Statement on Statements

I'll admit it: I'm not a huge statement-reader. Part of that is because they're, well, boring. And part is because I tend to spend more than I care to admit, even to myself, and statements put it out there in black and white.

But last month, my credit card got hacked. Someone stole the number and started charging airline tickets to Thailand and Egypt on it. My card provider caught the charges, shut the card down, and issued me a new one.

Case closed, right?

Not quite. Because today, I decided to go online and read my statement. And lo and behold, I was never credited back for those charges.

A quick call to the card company seems to have fixed the problem--they told me to expect credit by next Tuesday for the fraudulent transactions. But it reminded me how important diligence is when things like this happen. Even the bank can't be trusted to do their jobs, sadly, and if I hadn't checked up on it, I'd have paid an extra $700 that I never even charged.

I learned my lesson. I'm a diligent statement reader, as of today. I hope you'll follow me.

Bad Policies

Two days ago, we got our first electric bill for the new/old house.

$427.

That sound you heard was my head thudding against the floor as I passed out. 

Once I woke up, I thought about things. We have a gas furnace (high-efficiency to boot), gas hot water heater, gas dryer, gas stove. And we weren't even living in the house for three of the four weeks included in the bill. The house is bigger than our last house (where the Pepco bills ran about $50 per month this time of year), but not massively so. It's about 2,000 square feet--not huge by any stretch.

Yesterday, I called Pepco. And spoke with a very nice lady who told me she'd put a hold on the account and launch an investigation. Said it would take three to four weeks. And when I asked her about the history of this house, told me the bill was high, "but not that high."

I thought about things some more. Had a bit of a panic attack, actually, wondering how we were going to afford this and still save for retirement and college and the things you save for while you're younger and working (you are saving for those things, right?) And then I called the previous owner of the house; Pepco doesn't know we were neighbors for nine years.

"Oh no," she said. "Oh no, no, no." She said her bills ran about $40 per month this time of year, and never reached $400, even in the heat of the summer. 

She also said the same thing happened to her during her last month in the house. She got a massive electric bill, called about it, and got a credit for almost the full amount. "Honestly," she said, "I don't think they know what they're doing."

I went and got the bill. Now, here's the kicker. The electric meter is about 10 years old. The reading on it was about 2,200. Pepco claims that last month--when we weren't even living here--we used an additional 725 units of power. That's nearly one-third the power that was used in the preceding decade. I think not.

That's where we are. I'm waiting for either a credit against my account, or World War III against the electric company. And I hate this.

One Woman's Opinion

Dear Starbucks:

First, start lowering the prices. $4 for a bit of espresso and some milk is awfully steep, even in good economic times.

Then, stop burning the coffee. Holy bitter, Batman! Turn that oven down a notch!

Turn the music down. Hard to chat when the stereo is blasting, no matter how good the tunes might be. 

And look out, my friends. Caribou is right on your heels. And this coffee lover far prefers both their beverages and their atmosphere.

Love,

Kim

And Then There Was Light

We moved Saturday.

Hoisted the big TV onto the wall, flipped the switch...and nothing. *heavy sigh*. Pulled it back down, checked the wiring, flipped again. Nothing.

Called Verizon. They said someone would call me within the day to set up a time to come out and service our connection.

That didn't happen.

Called the next day. Same spiel. Someone will be there.

Still didn't happen.

By now, I'm annoyed. I'm not a huge TV watcher, but I am paying for this.

So today, I called again. This time, a real tech (as opposed to Some Guy Off The Street) answered the phone. "The solution," he said, "is simple. They have you in here as having a DVR system. And your box can't read that signal." He said he'd call me back in half an hour.

Know what?

He did it. Miracles do exist. And when he called back and I flipped the switch, I had a TV picture. Multiple channels, even. On both TVs.

Needless to say, I thanked him profusely and asked who I call to recommend him for a promotion or raise or the Medal of Valor or something. I also asked him for his direct phone number, for next time.

More training, Verizon. If the guys who answer the phone can't solve simple problems, tech support is useless. And since they're the customers' gateway to your company, you can guess the impression they're making on the people who pay the bills. 

*click* Hello. This is...

Less than a week to the election, and know what I'm hearing a whole, whole lot of?

"If I get one more of those automated calls from somebody running for office, I am going to scream!"

