Topic: Customer Service

So, Let’s consider: What if America panics AGAIN? 0

Posted by on in Corona, Covid-19, Customer Service, Food, Home, Inside The Beltway, Making Life Better, Media, Press, Safety, Walmart



So, Let’s consider: What if America panics AGAIN?

If you endured the 2nd, and thankfully last, presidential debate, you were probably struck with Joe Biden’s response to Trump not telling the world what he knew in the early days of the Covid Pandemic. “America doesn’t panic” crowed sleepy brain dead Biden in response to Trumps comments that he withheld information he knew due to fear of people panicing. This would be in the same line as the reasoning why it’s illegal to yell “FIRE” in a crowded theater. People would kill themselves as they all stomped over each other on their ways to the exits and history has proven this time and time again.

BUT AMERICA DID PANIC! Clearly Biden totally missed all the EMPTY SHELVES this past winter, spring and early summer. Walmart and most every other grocery had totally EMPTY SHELVES as, for reasons known but to God, Americans PANICED and raided the stores for basic needs and stores! Brain dead Biden must have someone else doing his shopping, which would be nice, but he CLEARLY WAS OUT OF TOUCH with what was happening in smoke stack America. ANYONE and EVERYONE that does their own shopping, of which I am one, were clearly well aware that people clearly had and were PANICING! So, where was Biden during all this time? I have no clue, but he wasn’t in any Walmart or grocery store that I was in!

So, was Trump warranted in his withholding information for the good of America? The evidence would suggest that yes he was.

So, not to freak all of you out, but just some words of cautional contingency of what may happen again this winter, but that all of us hope like hell doesn’t!

In all probability, based on the current published trends, we’re going to have another freakout on covid like we had last spring. And, as then, I fully expect the marxist, irresponsible, media to be leading the charge of hysteria. Some think the impact may be worse as people remember how things were last winter/spring in terms of food and other stocks availability…or lack of the same.

Don’t freak out! But, do take serious stock and review of what you have, would need and didn’t have during the great panic of this past spring. If you needed it and couldn’t find it, make sure you have it and enough of it. I’M NOT SAYING TURN YOUR HOME INTO A WAREHOUSE! I’m NOT advocating the panic hording of stuff that happened back then! Just be PRUDENT AND JUDICIAL! Remember what problems you had during the panic of this past winter and plan accordingly…should we get hit by another event like the last.

Think and plan. Don’t hoard more than you need or will use…someone else may need some as well.

I’m Don Rima and that’s the view From Where I Stand.

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So, Let's consider: Why does it take 30 minutes to get your prescription ready? 0

Posted by on in About As Dumb As It Gets, Customer Service, drug store, Drugs, Let's Consider..., Pharmacy, Point(s) To Ponder





So, Let’s consider: Why does it take 30 minutes to get your prescription ready?

OK, so lucky me picks up the broncho bug du jour this weekend. In between coughing my head off today I wandered into the doc in a box down the street. I figured they’d give me a shot and write me a script for some eye of newt and I’d be on my way. Why they want to give me a shot in my butt for a problem in my head and chest is something I didn’t really understand, but then, I really wasn’t well enough to get into a long debate on the subject.
Alas, they called in one med and gave me a hard copy script for the cough syrup since it contains some good stuff…and off to my local Walmart across the street I go.
Upon presenting my paperwork I’m told it’s going to be 30 minutes before my script is ready. Why it take 30 minutes to count out a few pills and pour up a potion every time I visit there I’ll never really understand. However, putting my MBA to use it’s clear to me that they want to me meander around the store, and hopefully in my sick stupified state I’ll find some other items they have for sale that I just gotta buy. Sorry, you got the wrong guy for this marketing scheme.
I’m a normal guy. I don’t like shopping. I really hate it more when they move stuff in a store in order to encourage me to meander through many additional aisles to not only reorient myself as to where what I want is, but in the hopes I’ll find something I don’t need and buy it. Generally pisses me off more than anything. If it takes me longer to find what I want and hit the cash register line than it does to walk from my truck to the front door, I’m wasting time. And the topic of only one lane open at a Walmart is a topic for another time.
SO, I’m stuck at Walmart for 30 minutes while the chemist counts out the pills…what to do.
Using my calibrated eyeball, I estimated that the inner perimeter of the store is about 1/5th to 1/4th of a mile. So, if I walked 4 or so laps around the inside of the store I’d have walked my daily mile while waiting for my pills and potions. And since we’re talking Walmart, you never know what you’re going to see that’s not on sale…some of which I’m sure you’re going to regret seeing.
So, that’s what I do. When I have a script to pickup, I have my saw bones send the script to Walmart. I could use any of several smaller local chemists, but the inside diameter of their stores isn’t big enough for me to be able to enjoy my walk…and yes, I know I could do additional laps to make up for the length distance…but why? I’d only be seeing the same stuff I don’t want to buy more frequently.
By the way, grab a grocery cart to take with you and throw something in it so you look like an official shopper…and good luck dodging all those huge carts being filled with stuff for other patrons to come in and pickup that are just too damn lazy to do their own shopping…or maybe their lives are just so super packed with incredibly important stuff, like curing the common cold without having to wait 30 minutes for your pills to be counted…

