Sunday, August 12, 2007

 

How may I help you?

Life

I just got off the phone with a customer rep for a major office solutions company, local store. Their name rhymes with Bimbo’s. I called the main 800 number to get a quote for a printing job I need to do and the very polite, cheery operator told me she would have to transfer me to a local store, because prices vary depending on location. Fair enough. I gave her my zip code and within a few seconds, someone picked up the line. She sounded as if she had just awoken. Hey, I’m not a morning person, so I can understand that. However, things went down from there. I explained what I needed to know and she told me to hold, that she was going to transfer me to someone. She didn’t wait for my answer. Ok, I waited. After a bit, a different woman’s voice came on the line, yelled something I didn’t understand, something about my calling the store and hung up. Huh? I called the 800 number again and said they hung up on me, could I please be connected again? The very nice operator said certainly. The same initial sleepy voice picked up. I told her what had just happened. In a moment of clarity, she said, “Oh, that’s ‘cause you was playing music. Loud. We couldn’t ‘nnerstand what you was saying.” These were her words. I told her politely, but firmly that I was not playing any music. “Oh, I don’t know. We couldn’t ‘nnerstand you.” Okay. I wasn’t playing music on the phone, but even if I had been, this is how you deal with your potential clients????? Yell at them and hang up on them???

I have noticed a decline in service in the Long Island region, lately. There has always been the random rude customer rep. In their defense, it is not easy to work with the public. I’ve done it and I feel for every person behind a counter or telephone. However, I am not talking about rude customers, or people asking for extra services. I am talking about your everyday, run of the mill and expected service, requested in a polite, non-condescending way. It was 8 minutes and 40 seconds before I actually got a quote from the sleepy voice. She asked me if I wanted her to put in the order. I told her no. She sounded surprised. I should’ve told her that their combined lack of customer support made up my mind for me. Even if they offered me 50% off, I would still not accept it. But I didn’t. I was too shocked. Why did that shock me? Because I still expect to be treated as I treat people. The whole call lasted 8:59 seconds. It took two calls and over 9 minutes to find out I don’t want to do business with Bimbo’s. At least, not this branch.

Knitting

Here are a couple of pictures of the socks I've knitted since mid-winter. When classes are on, I have very little time for knitting. Most were done in the summer.

The pattern, I got when I bought the first Regia something or other (in the picture below) from The Yarn Shop at Geneva. I have adapted it to suit the different yarns. The Tofutsies sock is my own pattern and the Regia 4fadig is the Poseidon Socks (adapted).

The yarns are, from left to right, Regia something or other, Sockotta, Trekking XXL, Merino 4ply "Orchid" and Regia Cotton, I think. The colors are not accurate in this pic...
socks_first_adjusted

... pretty true colors in this shot...
socks_first_close

Here the yarns are merino cashmere sock yarn - "Orange Blossoms", Tofutsies, Regia 4fadig, Wildfoote. Again, the colors are not true here...
socks_second_adjusted

... but they are here.
socks_second_close

Current sock on the needles - I Love Ganseys, from the yahoo group six_socks_knitalong . The yarn is Jawoll.
socks_current_orange_adjusted

And a close up of the orange...
socks_current_orange_close

Comments:
Hello Roseanne ! love,lauri
 
Hello Rosane, thank you for the lovely comment welcoming me back to blogging. Anyone who can knit, socks especially, is weaving magic to me who is all thumbs. :-)
 
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