Saturday, November 24, 2007

You Make the Call

If you have been keeping up with my employment quandaries, you will know that I was recently selected for a new job with my current employer, while waiting to hear about my former employers “dream job.” Well about 3 weeks ago I got the typical “We have received your application” post card, but if I am not selected for further evaluation, the card will be the last thing I get. OK. So, I was still waiting to hear about the status of my application and preparing for the police academy for the Vet’s Admin. Preparing for the Academy has been going on since late September with weight training, cardio, reading, studying, baton training, firearms, more reading, more cardio, more weight training, more studying, more firearms, and of course more reading. Typically a new hire will have 2-4 weeks of this before going to the Academy. Fortunately for me I was required to stick around and continue in my dispatcher capacity, probably until just before Christmas, when I will get my 2 weeks of “office time” to finish prepping. In the midst of one of my early morning workouts at the South Suburban gym, my phone rings. I recently purchased what I call a gadget phone. One of those phones that does every thing but cook breakfast? Yeah, I really needed that, but I wanted to be “cool” so I got one. In retrospect I do love it, especially since it plays tunes and makes calls. Only problem is that I only want to be disturbed during my workouts by my wife or son…No One Else. Of course my former employer was calling to set up my “testing” for the “dream job, I guess that my resume was good enough to be selected. Then again, I better have been selected after doing the work (without the title) for more than 3 years. So a week later I go in for my test…ironically it covers the three things that I was specifically detailed to do multiple times during those three years. That was almost 2 weeks ago. With the holiday week, I expect to hear from them about an interview in the next week.

I still have no specifics about pay, but have figured approximately what it might take me to accept the job with the former employer. The following is a short list of pros and cons in a head-to-head comparison – you make the call:

Former Employer
Pay increases are not “guaranteed”
On-Call 4 months/year
4 hours vacation / pay period to start
Holidays Off
No Overtime Required/Available
No Shift Differential Pay
Monday-Friday dayshifts
Schedule NEVER changes
Pension 100% paid by Company
Fewer choices on health care
More Flexibility
Less Money
No Badge
No Uniforms
Like my co-workers
Minimal potential for advancement
No Time in Arkansas (I've Never Been There)


Current Employer
Step and Annual Cost of Living increases
Always subject to recall
6 hours vacation / pay period to start
Paid double for Holidays
OT mandatory (Paid at time and a half)
+10% Nights -- +25% Sundays
Rotating shifts and days off
Rotating Schedule may stop, putting me at lowest seniority --
(swings / graves / weekends)
Pension paid by Company and employee
Many MANY choices for health care
Less Flexibility
Mo’ Money
Badge
Uniforms
Like most of my co-workers
Average or better potential for advancement
5 Weeks in North Little Rock


"Looks like we are tied 6-6, with less than 6 weeks to play. The upstart from Iowa has to decide on a team before the signing deadline of January 4, 2008." As far as I know that is my last day of work before I go to Arkansas for the Academy, obviously (this being the government) it is subject to change!

Educated guess, since the former employer posted the job at $4-5 k / year less than my current pay level, is that I MIGHT get an offer of somewhere around what I am currently making. Unfortunately this does not take into consideration my increase from GS6 to GS7 pay in January, my differential pay, my holiday pay, my guaranteed ½ hour OT every work day, and numerous other factors in my current pay scale. At the VA I have the potential to actually make close to $25 k more next year than I would at the former employer (of course I will be working weekends, holidays, nights, etc). My question is, are the extra bones worth the time I will spend away from my family? For those of you who have gone thru things like this, I welcome your comments.


Obligatory pic of Cassidy, with his coach!
Basketball sidebar -- Cassidy got to practice against the Varsity earlier this week. The center on the Varsity team is about 6' 10" and a nice kid. Cassidy was working against this kid and scored on him. The Varsity coach, in an attempt to motivate the big man says:
"You just got scored on...by a FRESHMAN!"
Big man mutters under his breath:
"Yeah, a big a$$ freshman!"
Now they know how I feel everyday, only with more pride. Keep rockin' the rim, Cassidy!

Friday, November 23, 2007

I Hate Holiday Shopping

Well, it is that time of year again where the capitalistic leeches again latch onto every person who wants to buy something. I wonder how many self-inflicted injuries occur in the Customer Service field during the holidays. I suppose that by now you have figured out that I have a major complaint about some retail-inspired idiocy…well, you are correct sir!!!

