It Ended Amiably - Omaha Steaks

My annual call to Omaha Steaks to order a package for my brother and sister-in-law did not start out well.

I certainly did NOT call them to get into some sort of altercation with them. The light went off in my head: get it ordered or they won't have it in time by Christmas.

So I called.  Now, before I got into this, I have an account with them.  My name and what I have ordered with them is on file.

So I ask the lady that gets on the phone what kind of deal she can do for me.  Instead of asking me if I have an account or if I have ever ordered before - or ANYTHING a salesperson should be asking - she states that there are thousands of deals and that she cannot possibly go into all of them.  Wow.  "Well, then, please connect me to a supervisor and perhaps they can give me the information I am asking for". She hung up on me.

Anytime a customer service rep hangs up on me is the pre-cursor for trouble for that person and a deal for me.  But, honestly, I did NOT start out that way.   In the past, I ask them the same question and they go off into the most popular, current deals that they have.

I call back, of course.  A different lady answers the phone.  I explain that I was just hung up on by a person at her company and that I would like to speak to a supervisor.  She laughed at me:  YOU want to speak to a supervisor because someone hung up on you?!!! saying it increduously, as if it were normal for incoming sales  call centers to hang up on customers that are pretty much determined to make an order and yes, pay for it then and there, on the phone, with a credit card.

Yes, I replied, I do, not saying anything to her about her stupid attitude.

Her manager gets on the phone.  I discuss with this person about the hang-up on the first call.  Well, he states, I will look into that.  Yeah, that doesn't work with me, not the way he said it, but I figured to play this one out and see what happens.  It's the inflections and tones that the way people say things that give it away for me.

When we get to the point of making an order, I decided not to.  I was dissed not by one, but 2 customer service reps and I decided I needed to call headquarters tomorrow when they are open.  He asks why and I tell him.  He didn't know because I hadn't told him about the second person.  He says he will review the call after we get off the phone.  No, I stated, you review the call now and then get back to me, because I have been treated quite rudely for no good reason and I WILL be getting a discount on my order.

He was surprised.  He then stated he would have to end the call with me to review that call.  Okay, review the call and call me back, here's my number.  He says fine, but if he doesn't get back to me............EXCUSE ME?  WHY would you start telling me you aren't getting back to me after you just stated you WOULD?  I give him my cell phone number and we hang up.

15 minutes later, he calls back.  I will say that this is the first time ever that I have sat here and listened to a supervisor telling me the conversation he had with one of his employees.  That is pretty much taboo, but I listened to him because - fascinating.  The woman tried to finagle out of it.  He stated that it is simply intolerable to laugh at a customer who wants to speak to  a supervisor regardless of what you think about it. The person I had first talked to that hung up on me had gone home for the evening and that, apparently, is the reason she hung up on me!! ROFL!!

End of the story: Same deal I got last year for $30 less PLUS 18 hamburgers added for free and of course free shipping.

That's not a bad deal, at all!  I thanked him quite well and wished him a Merry Christmas and - end of call.

ben

Sunday 12/18/2011

Got up this morning around 6:00am, had my coffee and then got busy with the painting.  I'm about 2/3rd's done with it now.  I would have it all done but I have to move furniture from the walls and so I was doing sections at a time so the entire room wasn't thrown into chaos, but alas, it is in total chaos anyway and I am going to spend the rest of today attempting to get it all done or most of it anyway and get it back together again.  I am cleaning the carpet and cleaning underneath, behind furniture and everything, it isn't just a paint job, hence it is taking longer.

Anyway, got 2 walls almost done excepting for some of the trim work and then took a shower and headed off to church. A highly amusing Christmas program they put together and then a Christmas Brunch, they called it, afterward.  More like a complete Thanksgiving dinner!  Sat around talked with some folks for a while, though the next time I want to invade other people's table privacy and see about getting to know more people in the church.

I left there and headed straight for Home Depot: must get 2 more gallons of that paint that is on close-out before it's gone.  Then headed to Bashas', the grocery store selling the Standing Rib Roast for $3.67 per pound.  Well they didn't have a big enough roast out.  Including me, there will be 11 people at this dinner (3 more added this morning, gotta call from my other sister-in-law who found out I am doing Christmas dinner and wants to come).  "Do you have any bigger roasts?".  The kid (I mean, if this boy were 18 years old I would be surprised) said he would check.  They have the Large End rib in a bigger size, but I would have to pay more per pound for it.  Better cut of meat, apparently.  I decided a few extra bucks for a larger roast would be worth it.  He came out with a 15 pounder.  Plenty big enough for everyone considering I am also going to get a half ham.

Half ham coming from Fresh and Easy.  The rest of everything coming from Fry's.  Trying to keep the cost down - going to 3, possibly 4, different stores may sound like a time waster but it's definitely going to save money, so no biggies.

So, here and now.  Just sort of sat here for a while attempting to let some of this food I ate at church digest a bit.  But, fun-time is over, I need to get back to work on that bedroom and the bathroom.

Later.
ben