Found this today on Blaugh.com....
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Poor Service = No Patronage
It must have been one of those days today... Firstly, I tried upgrading my laptop to the latest beta of Office 2007, given the upgrade on my desktop at work had gone so well...
BIG mistake - 4 1/2 hours later, I had a functional copy of Outlook 2003 back on the laptop (with a Send button), to be greeted with a wonderful e-mail from our Corporate Cards, advising I was late on my Amex bill...
Bit of a story behind that... Last month, my statement advised I owed Amex for a years worth of "Membership Rewards" program, despite having asked them last year to cease the membership... Fair enough, people don't do their jobs properly, or computers screw up, and it costs us money. I can handle that, so I logged into my Amex Online Services portal, to find that yep, no reversed charge. Whilst on the phone to the Corporate Services lady, who this time DID reverse the charge out, I decided to check out my personal card.
Interesting - my personal cards last 5 numbers apppear to have changed, so I ask the lady if she can take a quick look. She's only in corporate cards, but can transfer me to the personal cards area - fair enough, so she puts me through to a service desk somewhere in Asia.
After taking 5 minutes to work out that I am me, the conversation transpires:
Me: I'd like to inquire about the card ending in 21006 that appears in my online services portal - My card ends in 11006
Her: Oh, we issued you a new card, as you hadn't used yours for over 3 months.
Me: Actually, you issued me a new card in March, and I used it in April.
Her: Oh, well, you must have filled out a marketing offer, so we sent you a new card.
Me: No, I don't fill those out, as I only use my Amex for online purchasing.
Her: I don't understand. Please hold sir.
Me (thinking): got a winner here
Her (after 5 minutes): Yes sir, it appears that you requested a replacement card.
Me: No, the only card I ever had replaced was when my wallet was stolen in 1993.
Her: Oh, well... Can I place you on hold again...
Me: Why not?
Her (10 minutes later): Thank you for waiting, it seems that you requested a new card.
Me: Can I speak with your supervisor please?
Her: Can I help you with something else?
Me (thinking again - someone who understands the English language would be good): No thanks, just someone in a more senior position, to whom I can voice my displeasure.
So, after re-iterating my story again, and being placed on hold for at least another 20 minutes, I was still being advised that I had asked for a new card, filled in a marketing offer, or that the marketing people had sent me a new card, due to my not using mine in (now) 6 months! After the supervisor finally working out that she didn't know how to answer my question, she told me she'd look into it further, and call me back...
10 minutes later, I get a phone call from Dad... Amex had called for me at their house, despite having confirmed my mobile number 3 times... So I call back Amex, and she's gone home, my card is still on hold - although the operator I'm talking to now can activate the card I have in my wallet - how, I don't know, seeing as I've been told earlier that it was cancelled, and that all the senior staff are in a meeting, but someone will call me back (I'm still waiting 4 hours later)
Where to go from here?
Well, the way I see it - I get my personal Amex re-associated with their Membership Rewards program, I transfer all the points away from Amex, to the Qantas Frequent Flyer Program, and cancel my personal card, and give my corporate card back.
And if ANYONE from Amex does ever decide to call me back, which I doubt will happen, I'll no doubt have to go through the entire process all over again.
To me, offshoring ANY kind of helpdesk to a service center where English is NOT the first language is a huge risk to a business.
The first person I spoke to was in Sydney, and spoke the same English I do, and understood my requirements 100%, and fixed my problem.
The following 3 people I spoke with are no doubt located in Singapore or Malaysia, and were struggling to understand what I was saying, let alone what I wanted.
The end result? American Express lose my custom, and I pass on the word as to how bad their customer service is.
Very disappointing, and I'd really like someone to yell at who has a sufficient grasp of the English language to understand my problem!
BIG mistake - 4 1/2 hours later, I had a functional copy of Outlook 2003 back on the laptop (with a Send button), to be greeted with a wonderful e-mail from our Corporate Cards, advising I was late on my Amex bill...
Bit of a story behind that... Last month, my statement advised I owed Amex for a years worth of "Membership Rewards" program, despite having asked them last year to cease the membership... Fair enough, people don't do their jobs properly, or computers screw up, and it costs us money. I can handle that, so I logged into my Amex Online Services portal, to find that yep, no reversed charge. Whilst on the phone to the Corporate Services lady, who this time DID reverse the charge out, I decided to check out my personal card.
Interesting - my personal cards last 5 numbers apppear to have changed, so I ask the lady if she can take a quick look. She's only in corporate cards, but can transfer me to the personal cards area - fair enough, so she puts me through to a service desk somewhere in Asia.