I wanted to do something special for Cassidy for Christmas this year, so I was looking at football jerseys. It is amazing what some people will pay for a piece of cloth with a logo, number and name on it (Ohhh wait, that’s me too! Heh-heh!) Anyway, I was attempting to find out how much the total would be with shipping and the advertised discount. This company was offering a 15% discount on orders over $75; just enter the promotion code at checkout and click “RECALCULATE” to apply your discount. Sounds simple doesn’t it? This is where the wheels fell off. Attempts to apply the discount resulted in an error message “The minimum order for this discount is $75” blah, blah, blah. My order is $99.99 right now, unless the dollar is devalued so much that $99.99 is now less than $75, I am pretty sure my order qualifies for the discount. So I go back and re-read the fine print – Discount ends at blah, blah. Not valid on orders shipped directly from the manufacturer, etc. etc. OK, now I go back to my item to see if it ships from the manufacturer…nothing listed about shipping from the manufacturer, great!! I go back to the checkout page and attempt again, no joy! Now here is where I make a minor flaw. I think to myself (slight mistake) maybe it won’t calculate the discount without credit card information, so I enter my info and click “RECALCULATE.” I don’t know how many words there are for anger in the English language in all its forms, but I used everyone that I did know! Evidently clicking that button on the website automatically SUBMITS your order. OK, it’s Thanksgiving, so I probably won’t get a Supervisor on the Customer Service number. Email, yeah that would be great. “To Whom It May Concern…”

Polite but firm email sent to Customer Service: discount won’t apply, order sent when clicked “recalculate,” nothing written about manufacturer, etc.
Email response received today, and I quote: “That promo code does not start until the 23rd.” End of Message. I cannot begin to express my displeasure at this company now! I have worked in customer service fields off and on for the last 20 years, one sentence responses are the 3rd Rail in customer service. Now, being kinder and gentler than I used to be, I formulate another polite email, expressing my displeasure at the anemic response. Citing my print-outs from Thanksgiving {from the website} showing that there was no start date listed on the promo. I also reiterate my issues with the website and request a response to my problems with the website. Knowing that today is the biggest shopping day of the year {I hated todays when I used to work retail, even more than I do now}, there will be a supervisor/manager at the CS phone number. I doubt that I will get an email response, so I call.
First, I am thankful that the operator spoke English, and without an accent.
Second, I am not thankful that he was a tool. He did follow the script admirably, but tried to tell me there was no supervisor on duty today. Ahem…LIE! After attempting to explain my issues to the operator, I was regurgitated the company line about “shipped from the manufacturer.” There was, of course, no response to the other allegations about website problems, and DEFINITELY no mention of the “start date.” Despite the operator’s allegations that he could help me, I finally told him the only way he could help me was to get an “instant promotion to manager or find me one.”
“Let me see if I can locate a supervisor for you, sir.”
“Thank you.”
Slight wait, no MUZAK.
“Supervisor Rafael, how can I help you Mr. AugiePete?”
So I begin with my problems with the promo code.
“Well sir, it says right on the website, in red letters, that this item ships directly from the manufacturer.”
“Rafael, I am looking right at the website, which I hope you are too, and it doesn’t.”
“Sir, will you please read the top right corner, the red writing.”
Me quoting verbatim…no mention of shipped from manufacturer.
“You see Sir, you just proved my point for me.” Pause. “Will you please hold for a minute?”
“Of course.”
Slightly longer wait, again no MUZAK.
“Mr. AugiePete, we are going to refund that 15%.”
“Thank you…may I also address my other concerns?” long explanation of the shoddy caliber of the website actions, to which the supervisor sounds less than enthused about my problems.

While I can understand and even appreciate the problems that can arise from designing a website, and the glitches that can happen, I fail to understand how a major, multi-million dollar business can attempt to “wave away” customers with improper information, non-existent answers, and a laissez-faire attitude. Ultimately, I got an acceptable resolution to my problem, but I will never shop there again. I could have gotten the item cheaper from a different location, but I wanted to keep the $$ with an allegedly local shop. Not even the home team is home-based anymore.

BTW, Cassidy was selected for the Junior-Varsity team this year, as a freshman; quite an honor. He will definitely get a work-out in practice form the other JV (and Varsity) boys. He is disappointed that he won’t get to play with his friends, but very excited to be moved up to a higher level!



Cassidy sacking the QB!