Dan Antion

You’re Welcome, I’m Sure – #1LinerWeds

A few weeks ago, I wrote about wrestling with a bear, as a metaphor for fighting my way through customer service at my insurance company. I finally got the paperwork I needed from them, as well as a survey in which I could rate the representative I dealt with.

I despise those surveys.

Nowhere in any of those surveys do you get to say “the customer service representative was wonderful, but your company policies prevented her from actually helping me. She’s fine, you…” Well, you know what comes next.

Most people don’t want to get the helpless representative in trouble, so they give a good rating and then the company boasts a 99% satisfied customer base.

While it took over a month to get a letter from that insurance company indicating that I do, in fact have insurance with them, on the second day of every month, I open my email to find this subject line in my inbox:

“Thank you for submitting your payment. “

Of course, if they were being accurate, they would say:

“Good morning. While you were sleeping, we reached into your checking account and took the premium you owed us for your insurance.”

I’m reasonably sure the only way I could get a truly personal message from these guys would be if there wasn’t enough money in my checking account to cover that premium payment.

Note: Some of you might have noticed that there were no images with yesterday’s post. I forgot. Hopefully, I remembered to include them today.

This post is part of Linda G. Hill’s fun weekly series One-Liner Wednesday. If you would like to join in on the fun, you can follow this link to participate and to see the one-liners from the other participants.

Most of the snow has melted but it freezes every night.
Smokey hopped over the snow to say hi. Well, hi and “do you have any peanuts?”
Chinook after saying hi to Maddie.
It was only 28°f (-2°c) but the decking was very warm. Maddie decided it was warm enough to sit for about 25 minutes.
In a few days, it’s supposed to be thirty degrees warmer, but we still got out for a walk on the weekend.
MiMi is awake and obviously happy to see me.
Each day it melts. Each night it freezes. But that cycle should end in a couple days.
Maddie has found something interesting.
The ball fields are almost bare again.
Do you see them? Heading back to Canada.
In case you didn’t notice them in the larger picture.
The trees are starting to bud out.
I had to sneak this in while Maddie wasn’t looking.
“I think you should get a picture of this.”
I know, the flag again, but I haven’t seen it blowing this full for a long time.
No longer snow. More like a snow cone.

82 comments

  1. I think a lot of us feel that unequal pull between needing assistance and direct payments, and it seems to get worse each year. I have to laugh at myself when I’m almost screaming to be heard at some robotic phone system when ‘talking to a representative’ is not an option. Maddie should get some ‘sitting’ time this week because it looks like you’re hitting mid 60’s. 😎

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  2. A very relivant post,and glorious photos .
    I empathize , I just won a dispute with my phone and broadband company…. It took three months upteen emails , many phone calls. In the end I emailed the C.E.O. the situation was sorted in three days in my favour😃

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  4. I can relate to your customer service contacts. You’ve got to laugh to keep from going completely insane!! 😬
    We have been having great weather for the past week – I Love not complaining about it!! (It’s such a switch!)

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    • I do keep laughing. And, there’s always the comfort of, “at least I got something to blog about.”

      We are having a wonderful week of early spring weather. Upper 60s tomorrow. We might get to stick our toes in 70.

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  5. I’m with you about surveys. I rarely complete them now, unless the request is coming from a local company. On the bright side, your photos are beautiful and it seems CT is warming up, as is our area. Despite politics to the contrary, there’s hope on the horizon. Have a wonderful day, Dan. 😊

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  6. I agree surveys aren’t much ‘cop’ … so I usually leave them. Gosh it makes me feel cold! Is Mimi pleased to see you – seems she’s saying ‘do not disturb’?! Yes at least Spring is on its way … all the best – Hilary

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  9. I don’t do surveys. Period. Love the first picture of the ‘frozen stuff’. Nothing stops Smokey from getting his meal. No way is MiMi happy to see you Dan! Time for an eye exam perhaps? Love the shadow shot. But the photo of Maddie with the sunlight highlighting her feathers, and picking up colors and creating designs, that is outstanding.

    We’re not coming out of the 40’s that day, b

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  10. WTH?!!! As I was saying before I was so rudely kicked to the curb…..We’re not coming out of the 40’s today, but we have the promise of a glorious warm day for tomorrow! Nothing I love more than to finally get a great weather day and I have to spend a chunk of it in the supermarket ! Aaarrgghhhh!

    Happy Hump Day.
    Ginger

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    • On behalf of the WordPress bouncer, I apologize, Ginger. I told him you’re on the A-list. Are you sure MiMi isn’t happy to see me? You might be right.

      Maddie is enjoying her warm weather walks, and some time sitting on “her porch” as she likes to think of it. Enjoy the warm sun, wherever you have to be.

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  11. If only talking to a human on the other end and actually being helped were always easy. I think it used to be prior to automated messages and pressing buttons a thousand times and waiting 30 minutes, only to be told help is not on the way. I have to say that my one true love these days with customer service has been Amazon, but that could change in a heartbeat. It’s usually government agencies that make me crazy, which is funny since I used to work for one.

    Anyhow, here’s to automated payments which make our life easier, but still…it’s like robbing the bank with our permission.

    Have a great Wednesday, Dan. Enjoy the warmer weather and your “sits” with Maddie.

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    • The Editor suggests that this maybe karma, since I used to be they guy to program our voice mail system. Then again, it was pretty easy to reach a real live human being…even if his name might be Dan. We had a locked lobby, so you had to call and ask for permission to enter. My name was first on the list (stupid alphabet) so I was often signing for the package or letting the WB Mason guy in with the supplies. I think they liked me, since I always offered them a cup of coffee.

