another scorcher!

DISCLAIMER: I am merely feeling ranty.  If you are easily offended by my rantiness, DO NOT READ FURTHER.  You may, however, skip to the portion of this post after the **** line, as I focus on some positve, smiley, Pollyanna-like musings.
Thank you.

I'm having issues w/ customer service and ppl in general today.  is it the heat?  is it the humidity?  am i just a crankopotomus (TM Kerry&Brandon)?  or are these situations really as irritating as i think they are today?  

Story 1: 

My driveway has been getting steadily worse as time goes on.  I think the smooth edge might’ve been jabbed away by the snowplows over the winter.  Regardless of the how, it’s pretty much now a concrete blog that I have to drive up into every day to park, w/o that tire-saving “lip.”  Now, the rest of my driveway is great!  It’s just dangerous to get into.  And since I can’t get into it any other way unless I want to use the neighbor’s driveway & park sideways every day… 

Can you tell how much of a dip there is BEFORE the block of cement?

I called the main office to put in a work order on it today.  The office manager started out by saying, “well, I’ll have the guys look at it, but I can tell you right now they’re not doing any driveway repairs right now.  And yours is one of the better ones, believe you me.(hahaha)”  then I said, “I understand, but it’s really kind of dangerous to have it sticking up that much, so anything you all can do would be great.”  Then she said she would go out & take a look at it today. 

A couple of things here – first of all, you are telling me that there are parking areas in your park that you know are “bad” when you say mine is one of the better ones.  You’re acknowledging that there is a problem, and you’re stating that there are no plans to fix it.  Um, don't I pay you rent for this lot?  And this lot and park are your responsibility to keep safe and kept up.  If my lawn gets to be too overgrown by your standards, you can bet that it’s my responsibility to get it taken care of, or you’ll charge me $50.  If you don’t repair the things that are your responsibility, are you going to pay ME $50?  I don’t think so.  The second thing was as soon as I brought the words “safety issue” up, you went from “the guys will check it out” to “I’ll be right out to check it out today.”  This tells me you are aware that it could be a safety issue, but weren’t going to really even look at it until I made you aware that I know it could be a safety issue!!  What is wrong with this picture??

Now, I am usually very happy w/ the office manager & staff.  They’ve almost always been really nice & helpful to me.  But there are just some times … (remember when my shed was pushed into my house?  And I called & put in a work order, but when I called to check on it they said they couldn’t do anything because of all the rain we’d been having.  (valid)  Then it was dry for awhile, and still nothing had been done.  My mom happened to be over one day & visited the office & they said they didn’t have a record of a work order, but would get on it right away, and they were!!  Grrrrr.

Story 2: 

There are these weekly menus, both hard copies and online.  The online menu is pretty accurate until the menu is changed/rearranged.  After that, it's a crap shoot as to the accuracy of the online menu.  Remember the salmon issue?  Every time I looked at the online menu & it said "salmon" I would get very excited since it's my favorite meal!  Then, 75% of the time when I got there on "salmon day" - NO SALMON!  I sent email complaints every time, and at first got replies back apologizing for the error/inconvenience/whatever.  

Then the apologetic email replies stopped, and a "disclaimer" was added to the website that this building's menu was subject to change based on availability.  Grrrr.  Okay, not grring at the change due to availability thing - that I totally understand.  If you're planning a menu ahead & suddenly circumstances come up that you have to change last minute (OCCASIONALLY!), I would not complain!  Stuff happens, and I get that, and I wouldn't hold it against anyone!  But, in these instances, it's a matter of the hardcopy menu being correct and the online menu being incorrect, which means that they KNOW on Monday when they print & distribute the hardcopy menu that the online menu is wrong.  *boggle*  

Now, I know what you're thinking, I can see the wheels turning.  "Why don't  you just get a hardcopy menu, then, and be done with it?  If it's correct, base your decisions on that."  Yes, that would certainly be an option for me, except that I don't want a bunch of extra papers hanging around my desk.  And that's not the point.  The point, I'm sorry, is that they are acting unprofessionally, in my opinion, by knowingly having an incorrect menu on their website.  They have office workers.  They have ppl whose jobs it is to update the website every week for the various facilities.  Why can't that person/those ppl update it CORRECTLY?  I, of course, emailed them again today.  We'll see if I am afforded a response.  I'm not expecting one, or not expecting it to really change anything.  

Story 3:

Not really a story, more of an observation from today's drive home.  It will be my FB status when I log in there later.  *laugh*  "Dear ppl who use your turn signals, Thank you.  I do have one suggestion, however.  Perhaps the signal would be better received if you turned it on PRIOR to leaving your lane & coming into mine.  It might give me a chance to slow down & let you in, as opposed to slamming on my brakes & honking at you for nearly causing an accident.  Thanks again, tho, for using that signal!"  

