Category: Rants

Arghhh, shipping companies

About 10 days ago, we found out that we were the victim of credit card fraud. Fortunately, our card holder is terrific and they caught it before we did, notified us and hubby had an extensive conversation with them to establish which transactions were ours and which weren’t. They had already refused the fraudulent charge attempts and cancelled the card. We were told to destroy the card and a new one would be priority shipped. In the course of the conversation, it appeared to be hubby’s card so we destroyed it. No new card arrived.

Last Thursday, we took our German Shepherd to the vet to get her routine vaccinations and tried to use my card. It was denied, so a different card was used. Once home, I called the card company to find out why, only to discover it was my card that had been hacked, not hubby’s, so I had the card company send a new one to him. His arrived today, mine was still missing. Another call made to the card company. They said they would cancel the new card even though it had not been activated and would send another new card, and in the course of the conversation, I was told who the shipping company was, not the USPS. I asked them to not send the new card priority, just send it via USPS and explained that I had a history of missed deliveries by that shipping company.

After being told how it was shipped and finishing my call, I decided to scour the front area of the house. I had not been given a delivery notification, did not have a tracking number. On our front porch is an old fashioned milk can with a collection of walking sticks in it. Folded in half and stuffed to the bottom of the can was the envelope containing the missing card. According to the delivery date on the envelope, it has been there for almost a week. No note on the door, no electronic delivery notice. I am not in the habit of checking the inside of that can for mail or packages.

I’m not sure how that company stays in business.

Sounding ignorant – 1/12/2020

Don’t young people realize that their language usage is often one of the first ways that others judge them? While sitting in a local restaurant, a trio of college women were sitting in the adjacent booth. Two with their back to us, but the one sitting across the table from them was facing us, and she wasn’t speaking quietly. In two sentences, she used “like” half a dozen times.

Shortly after that, I was reading an interview with a young man who was identified as a journalist, and though he probably does not write the way he speaks, he also used “like” an inordinate number of times in just a few sentences.

Reading a news article this evening on student debt, an interviewer asked college students how much debt they had, what they thought about proposals to forgive debt, and whether they would be willing to help pay the debt for others. This comment again caught my eye. “Cause like, I have to make my own money, so like, if I make my money, like, I kind of want to keep my money that, like, I make, and not have to, like, give it to my friends.”

Does this young woman have any idea how that would sound in an interview? And when she isn’t hired, will she realize that her inability to put together a coherent sentence might have had an impact on her potential hiring?

“Ya know, like, you know, you like sound like ignorant, when you like speak this way.”

Corporate Lack of Customer Concern – 1/8/2020

In recent weeks, I have had to reach out to two major corporations concerning issues and their response has been apparent disinterest.

First, our heating pad failed. It was only a few months old, but I had not kept the box or the receipt, it was a store brand, but the store would not deal with it. I purchased a name brand heating pad from a different store, kept the box and the receipt as it said it had a 3 year warranty. It lasted a month and failed. On the company website the contact was for an online chat. The chatter’s name and language usage suggested they were not in this country, but I followed all of the procedures including submitting photos of various codes located on the plug, the receipt, and the heating pad and the chat abruptly ended. More searching revealed an email route, so I went through the entire procedure again, including the photos. That was the end of the exchange. I have received no further instruction, no refund, no new heating pad. Needless to say, I won’t support that company again, though they make a good many products other than heating pads.

Next, our primary grocer like so many others have a rewards program. This grocer’s rewards offer fuel points earned by purchases and some purchases have double up to 4 times value points. Before the holidays, they had two different rewards going. If you spent a certain amount during a several week period, you earned 20 to 40% off a general merchandise purchase. We needed new everyday glassware and chose to spend our 20% off on a set. When we got to the register, I asked if I had to do anything special to get the reward and was told no, it would come off automatically. It didn’t. Also before the holidays, purchasing gift cards earned you double fuel points. We purchased some cards as gifts. On Christmas eve, I realized we needed gas, but the grocer gas pumps were closed, so I stopped at a convenience store and purchased enough to await reopening after Christmas. On December 27, we went to fill the tank, the pump asked if I wanted to use the entire reward to which I prompted yes, but the price per gallon did not reduce and the pump wouldn’t let me cancel so I pumped gas, hoping that the points just didn’t come off but were still available. Making a grocery purchase after that, the receipt indicated that the points were gone. They got my benefit, I paid full price for my gas. An email to grocer’s Corporate explaining this produced no response and no refund of points.

They both got their money and the customer’s satisfaction doesn’t seem to matter. We have one other grocery option in town, but I don’t like the store and don’t get fuel discounts with them. Stuck supporting an uncaring Corporation or shopping in a store I don’t like. Conundrum.