This past week, I once again rejoiced that I have time, now, being retired so I can spend my time chasing around and following up on what does not happen as planned or promised. I spent several hours on the phone following up about RX insurance cards that had not arrived on time with the change in our health care supplemental coverage. Not that we had changed plans because we get a good deal through my former employer, but the system was being changed. No longer one card, we'd have two, one for all medical except for RX drug coverage and a separate for drug coverage. Welcome to Obysmal health care, more government control, more paperwork, more mess, more things that will not work. One card arrived, mine not Jerry's. After online attempts, which are usually my first choice, I resorted to phone. I learned after finally reaching a human being on the phone after looping around their system five or six times, spinning the merry-go-round, that the check is in the mail, not all went out in the same batch, our system needed more adjustment time than planned and on it went. I feel sorry for those who "man" the phones, call center staff, they don't screw up the works but they get to explain it to unhappy creatures, like me, the customers.
Another time waster was from XM Sirius, the purveyor of our satellite radios. We like our satellite radios, it allows us to listen to programs traveling where we otherwise would not get reception. And at home we tune in to Tom Sullivan on Fox Talk radio. We enjoy Tom, knew him back in California. But when I go t in my SUV on Wednesday channel 126 was gone, a recording suggesting other channels. No longer on the air. After I returned home and got on line I learned that yes indeed XM radio had dropped one of my favorite channels. Grrrrr, I am an unhappy customer, same rate less of what I want to hear. So I called to express this frustration. Their call center mysteriously named "Listener care"to hires people who cannot understand nor speak English very well. I hate that, I live in America not South America, I want to hear and speak to someone who understands. Too bad for me, likely my problem, I must be a bigot of some kind for even thinking that. After one patronizing "listener" repeated to me "don't you worry that's why you called here...." That's the English translation which came out as "dooon u wareeee" I explained to her in very plain English, "I am not worried, I am annoyed, I am angry." then following her script, she offered me a free radio just for calling, all I had to do was pay shipping...WTH? I told her that I did not want a radio, I have perfectly good radios. I wanted the channel back that they dropped. She repeated, "don't you worry I will feex it...." I lost hope. I asked if I could speak to someone who could understand me. She said she would "see, now don't you worry," put me on hold and after a few minutes I hung up. I know I'm retired, nothing better to do but be the hostage to the phone....I called back and expressed my outrage again which they assured me they were recording. Well isn't that special? After the phone fiasco I sent an online protest and an email to which they promptly responded, "A representative will be in touch with you...." I don't want a representative, I want Channel 126 back, period. I have done all the complaint lodging I will do. We will likely cancel our XM subscription for both radios, the portable which we take in the motor home on travels and the one in my SUV. I suspect this may have been a deal with the FCC to approve the XM Sirius merger last year, nah that wouldn't happen in America would it?
For my favorite pens time is up refills needed |
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 tells us all about time, "To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven; a time to be born, a time to die, a time to plant......" So here you have it time, the universal measurement limited or in abundance, it serves many and goes along without regard to our human striving to keep it.....
Funny thing about those pens, have you noticed we don't use them so much any more? Radio time is less and less for me too, in the car- and during Christmas time, I have it on in the house, for those holiday moments, but other than that, I find the quiet so much more peaceful, and you know how the news goes- the more you listen, (for me anyway, the more I wish I hadn't)....because time is short- we must use it wisely! I like your question. about Santa defining good!
ReplyDeletePasting this email from one of my friends who cannot post because I blocked anonymous postings to rid myself of spammers. From Tom:"Oh yes, I know about unforeseen events stealing bits and pieces and, occasionally, large chunks of time from your retirement. The past two years, medical and domestic problems, not ours but people close to us, have kept us tied close to home. This Carol business has been going on since mid August. I'm thinking that, just like the cancer thing when surgery and chemo kept me tied down, as soon as I'm free to roam I'm heading out on another two to three month trip.
ReplyDeleteOn your fancy pens, what brands are they? I think Parker was a maker of better class pens and I know there were a few others. A nice pen and pencil set was a very common gift for graduation before entering high school. But mine were fountain pens which occasionally required a transfusion to keep them working. In 7th and 8th grades we still had ink wells on the desks and the old dip and scratch pens. A fountain pen with the curved tip was a luxury few of us had. Of course, our fountain pens were also equipped with a bladder or other device to hold ink and had to be refilled occasionally. They also, sometimes, leaked and would mess up your only good shirt or coat, especially if you left the valley and went up to higher elevations or took a plane ride. Tom