Story 4:

I used to have 2 credit cards.  I was very smart with them, for awhile.  Paid off the balances, etc.  Then I felt I had to use them to help support myself in that situation I was in awhile ago.  Money was leaving my hands faster than I could make it, even when I was helping Aunt Jan out!  So, I got rid of the cards, but still needed to pay them back.  I was making good payments, and then had the whole medical issue crop up.  Heart Specialists and other doctors are not cheap!  Monthly prescriptions are not cheap!  Thank God for my HSA to help with it all, but even that couldn't pay for everything.  And so I had to start making payments to the doctors, too.  There was some dental work that needed to be paid for (again, thank God for GREAT dental insurance, because they did pay a lot of it!).  There was a certain car accident (thank You once again, Lord, for awesome insurance!  My deductible was quite low!) and the rental car ... Which reminds me I need to make a payment to Mom ... (Thank God for her, too.  I am very blessed, and grateful for those blessings!  I don't want anyone to think I'm being ungrateful by any means...)

Anyway, that's a little background.  So, amidst the medical and other bills, the credit card bills fell by the wayside, because I simply did not have the money to pay them!  I would rotate - one month the medical bills would get a payment, the next month it would be the cards.

So, the one card has been sending me bills, and I've been paying SOMETHING every month.  Except for May, which IDK what happened in May, but I didn't send a check.  Anyway, they sold my account to a collection agency, which, alright, I'll pay them.  I want to make it very clear that I'm not trying to shirk making payments.  I'm not trying to default on any payments.  Well, the other card stopped even sending me bills, which is scary.  I haven't seen anything in writing from them, which when they were calling, I asked them to send me something in writing - which is my right!  But, nothing.  So, I keep getting this message from some guy, who calls during the day, and doesn't say what his call is about.  And... Seriously, what is THAT about?  My message says, "This is Carrie," so you know you have the right number.  Tell me what the heck you're calling about, what company you're with, something!  Otherwise I'm not calling you back, because if you're a debt collector, I've already asked you to contact me in writing.  This same number, same guy, kept calling, tho, and he was starting to sound really scary on the message.  So I figured I would call back & leave a message for him to either contact me in WRITING or leave a more detailed message.  Well, instead, someone actually answered the phone, and did the call center thing when I asked if I could leave a message.  "Oh, yes, he does have voicemail, but I think I can help you."

UGH.

You know these reps work on commission, right?  And he was RUDE!  Well, he started off polite, and let me speak, but then when he went into his scripted spiel - which happened to be the exact wording I heard on Dateline when they went undercover to the scammer callers in Florida - and I called him out on threatening me, that's when he got MEAN and wouldn't let me talk, and just kept badgering me over & over again.  It was awful!  I was trying to interject so that I could find out what kinds of payments they wanted, and he kept talking over me and telling me that I wasn't cooperating and he was going to tell his employers to continue action without me.  I was like, What?!  Wait, how can you say I am not cooperating when I am trying to get information from you??  And then he said, "Well, if you are not going to take responsibility, then I am going to terminate this call because there are callers who do want to work with us."  And MEAN!  When I pointed out he was being rude, he then got even RUDER and sarcastic, saying, "I'm sorry if I gave you the impression I was customer service..."  Oh my goodness!  So, I hung up on him in the middle of his sentence because HE wasn't listening!

I have tried working directly with these ppl, and I'm done.  I think I'll go to Consumer Credit & just pay them to deal with it!!  My medical bills will all be paid off in the next couple months, Lord willing, and then I can add those amounts to the cards.  Oye!

So, you tell me - am I being a crankopotomus or have I really had a day from hades w/ ppl?!?!

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Okay, it's safe to read now.  : )

Today wasn't all Grrr-y.  I had lots of fun with some way interesting work stuff.  I was able to actually investigate some stuff, which I love!  I got home in time to watch Big Brother.  I made waffles & eggs & bacon for dinner.  Mmmm!  I love making semi-runny eggs to eat w/ waffles.

The sky was beautiful tonight!  All floufy clouds & a pink sunset.  And I saw the cutest little boy running down my street, all long limbs & chocolate skin.  Love!  He looked to be about 2.  Awwww.  I wonder what Jasmine & Amorae are up to these days?  And their sister, America.  Amorae & America were adopted by the same lady, and I think Jasmine lives with a grandmother, but I'm not sure.  (We fostered Jasmine & Amorae for awhile many years ago.)

I get to watch White Collar and I'm not sure what else.  And I want a snack, but IDK what.  Oh, actually, I know what - Popcorn!  I just don't know if I want to make it or not.  : )

Tomorrow is Leyton & Anthony day, and that is ALWAYS a good thing.  Friday I'm on vacation & Kathy just called to finalize our plans for the day.  HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!!!!

These are the things that make me happy.  /today's novel.  : )  ttfn!