My husband is becoming a permanent fixture here at Stumbling / Grace, for which I am thankful.  I have to say that I am amazed how so many bloggers manage to keep up with their blogs, their daily schedules and the added stress of Christmas on their time. As for me, I have hit the wall. When it comes to blogging, on top of the Holidays, kids, marriage and the many other aspects of daily life that we all deal with, I sit at the computer, and draw a blank. There is just not much left going on in my brain by that time.

I get so wrapped up in functioning in what I call “auto-pilot,” I’m depleted of any individual thought, emotion, or social amicability, which leads to pulling inward for a spell. So this is where I am functioning from at the moment. I hope everyone is winding down from their “To do” lists that usually hold far more then the day to day at this time of year. I have to go hide the 2lb box of Sees chocolates, of which I have eaten a pound out of already. Does anybody else think their quality has gone down over the last decade? (Obviously not enough though)

So here is Kevin’s Rant on Customer Service. Now that he mentions it, I could really go off, but feel the need to save that energy for another day. In the words of Scarlet O’Hara, “I can’t think about that right now. I’ll think about that tomorrow.”

Hugs & Kisses!

3T

I CAN’T KEEP THE LASH HOLSTERED

I was talking with my bride, the inimitable 3T, last night as she seemed to
be struggling writing something.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“I have to write a post because some people are wondering why I haven’t written
anything,” she replied.
But she was struggling so hard with another bout of fibro—and valiantly
trying to resist writing again about how much her pain was preventing her
from turning out a quality post--that I offered to do a guest post.
She agreed, but with conditions.
“Don’t be too controversial,” she warned.
And so I am trying to put my lash aside, but it’s too hard to resist.
So, let me rail a little bit about customer service.
My bride thinks service in Arizona is particularly bad. We’re both from the
opposite ends of the north, and she recalls the Northwest as an almost
idyllic home to wonderful people who don’t snap at you behind cash
registers and greet you with a smile and efficiency. I’m a little more
jaded. In the Northeast, good customer service meant you didn’t have to
worry that the cable guy was a rapist.
But whatever the case might be elsewhere, good customer service can be
difficult to find, at least in some sectors.
This is on my mind for two big reasons. I’ve been going back and forth all
week in emails and phone calls between our physician and a specialist she
wants me to visit. My bride blames this all on HMOs, but I don’t see why
the additional paperwork they require should be used as an excuse for
incompetence, rudeness and a total lack of concern by the clerks who are
charged with shuffling that paper.
And I’ve been doing the same with the representative of the dealership that
sold us our new van. Our temporary tags have expired--SIX WEEKS after we
bought the car--and the regular plates have yet to arrive in the mail. The
dealership has found a convenient scapegoat--the state motor vehicles
bureau--but in all my direct dealings with that agency, I have encountered
nothing but quick and efficient response.
I could go on, but why bother? The Christmas season--often the great excuse
for worker inefficiency and rudeness--is on us. I’m sure one day I’ll get
that appointment with the specialist to whom my doctor’s staff keeps
insisting they’ve faxed the referral to, the same referral the specialist’s
staff keeps saying they haven’t received. And I’m sure one day our van’s
permanent plates will arrive in the mail.
And I will let the true spirit of Christmas calm my agitation for now.
Nevertheless, I hope Santa leaves those clerks and sales people nothing
more than a small chip of coal in their stockings.