JoeyMoggie

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Thankfully since strikes began in May, the 130 grounds workers of Notre Dame Cemetary in Montreal are back to work this week.  They will be working a 4 day work week, with continued striking on Fridays until a resolution can be hatched.

The grass and grounds have not been cut or maintained since the strike began in May.

More than 500 loved ones passed on are awaiting burial to their final resting place, currently being held in cold storage.

My thoughts go out to the families of the dead. . . .

Read the CTV Story here 

We arrived for dinner at some friend’s house around 6:30, upon entry we were ‘greeted’ by Mickey Moose. A large 10-point moose head that they had caught up north a few years back. It was freaking huge. And in the front hallway, on the floor. We joked that he’d make a great coat-rack.

Dinner was lovely, the evening was even catered!! We drank copious amounts of champagne and wine and laughed and laughed and laughed.

After the gorgeous deserts a bottle of Louis XIII was brought outt.? Now, I’m not a liqueur drinker - but I couldn’t resist the chance to try the most coveted of all cognac - Remy Martin Louis XIII. At more than $4000 retail a large bottle (usually it sells for $200-$250 a glass at restaurants) I felt sort of guilty, but I must be honest - it was a sinfully delightful “guilty” pleasure. I might have had 2 (or three) glasses, I had to tell myself when would I ever have the opportunity again to tryit?!
I now understand what “smooth” means in reference to liqueur . . . .

This weekend we have a big deadline.? Its tomorrow.? I’ll be in the office all weekend.

I’m such a team player . . . . hahahahah

I do plan on enjoying some of my weekend, we are going to Harry & Sigi’s tonight for dinner. . . .

There is a dangerous virus being passed around electronically, orally, and by hand. This virus is called Worm-Overload-Recreational-Killer (WORK).

If you receive WORK from any of your colleagues, your boss, or anyone else via any means DO NOT TOUCH IT. This virus will wipe out your private life - Completely.

If you should come into contact with WORK put your jacket on and take two good friends to the nearest grocery store.
Purchase the antidote known as Work-Isolating-Neutralizer-Extract (WINE) or Bothersome-Employer-Elimination-Rebooter (BEER). Take the antidote repeatedly until WORK has been completely eliminated from your system.

Picture Source. (in case you are wondering, that is a picture of the herpes virus. ewwww)

I was talking the other day with a work collegue, he is older gentleman and wonderfully Polish and very quirky. He is our ‘numbers and figures guy’.  Often when you discuss things with him he can’t see past the numbers or won’t accept an answer without them.

“Show me the proof. I need data”

He has a lined face that has laughed and seen so much of the world.  His eyebrows are greying and unruly but frame kind and gentle eyes. 

We often talk about his mothers perogie receipes,  and bottles of Polish moonshine.

I always make time for him, his stories are fabulous and colourful.  He laughs at his own jokes.

He wears glasses and often wears black pants and turtle necks. His look often reminds me of “Dieter” from the Saturday Night Live skit “Sprockets” although Dieter was an effeminate German who loved dance parties, and Mike Myers (who protrayed Dieter) is a Scottish-Canadian, both he and Numbers have a distinct European/Slavic look to them.

Numbers asked me to look at a cryptic email message he received from the boss, he was unsure of the meaning.  The context.   He was concerned he didn’t understand what the boss was telling him.  There were no digits or math.  No proof or data.  Numbers was out of his element.

The message was simply this

: )

Kim calls her Blog The Darwin Exception

“because it’s not always survival of the fittest;

sometimes the idiots get through”

I found Kim’s blog in the Tag Surfer one day, and it’s quickly become a must-read for me.

My favourite feature on her blog is the Newspaper Humor.  Unfortuntaly for me I always end up reading it while on a break at work, I try to laugh quietly but invititably I just can’t keep myself quiet, my small little fits of laughing and tears often raise an ‘Are you ok?’ from at least one co-worker.

Her feature never fails to make me cry with laughter.  I have no idea where she finds the ads and clippings, but I’m certainly glad she does.  I look forward to that weekly feature!  http://thedarwinexception.wordpress.com/tag/oddities/newspaper-humor/ 

1. How the Customer explained it
2. How the Project Leader understood it
3. How the Analyst designed it.
4. How the Programmer wrote it.
5. How the Business Consultant described it
6. How the project was documented
7. What operations installed
8. How the customer was billed.
9. How it was supported.
10. WHAT THE CUSTOMER NEEDED.

I was talking to a guy at work, and he was telling a story about something his 6 year old daughter said. . .

He and his daughter have special time before she goes to bed, they sing & read stories and stuff.

One night she sang him a song for “mommy and daddy” she said. . . .

