128 replies to my rant about Verizon! THANK YOU! You heard me and let me know you’ve had the same issues and problems. You also dread going to the phone store – I told Rick he should throw this phone in the casket and bury it with me! I hope it lasts me the rest of my life because I can’t face going to the phone store again.
I’m not the only one who can’t understand a thick foreign accent – to say that I feel like I’m being racist but why would Verizon hire people to talk to their customers on the phone who are so difficult to understand? If there should be anyone trying to fix problems over the phone it would only make sense that the customer can understand them.
I went to the fair late yesterday afternoon and one of the fair personnel walked by me and said with a smile, “Mary, would you go to the Verizon store for me?” Hahaha! My reputation precedes me. Ugh.
I took many of your suggestions for the textile show to the organizer and she made notes so we can make some adjustments next year. I want more people to participate and maybe one of the ideas is to bring your quilts for show only and not judging. I love the idea of viewer’s choice and I still like the idea of listening to the judge’s comments.
So many people asked if I brought quilts to the fair and I said for show only, not for judging. I take lots of shortcuts and for my quilts it’s fine. I always tell people quilting should be fun! I just can’t take time for all that perfection which I know I’m capable of but not interested in.
As I sat with Kathy in the 4-H building last night I had the best soft shell taco I’ve ever eaten – ah, fair food!
A cool front went through last night and I’m enjoying a 70 degree morning on the porch.
Mowing today – so glad I waited till the heat broke. Thanks for your support of my rant about Verizon – I always feel better after telling you about things that upset me.
We can all relate and sympathize! I read every comment and it’s wonderful to realize that it’s not just me.
Your Barn at Evening photo is definitely worthy of canvas or that other technique a lot of the artists in AZ use for selling photography of the beautiful desert/mountain photos
Getting things off your chest is important for our mental health. Support for one another is how I feel we can bring back some kindness and consideration sorely missing.
I do have to comment on your last post about the reader who heard a parrot in the background….we had a seasonal campsite many years ago where a couple our age came back and forth too on weekends after working. They had a pet parrot and it would sit in its cage and yell out all day long and make us laugh so hard with what he would repeat. Some of it was hysterical! Finally they would put it inside the camper to stop talking. Well didn’t we run into this same couple a month ago at a local campsite and the parrot is still living! He’s had to set up a trust fund in his will for his care as it will outlive him. And what does this man do……IT work remotely. I didn’t ask for whom. I can’t help but wonder if it’s this same man who had the squawking parrot in the background.
Love love all your pictures. The barn is one I am going to save to my iPad photos for relaxing with. Waiting for the cool wave to hit here today…. Raining now so it’s coming soon.
I totally agree about all you went through. It should be easier! My husband got us on Consumer Cellular and it is great and cheaper than Verizon. Buddy had his first grooming yesterday. Most cats don’t need it, but even with me brushing him 2 or 3 days a week, he had a couple of clumps. It was like taking our kids to the first day of Kindergarten!🙀. The groomer loved him and he did great—whew! Mary,I am glad you had the pedicure—so relaxing. Hang in there and remember Be Still.😸.
People with accents should not be allowed into a customer service position. Period. It is so frustrating! I had a similar frustrating experience with Comcast/Infinity. I was so frustrated and she was so unclear and just trying to talk me into more services I didn’t need that I burst into tears. That is not right.
By the way, I am glad to see you are a quilt hoarder like me. I have been chastised by people for keeping so many quilts. Pox to them.
Mary — see, the “blog about nothing” is about something!!!!! LOL. We all have way more in common than we realize — more than phone stores and “help” desks that we can’t understand….. ugh
Mary I love your Barn pictures. Makes my heart beat a little faster.. Glad you had a great afternoon at the fair. We had high winds last night but less than a half inch of rain. It did bring cooler air this morning.
Received your Oh Susannah book, what a joy to read. Can’t wait to read it to the grandsons.
Cut down the basil plants this morning and made pesto to put in the freezer. Freeze them in ice cube trays and then pot out to store. Have some Tia basil which I will do tomorrow.
Love that you are getting pampered, our feet need it too. My daughters are going to treat me to a pedicure for my birthday gift. So nice!