After taking 5 minutes to work out that I am me, the conversation transpires:
Me: I'd like to inquire about the card ending in 21006 that appears in my online services portal - My card ends in 11006
Her: Oh, we issued you a new card, as you hadn't used yours for over 3 months.
Me: Actually, you issued me a new card in March, and I used it in April.
Her: Oh, well, you must have filled out a marketing offer, so we sent you a new card.
Me: No, I don't fill those out, as I only use my Amex for online purchasing.
Her: I don't understand. Please hold sir.
Me (thinking): got a winner here
Her (after 5 minutes): Yes sir, it appears that you requested a replacement card.
Me: No, the only card I ever had replaced was when my wallet was stolen in 1993.
Her: Oh, well... Can I place you on hold again...
Me: Why not?
Her (10 minutes later): Thank you for waiting, it seems that you requested a new card.
Me: Can I speak with your supervisor please?
Her: Can I help you with something else?
Me (thinking again - someone who understands the English language would be good): No thanks, just someone in a more senior position, to whom I can voice my displeasure.
So, after re-iterating my story again, and being placed on hold for at least another 20 minutes, I was still being advised that I had asked for a new card, filled in a marketing offer, or that the marketing people had sent me a new card, due to my not using mine in (now) 6 months! After the supervisor finally working out that she didn't know how to answer my question, she told me she'd look into it further, and call me back...
10 minutes later, I get a phone call from Dad... Amex had called for me at their house, despite having confirmed my mobile number 3 times... So I call back Amex, and she's gone home, my card is still on hold - although the operator I'm talking to now can activate the card I have in my wallet - how, I don't know, seeing as I've been told earlier that it was cancelled, and that all the senior staff are in a meeting, but someone will call me back (I'm still waiting 4 hours later)
Where to go from here?
Well, the way I see it - I get my personal Amex re-associated with their Membership Rewards program, I transfer all the points away from Amex, to the Qantas Frequent Flyer Program, and cancel my personal card, and give my corporate card back.
And if ANYONE from Amex does ever decide to call me back, which I doubt will happen, I'll no doubt have to go through the entire process all over again.
To me, offshoring ANY kind of helpdesk to a service center where English is NOT the first language is a huge risk to a business.
The first person I spoke to was in Sydney, and spoke the same English I do, and understood my requirements 100%, and fixed my problem.
The following 3 people I spoke with are no doubt located in Singapore or Malaysia, and were struggling to understand what I was saying, let alone what I wanted.
The end result? American Express lose my custom, and I pass on the word as to how bad their customer service is.
Very disappointing, and I'd really like someone to yell at who has a sufficient grasp of the English language to understand my problem!
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Krispy Kreme Opens in Melbourne
That's right folks, the doughnut that everyone used to go to Sydney for is finally available in Melbourne, just a short 15 minute drive from where I live...
For a chain that first opened its doors in New Orleans in 1937, they have taken Australia by storm, and I am quite surprised that Melbourne is only just getting it's first store now, after opening it's first Australian store in Penrith (West of Sydney) in 2003.
They are pretty good doughnuts, and I'm looking forward to getting my free "birthday dozen" from last year, which I got a coupon in the mail for, just for being a "Friend of Krispy Kreme"
I can't believe the hype around it though. Reports on the news tonight indicated that there was a traffic queue of over 1 km, with people waiting to buy their doughnuts, and I even read yesterday, that you could camp out over night, waiting for the store to open this morning, as the company was putting on entertainment, and providing bean bags, and the like for people to make themselves comfortable for the long haul...
Jen and I'll most likely mosy over on the weekend, or at least before the 30th of June, to pick up my free dozen... I had planned to organise a mini-cruise for the WRX Club for this weekend, to go and buy some, and see them being made, but figured it's best to do it in a few months when the hype has died down a bit...
Then again, when I look at these pictures, I'm tempted to go for a quick drive, just to see how long the queue REALLY is!!!
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Boong Hunter
As politically incorrect as this site sounds, it has the potential to be an incredibly useful resource!
What it is, is a search engine, that appears to pull it's data from Telstra, whereby you can search by Surname, Street, Suburb, Postcode, etc, and it returns a listing of phone numbers matching your search criteria!
Boong Hunter
Sunday, April 02, 2006
A Camping We Will Go
What a weekend!!
Jen and I started off with a bit of a lie in on Saturday... Well, Jen lay in, and I knocked together a batch of Apple and Cinnamon Muffins, which went down an absolute treat...
