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Monthly Assessment: February 2015

Posted on March 5, 2015July 6, 2016 by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: Unbelievers by Vampire Weekend So far, a really productive week. I’m writing this Wednesday afternoon as we wait for our “first significant snowfall” of the season, as they call it on the Weather Channel. I’m staring out at snow, which has been the case since what feels like January, so I’m…

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Technology Tuesday: Neat Word Tools

Posted on March 3, 2015July 6, 2016 by lwidmer

What I’m reading: Swimming with Crocodiles by Will Chaffey What’s on the iPod: I Saw a Stranger by John Gorka I’ve had a good start to the week — two new projects and a new client meeting scheduled for the conference. Today I’ll be working on the new assignments as well as on a current…

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Creating a Stronger Freelance Writing Business

Posted on March 2, 2015July 6, 2016 by lwidmer

What I’m reading: The Penitent by Isaac Bashevis Singer What’s on the iPod: Songs About Roses by Owl John Another month, another new beginning. Do you look at your calendar and think the same thing? For me, any new month (not just January) is a time to reflect on the last month, the month ahead…

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Free Advice Friday: Why Your Writing Business is Failing

Posted on February 27, 2015July 6, 2016 by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: Roll Away Your Stone by Mumford & Sons After a long, somewhat disjointed week (is it finally Friday?), I’m looking forward to a few days off. On Tuesday afternoon, my newest bookcase arrived, so I spent the afternoon putting it together. This weekend, I intend to fill it strategically. There are…

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4 Ways to Navigate Project Scope Disagreements

Posted on February 25, 2015July 6, 2016 by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: Sleep Like a Baby Tonight by U2 What a week. I started by spending what I thought would be ten minutes looking for a hotel room for the upcoming conference at the end of April. That turned into two days of hunting. No luck. I can get a hotel close to…

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Technology Tuesday: The Word TOC

Posted on February 24, 2015 by lwidmer

What I’m reading: The Woman of Andros by Thornton Wilder What’s on the iPod: Numb by The Airborne Toxic Event So last week we took a look at how to create Styles in Word. This week, we’re going to do something with them. If you think you’ll have a need to create a table of…

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The Successful Freelancer: Improving Your Client-facing Message

Posted on February 19, 2015 by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: Misfits and Lovers by The Wallflowers It’s Thursday already? What happened to my week? I took Monday off for the holiday that everyone else had. Tuesday was a snow day for my daughter and when she’s home, I tend to play hooky with her (bad habit, in fact). Yesterday I spent…

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Technology Tuesday: Word Styles

Posted on February 17, 2015 by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: Woodpile by Frightened Rabbit A sad day here in our house — our goldfish died. Why such a fuss over a fish? Because he was 14 years old. Yes, they live that long and no, by that age they’re no longer “gold” but more whitish. He hadn’t been “perky” for a…

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Free Advice Friday: This Job, Not That Job

Posted on February 13, 2015 by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: Oxford Comma by Vampire Weekend Friday the 13th — a superstitious day for a lot of people, and maybe a perfect time for another episode of This Job, Not That Job. Today’s offering comes from Jenn Mattern, who, by the way, scours these job postings to bring you guys some of…

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5 Bad Customer Service Mishaps

Posted on February 12, 2015 by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: I See Fire by Ed Sheeran I’m enjoying the little break in the action this week. I was able to attend a Twitter chat, a webinar, and an online course. I got a bit of work done on the article assignment, and I’ll be talking with a potential client today. Plus…

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  1. Paula Avatar
    Paula
    February 12, 2015

    Attitudes like those of the clerks you encountered have probably cost that store, and others, a lot of business.

    Sadly, there are way too many examples of poor customer service to choose from. But I'll share the funniest: A few years ago I noticed the cable company added an HD Technology fee to my bill. I called in asking why I was paying $9/month when I got nothing out of their HD technology fee. The first person admitted they couldn't help me, and transferred me to a supposed supervisor. Naturally, I noted the date, time and their names.

    The second guy was an idiot. He told me I had an HD DVR, and for it to work I needed to pay the HD tech fee. I told him when I upgraded to the DVR I made it clear to the company that I had a 20-year old, 19" CRT TV that was as far from HD as a TV can get, so why would they install an HD DVR? He said they no longer offered standard def DVRs. No one told me that, so I again asked for the HD tech fee to be waived, telling him that as a paid SUBSCRIBER I was worth well more to them than the check I sent each month; the more subscribers they have, the more negotiating power they have to strike advantageous carriage deals and demand higher ad rates. Apparently he had no clue about the difference between mere customers and subscribers, so he got super defensive and even more irritating and argumentative — in a very snooty tone he said "The vast majority of our customers have HDTVs, so we no longer offer standard def DVRs." He used that lie on the wrong person. I'd just read in a cable trade publication that at that time only something like 20-30% of homes even had HDTVs at that time! Then he started telling me that cable was a LUXURY their "customers" were happy to pay more for, and I could always cancel. He was making that sound like a better idea with every word.

    Once I realized I wouldn't get anywhere with this bozo I decided to have a little fun. I quoted from that article and told him someone working in the cable industry should be a bit more knowledgeable about it. I told him that in many parts of the country, cable is the only way some homes can even get halfway decent TV reception. I think I even started correcting him every time he said "customer." When he realized he was over-matched he said, "I guess the only solution is to transfer you to someone who can cancel your account." The kicker? He couldn't even manage to transfer the darn call!

    I'm still a subscriber, but after my letter to the VP of Customer Relations (CC-ed to the CEO), I doubt that guy's still an employee. A few days after I mailed it I had an apologetic call from the executive offices during which they said they would issue a $10/month credit on my bill and "deal with" that employee.

    Reply
  2. Lori Widmer Avatar
    Lori Widmer
    February 12, 2015

    Oh Paula, that is one hell of a story! That's what I don't get — if you're in customer service, you should know your limitations and authority level. If you don't, don't guess–transfer that person to someone who does know, or promise to get back to them with the answer (and make good on that promise). It's how it should be. But it isn't, is it?

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  3. Paula Avatar
    Paula
    February 12, 2015

    Remember hearing the recording a year or so ago of the AOL exec who was trying to cancel his Comcast subscription? I swear he was talking to the same representative!

    Reply
  4. Lori Widmer Avatar
    Lori Widmer
    February 13, 2015

    I remember that! I wouldn't doubt it. It's the "badger them into staying" method. Why do they think that wins them any loyalty?

    Reply
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