After a morning spent dealing with interestingly tautological digital-imaging people
You say they didn't tell you it would cost more if it was in .TIF format? And they told you specifically to bring it in .TIF format? That's funny, because actually it costs more this way. Didn't they tell you that? Because the thing is, the rates for .TIF files are actually higher.
and then some bracingly jump-to-it folks in our production department
So it's showing the wrong book on the live site? Yeah, that's a problem. We should show this to the content tools group so that they can figure out what caused it. You say that the problem is that the error is live and you want it fixed immediately because the gateway page is pointing thousands of users to the wrong book? Well, how is the content tools group going to figure out what caused it if we fix it right away? What? You say you're tearing off your own ear out of frustration right about now?
and an afternoon working with a helpful customer service representative
Well, sir, the reason your wife couldn't use the gift certificate there is because you can't use the gift certificates at any of our "in-store" locations. Yes, she should have anticipated this before spending hours trying on clothes there. Yes, she should have thought when she walked in that she should check and see if, by any strange chance, this particular location for arcane reasons does not honor the gift certificates the company sells over the website. You say the helpful directory of locations that arrived with her gift certificate includes this "in-store" location, thus implying the certificate could be used there? I don't know anything about that, sir. I haven't personally seen the gift certificate mailing. You say that you're wondering why no one you've talked to yet has offered an apology? I can give you the voicemail of the person who might be able to handle that. You say that you can't hear me because you've torn your remaining ear off out of frustration? Sir? Hello?
this made me laugh right out loud.*
Posted by BT at June 09, 2003 11:34 PMI am SOOOOO voting for Hil for president now.
I actually won a 15-round split-decision telephone customer service call last Friday. It was the culmination of three months and several seemingly helpful but ultimately misleading conversations with Carefirst, who are both my primary (through my work) and secondary (through my wife's work) insurer. No, most of the people who answer the phone there don't really get it either. Anyhow, I got on my wife's coverage exclusively because they would cover 75% of my DME -- Durable Medical Equipment. In my case, a hearing aid.
Now the hearing aid docs, knowing what a dick-around trying to get insurers to pay for DMEs is, want cash on the barrelhead. (DO YOU HEAR ME SON? THIS IS NOT GOING IN YOUR EAR UNTIL I GET A PRE-APPROVAL ON YOUR LITTLE BANK ONE MOLYBDENUM CARD!) So it was up to us to get reimbursed.
There were a number of fits and some starts, and we were sent off on the long road to nowhere, a narrow goat path on a rocky escarpment that has exhausted many before us. In my next to last phone call, I was thrown off the scent briefly by the flabbergasting news that they had paid my claim already. (Not all of it, it turns out, to the DOCTOR, for the love of Pete, and under MY policy though we'd submitted it under my wife's.)
After a few strategic exchanges with said wife (well that can only have been paid by my coverage, given what they covered, and when did you submit it under my policy, etc.) we pieced together a decent picture of what had happened, and from it plotted a path to the summit. Now it was time to fight the boss.
The final conversation took a good 20 minutes of feint and counterfeint, and for every parry I had a new attack, a new denial of the "facts" of the policies and coverages that were presented to me. Eventually, as I was tiring and near to turning back, Tasha finally came to the conclusion that the terms of our agreements meant that Carefirst should pay $800 or so. . . to the DOCTOR.
Lacking anything but the most rudimentary answers based in logic and fairness (but I PAID THE DOCTOR ALREADY), I agreed that this would be fine. The doctors office, it turns out, are quick to refund double payments, provided that you point out to them that they received them.
Check back with me in 21-28 days to see if any of this actually comes to pass. . .
Posted by: Scott on June 10, 2003 09:22 AMAlso in the news, if I may be spared the digression, MONKEYPOX would be a kick-muthafreakin-ASS band name.
Though I guess that good taste suggests waiting to make sure it doesn't wipe out half of Iowa before putting on flyers.
Posted by: Scott on June 10, 2003 09:25 AMI wonder if we could get a gig with ANTHRAX?
Posted by: Scott on June 10, 2003 09:25 AMBoy, that guy Scott sure posts a lot.
Posted by: Guy U. Duntneau on June 11, 2003 05:13 PMThat's why we love him. Also, aren't Anthrax touring with Tampax?
Posted by: bootsy on June 11, 2003 06:09 PMNo, no silly. Tampax is the proud sponsor of the Anthrax reunion tour, along with T.J. Maxx.
Posted by: BT on June 11, 2003 06:13 PMYeah, I think we got a promotional fax.
They're playing down in Springfield. What's that place?
Oh yeah, Jaxx.
Posted by: Scott on June 12, 2003 09:08 AMBy the way, I was really happy for a moment when I looked at the comments and it appeared that that Gary Trudeau was a reader of the Wombatfile.
Oh well.
I laughed my ass off at that Hillary Clinton article. I forwarded the link to all my Cardinals.
Posted by: Pope John Paul II on June 12, 2003 10:55 AMPoop JP, you are dead meat, you sniveling god-loving queen! I'm authorizing Congress to bomb the Wombat back to the Carter administration! Buy my book or I'll have you all killed!
Posted by: Hillary Clinton on June 12, 2003 04:47 PMBut I am qualified to suck your tits, Hil?
Posted by: Pope John Paul II on June 12, 2003 05:18 PMYou know, my parents know about this website.
Posted by: BT on June 12, 2003 05:21 PMThe beautiful thing is that this will soon enough be spidered, and Google-able in all sorts of permutations of Hillary Clinton, Pope John Paul, tits, and Anthrax. Well, plus how embarrassed the head Bat must be about where the conversation has gone, even as he's proud to have both the Pope and Hil amongst his readers.
Gary Trudeau? Who? When was he Pope?
No, I didn't think so.
Posted by: Scott on June 12, 2003 05:21 PMI think His Holiness was only referencing the original Pollack article. And in any case he's infallible. By doctrine.
Posted by: Scott on June 12, 2003 05:24 PMBut witty by the grace of God.
Posted by: Scott on June 12, 2003 05:27 PMHow repulsive. I am never ever coming back to this dinky blog.
Posted by: Gary Trudeau on June 12, 2003 05:35 PM