I’m Don Rima and that’s the view From Where I Stand.

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So, Let's consider: Is there an alternative to banks that charge those high ATM fee$ 0

Posted by on in About As Dumb As It Gets, Banking, Credit Cards, Credit Union, Customer Service, Let's Consider..., Money, Point(s) To Ponder





So, Let’s consider: Is there an alternative to banks that charge those high ATM fee$

OK, so I’m scanning through last Friday’s (October 4, ’19) USA Today’s Money section and there on page one is an article by Paul Davidson lamenting how much more people are going to get hit with bank higher ATM fees and increased fees. And, he’s right!
Face it, a bank already HAS your money so they can keep as much of it via new and improved, at least for them, fees that syphon money from your pocket to theirs as fast as their computers will let them! Monthly “maintenance fees”, “imaging fees”, ATM fees, statement fees…hell, I’m waiting for them to have a fee for charging you all those fees!
It amazes me just how many people will WILLINGLY pay a bank a fee to get their money out of the bank! Think about that for a moment! Is that a racket or what?
But, there is an alternative. Frankly one that I was really annoyed and surprised that Davidson’s ignorance totally missed in his article. But, then, considering how many ads for banks his paper runs it would probably get censored by the sales department.
I’m talking about good old Credit Unions. With my Credit Union I don’t have those ripoff ATM fees (provided I use one of their ATM’s). I don’t have minimum balance ripoff fees that continue to drain my balance until there’s nothing left to drain. I don’t have those “maintenance fees”. In fact, I don’t have any fees at all, and I don’t have a minimum balance issue either! TAKE THAT BANK DuJour!
So, if you’re tired of being ripped off by all those banking fees, CLOSE YOUR BANK ACCOUNT, and open an account at a credit union! There’s plenty to be found! And, there’s no reason not to!
But then, if you’re as dumb as Davidson seems to be, you can just go right on with your bank…and pay all those fee$ and make your bank really happy to take your money as fast as you’ll let them.
After all, it’s only money…YOUR MONEY!

I’m Don Rima and that’s the view From Where I Stand.

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So, you need to sell something. 0

Posted by on in Consumer Electronics, Customer Service, Family, Hobbies, Point(s) To Ponder





So, you need to sell something.

