mushrush.blog
May 15, 2008
you can't make this stuff up
This entire conversation was cut and pasted from the Live Chat (Fast & Friendly) window I opened via the Overstock.com Contact Page. I think it's as self-explanatory as it can be under the circumstances. I was tempted to fix my own grammatical errors, but I've edited nothing. All I did was format it with CSS and remove address and order information. (Yes, that giant bit of removed information where Alonso verifies what I'm asking about is, in fact, my entire order cut and pasted by him without line breaks.)
Oh, and I also substituted "M:" in the chat for "you:" so you wouldn't be confused reading what I said with a second person pronoun label in front of it.
M: I just had a quick question
M: I just received part of an order (I know that it is being shipped in multiple deliveries.)
Alonso: Sure I'll be glad to help you with that.
M: I was surprised to find that the item was not sent from overstock.com
M: but from a private address
M: is that normal?
Alonso: I'm sorry to hear that and I'll be glad to help you with your concern.
Alonso: Could I please have your email address or the order number?
M: email address is ______________@_________
Alonso: For security purposes, could you please verify the full name and billing address on the account?
M: sure
M: Martin Mushrush
M: _________________________
M: _____________, __ _____
Alonso: Thank you for verifying, Martin.
M: the package that arrived today contained the _______ ______ ____ shoes which were part of a larger order
M: but I was just surprised that they appeared to be shipped by a private individual and not from overstock
Alonso: Martin, are you referring to the '_________ _____ _______________ ____________, __________________ ____________, ____________ ________ ________ ________ __________________ ___, ____________ _______________ ________________, __________________ ____________, ____________ ________ ________ ________ __________________, __________________ ____________, ____________ ________ ________ ________ __________________ ___, __________________ ____________, ____________ ________ ________ ________ __________________, __________________ ____________, ____________ ________ ________ ________ _______________, __________________ ____________, ____________ ________ ________ ________ __________________ ______'?
M: yes, but just the one pair of shoes in the order
M: I haven't yet received the other parts of the order
M: I was surprised because there was no packaging outside the shoe box itself... it was just taped shut and mailed
M: luckily the shoes were okay, but
M: the box looks like it was pretty beaten up
M: I'm just surprised it wasn't packed better and didn't say "overstock" anywhere on the package
M: to be honest, for a minute I thought it was something from an ebay seller until I remembered I bought it from overstock.
Alonso: I'm sorry that you have received the item in such a condition.
M: please stop using canned answers.
M: the item was fine
M: the box was poorly packed
Alonso: Please accept my sincere apologies for this inconvenience caused to you regarding the concern.
Alonso: Sure I'll make a note of your concern that you have received the item in such a condition.
M: so are you going to answer my original question
M: or just make a note of the concern about the concern of the item in such a condition?
Alonso: Please note that we ship the package in an overstock package, however, I'm sorry that you have received the item in a ordinary package and it did not have any kind of label that could indicate that it ws send from overstock.
M: the return address says:
M: Jessie ________
M: ___________________
M: __________, __ _____-____
M: is that Overstock?
Alonso: I certainly understand your concern that you are very embarrassed with the service provided by us, however please note that we have not come up with such a situation and this is a rare case, however, I'm sorry that this happened in your matter.
Alonso: Would you mind holding for 3-5 minutes while I check on that for you?
M: No, I don't mind
M: I'm not embarrassed.
M: But overstock should be.
M: Not just about the shipping, but about the fact that you're not answering my question and you keep talking about my "concern." I have no such "concern." Just a question as to why I received my item from Jessie ________ packed in a manner less professional than most ebay sellers.
Alonso: Thank you for being on hold.
M: No problem.
Alonso: I've checked the account for you and see that the item was shipped via USPS and since we have more than 700 warehouses across the country, different items ship from different warehouses, so we will not be able to tell you from which warehouse was the item been shipped.
M: It has a return address on it.
M: I didn't ask what warehouse it shipped from
Alonso: However, if you wish to return the item, we will accept the return for the item at no cost to you.
M: I asked why it appears to have been shipped from someone else.
M: I don't wish to return the item
M: I want to know what happened.
Alonso: I'm sorry that we do not have information about that.
M: So you don't have any idea why something like this would have happened?
M: Because it seems that you put me on hold to find information I don't need rather than to find the answer to my question.
Alonso: Since we have more than 700 warehouses across the country, and these packages are packed depending upon the policy by each warehouse.
M: Does Overstock, as a rule, not use the same policy in its many warehouses?
Alonso: Hence, if you receive the item in defective or damaged condition, we do have the option to return the item at no cost by you.
