Author: Codefreak

Attack on me.

/ Codefreak / 3 Comments

I cannot stand being called a liar, an idiot, stupid, and other derogatory remarks. Being told off by customers is never fun but is part of the job (of customer service) they say.

Why is it part of the job?

Who says its normal?

It is not normal to call someone names over the phone. It is not normal to threaten someone that you will get them fired because you feel slighted, even if you were!

Why do we accept it?

How come we just stand there and take it? Why do we let people attack us over and over and look at them with a forced smile and say “Hey a nice day” after it all is over?

People are terrible.

This comes about after I had this altercation with a customer today. I had someone calling to look for a new product for something that is over 20 years old. I told the customer that we do not carry said product, new or used, and that I know a store that possibly carries it. Before I can even tell the customer the name, he calls me a liar. He said he just saw the product being sold new a week ago. I told him I had not seen anything and that we still did not carry it. He then asked about accessories for the 20 year old product. I told we did not carry anything for the product and that he would have to find a retro store for it. He then asked for specific items and told me to look them up. After each item, I asked if it was for this same 20 year old product and he said yes. I told him after each one, including one that he couldn’t remember the specific name for, that we do not carry the product and I would not be able to assist him. He then asks for a made up item that has never been made before. I inform him that we would not be able to help him further and hung up on him.

He calls back several times while I am busy and I am unable to get to the phone until 15 minutes later. I answer with my company and my name. He asks me to repeat my name and tells me he just called me and I was extremely rude to him on the phone. He asks why I would hang up on him, and I inform him that I would not be able to assist him in finding items we do not carry. I told him repeatedly that we do not carry these items. He said I was the rudest person he has ever spoken to in his life. He said he was just looking for a not so hard to find product that we actually do carry that has all the stuff he wanted. I told him that I would be able to look that up, but he cuts me off and says that I was rude and an idiot and he didn’t want to talk to me anymore and he wanted the manager. I informed him I was the manager. He told me that my company were idiots to give me a store to run and he had no idea how I could be a manager. He wanted my district manager’s name and number. I told him my DM’s name but said I would have to take his phone number and have my DM call him. He said that wasn’t good enough and that I was refusing service. He asked for my customer service line and that he wanted a local number to call. I told him it was a 1 800 number and that there was no “local” area coded number. He told that I was being rude again and that he now had enough to get me fired. He then told me he would do what he could to get me fired. I told him if there was nothing more that I could do, that he could have a nice day and he hung up.

Now I know most of you would say “Hey, pony guy. This was just a harmless prank call.” I beg to differ.

I have handled my share of prank calls but this one was different. The person attacked me personally. He threatened me and said he wanted to take away my livelihood. I don’t care who you are, you just don’t do that.

So now I am at home, being fed a delicious sandwich by a loving wife who knows that bacon is one way to make me happy. I have my pony and coffee as well and am calming down. I still feel angry at the whole thing. And I know that people will be say I am too sensitive but I don’t understand why we accept this kind of behavior.

Hug a pony my friends. Feel better. I will try as well.

Something smells Fishy

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For Christmas my daughters got a fish tank. It had the plants, filter, food, whole nine yards. Normally I would be against more pets as pets means death (a natural part of life, which happens and is a great life lesson).

Now I understand that this is a pretty shallow reason for not wanting more pets but think about it with me for a second. I am one man with three other women in the house.

That is a lot of estrogen and emotions to handle.

And so, we went to the pets store (after a week of prep time, filling the tank, water checks all that). Now it comes down to it.

Which fish? What colour? How many?

After the 45 minute discussion of why can’t buy all of the fish and the conversation about how “Daddy, that fish is eating the other dead fish!” goes on, we walk out with a few beginner fish and happy little hearts. The fish are now resting in the new home and will now be tormented by fingers tapping and wide eyed gazes from two curious little people.

Hope this entertains them for a bit.

Hug a pony my friends.

PS No animals were harmed in the writing of this post. The writer however is pulling out his hair over one of the fish who isn’t swimming around enough for little girls.

Eating crow.

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I posted last about a news store that upset me. Now I am, in turn, going to try and do something different. I said some negative things about an article (and I still feel right and justified) but I believe that I need to change gears. I want to ask you, dear reader, a question.

When was the last time you talked about, or heard someone else talk about a positive customer service experience?

I can find ALL kinds of stories about horror stories of “XYZ” company that absolutely hates me the paying customer personally and does everything to make the customers life miserable. I can go on and on about the employee’s side of a store, about bad corporate decisions, or a dozen other things.

But.

When is the last time you had a great customer service experience?

Have you even thought about it?

Do you remember what happened?

If I asked you to remember the last time a retail or online store or service did you wrong, do twelve stories come right to mind? All of them ready to let me know not to use a company for ANY reason?

I know mine.

I was shopping for Christmas about to go into a 12 hour retail shift and not really looking forward to it. I go into a Kohls and am picking up some pillows for my wife. I go to the (long) check out line and patiently wait my turn. I listen to all the people complain about the crowds and how long it is taking (all the while thinking to myself “IT IS CHRISTMAS PEOPLE!!”). I step up to the counter with my goods, ready to pay and I greet the cashier. She responds with a hello and asked if I found everything. I said I had and the items I had were all I needed.

I then commented on how I saw on the way in, Kohls was going to be open 24 hours a day for the week before Christmas. I said I felt that was horrible and as a retail employee myself, I felt so sorry for them. The woman gave me a tired smile and said it wasn’t so bad but it was going to be rough the closer to Christmas it got. She asked were I worked and we made a bit of small talk as she bagged my items. I was about to pay when she told me to wait a sec, punched some things on her computer and then told me to swipe the card. I worked the pinpad, confused at why I had to wait but finished, Thanked her and told her to try and have a decent rest of the day and left. When I got in the car, I noticed that I had received the employee discount on my items!