Most of the help for the phone problems are outsourced to off shore countries for cheap labor, that is why we can’t understand them.
You definitely hit a nerve! Love your pictures and a pedicure sounds so wonderful! Yes the weather has turned. Awesome!
Enjoy your weekend!
Love the idea of viewer’s choice award. I’ve entered some of my quilts in shows, but not for judging. I love seeing what others have made. I also like the white gloves added. Not all my quilts have been laundered, like wall hangings & after being handled, I would feel the need. It would also be good if those quilts are going to be hung to clean those beams somewhat! Had to be really, really dusty!
Alice in SW Ohio
We’ve all been there with the same type of customer service – they outsource it to a foreign country to answer questions (and expose our personal information to a culture that doesn’t regulate personal information release so we are at huge risk) AND who we can’t understand at all. Not being racist — it’s not safe, its not good for the consumer and it shows a real “up yours” attitude from the company to the consumer, too. All for the all mighty bucks. Good for you for letting everybody know. The next step is to give reviews on your experience online – YELP, Google, the company website, anywhere you can find….and roast them for the extremely poor service. The more reviews you get out there the more the company will pay attention. I’d make sure you give the first names of the people who treated you so poorly, too….they will remember next time and very possibly amend their behavior for the next person (usual a senior, like us) so they don’t go through what you did. But then again, I’m the first to give sterling reviews online for companies and people who went the extra mile, were friendly, courteous and professional. I’ve tipped a few times just one penny for extremely poor service and other times I’ve tipped well over 30% when the service & friendliness was stellar. It goes both ways.
The truth of the matter is that most reviews aren’t read by the people in charge. If you want to make a real impact, go elsewhere for service. When the money stops coming in, they will finally notice.
It makes lots of us feel better that we are not the only one with technology issues. I used to work retail. If I had a customer on the phone or standing in front of me that I could not understand, I would make them spell the word I couldn’t understand. So nice out this morning, I opened the house, going to stitch my day away. Thanks for making me realize it’s not just me who’s frustrated with technology.
Mary, you asked why a company would hire someone who is so difficult to understand. The answer is the all almighty dollar! I was laid off from a medical device company after 40 plus years when the company decided to route the calls to the Philippines to be answered. I was later told the people were even assigned American names to make the caller believe their call was being answered in the USA. Recently I called the company myself regarding a health benefit question and discovered my call was routed to Columbia!
It’s ridiculous that companies have foreign employees use English names. I’ll be in a chat with a customer service rep who types his name is Dave, then proceeds to use bad English trying to help me. Good Grief 🥴
Teresa – the guy I talked to just now from Tech services had a thick accent, had to tell him to talk slowly and clearly. His name was JEFF!!
Doesn’t matter who your cell phone provider is – it’s complicated. I had an issue this spring that took 3 months to resolve. Life is good now. Love the picture of your barn. Brings back so many fond memories for me.
Once when I called customer service for something – I don’t even remember what business it was or why I was calling, the rep was bilingual. When she went thru her initial spiel, she spoke so fast in English (minimal Hispanic accent) that I couldn’t take in everything she said. I asked her to repeat it more slowly because I couldn’t listen that fast! 😀
JeanneH …. I grew up in the South and often say that! Very funny!
Don’t fall for the “Free Phone” deal from your carrier. I did. It cost me my current phone at the time plus $18.?? per month for 3 years. Free phone?
Beautiful picture of your barn.
Loved the barn picture with the moon. Worthy of being framed. Love barn pictures. I feel your pain in dealing with Verizon. I need to go but am putting it off as long as I can. Love your blog. Feel like I am talking to one of my sisters. 🙏
Beautiful picture of Keeper and the Barn! Glad you had a better day!
Oh my gosh…I was going to hook onto Verizon….I am having major trouble with Spectrum internet….It works until it doesn’t…and the trouble with Amazon kindle I am having….Maybe it isn’t just all me….so where does everyone go for cell phone service….
I can’t understand some of the thick accents either….just can’t….
Thanks for writing this post…I feel a lot less dumb…..i
Do you not have Consumer Cellular in your area? Ww left Verizon 5 years ago. Have never regretted it.
Your photo that you took of the barn and moon was perfect! It should be on a Hallmark card!