M: Wow, when did I say the item was defective?
M: I recall explicitly saying that it wasn't.
M: I recall saying it was fine.
Alonso: Please note that we have more than 700 warehouses, so each warehouse have their own policy which they follow .
M: Yes, so you've said.
Alonso: So I'm sorry that we will not be able to tell you from which warehouse was the item been shipped.
M: I never asked which warehouse.
M: I simply asked if it was normal for Overstock to ship things from non-overstock addresses
M: packaged poorly
M: I gave you the return address on the item
M: I can, if you like, give you the USPS tracking number
M: from which you can tell EXACTLY which post office in the United States
M: the item was shipped.
M: My guess is from that information
Alonso: Please note that we do not ship the item in such a condition normally, however it happened in your case.
M: you might be able to find out from which of the more than 700 warehouses it shipped
M: even though I never asked which warehouse shipped the item.
M: It seems to be very important to you to find this out.
M: So I will be happy to help by supplying you with the tracking number if you like.
Alonso: I'm sorry that we do not have the information form which warehouse was the item been shipped.
M: I'm sorry that you don't appear to understand anything I'm saying.
Alonso: However, since you are a valuable customer for us and we appreciate your business, we will issue $5 to your account for this inconvenience caused to you regarding the concern.
M: Did I somehow escalate this to the point at which you've been instructed to throw store credit at me to get me to stop being upset?
Alonso: I hope that this will compensate you for the inconvenience caused to you.
M: There was no inconvenience other than this surreal conversation. I simply wanted to know the answer to a question.
M: Now that I think about it, this conversation hasn't even been an inconvenience because now I know what I'll post on my blog tonight.
M: I've just had one of those "you can't make this stuff up" moments.
M: I feel I should take advantage of it.
Alonso: I certainly agree that this contact was not handled in an appropriate manner and will ensure to offer better services.
Alonso: I am really sorry about this and request your co-operation in this regard.
Alonso: I certainly understand your disappointment and accept the responsibility for the same.
M: My cooperation for what?
Alonso: I'll make a clear note of your disappointment on your account.
M: Alright.
M: Sounds good.
M: We should do this again some time.
M: Have a good night.
Alonso: I once apologize for the inconvenience caused to you regarding the concern.
Alonso: I'll be glad to help you, do you have any further questions for me?
M: No worries. I'm no longer concerned about the inconvenient concern of the matter in which I was once concerned in that manner.
M: So, no. No further questions.
Alonso: You are welcome.
Alonso: Thanks so much for shopping with Overstock.com. Enjoy your day.
Posted by martin at 11:08 PM | Link to This Post | Comments (0)
tweet (#812525572)
"Here's a marker. Here's my naked skin. Our 'Exhibit A.' Put a small 'X' where I lost my way."
tweet (#812513212)
And for the record, I don't like it when you wax emotional about what you're listening to on twitter either. But I understand it.
tweet (#812512912)
"Buy me a shiny new machine that runs on lies and gasoline and all those batteries we stole from smoke alarms and disassembles my despair."
tweet (#812510934)
The Weakerthans' -Reconstruction Site- is kicking my ass for the 15th time tonight. Less than ten albums can do this to me consistently.
tweet (#812496514)
That last tweet sounded way more sycophantic than I meant it to... I think. Man, @cockerham is reading my tweets now. Pressure's on. Man.
tweet (#812495908)
The other thing is that @cockerham is following me on twitter! I didn't follow him first! He's, like, internet famous, and I'm really not!
tweet (#812494258)
One thing that made my day today makes my day every day, but she already knows that.
tweet (#812493522)
May 13, 2008
tweet (#810862599)
It would be a funny punchline if I said I was still waiting for Safeway now, but I'm not. They brought my groceries at the agreed upon time.
May 11, 2008
tweet (#808737194)
May 09, 2008
7 haiku 62
On the way to work
is a billboard showing an
old woman smiling
proudly, having raised
over one hundred foster
children. I wonder
if her house smells of
cooking, used coloring books
and wet galoshes.
Talking in the car
I wonder if she counted,
or when she started,
and how do the names
run together and which were
the problem children.
Today a mother
told me boys are easier
to bring up than girls.
Call this perception
"depth" and risk confusing it
with all your charges.
- This entry is part of the 4913 haiku project.
- These haiku are related to 5 haiku 62
- Continue reading 4913 haiku with a random entry.
- A brief explanation of the project can be found here.
- Still more reading options with a new, prettier format coming soon!
