know this.  But, I woke up to go the bathroom at like 1am or something.  And the two of them were still talking in the parking lot. Awww.

-  “Do You Know” Behind the Scences:  The first night of editing the “Do you know” video for Sajan and Sheena’s Wedding was disastrous.  Stan, myself, and Blesson could not get anything to work!  To top off the night, it took us 4 hours to order a pizza!

-  The one and only VCB: Lisa brought a magazine and her own food to my place.  How offensive.  But, that’s Lisa…There were times where she’d bring wings and we’d make fun of the rich white girls of the Hills…no jokes….I’m straight seriously.

Lunch Break is over.  And I’ve run out of memories. For the visitors of 319…got any moments that you can remember?

3 more weeks. 319 I shall miss thee.

Jimmy