I know, it's Christmas time. Merry Christmas! Peace on Earth! Ho! Ho! Ho! and Happy Holidays! Yes, I know in my heart that it is better to given than to receive. But, when you're finally given the last straw. THAT LAST STRAW! On some occasions, especially around Christmastime, there just may be a little Grinch spotting. And, he was spotted this week in Ohio.
Okay, I didn't go into full-on Grinch mode. There was no little dog named Max pulling any sled. (No Max or any other dog would be welcomed by my two cats.) My heart has never been two sizes too small. And, nobody took any presents beneath my Christmas tree. But, still, there was that straw, and I was annoyed.
I'm the first to admit that there is so much about technology that I just don't understand. I have no idea about the differences between a Terabyte, a Gigabyte, a Megabyte, or a Petabyte. (I never even heard of the last two.) I did know enough to guess that I must have used up the bandwidth allotment for my phone. How much was I allowed to use per month and how much did I use? I have no idea. I just know that I could no longer "talk" to my phone and get answers nor could I look up any information online. The changing to a new month didn't improve anything. After a few more days, I finally went to my phone provider. The clerk I spied knew where to look on my phone. Sure enough, I'd guessed the problem, and he told me that everything should work out fine the next day. This guy thought I was lucky. Hey! There was only one day to worry about -- except that straw had been itching my craw for a week at this point! There was no joy in Mt. Crumpit or Columbus by this point.
Now, there is a Cindy Lou Who in my story. But, on this occasion she was actually named after a luxury car. I'll call her Tesla. And, I knew exactly where to go to meet her. I waltzed into her place of employment. I guess I was supposed to be seeing red at the moment. Isn't that what color your elevated blood pressure helps you (or anyone looking at your face) see when you are angry? But, Tessie was bathed in the pink glow of the lights in that particular store. Besides, I wasn't angry. I was just scratching that straw in my craw. I looked into that little Who face and said, "I don't really like my internet provider and I hate my phone service. Can you rescue me?"
My little "Cindy Lou" knew exactly what to do for You-Know-Who!
First, we had to get a transfer number from the phone company that I wasn't really pleased with. The person at the other end of the line took my information and then asked, "Is there any particular reason why you are changing companies?" To which I replied, "I'm so glad you asked!"
I wasn't snarky. I wasn't rude. There was no hint of anger in my tone. I had no desire to add straw to anyone's craw. I very politely, with a hint of entertainment in my voice and a little louder than necessary, enlightened Tessie, her supervisor in the room Alfie (Romero), and any other customers who happened to be in the shop. Everyone learned how my phone stopped working without any kind of notification. The service didn't start up again when it was supposed to do just that. And, I was at a new shop with my Christmas stocking to get stuffed with whatever kind of goodies they might happen to offer me. From the other end of the line, I was asked if I turned the phone off and then rebooted it. Again, that would have been good information to communicate with a client earlier than this phone call. I clearly let the person know that I wasn't upset with her. I got the transfer number I needed, assured her that I didn't like the company she worked for, and wished her a Merry Christmas.
Tessie Lou's eyes were wide open by the time I hung up. I asked her if I was rude. She assured me, "No, you weren't, but it was entertaining."
I learned a long time ago that on occasion the squeaky wheel gets the grease, but more often than that, they get replaced. And, squeaky wheels never get good customer service. Treat people with respect, humor, and a smile, and all kinds of sugar gets poured back on you. Tessie had all kinds of goodies for my Christmas stocking.
For starters, when she was trying to figure out what plan I might qualify for, she asked if anyone in the home was 55 or older. I told her that she was just so sweet and precious to ask a question like that. Then, I started to see some of that sugar I told you about. Alfie had authority to waive some costs. I'm not sure what was exactly in my official package and what was the additional waived bonuses, but the stocking was stuffed. I didn't need a new phone. I didn't want a new phone. And, I've never had a nice phone. But, Alfie and Tessie gave me an $800 phone for FREE! I love the word free. It's supposed to have a super camera. Whoo! Hoo!
The goodies didn't stop there.
Thanks to Flo and her insurance company, I know all about bundling. You can do it for things like phone and internet, too, Flo. I ended up getting everything for $10 less than I had been paying for my unsatisfactory services. On top of the phone, there was unlimited data usage. No more worrying about bytes, whether tera, giga, meta, or peta! I can use my telephone internationally. I've missed international flights (twice) which certainly didn't please a certain U.S. Embassy official and had numerous headaches because my budget phones never allowed that before.
And then, more goodies were crammed into that stocking.
Yes, it's always good to treat people well. And, at Christmas, you never know what might happen. In addition to some of the regular phone and internet goodies I left with, my bundle had surprises I never expected. There was no straw or coal for my stocking this year. Nope. None. Nada. But, I had free Netflix and AAA car insurance added. Are you kidding me? I don't know what they had to do with what I went to the store for, but I was so very pleased.
It may have been a while since you saw How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I looked it up on YouTube for a refresher and you can, too. Just like the Grinch, I think my heart grew three sizes by the time I was done in the store. Merry Christmas, Tessie Lou and Alfie! And, only changing the end of the story ever so slightly as I left their place of employment, allow me to wrap this story up with a green and furry Christmas bow.
