Want to buy or sell something? Check the classifieds
  • The Fedora Lounge is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

So trivial, yet it really ticks you off.

Edward

Bartender
Messages
24,736
Location
London, UK
^^^^^^
I find myself telling the frontline workers that I in no way blame them for management’s policies and poor decisions, along with my hopes for them to pass up the chain my frustrations with the company’s ways of doing business.

Always my opener when I have to complain - "I know it's not you to blame, but this is what the company have done, can you please help me to sort it out?" amazing how much more helpful people are with that approach than going Full Karen on them gets you.
 

KILO NOVEMBER

One Too Many
Messages
1,020
Location
Hurricane Coast Florida
Here's my take on apologies from customer service representatives. These are the front-line workers who have to deal with me when the company they work for has done me a dis-service. I think their training requires them to apologize to the wronged customer, me.

First, there isn't even a remote possibility that the person I'm talking to is personally responsible for the problem. I'm not a big fan of these kind of apologies. They are cheap and do nothing to fix the problem, which is the only thing I'm really interested in. If I'm going to get an apology, I want it directly from the person responsible for the problem. Even then, I don't much care.

So here are the four possible outcomes when I ask for a problem to be corrected. This is my "Gartner Magic Quadrant" of customer service outcomes:

1) I get an apology and the problem is fixed.
2) I don't get an apology and the problem is fixed.
3) I get an apology and the problem is not fixed.
4) I don't get an apology and the problem is not fixed.

Of these, the only satisfactory outcomes are 1) and 2), and frankly, I'm indifferent between them.

So, spare me the apology and fix the problem.
 

LizzieMaine

Bartender
Messages
32,962
Location
Where The Tourists Meet The Sea
There's a fifth alternative, though -- the possibility that there *is* no problem, and that the customer is merely assuming that there is one because they want something they can't have.

Case in point: we're still operating our opera shows on a "social distancing" basis because the vast majority of people attending them are elderly folk, most of them in their 80s or 90s and many in fragile health. We therefore only sell a third of the available seats for these shows to ensure the safety of people who otherwise wouldn't feel able to attend shows at all. This means a lot of empty seats for an otherwise "sold out" show. One person this week took offense at being told that the show was sold out, and then took further offense, after being given a surplus ticket by another patron who took pity on his plight, at being told that he was required to sit in the seat specified on that ticket, and not an empty seat of his choice. The situation was explained to him and the explanation was rejected. It is no responsibility or obligation of mine, or ours, to give him what he thinks he's entitled to. "We're sorry you feel inconvenienced by our policy" is as much of an apology as he was entitled to recieve, and he received that. But he can make phone calls or write letters till the moon is blue and he's not going to get anything more than that. He'll be told that perhaps he might be happier attending shows someplace else. Our house, our rules.
 

Tiki Tom

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,157
Location
Oahu, North Polynesia
Oh, yeah. We could have an entire thread on people who feel entitled. Gutter-ballers and line jumpers being the single celled examples of a species that takes many forms.
 

FOXTROT LAMONT

One Too Many
Messages
1,459
Location
St John's Wood, London UK
There's a fifth alternative, though -- the possibility that there *is* no problem, and that the customer is merely assuming that there is one because they want something they can't have.

Case in point: we're still operating our opera shows on a "social distancing" basis because the vast majority of people attending them are elderly folk, most of them in their 80s or 90s and many in fragile health. We therefore only sell a third of the available seats for these shows to ensure the safety of people who otherwise wouldn't feel able to attend shows at all. This means a lot of empty seats for an otherwise "sold out" show. One person this week took offense at being told that the show was sold out, and then took further offense, after being given a surplus ticket by another patron who took pity on his plight, at being told that he was required to sit in the seat specified on that ticket, and not an empty seat of his choice. The situation was explained to him and the explanation was rejected. It is no responsibility or obligation of mine, or ours, to give him what he thinks he's entitled to. "We're sorry you feel inconvenienced by our policy" is as much of an apology as he was entitled to recieve, and he received that. But he can make phone calls or write letters till the moon is blue and he's not going to get anything more than that. He'll be told that perhaps he might be happier attending shows someplace else. Our house, our rules.

Puccini or Tchaikovsky? I'll be more than happy to accept a spare ticket.
 
Messages
10,560
Location
My mother's basement
At last count I have over 2000 books piled into a five-room 940-square foot house. This leaves me in wonder at the sturdiness of 1910s home engineering. And they make dandy insulation in the winter time.
In this morning’s feed from the Washington Post is a piece titled “We’re Drowning in Old Books. But Getting Rid of Them is Heartbreaking.”

It doesn’t cover any territory we haven’t been over already, but it is a sign that countless others are dealing with this “problem“ which isn’t much of a problem at all, in my book(s).

One person featured tells of not wishing to leave his kids to deal with all his stuff, his ocean of books most notably, once he shuffles off, as he had to do when his folks croaked.

That’s understandable, I suppose. But I doubt my survivors will find my swag such a burden.
 
Last edited:

LizzieMaine

Bartender
Messages
32,962
Location
Where The Tourists Meet The Sea
I've already arranged in my will for the disposition of my books, and I've already told the kid who wants them exactly which ones are worth actual money beyond their reading value. There are some specific ones she wants to keep for herself, and she's been told to feel free to do what ever she wants -- keep, sell, pulp -- with the others. THose of you out there with an interest in show-business history, comic strips, fringe religion, baseball, or 1930s left-wing agitprop should watch for the auction listing should my obituary pop up.
 
Messages
10,560
Location
My mother's basement
^^^^^^
Chances are excellent that my dewy-eyed bride, 18 years my junior, will survive me, as will at least one of my book-peddler friends.

Among my hoard are a few volumes that might bring enough scratch to get one’s attention, but only a few. As with most of my earthly possessions, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It is a curated collection, in its way.
 

ChiTownScion

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,240
Location
The Great Pacific Northwest
When we moved from the Midwest to the PNW three years ago I trimmed my library considerably. Almost 2/3 of it ended up at Goodwill, likely before ending up in a landfill. Most of what got ditched were old textbooks, casebooks, hornbooks and law reporter sets. Either outdated or case opinions which are all available online now. Funny, at one time that stuff seemed so indispensable but now it's superfluous: LEXIS is faster and more thorough.

I do have a decent size railroad library. I'd leave it to my model railroad club, except that I'm afraid most of it would end up on eBay. I found out a while back that such clubs are always cash starved and gifted items that you'll hope will provide enjoyment for fellow hobbyists usually get sold off.

My model train collection- it isn't huge but it's a considerable amount of locomotives and rolling stock- would likely end up on eBay as well if any model railroad club got hold of it. I'd much rather see a fellow modeler get hold of it, but maybe that's too optimistic. If anyone is going to cash in rather than play with my "toys" I'd prefer it be my widow or son, of course.
 
Messages
10,560
Location
My mother's basement
Hey you, Mr. or Ms. online seller!

Charging a buyer for Priority Mail shipping is all fine and good, I suppose, but waiting several days before getting the items shipped kinda misses the point, don’t it?
 

Forum statistics

Threads
107,024
Messages
3,026,624
Members
52,528
Latest member
Zonko
Top