Once we both readied ourselves to actually do something outside, we head across to Grangers Camping World in Nunawading, with the purpose of buying a 5-man Caribee Challenge 6, which, despite the name, is a 5-man tent. The guy we saw at Grangers in Dandenong 2 weeks ago was at Nunawading (turns out he is the boss), and suggested we look at the Aussie 6, which is a geodesic design, rather than a 2-pole configured sleeping area, with a larger vestibule, and continuous floor. Once we looked at that, we decided the sleeping area was a bit small for a queen sized air matress, so settled on the Aussie 8!!! So far as I can tell, they are made under license by DMH. The closest I can find on their website is the Murray 6. I'll post some pics of our baby up once we try putting it up!
Last purchase at Grangers was an Oztrail Easy Table 4, which will fit in the vestibule of the tent, very nicely, with an armchair on each side, on those warm, mosquito friendly nights!
Lastly, at Grangers, we bought a stove top grille, which is non-stick, and will sit nicely on the cartridge stove. Quite a few of the www.offroadsubarus.com guys have bought them, and they work a treat, much better than a frypan.
Next, we were off to Anaconda, for a sausage in bread, and a wander, and to pick up a few more items!
Anaconda, for the uninitiated, is a lot like REI in the US, but a little smaller.
At Anaconda, we bought a Coleman Quilted Air QuickBed, which will take "Princess Camping" to a whole new level. We also picked up a 240 volt air pump, also by Coleman, which will run off the Waeco inverter, I picked up on eBay a couple of months ago.
Last, but not least, we bought a Coleman retro-styled rechargeable lantern, which will charge from the car, as well as mains. Very funky, and no gas, or mantles to burn or anything...
We're going to give everything a trial run, down at the farm over Easter...
Stay tuned for updates, and photos!
Jen and I started off with a bit of a lie in on Saturday... Well, Jen lay in, and I knocked together a batch of Apple and Cinnamon Muffins, which went down an absolute treat...
Once we both readied ourselves to actually do something outside, we head across to Grangers Camping World in Nunawading, with the purpose of buying a 5-man Caribee Challenge 6, which, despite the name, is a 5-man tent. The guy we saw at Grangers in Dandenong 2 weeks ago was at Nunawading (turns out he is the boss), and suggested we look at the Aussie 6, which is a geodesic design, rather than a 2-pole configured sleeping area, with a larger vestibule, and continuous floor. Once we looked at that, we decided the sleeping area was a bit small for a queen sized air matress, so settled on the Aussie 8!!! So far as I can tell, they are made under license by DMH. The closest I can find on their website is the Murray 6. I'll post some pics of our baby up once we try putting it up!
Last purchase at Grangers was an Oztrail Easy Table 4, which will fit in the vestibule of the tent, very nicely, with an armchair on each side, on those warm, mosquito friendly nights!
Lastly, at Grangers, we bought a stove top grille, which is non-stick, and will sit nicely on the cartridge stove. Quite a few of the www.offroadsubarus.com guys have bought them, and they work a treat, much better than a frypan.
Next, we were off to Anaconda, for a sausage in bread, and a wander, and to pick up a few more items!
Anaconda, for the uninitiated, is a lot like REI in the US, but a little smaller.
At Anaconda, we bought a Coleman Quilted Air QuickBed, which will take "Princess Camping" to a whole new level. We also picked up a 240 volt air pump, also by Coleman, which will run off the Waeco inverter, I picked up on eBay a couple of months ago.
Last, but not least, we bought a Coleman retro-styled rechargeable lantern, which will charge from the car, as well as mains. Very funky, and no gas, or mantles to burn or anything...
We're going to give everything a trial run, down at the farm over Easter...
Stay tuned for updates, and photos!
Monday, February 06, 2006
Fabulous Morning Clouds
As I left home this morning, I happened to look out to the South, and the colours in the sky, with the clouds were fantastic... Oh, and the colours have NOT been manipulated!!!
Instructables: step-by-step collaboration
Instructables: step-by-step collaboration
This is quite a cool website I just found while searching for something else...
It's a bit of a shame they don't categorise the contributions, but I guess that will come later...
Well worth the look, if nothing other, than to look, shake your head, and ask WHY???
This is quite a cool website I just found while searching for something else...
It's a bit of a shame they don't categorise the contributions, but I guess that will come later...
Well worth the look, if nothing other, than to look, shake your head, and ask WHY???
Thursday, February 02, 2006
So Many Desires, So Few Funds
Doing a bit of eBay browsing the other day, and came across an Ultrafuge Dagger Kayak, which is very similar to the Perception Craft Mirage that I used to paddle when I was at school...
Got me to thinking about how much I do miss my kayaking... Here in Langwarrin, I'd have good access to the surf down the back of the Mornington Peninsula, as well as the Patterson Lakes complex for a bit of upper body work... Maybe it will sell for a reasonable price, and I'll snipe it at the end, but I suspect it will go for a bit more than I can justify right now...