And the Grinch raised his phone and led the Whos in a toast,
To Kindness and love! The things we need most!
Okay, I didn't go into full-on Grinch mode. There was no little dog named Max pulling any sled. (No Max or any other dog would be welcomed by my two cats.) My heart has never been two sizes too small. And, nobody took any presents beneath my Christmas tree. But, still, there was that straw, and I was annoyed.
I'm the first to admit that there is so much about technology that I just don't understand. I have no idea about the differences between a Terabyte, a Gigabyte, a Megabyte, or a Petabyte. (I never even heard of the last two.) I did know enough to guess that I must have used up the bandwidth allotment for my phone. How much was I allowed to use per month and how much did I use? I have no idea. I just know that I could no longer "talk" to my phone and get answers nor could I look up any information online. The changing to a new month didn't improve anything. After a few more days, I finally went to my phone provider. The clerk I spied knew where to look on my phone. Sure enough, I'd guessed the problem, and he told me that everything should work out fine the next day. This guy thought I was lucky. Hey! There was only one day to worry about -- except that straw had been itching my craw for a week at this point! There was no joy in Mt. Crumpit or Columbus by this point.
Now, there is a Cindy Lou Who in my story. But, on this occasion she was actually named after a luxury car. I'll call her Tesla. And, I knew exactly where to go to meet her. I waltzed into her place of employment. I guess I was supposed to be seeing red at the moment. Isn't that what color your elevated blood pressure helps you (or anyone looking at your face) see when you are angry? But, Tessie was bathed in the pink glow of the lights in that particular store. Besides, I wasn't angry. I was just scratching that straw in my craw. I looked into that little Who face and said, "I don't really like my internet provider and I hate my phone service. Can you rescue me?"
My little "Cindy Lou" knew exactly what to do for You-Know-Who!
First, we had to get a transfer number from the phone company that I wasn't really pleased with. The person at the other end of the line took my information and then asked, "Is there any particular reason why you are changing companies?" To which I replied, "I'm so glad you asked!"
I wasn't snarky. I wasn't rude. There was no hint of anger in my tone. I had no desire to add straw to anyone's craw. I very politely, with a hint of entertainment in my voice and a little louder than necessary, enlightened Tessie, her supervisor in the room Alfie (Romero), and any other customers who happened to be in the shop. Everyone learned how my phone stopped working without any kind of notification. The service didn't start up again when it was supposed to do just that. And, I was at a new shop with my Christmas stocking to get stuffed with whatever kind of goodies they might happen to offer me. From the other end of the line, I was asked if I turned the phone off and then rebooted it. Again, that would have been good information to communicate with a client earlier than this phone call. I clearly let the person know that I wasn't upset with her. I got the transfer number I needed, assured her that I didn't like the company she worked for, and wished her a Merry Christmas.
Tessie Lou's eyes were wide open by the time I hung up. I asked her if I was rude. She assured me, "No, you weren't, but it was entertaining."
I learned a long time ago that on occasion the squeaky wheel gets the grease, but more often than that, they get replaced. And, squeaky wheels never get good customer service. Treat people with respect, humor, and a smile, and all kinds of sugar gets poured back on you. Tessie had all kinds of goodies for my Christmas stocking.
For starters, when she was trying to figure out what plan I might qualify for, she asked if anyone in the home was 55 or older. I told her that she was just so sweet and precious to ask a question like that. Then, I started to see some of that sugar I told you about. Alfie had authority to waive some costs. I'm not sure what was exactly in my official package and what was the additional waived bonuses, but the stocking was stuffed. I didn't need a new phone. I didn't want a new phone. And, I've never had a nice phone. But, Alfie and Tessie gave me an $800 phone for FREE! I love the word free. It's supposed to have a super camera. Whoo! Hoo!
The goodies didn't stop there.
Thanks to Flo and her insurance company, I know all about bundling. You can do it for things like phone and internet, too, Flo. I ended up getting everything for $10 less than I had been paying for my unsatisfactory services. On top of the phone, there was unlimited data usage. No more worrying about bytes, whether tera, giga, meta, or peta! I can use my telephone internationally. I've missed international flights (twice) which certainly didn't please a certain U.S. Embassy official and had numerous headaches because my budget phones never allowed that before.
And then, more goodies were crammed into that stocking.
Yes, it's always good to treat people well. And, at Christmas, you never know what might happen. In addition to some of the regular phone and internet goodies I left with, my bundle had surprises I never expected. There was no straw or coal for my stocking this year. Nope. None. Nada. But, I had free Netflix and AAA car insurance added. Are you kidding me? I don't know what they had to do with what I went to the store for, but I was so very pleased.
It may have been a while since you saw How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I looked it up on YouTube for a refresher and you can, too. Just like the Grinch, I think my heart grew three sizes by the time I was done in the store. Merry Christmas, Tessie Lou and Alfie! And, only changing the end of the story ever so slightly as I left their place of employment, allow me to wrap this story up with a green and furry Christmas bow.
And the Grinch raised his phone and led the Whos in a toast,
To Kindness and love! The things we need most!
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