a rare rant.

i don't typically rant here, but i think i've reached my brink.

is it just me or is customer service truly lacking these days? i am not a major picky person when it comes to customer service. i know there are people who take it super seriously, but i typically do not. i completely get it that people sometimes have bad days, etc. i mean, don't we all? but i guess i DO hope for some basic, simple courtesies. especially when i am paying for a service.

lately, though, i have received particularly terrible service. and i am more shocked now than ever before because of the economic climate. has the service industry not gotten the memo? the general public is stretching to pick up their morning starbucks, and yet, the service industry basically sucks. i am not suggesting that service professionals should double their efforts since there are less dollars to spread around, but at minimum they could seek to do their best job, knowing that 1- jobs are scarce and 2- people aren't exactly throwing money around right now.

allow me to provide some examples to illustrate my point:

1- recently, i ordered flowers for my mom for her birthday. i'll go ahead and say it was 1800flowers.com. they sent me a "delivery confirmation" though the flowers were not delivered. they charged me twice. the second time, they over charged me. it took five days to refund the money-- i demanded to be refunded BOTH charges since the flowers were never delivered and i'd now paid for two bouquets that didn't exist. when i called, frustrated, the girl on the phone suggested that i was lying about not receiving the flowers. she said that someone else at my mom's work MUST have gotten them. and she told me that if i was not refunded, it would be the fault of my bank, the bank that has never once wronged me, and not the fault of the flower company that had now in the span of two days, wronged me repeatedly. grrr.

2- i had a car accident this week and called my insurance company to report the accident. i won't say who i have my car insurance with because i have had them for YEARS and this was the one and only time that they sucked. otherwise, they've been stellar, completely stellar. the accident happened .25 mile from my house so i drove my vehicle home from the scene of the accident. but, i was not completely sure that it was "drivable." first of all, i am not car savvy, to say the least. and second, i am not about to GUESS about vehicle safety when i am strapping in my baby everyday. so, when the insurance company rep asked me if the vehicle was drivable, i explained how i had driven the short distance home but wasn't sure if i should be driving it, it was kinda beat up but technically COULD start up and drive, etc, etc. and he said, can you go outside and look at it? um, what? again, i said, look it IS beat up, but i have seen worse, i mean i am just not sure.... and then he said, well, maybe when your husband gets home he can look at it and tell you if it is drivable or not. at this point, my blood quickly escalated to bubbling in a boil. i said to him, first of all, my husband is not a car mechanic so he isn't going to know much more than i do, secondly my husband is in the military and won't be home tonight or tomorrow, and lastly i find that remark to be very offensive and sexist. at this point, the rep said to me that he hadn't meant it like that, etc.. he then said, well maybe you have a friend who can come look at it if your husband won't be home? DUDE. unless i have a friend who is a mechanic (i don't) then NO. NO ONE is going to guess about my car's safety. i all but hung up on the guy.

today-- it took a few days to reduce to a simmer-- i called the ins company back and scheduled a tow truck and a rental car to pick me up, with the baby, in a SAFE and DRIVABLE car. the woman i spoke with was helpful and, when i told her that my headlight was hanging on by wires, it was definitely not drivable. the end. how easy? and pleasant.

3- but this leads me to my poor experience with the rental car company today. i first called at 11am. said i'd need a pick up b/c my car was towed and i had no ride (eric working). the man said, ok, no problem. what time? i said, 1230 or 1. i said, also, i have a baby and a car seat and it's a royal pain to transfer it from one car to another. so, could you please pick me up in the vehicle that i'll be renting. that will save me from moving the car seat. the rental man said, sure. not a problem. lastly, i said, sorry to be so demanding (i wasn't but felt i had to say that), i drive a small car so please don't stick me in a minivan or pickup truck because i work in the city and am not comfortable driving that big of a car. he said, no worries, we'll get you a car like yours. he then said, call us back around 1230 and we'll come get you when you call us. this was slightly annoying because i said already i would definitely be ready at 1230 or 1 and didn't get why i needed to call back a second time, but i swallowed it and said, OK. will do.

now, unless you have a baby, you may not understand the planning involved in taking a baby someplace. yes, even to a rental car place, to a mall, a friend's house, etc. i picked my 1230 to 1 timeframe knowing adam's nap schedule and feeding schedule. he would be eating at noon, meaning i'd be getting the car well before he would need another feeding and/or diaper change. i knew he'd want a nap sometime around there too, but he'd be in his carseat and would likely just konk out. knowing i'd already have the challenges of putting him and his carseat in a new car with an audience at the rental place, i intentionally planned my pickup time. you probably see where this is going...

i fed the baby and called the rental car company at 1245. the man, same guy i'd spoken with that morning, said no problem. we'll be there to pick up in 15 mins. by 1. and yes, we'll come in the car that you'll be renting so you don't have to transfer the carseat twice. great, i said, and hung up.