Saving money like a boss!

Seriously though, she did not have to do that. She could have rung me up and been on her way. Instead she saw a retail family member, going through one of the worse holidays in retail I have worked (or anyone that I talked to about it had worked) and she took the time and helped me out. I was beyond touched. It is something I will remember always.

Thank you dear for that.

Hug a pony my friends.

Daddy issues.

/ Codefreak / 1 Comment

I hate most media and news sites. This is strong coming from a guy who professes love and tolerance (A Brony motto, and it falls in line with my Christian faith). This story makes me so upset, I start shaking. I have held on to this story for a few weeks so I could calm down to write it.

Let me start with a link.

https://www.yahoo.com/parenting/fathers-controversial-photo-shows-him-just-being-104350839152.html

Read it? I hope so cause this is my soapbox and here I go.

WHY IS THIS AN ISSUE!?!?!?

This breaks my heart. As a father of 2 daughters, I find myself in the same scenarios as this good sir.  The hate that has been generated is beyond useless and completely unwarranted. People who are criticizing this father need to reevaluate what they are saying. This man is not ignoring his kids. He is not beating them, neglecting them or doing anything harmful. He is not binge watching Game of thrones, Honey Boo-boo, or Sex in the City in front of them. He is spending time with his kids, letting them paint his nails (I loved some of the comments made about “his homosexuality”), and not shooing them out of the room.

This is a father who is spending his time doing something he loves with his daughters doing something they love.

Why is it that because it is a video game he is playing he is such a terrible father but if it was watching a football game its ok?

I cannot stand bigotry and that is what this is pure and simple.

Leave some comments or share with your peers. Hug a pony my friends.

Stories

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I love stories. I have been an avid reader from the age of 6. I can read a 800 page book I have never read before in a 4-6 hour sitting.

I READ.

Stories are captivating. They are a warm summer blanket to me. I get engrossed in the characters of a good book.

Sam and Frodo are my friends.

I hang out with Han and Luke.

My heart broke with Katniss and her sister.

Stories play across my mind like a movie only better. I can hear the people talking. I can smell the burning of a camp fire. I can feel the breeze brushing my cheek. I have a tendency to get too wrapped up in a story. More than once have I been reading and got “in too deep”

One time I was working the graveyard shift at a factory. Work was done, and I was waiting on the next truck to pull up. I sat down to read a novelized version of a Wolverine comic. About 40 minutes later, I was rudely interrupted by a coworker who almost pushed me out of my chair.  I turned and glared at him about to shout out obscenities with a vengeance. He looked at me and told me that he had been trying to get my attention for the past 5 minutes. He said my name several times and even shouted it. I looked around and saw my other coworkers looking at me with a kind of awe. It was explained to me that they had said my name several times repeatedly and that they finally had to push me to get me to snap out of my book.

I guess I get too much into my reading.

It has its drawbacks, this reading too deep and fast. I tear through books so fast, I run out of books to read. I also tend to reread the books I have read a few hundred times ( I wish I was exaggerating more than I am but it is true). Also, I tend to let my emotions take me for a roller coaster. I have been known to cry over a section of a book. Not because I felt bad, but because the character felt bad. This was not my emotion but it was affecting me!

With this, I came across a story (ish) that one of my favorite web comic artist wrote. The web comic is “xkcd”. It is a nerdy, high thinking web comic, lost of math and science.  I have enjoyed the artist’s works immensely with a few stand out favorites. I found a new one today that was quite enjoyable.

http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/

Now what is interesting is that this comic is not just one comic but many, many comics put together like a flip-board. The pictures he paints are beautiful, even with just stick figures. With minimal flair and panache, he draws you in and uses such subtle details that you find yourself going back to see what you missed.

I love moments that make my heart stop. Joy and sorrow. Beauty and profound. All that make my mouth drop and my hair dance on my skin with goosebumps. Nothing will be better than a wonderful, glorious book/comic/story/song that fills me with wonder.

Snuggle a pony my friends. Read a book.

Back from the edge of tomorrow

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…er at least New Years. I have taken a small break to recover from the holidays and I am back in the saddle again as the song goes. I have quite a few articles that I have been saving and want to comment on and Work as always keeps a focus on here. I have declared this year a year of change!

Hug a pony my friends!

Auld Lang Syne

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This year is coming to a close and I am enjoying a few days off (in a row!). I wanted to write a few quick words talking about the past year and this blog.

It has been an up and down year for me. I have grow a lot and started a blog that people read (which is exciting!). I have endured quite a bit of hardships but I have stayed the course and am pushing through.

Thank you all who read this. I started this blog for me to express myself and to give encouragement for others. Seeing people reading this is quite invigorating.

Thank you to my wife and daughters who are my world.

Thank you for awesome co-workers and a great boss.

Thank you to innumerable friends that have helped me.

Thank you to the Brony community this year for giving me an outlet for my fandom.

Thank you for my family.

I have enjoyed this year greatly but will be glad to see it over and have a fresh start. My year next year be great, dear reader. And, if it isn’t. Grab a plush, pastel coloured pony and maybe that will help.

Short post 5.

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It is coming closer to the end. I am almost through this holiday. The light is at the end of the tunnel. I have today and tomorrow to get through and I will be feeling a lot better. The new year is coming up and I am hopeful, something new for me. Now, back into the breach that is retail.