Yet another item to add to the wishlist... :-)
In the meantime, it looks like I will just have to keep running the usual track (work to the Shrine of Remembrance, round the Tan, and back) at lunchtime, to keep the recovery rate down...
Got me to thinking about how much I do miss my kayaking... Here in Langwarrin, I'd have good access to the surf down the back of the Mornington Peninsula, as well as the Patterson Lakes complex for a bit of upper body work... Maybe it will sell for a reasonable price, and I'll snipe it at the end, but I suspect it will go for a bit more than I can justify right now...
Yet another item to add to the wishlist... :-)
In the meantime, it looks like I will just have to keep running the usual track (work to the Shrine of Remembrance, round the Tan, and back) at lunchtime, to keep the recovery rate down...
Wise Words
To my line of thinking, this would have to be quote of the day:
Whose cruel idea was it for the word “lisp” to have an “s” in it?
Whose cruel idea was it for the word “lisp” to have an “s” in it?
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
People.... Find something BETTER to do with your lives...
Who has the time to search Google Earth for obscure items such as this???
Perth's 'hovering car'
I've transposed the article, so it wont totally expire!
Eagle eyed users of the satellite imaging service Google Earth have spotted what appears to be a car hovering above the ground in a suburban Perth car park.
The photo is of a car park just off Honour Avenue at Point Walter in the affluent south western suburb of Bicton. The spot is a popular picnic location on the banks of the Swan River.
A number of cars are shown in parking bays and the vehicle in question appears to hovering above the ground nearby, its shadow clearly visible beneath.
Google Earth images are mostly taken by satellites - and sometimes by aircraft - within the past three years and there are no "live" images on the site.
The intriguing image was reported last week by the British IT news website, The Register.
One the the website's readers subsequently visited the very spot and sent in photos showing that there were no unusual structures there that could explain the phenomenon.
Other sceptical readers wrote in insisting the image was an optical illusion and was either a bus shelter, a pergola, a hole in the ground. One said it was obviously "Harry Potter and his friends on vacation".
Google Earth, launched last year, allows users to zoom across the planet and drill down to a height of about 300 metres. The program also has "tilt" function to give a side or angled view of an area or object.
Cars and boats are clearly visible at this level and in some areas, where even higher definition images are available, people can be seen.
The Google service has spawned a group of devoted followers who scour the satellite images for strange sightings. Users in the past have spotted a Stealth bomber parked on a runway in California, commercial planes in mid-flight and an image of what appears to be a ship on its side in a river estuary in Scotland.
The service has been critcised for giving terrorists a bird's eye view of sensitive areas, such as the Lucas Heights reactor in Sydney and Parliament House in Canberra.
It has also given stickybeaks an opportunity to peer into neighbourhood backyards and the home of the rich and famous.
(The hovering car can also been seen in this image on the Google Local service. People who have downloaded the free Google Earth software can see the car image here.)
Perth's 'hovering car'
I've transposed the article, so it wont totally expire!
Eagle eyed users of the satellite imaging service Google Earth have spotted what appears to be a car hovering above the ground in a suburban Perth car park. The photo is of a car park just off Honour Avenue at Point Walter in the affluent south western suburb of Bicton. The spot is a popular picnic location on the banks of the Swan River.
A number of cars are shown in parking bays and the vehicle in question appears to hovering above the ground nearby, its shadow clearly visible beneath.
Google Earth images are mostly taken by satellites - and sometimes by aircraft - within the past three years and there are no "live" images on the site.
The intriguing image was reported last week by the British IT news website, The Register.
One the the website's readers subsequently visited the very spot and sent in photos showing that there were no unusual structures there that could explain the phenomenon.
Other sceptical readers wrote in insisting the image was an optical illusion and was either a bus shelter, a pergola, a hole in the ground. One said it was obviously "Harry Potter and his friends on vacation".
Google Earth, launched last year, allows users to zoom across the planet and drill down to a height of about 300 metres. The program also has "tilt" function to give a side or angled view of an area or object.
Cars and boats are clearly visible at this level and in some areas, where even higher definition images are available, people can be seen.
The Google service has spawned a group of devoted followers who scour the satellite images for strange sightings. Users in the past have spotted a Stealth bomber parked on a runway in California, commercial planes in mid-flight and an image of what appears to be a ship on its side in a river estuary in Scotland.
The service has been critcised for giving terrorists a bird's eye view of sensitive areas, such as the Lucas Heights reactor in Sydney and Parliament House in Canberra.
It has also given stickybeaks an opportunity to peer into neighbourhood backyards and the home of the rich and famous.
(The hovering car can also been seen in this image on the Google Local service. People who have downloaded the free Google Earth software can see the car image here.)
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