      Now I hear Maddie saying, “Mary said we could sit!” Thanks.

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  12. Agreed… I just hate those tick-box surveys at the end of a call to a bank or insurance company or similar! The performance of the customer service assistant is so often the least of your problems, and you are left frustrated at wanting to give the company a rating that reflects middling to appalling or anywhere in between, but you are aware that this may impact poorly on the person who assisted you and who did a good job of that.

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  13. I’m one of the weirdos who does occasionally fill out surveys because, for me, they have paid off in one way or another. Probably not the kind you are talking about though, and it does get frustrating these days when every Tom, Dick, and Harry want you to fill out a survey after every service, from getting prescriptions refilled, to visiting your health care practitioner!!

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  15. Customer service on the phone these days does provide more than its fair share of horror stories. I hate going through a long series of phone prompts to get to a person, who then transfers me back to the phone prompts. SCRREEEEEEEEEEAM! Meanwhile, spring is coming soon to you!

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  16. Sno-cone snow. You can’t beat Connecticut for early spring. I’m with you on surveys. Anytime I have to call customer care for any company, I always decline to remain on the line. If I get a mail survey and all was resolved, I fill it out. Otherwise, I forget it. I have noticed of late that a few companies are leaving room for open-ended comments. That is a good thing up to the point that someone reads them. I suspect it is like the door open and close button on the elevator. It May or may not be useful but give the occupant a feeling of control. I’m glad you are getting a thaw, Dan. Good photos.

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  17. Three days before they take it, like clockwork, I receive an email from my Medicare provider thanking my for “making my Part D payment (processing).” So, they thank me as they are reaching into my bank account… Are you sure MiMi was ‘obviously’ happy to see you?! I love cat faces–so non-committal. She is adorable. Maddie has such a good eye. I like the photo of her and the pine cones. Have a good Wednesday, Dan.

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    • I as wearing my rose-colored glasses when I looked at MiMi. I’m calling it “happy to see me” but I’ll leave it up to others to make their own call. Maddie likes to sniff the stuff that has been buried. I’m sorry my camera doesn’t have smell-a-vision.

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  18. Another post where I’m with the writer all the way. We don’t do direct withdrawals though, as we don’t care for some company having access to our savings account. My husband’s approach to most phone calls to companies is to start saying, “Representative” over and over. I’ve found that “Customer service” seems to be what the setup recognizes best. When I actually talk to someone who’s helpful, I make sure to tell them and thank them. I’ll take one of those surveys on the phone that asks how that representative did but few others.

    When I had such poor service at our doctor’s office when they were bought out by another company, the women at the desk gave me the email of an office manager to contact. That woman never returned my email, which was very respectful even though negative. Definitely not the way to leave customers/patients with a good impression and such a stark contrast with the doctor I had and loved in Illinois. Of course it wasn’t the doctor’s issue but probably inadequate amount of staff but still.

    Hang in there! Spring is coming!

    janet

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  19. I don’t do direct withdrawals. I have a thing about that. I’d rather pay the bills myself on the day of my choosing. I do finally use online payment through the bank. I’ve gotten much more comfortable with that feature.

    I love the snowcone-looking snow, and the flag flying in the wind, and those pinecones on the broken branch! Great images!

    Enjoy the warming days ahead! We got a dusting of snow this morning. The storm is coming through a few days late maybe it will pass through quickly to make up for the time it was late. 😀❄

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  24. Um, Dan, I feel your pain. Really. I don’t deal with insurance companies and I don’t fill out surveys either but I do deal with incompetent uncaring hard-hearted personal who work for a very good Vet. Long story short I can never get a straight answer. I am told regardless of how critically ill my cat is (the reason for my call) there are other cats you know besides mine. No organization. No prioritization. None. My teeth are on edge just writing this. Instead of getting nasty I do my best to smother these people in kindness. Doesn’t always work however and when my baby is really sick and I am told sorry no appt. that is when the screaming begins. To no avail. We all it seems have our buttons that get pressed. I also do agree customer service these days and yes I will say it, sucks. Terribly. Loved your gallery on a lighter note. Spring is springing!!!

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      • Agreed. Totally. I’m learning to deal with people in a way that shows them I will not fall to their level. When the time is right, I will state my case to my Vet. I’ve yet to be guided to. I am unsure if she even realizes what some in her office are doing. She is just so focused on her end of what she does. Always ….. you’ve totally got my empathy!!

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  25. I get it. Hubby just played the ‘Who’s On First’ roulette game with Humana . 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️I love the shot of Maddie with the lens flares. 👏🏻👏🏻And Chinook is quite the looker. Your temps need to be30 degrees warmer!

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  27. Am way too impatient with insurances, so mine were for most part private clients, who paid out of pocket. Although for the very few insur. clients I had, we luckily had 2 secretaries who dealt with them. If the latter handed me a form, I didn’t mind doing the inquiries. Hurrah for the snow melting:)

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  28. I rarely think about it from the practitioner’s viewpoint. I have had to work with my dentist in order to see that he got paid. I can’t imagine the frustrations.

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  33. When it comes to insurance, how nice it must be to be a dog or a squirrel or a pine cone… Of course, I can see how property insurance could really be abused by squirrels, “I know I buried it here! I know it!”
    …
    “Okay, maybe I ate it…”

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