Posted by martin at 12:56 AM | Link to This Post | Comments (0)
May 07, 2008
7 haiku 61
Disrespect, rising
From observation, what's known
The way you insist
I can turn this off
A form of meditation
For the weak minded
The strong willed will strain
Trees, wings, this is by design
This is opposite
Do any of you
Do any of you write home
Well, do you still call
Disenfranchising
To say oh the water breaks
Consider the dam
Everyone's head down
Those who muster strength to run
Those who fear impact
Delicate towers
Designed impossibly tall
Like a party game
- This entry is part of the 4913 haiku project.
- These haiku are related to 5 haiku 61
- Continue reading 4913 haiku with a random entry.
- A brief explanation of the project can be found here.
- Still more reading options with a new, prettier format coming soon!
Posted by martin at 12:23 AM | Link to This Post | Comments (0)
May 05, 2008
consider the flaws inherent in the stack
Given my interests and the kind of stuff I'm likely to do when engaged in what's laughingly known as Self Actualization, it stands to reason I always have a guitar out and ready to be played. For that matter, I always have a direct box and preamp connected to my recording PC. Just gotta plug in said guitar and a mic while I wait for the machine to start up, and I can record an idea almost as quickly as it comes to me. Most of the time the machine's already on...
You'd be surprised, though, how many times I'm too lazy to get a microphone out of the closet.
Recently I've started to clear out my closets to put my vinyl out and on shelves where I can select a record and have it on my turntable without having to unstack boxes and look inside of them to determine which section of the alphabet they contain. (Yes, they're boxed alphabetically. No, they aren't labeled. Yes, I know that's kind of silly.) It's part of a larger plan to revisit most of my living space to keep it organized and get rid of as much of the stuff I don't need as I can.
After years of attempting to be organized, I've decided there's really one main rule:
- Don't put things on top of or in front of things.
If you only follow that one rule, you'll be way ahead of the game. It's bad enough to be unmotivated. Happens to everyone sometimes. Consider, however, the travesty that is having any small amount of motivation sapped by an organizational schema that forces you to need additional motivation just to get to the thing you need to do the thing you're somewhat motivated to do.
Most people don't stay motivated for very long unless they act on the motivation right away. When there are additional hurdles to that action, the chances of acting decrease rapidly. Note that when you add the finite nature of Free Time to this equation, the amount of time to do more than one task can thwart the original intention even when the unusual conditions of multiple motivations are met.
e.g. If you suddenly get motivated to knit for the first time in ages, that's great! If your yarn is all in a box under another box of unrelated shit, all of which is behind two other things, now you've got to be motivated to excavate in addition to being motivated to knit.
That's assuming you know where the yarn box is. If you don't, then you've got to be motivated to search, excavate and knit.
On the other hand, if your yarn was in a box you could reach without moving anything else, you'd be well into that sweater before it was time for dinner. When you do put it down to go make food though, be sure to put your unfinished work somewhere you can get to it easily. If you're like most people, starting something means you're more likely to be motivated to continue than you were likely to be motivated prior to starting. Give it a name: Momentum.
So that's the big rule. There are probably as many others as there are organizational styles, but for what it's worth here are the only other two I personally follow:
- Put all related things in places where they make sense.
You know how when you arrange all your books on shelves you always end up with an "oversized" shelf? The books on that shelf aren't where they belong according to subject. It's fine except you wind up having to remember a list of exceptions to your rule. You have to know which books are oversized so you know where to find them.
That's probably fine with one shelf worth of books as exceptions, but think about what happens when your whole home gets that way. You wind up having to remember too many exceptions, and they aren't even all the same type of exception. Why did we put the extra sheets for the upstairs guest room in the closet in the downstairs bathroom again? There was probably a reason, but I can't remember it now... Sadly not being able to remember the reason means it's likely I won't remember which closet to look in.
Don't get me started on the way this kind of shit grows exponentially when you suddenly have access to a garage or, worse still, a basement.
- If things are together with related things but not visible, label them.
I'm a big fan of boxes like these. They are great for putting lots of little things together. Group your shit however you like. Just remember, there's a reason they have little windows with rectangular bits of paper in them. You can write on them. Or label with pictures, if that's your thing.
If you don't want to buy fancy boxes, you can use any box. Amazingly, most pens will write on cardboard. (Why I still haven't done that to my record boxes is beyond the scope of this entry. Give it a name: A fascination with blank white cardboard LP boxes.)
Alternately, you can write on masking tape which has the astounding ability to stick to most materials used to make useful containers.
Now I'm going to get to the other things I put off today while cleaning. Curiously, becoming better at managing the first three dimensions doesn't always improve management of the fourth.
Posted by martin at 12:51 AM | Link to This Post | Comments (2)
