If I take an average of 40 calls a day, that's about 200 fucking strangers I talk to and have to be nice to in a week.
No wonder I'm so bloody tired all the time and hate being on the phone outside of work!
Today's gem was from a lady who didn't bother to look at the ticket she purchased back on MARCH 19TH until today (or so she claims, I swear people will say anything to get their way) and had wanted a 6:30pm flight instead of a 6:30am flight. After looking at alternatives and calculating a reissue/fare difference of $239, 60K miles for a one-way award ticket & $500+ for a new one-way fare, she has the nerve to say to me "You're not working with me" or some such nonsense and that just set me off. She just became aggressively rude and got my dander up BIG TIME.
Just another c**t who thinks they're entitled. Not realizing that the nicer you are to whoever has the power to help you get your way, the easier it is to get your way. I had done what we're supposed to do ...follow the rules ...but if someone is repentant enough or nice enough ...I will make the call to a supervisor or use the little bit of power I have to make it a little easier for them...I could have waived the $150 change fee had she had a different attitude. She would of only had to fork over $89 bucks for some fare difference, end of story.
So there 200 people who hear me say "Hi, this is "Sam", how can I help you today" and I really mean it. 200 people I bend over backwards for. 200 people I want to please. 200 people I want to be a hero to/for. 200 people who won't get hung up on (usually) as long as they're nice even if what they're calling for is messy or complicated. 200 people who have the same questions, over and over again. And when flights are canceled or delayed due to WEATHER, 200 snotty Americans who get so fucking bent out of shape because they're going to miss their connection or whatever....wah fucking wah. Would you rather DIE? (I'm picking on the Americans because the Europeans who called who were stranded because of the Volcanic Ash shit were a lot more "c'est la vie") ...and let's not even talk about the constant pressure to be talking to 300 people by keeping the talk time down and calls per hour up. Or having to make sure we offer to transfer to a "partner" or...or... you get the picture.
What keeps me going (and just barely) is the 10% or so out of that 200 who are genuinely nice and appreciative and I can do something good for. The people that ask if they can call me back and/or go to the trouble of getting my name so they can tell the higher up's how great I was (Not that I ever get feedback on that. Post-merger there are no monthly recognition events like there used to be --- yours truly was usually attending those :P ...) and of course some really great co-workers who are in hell with me as we all suffer these calls from people who mostly call to complain or have us fix something for them...
OK, so when is enough going to be enough for me? What is it going to take to get me to get a new job? While the flight benefits are fucking awesome, is it really worth all the rest?
I can't be put off by the fact that there are millions of people out of work and therefore so much more competition for the few jobs there are out there.
(Damn, now I'm all awake again...I was getting sleepy there for a bit and may have attempted to go to bed before 2am for a change and now...damn.)
☯☯☯☯☯☯☯☯☯☯
Thank goodness it's almost "Friday"....
Well, now that I've vented, and thanks for listening, I think I'm done with this post.
Onward. To see if I get sleepy again so I'll go to bed at a decent hour...
Musings from a big and beautiful sometimes "drama queen" on her current state of existence
What's It All About?
"The unexamined life is not worth living." Socrates
While you’re here, in this time and in this space, you are beautiful and you are perfect.
You are right where you need to be to get to where you want to go, so start asking yourself where you want to go.
Noire
She'll be 2 years in 2 months! Time flies!
Things I'm grateful for everyday....
- My family
- My friends, old and new.
- A roof over my head.
- My computer & internet access
- Being employed (even if I don't always like things about my job)
- The public library and the joy of borrowing books with/on/for my Kindle
- That I can walk on two legs, use 2 arms/hands, have ten fingers/toes, can see and hear, etc. (uh, no offense to anyone who is physically challenged)
- Other people's creativity and efforts
- The love of a good man (he IS good)
- My friends, old and new.
- A roof over my head.
- My computer & internet access
- Being employed (even if I don't always like things about my job)
- The public library and the joy of borrowing books with/on/for my Kindle
- That I can walk on two legs, use 2 arms/hands, have ten fingers/toes, can see and hear, etc. (uh, no offense to anyone who is physically challenged)
- Other people's creativity and efforts
- The love of a good man (he IS good)
Current Favorite Quotes
“Be content with what you have, rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” - Lao Tzu
"The privilege of a lifetime is to be who you are." ~ Joseph Campbell
"Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some." ~ Charles Dickens
"We either make ourselves miserable or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same." -Carlos Castañeda
"..there’s something lovely about knowing that when it’s right, you really know it’s right because you’ve already been through all the wrong." ~ Sade
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." ~ Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss)
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." —Mark Twain
(This bit not so much as a quote but somethings I wrote down that I want to keep and this looks like a good place to do it)
7-25-07
1. Almost everything comes from almost nothing.
2. The best way to predict your future is to create it.
3. Leap and the net will appear.
"The privilege of a lifetime is to be who you are." ~ Joseph Campbell
"Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some." ~ Charles Dickens
"We either make ourselves miserable or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same." -Carlos Castañeda
"..there’s something lovely about knowing that when it’s right, you really know it’s right because you’ve already been through all the wrong." ~ Sade
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." ~ Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss)
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." —Mark Twain
(This bit not so much as a quote but somethings I wrote down that I want to keep and this looks like a good place to do it)
7-25-07
1. Almost everything comes from almost nothing.
2. The best way to predict your future is to create it.
3. Leap and the net will appear.
Facts of Life (per Sonya Friedman)
- 1. No one can bring your life to you
- 2. No matter what you do, someone important isn't going to like it
- 3. Though painful, rejection won't kill you - it may even lead to growth
- 4. Every choice means giving up something different
- 5. Some people aren't capable of giving you what you're trying to get from them
- 6. The way you treat yourself sets the standard for others
- 7. There are no quick fixes that can permanently change your life
- 8. Life is on a rheostat, not an on/off switch
- 9. Some problems cannot be solved - but you can make peace with them