Several days ago the thought crossed my mind how crazy it is that a magazine was paying $2 million for the photos of celebrity twins. How outrageous is that. The economies of scale in our world are so out of whack.
I decided that someone should be paying that for a picture of my nearly 94-year old grandmother's smiling face. Now, there's a photo worth $2 million.
Some days, my grandmother isn't quite clear who I am and some days she comes up with the most brilliant advice. Real pearls of wisdom--I should definitely be writing down.
It must be hell to get old--I already feel the difference in myself as I gently ease towards late 40s. Think about it. You live your whole life and then when your body turns against you, you don't even get to decide whether you want jello for lunch.
And, as the younger person in the room telling the older person what to do I think it's easy to forget that's a person with feelings. Just because my grandmother is old, doesn't make her feelings less valid. She still has desires just like the rest of us. Although, the desire to drive a car or ride a horse probably isn't happening.
I have a friend, who will remain nameless, that used to tell me be nice to everyone. Regardless of who they are--their title--their station in life. And this truly is how she lives her life.
Everyone has a story. We should probably publish more of those and less of the celebrity. Our world could use a little more humanity and a little less vanity.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
The urge to scream
Generally, I am sure that it is not appropriate to use this space to rant and rave. But, today, the only urge I have is to do just that.
Perhaps, someone out there has had a similar experience. And, if you have tried to actually reach a human being to handle an urgent matter relating to insurance or bills or whatever the urgent matter may be--you know exactly how I feel.
I am self employed and using COBRA for insurance. So, that I can continue to have that coverage I have made payments for 3 months to a company that can't seem to relay that information properly to AETNA--my health provider. They would cancel me if the payment did not arrive on time. But, they've never taken the steps to insure that I actually have the coverage. And, what really chaps me is that it is impossible to get a human being to help.
So, my question is really pretty simple? Why is that companies who are in the business of working with consumers make an already irate person go through a series of phone prompts to finally be connected with a human that could care less that you have called.
Press 1 if you speak English. Press 2 if you'd like to listen to our elevator music. Press 3 if you would like to rip your hair out. Press 4 if your blood pressure is starting to rise. Press 5 to start over.
It's no wonder we all need self-medicating.
Automation is great when it provides a real service. Automated phone systems with prompts a mile-long do nothing but prompt me to scream.
Service seems to have gone the way of the dinosaur.
Too bad the real urge isn't to provide great customer satisfaction.
Perhaps, someone out there has had a similar experience. And, if you have tried to actually reach a human being to handle an urgent matter relating to insurance or bills or whatever the urgent matter may be--you know exactly how I feel.
I am self employed and using COBRA for insurance. So, that I can continue to have that coverage I have made payments for 3 months to a company that can't seem to relay that information properly to AETNA--my health provider. They would cancel me if the payment did not arrive on time. But, they've never taken the steps to insure that I actually have the coverage. And, what really chaps me is that it is impossible to get a human being to help.
So, my question is really pretty simple? Why is that companies who are in the business of working with consumers make an already irate person go through a series of phone prompts to finally be connected with a human that could care less that you have called.
Press 1 if you speak English. Press 2 if you'd like to listen to our elevator music. Press 3 if you would like to rip your hair out. Press 4 if your blood pressure is starting to rise. Press 5 to start over.
It's no wonder we all need self-medicating.
Automation is great when it provides a real service. Automated phone systems with prompts a mile-long do nothing but prompt me to scream.
Service seems to have gone the way of the dinosaur.
Too bad the real urge isn't to provide great customer satisfaction.
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