Sunday, February 19, 2006

No rabbit was harmed in writing this

Some days it's like taking candy from a baby. Those are the days you have so much stuff you want to write about you can almost hear the topics saying pick me, pick me. Of course there's that other side when you wished you knew where that scrape paper was you jotted an idea on while driving in traffic. Then there are the posts I feel I should re visit with updates. Well, as luck would have it, this post is just that. An update. On luck. As I checked my emails I counted four from friends that wanted to bless me, protect me, wish me luck or just a cry out please is there anyone left out there that will say they still except mail from me without having to do something with it? Enough already. If I had all the luck that will be bestodedded on me, I'd be on a yacht someplace sailing around the Greek Islands! So here's the deal. Your lucky if you say you are. Pass it along as your final email on that subject. Now send the rest of the good lucks, blessings, and wishes to all the people that send you spam asking for money. Just think how blessed they'll feel knowing now they can stop mooching off others because you cared enough to bring a positive change into their lives? R-

Sunday, February 12, 2006

You expect me to tell him that?

Automation. We love it. But it comes with a price. In my case $503.47. That's the amount of money missing from my checking account. I decided reluctantly to have my car payment taken from my checking account for the last three months of 05. I was sick and tired of hearing about how I should set up an account with bill pay. What, you all on commission or something? After explaining over and over again why I did not want to, I said OK, let me see. So come Jan 06 knowing I had to make the car payment I called into the bank. Which costs me $12.75 extra I might add to assure my payment is posted on time. (That's another story) imagine my surprise to find the bank took two payments instead of one. "Oh, we are so sorry" I was told. "Don't know how that happened? Of course we will put the money back right a way". (Do you hear laughing)? That was Jan 25,06. Guess what? Still waiting. As I sat in a branch office of this bank three weeks later talking with the one person with a face to go along with his name, it was nice to see steam coming from his ears instead of mine. You see he has been working with me to get the money put back into my account. The look on his face was as they say priceless when he said into the phone, "you expect me to tell the customer that, OK, fine". With that he hung up the phone, turned to me and repeated "your money is in a black hole". After a few seconds of silence the entire bank including myself busted out laughing. Nothing that I'm told from this bank surprises me. They don't care. They pretty much said so. Oh but they want to know when I will be sending in the Feb payment. Maybe because I'm in a customer service business that I expect it. Maybe because even when I took my first job at McDonald's at a $1.60 a hour I gave it my all. Or even when my Dad said to me "if you chose to be a ditch digger be the best one you can". Customer service. Repeat after me. Thinking the bank should go into the black hole after my $503.47!!! Thank you Fifth Third Bank. You never cease to amaze me. R-