Reading OH, Susannah. I like idea of quilts just for show not judging.
I, too, have had similar experience with Verizon. I was returning a phone about two weeks ago that wasn’t working–they did not know what to charge me!! I was there over an hour.
Mary, you sent me only one SUSZANNA BOOK. I had requested 2 and send a check for $40. Could you check on that for me? I truly understand how that could happen; with all you are going through.
Ann Roth
I will absolutely make this right – I’ll try to make the mail today if I can!!
I love that one of your readers teased you at the fair yesterday! We all love you, Mary 🥰
And probably most of us have had bad experiences with cell phone companies, Verizon is notorious.
I went through that same scenario with Verizon and I too said never again. I just purchase a Samsung phone from Walmart and buy the monthly service. Living in the UP of Michigan we have learned that the best connection is through Total wireless. Will not waste time with iPhone. When I am confronted with a representative that I can’t understand, I ask them to connect me with someone who speaks better English and they comply.
I absolutely hate calling customer service for anything. I get so tired of saying “can you please repeat that?” or “I’m sorry, I didn’t understand you”. I have tried hanging up and calling again to get someone different but that usually doesn’t work either. So frustrating. I know using oversea companies are cost savers, but can’t things just stay in America!
So sorry about your Verizon issues!! We have had AT&T for our cellphones/internet for almost 15 years and they have been great. I hope Verizon does right by you.
i have the same issue with computers. I just got a new computer at Best Buy and had them set it up and switch everything over. HA HA still cannot get it to recognize my printer. Cannot find any of my documents.
Mary, I love both of the barn pictures you took, but today’s is my favorite with the moon in the background. It should be in a barn calendar. I hope you get your phone working and never have to go to the Verizon Store again! Have a good day.
I can feel all the frustration you have gone through with your phone. So sorry!
I have entered judged quilt shows, I know it is not prefect, I have decided I will never enter one to be judged. My family & friends think they are wonderful, that is what life is all about. I don’t have to have my quilt picked apart when I know is is not perfect.
Hi Mary, l think they outsource people from foreign countries, l know our newspaper uses people in the Philippines and its hard to understand them, now they have moved to a press button system, much easier!
Thank you for connecting me to. DIANE in Maryland, her grand daughter’s wedding dress was beautiful! Take care everyone, best wishes from Sandy
US Cellular is just as bad. Plus the salesmen lie. I went home and called customer service and got a totally different story. Also got a cheaper plan when the salesman told me he gave me the cheapest plan based on my phone. I feel your pain and frustration.
We have always used the Verizon in Forest City with good results. It is small. Never very crowded at all. They have excellent customer service in there. It’s worth checking out.
Sad Verizon has not been helpful getting your service set up properly, I have called for help on some of my accounts, and I have had trouble understanding the customer service reps in other countries, I sometimes ask for assistance in the US, recent was told they could not transfer me, so I thanked em ,hung up and called again, and hoped I would reach someone I could understand, i use my speaker , because of hearing loss, so i sometimes have to have conversation repeated, it’s very frustrating…
I am fluent in Spanish, but hardly ever get Spanish speaking customer service..
What did we do before cells,😅
Have up on Verizon years ago. Went to Cricket and never looked back
Love the barn picture with the moon. I hope my brother does better with Verizon . He just got a new flip phone and is not having luck setting up his voice mail and message texts. He was going to the store. I bet he got nowhere there. He is in New York and I live in Conn. Hope my son can help him if not fixed by then.
Love Keeper doing bird watching duty. Take care hope things start going better for you.
I forgot to add in he is coming to CT at the end of the week
You’re right Mary. It is hard to understand accents from other countries. When I was a medical transcriptionist, many ESL (English as a second language doctors) were exceedingly difficult to understand. Because I typed reports for so many of those doctors, I now refuse to talk to any service person whom I cannot understand. I ask them to transfer me to someone who speaks American English. And no matter what they say, I repeat time and time again, “I must speak to someone who speaks American English.” Eventually I get transferred.
So sorry to hear that you had so much trouble with Verizon.
San – I never realized what I should say- AMERICAN ENGLISH! Brilliant! I am going to remember this – thank you for such a simple explanation.