OK, so, you’re finally getting around to all that fall/spring cleaning that you told yourself for the last several life times that you were going to do.
Now, you have a pile of stuff you need to get rid of, but you think there’s a few buck$ in it and you don’t want to throw it out.
What to do? Well, here’s a few ideas to consider:
eBay and Craigslist: Granted you will pay a fee and you may want to give serious consideration to meeting the prospective buyers in a neutral location like post office parking lot of police station, but eveyone knows they exist and looks there.
5Miles (www.5miles.com): In theory they attempt to weed out potential theives and you should be able to verify the potential buyers by phone, facebook, etc. By the way, ALWAYS use your cell phone – NEVER use your land line.
Varagesale (www.varagesale.com): Safety is a primary priority on this site and buyers and sellers contact each other via facebook prior to meeting.
Poshmark (www.poshmark.com): Touts itself as the venu to buy and sell fashion. Be careful for the fees they charge and like all sites, make sure you read the fine print before using them.
The Trove Market Place (www.usetrove.com): If you want to unload things like furniture, artwork, antiques, etc., then this may be a place to look at. They charge a fee for using credit cards and you, like Amazon, you have a way of reviewing the seller’s ratings before buying.
Amazon (www.amazon.com): If you can’t find it or sell it on amazon, it doesn’t exit. It’s an easy place to unload books or if you want to start an online junk store then you’ve possibly found your nirvana.
Kiiboo (www.kiiboo.com): you can find more tech centric items here. Also, cameras, laptops, and other things many of which you’d find on ebay, amazon, craigslist, etc. It’s always nice to have options.
As always, buyer and seller beware. There’s a crook born every minute and it’s up to you to protect yourself and your best interests.
Good luck and good shopping…

I’m Don Rima and that’s the view From Where I Stand…



Verizon gets a lesson in remedial business management 101 0

Posted by on in Business 101, Cell Phones, Consumer Electronics, Customer Service

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Verizon gets a lesson in remedial business management 101

Any current or former Verizon user that read this past Friday’s Wall Street (4/21/17) had to get a good chuckle out of the article on how Verizon had posted its first quarterly loss due to customers leaving them for the competition.

Gee!  Was ANYONE REALLY SURPRISED???

For those of us that have been constant and loyal Verizon customers for many years, we’re finally seeing Verizon(VZ) waking up and realizing that the basic tenets of undergraduate business school concepts still hold true – it’s the CUSTOMER, stupid!

Back in 2011, VZ decided to punt unlimited data plans from the cell phone service plans it provided.  Further, and even more annoying, if you wanted to upgrade your cell phone hardware, it meant having to buy a new service plan as they wouldn’t let you grandfather your old plan with any unlimited options, to the new phone.  Well, there was a way around it and I still kept my unlimited plan when I upgraded, much to the chagrin and consternation of VZ.  You can’t imagine how many spam calls I’ve gotten over the years from VZ telling me how much greater the new plans were – but of course they were NOT unlimited data and would charge me a tonne of bucko$ after a certain data useage – not to mention slower speeds for actually using the unlimited data you were paying for.  Add to that when you had to leave your current units for iPhones or whatever, VZ had removed the automatic hotspot capabilities that allowed you to turn your cell phone into wifi hotspot.  But, you could buy more hardware at a high price and pay more money to get the same functionality you had before.  This attempt to ripoff customers didn’t last very long.

Enter AT&T, Sprint and everyone else with their unlimited plans, acceptable service hardware and all at a much cheaper price.  Basically, someone at these companies had a clue at what doing market analysis really is and actually figured what the customer really wanted and how to make money selling it to them!

It didn’t take much marketing from the competition for people to realize that the Verizon bimbo that was always wandering around asking if anyone could hear him, was costing them too much and they didn’t have what they used to and more importantly WANTED.  It also didn’t take too long for the Verizon bimbo to realize this as well and he switched from Verizon.  Gee, go figure.

According local sales reps in the stores, the very recent and sudden changes in plan offerings to include unlimited data and much better pricing structures was a huge surprise that they were only informed of, literally, until minutes before the public was.  Kind of sounds like VZ had a major “oh shit!” moment and a major reality check! Gee…wonder why….

My guess is that in the future business schools will be adding this to the litany of case studies that undergraduates will have to endure.  It would make another of the many good case studies of how you will lose market share by not offering what the customer wants and is willing to pay, as well as being too arrogant to be aware of your market competition and think that just because you’re currently the 800 pound gorilla on the playground that things can’t change against you…and quickly!

Interestingly enough, we’re seeing other former market share “gorillas” thinking the same thing and also seeing that they’re losing market share.  In my opinion, this list would start with none other than IBM…

I’m Don Rima and that’s the view From Where I Stand.