“mommy and daddy sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G,

first comes sex, then comes the house . . . .”

Things have changed alot since I was 6.  I swear, boys still had cooties till I was. . . . well. . . .I still think they have cooties. 

Last week I asked the question : What is reasonable to ask a customer service department for in a customer service request?

This week I pose the question : What courtesies should always been given to customers and consumers by the part of the customer service department?

Feels like yesterday I was talking about my crappy trip to the grocery store.

This weekend I went to a gas station, I bought a can of RedBull and a Tim Horton’s coffee.? I had to wait at the desk at Tim Hortons for the 5 people standing back there to acknowledge I was waiting there, then the cashier asked what I wanted (no greeting), put out his hand for money and continued talked (his back to me) with the girls he was working with.? He slammed down the coffee (which spilt a bit) and he dropped the coins onto the desk (didn’t hand them to me).

Then I went to get my RedBull, that cash attendant mumbled and wouldn’t look at me. . . .he just cupped his hand out in front of my face grasping for the money.

Grrrrrrrrr.? What happened to Customer Service??

Here is my list of things that should always be extended to customers.

• Be polite.? Even if you have to labour at it.
• Always greet your customer hi and bye.?
• Eye contact, even on the phone.? By this I mean “Be Attentive”
• Always say “Yes”.? Even if you have to say no, there is always a way to word it positivily.
• Be sincere and honest.? If you can’t help or provide the service yourself, help your customer find something that can.? Think Miracle on 34th Street.
• Make contact.? Either eye contact, physical contact (like a handshake) or even just a smile.
• Let your customer finish.? Often the process of simply venting is all the customer wants.
• Let them tell you what they want or need, often they need less than your company policy for warranty or returns.
• Be clean. Physically and in how you speak.
• Endevour to answer all emails and messages in a timely fashion.

What else would you add to this list?

Read the rest of this entry »

I answer a lot of the customer service calls that come into our office.  Its my job.  And I’m very good it.I am always polite and courteous to the people (my customers) on the other end of the phone – because if these people aren’t happy and don’t buy my products I’m outta work, in addition, no matter how shitty a day I’m having I can’t take that out on customers on the phone.  That is not their fault, and don’t deserve to be spoken to in a rude tone. I deal mainly with warranty issues.  Recently I’ve had a rash of calls that seem to be asking for unreasonable things. 

My question is : What is reasonable to ask a customer service department for?   

How far should you pursue a customer service claim, and what is the best way to get what you want?As a consumer, what do you deserve.  As a business what is reasonable to offer customers? 

I want some different opinions, because I think sitting behind my desk and thinking about what is best for the company is my automatic mindset.  I need to see things from a new perspective so that I don’t get stagnant, or lose touch with the customers. 

Example 1. Almost a year ago I bought myself a pair of Juicy Couture sunglasses.  They cost me a bloody fortune.  Unfortunately after they were dropped (not my myself, but by Colin) the little jewels on the arms of the sunglasses popped out.  I contacted the company and asked for some new jewels to glue into the side, as the pieces were lost when the glasses were dropped.    I was personally contacted back by a chap named Jim (I emailed my question, with pictures of the glasses) I was instructed to send the glasses back, and they return to me a BRAND NEW PAIR!  Also, because of the time delay I was also allowed to buy some eyeglasses frames at cost (The parent company also makes frames for my fave. Gucci, so I bought two Gucci frames).  About 3 weeks later Jim called me back about the glasses, and to make sure everything was cool.    This is going above and beyond customer service!  I would recommend Juicy sunglasses to anyone based on my experience with their customer service department. 

Example 2. 

A customer bought a pair of our playing pants at the first event of the year (March 2006).  He bought a size too big, and wore them to every game, tournament and practice for a full playing season.   He called me up to tell me there were rips starting in the knees, and the cuffs at the bottom where he walked on them were fraying. He wanted me to replace them.   Is this reasonable? 

Example 3.A customer bought one of our other new products (Value $150), and their son was too rough with it and it broke.   We told them to send it to us, (at her charge) and we would replace it for them with a brand new one, sent back by registered courier.  They continued to by asking for the following to be included with their request.

• $10 cash for the stickers they had put on the product (stickers are given free at tournaments).  Also they wanted stickers sent too.
• $25 cash for the registered mail charge to send it back to us.
• A set of goggles (our newest model) and playing pants.  (Because she felt “unconvinced” – MSRP for both together is over $200)
• One of our employee’s playing jerseys (a lot of our staff are professional players, and jerseys are hard to get – often commanding over $250 on internet forums for sales)
• $35 for an electronic upgrade piece that was not correctly installed.  She would not return the old one to us though.