at 1:45, adam is falling asleep in my lap in his coat and hat, i am sitting by the front door with my shoes on and the rental car company has not shown up or called me. i call them. the man, same man i talked to twice already, says, oh wow has it been an hour already? ijidfsdklfhdskjhdkjhfsdjkfhsdfkjkjshdfsdhf. yes. it has been an HOUR. ok, he says, sorry about that. we'll be there in a second. we're just a mile away, he says. yes, i know, i say. (inside, i consider telling him i'll just walk there. and if the weather was warmer, i would have...)

at 215, i get a call from the rental car company. at this point, adam is completely asleep in his crib and we're nearing his 3pm feeding. remember, i'd originally called at 1245 and had been told i'd be picked up a 1. the man, same guy i have spoken with repeatedly, said to me- my driver is in your driveway, outside your house. what? i look out the door and in my driveway is. a. white. minivan. MINIVAN. i say, wait, is this the car you are giving me to rent?! he said, no this is just the car we're picking you up in. the car you'll be renting is here at the rental office. skdjhfsldkfjsdlkfhlkdfjsdlkfjlklkjdflksjjsdlkjf. i said, remember, i told you i have a baby and a carseat and i preferred not to have to switch cars, i wanted to be picked up in the vehicle i'd be renting. sorry, he said, we had to drop off a family before picking you up so we had to take a big car. (i care because....?) the man at the rental place said we'll just have the driver come back to the rental place and get your car and then come back to your house and pick you up. OHHHHHHH NOOO, i said. i am tired of waiting, i am getting in that mini van with my baby and all our stuff.

dammit.

the driver, i do have to say, was very nice and did a great customer-service job of patting down my ruffled feathers in the minivan. when i got to the rental place, they did give me my same exact car. and i was able to successfully transfer all of our crap and make it home before adam freaked on me for some food.

maybe all's well that ends well. i don't know.

4- mice in our house has been an ongoing topic on my little blog here. i haven't seen any mice lately, or any mouse poop. but there has been other "evidence," per se. eric, bless him for being such a great husband, has done so much to try to rid our home of the mouse. but we finally decided to enlist professional help. and i have to admit i was so relieved. we chose a company that i was actually super excited about-- you pay them a fee and they come out every three months and they keep your house pest free. all pests. so... if we have any further mice, or ants, or any living creature that's uninvited, i'm guessing i could call them to remove it. and they guarantee their work so that was appealing. i made the appointment on monday afternoon. they told me they'd come friday morning between 9 and 11am.

at first, i assumed that to mean they'd arrive at 9am and work until 11am. so i woke up at 730, fed the baby, brushed my teeth and put on clothes. sort of prepared around here. at 930, when they weren't here, i thought ok, they're like the cable company. the "9 to 11" meant they'll come sometime in that window. at 1040, i guessed they weren't coming. and at 1115, i was thinking of all the many ways i could tell them to get out of my sight, off my lawn, out of my driveway.

don't these people want business? i was willing to be a year-long, guaranteed repeat customer! stupid, stupid, stupid.

there have been a few other instances i won't go into here because i either don't want to stain a person's personal livelihood (even if their service did suck, i do have a heart) or i may have been at some fault and i'll give the benefit of a doubt. but for realz, people?! listen, times are tough! people are choosy where they throw their dollars. if someone is willing to pay for flowers that are just going to die in a few days or pay you come out and terminate some mice that are really totally harmless, be nice! do a good job! be glad, because to me, even though we can afford it right now, those things are luxuries and last time i checked, people are cutting out luxuries right now!

to end on a positive note... two great experiences: we had a man/company come out to service our heating unit. he was so nice, returned eric's online inquiry within minutes, showed up on time on the iciest day of the week, was nice to me, nice to otis, smiled at the baby, slowly and repeatedly explained our heating unit to me, the mechanical dunce. he gave me options for what we could do to remedy-- or not remedy-- our situation. overall, it was an excellent service call. Bailey's Mechanical.

second, after i had the baby, we had a housekeeper come out for a month or two once a week and then down to twice a month. it was difficult keeping the house clean with eric being gone for work a lot and being on my own with the baby and learning everything and not sleeping,etc. we'd done a good job saving up for my maternity leave and could swing it, so we allowed ourselves the luxury. the service was excellent. but eventually, we figured things out and learned how to be parents and keep house, so we cancelled the service. now that i'm back to work, and we're busier than we ever, ever imagined i contacted the housekeeping company about starting up again, twice a month. i cannot tell you how great this little company is. it's small, not a franchise, could just be a few ladies-- to be honest, and i don't care. the owner is responsive and amenable, they always come when i ask, they do a fabulous job, are always, always on time, work really fast and always offer to do extra-- i can wash those bottles, i can fold those clothes, etc., even though i always say no thanks, i can do it! :) the price is fair and the woman who comes to our house is very kind. they're coming back beginning this week and i know, without a doubt, they'll arrive on time and do a fantastic job and i'll come home to a sparkly house. and, who doesn't like sparkles?
Waldinas Cleaning Service.