The FCC did away with automated sales calls a whole long time ago. That's a good thing--they're annoying, time-consuming, and ineffective marketing. I have no idea why political candidates think they're a smart way to get the word out and collect votes. 

Does anybody even listen to the whole messages??

I'm going on the record as being in favor of a ban on all automated phone calls--sales, vote-getting, charity soliciting, and otherwise. At the very least, I'm in favor of candidates using some common sense and avoiding the dastardly things. If you want my vote, show me you can think a little bit.

Raise Your Hand If You're Not Here

I swear this is true.

I just got a letter from the US Postal Service confirming my change of address/mail forwarding information. The last line of the letter is:

"If you do not speak English or do not understand this letter, please take it with you to your local post office for assistance."

And they wonder why we joke about the post office...

Time

I screen contractors carefully. I ask for references, post about them on listserves, and check Angie's List and the local Better Business Bureau before I hire anyone. Generally, that gets me good quality work.

It's not getting me a lot of respect, though.

I'm having hardwood floors refinished this week. Three days ago, the guys left samples of colors on the floor. Two samples. Gee, thanks. We didn't like either. 

Yesterday, the sales guy was supposed to meet me at the house at 8 to see more colors. Mind you, I don't live there yet. So I went over, turned on the heat, and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Shortly after 9, I called him. "Oh yeah," he said. "The guys aren't there yet?"

Uh, no. Besides which, you were supposed to meet me. Not your guys. You and I were getting together to look at colors. 

Around 9:20, he pulled into the driveway.

I realize an hour and twenty minutes isn't the end of the world. But it's time I could have used to pack more stuff, make some money, or work on other things. Besides which, it shows a complete lack of respect to schedule an appointment and just not show.

Shockingly, the phone number he used to make sure I'd sign the contract would have worked to reach me to say he wasn't coming. You know?

It's really a turn-off, this kind of shoddy customer service. The floors look beautiful, but guess which company I won't recommend? 

This Pesky Recession Thing

First, CNN, we get it. No more pictures of on-the-verge-of-tears brokers on the pit floor, OK? We've seen them. Very dramatic.

Second, I'm going to ask you all to go out and do something that seems counter-intuitive with the current headlines coming from every major news outlet. Hear me out.

Go spend money.

Yes, I'm serious. Go spend. Go to dinner. Buy a sweater. Enjoy a movie. Pay a toll. Get out there and put a little cash into the economy.

Here's the thing: hysteria breeds financial trouble. It's an emotion-driven system. The economy hiccups, we panic and hoard our cash, and the economy falters. We hoard more and start cutting back on things like cable and dinners and sweaters, and less cash hits the big picture. Businesses fail, people lose jobs, welfare spikes, the system can't handle it, reserves are tapped, and boom. Disaster.

I told someone yesterday that I wish people like Donald Trump, T. Boone Pickens, H. Ross Pierot (remember him?), Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, and other mega-wealthy would invite the news crews to follow them to the stock floor and film them buying and buying and buying. Things would boost a little, we (the little people) would get a shot of confidence and optimism watching them throw their money in the ring (buying low, by the way), and maybe we'd be more likely to either invest a little or stop yanking our money out of the system and putting it under our mattresses. 

Crisis...just maybe...averted.

I'm asking you no to panic. Don't go crazy, of course. You don't need a luxury car right now. But live your life. Help the economy go. Preserve some jobs. Go out there and spend a reasonable amount, and keep doing that. 

And don't touch your 401(k). No matter what.

Quality

One of the guys I didn't hire to finish the hardwood floors called me today. He has a special next week, see, and wanted to know if I would be interested.

"We went with someone else," I said, feeling bad but not wanting to waste any more of his time. DH is in sales; I know how valuable every call is.

He paused. Asked me why.

Here's the thing: he wasn't that much more expensive than the company we ultimately hired. But he broke down his estimate, room by room and service by service. And one of those services, to the tune of $350, was an option to use a dust containment system on the sanding machine. 

DH flipped when he read that. "Wait a minute," he said. "You're going to charge me extra to do the job right?"

He has a point: the other company is probably charging me more to use the machine, but they're not breaking it out like that. It's just part of the service. You hire them; you get dust containment.

By making it an extra item, the second guy looked...cheap. And lacking a bit in the quality department. 

Honesty is a good thing. I'll give him that. But charging extra for part of the job that you know good and well everybody wants? Just build it in. Tell me you demand that kind of attention to the job. If you'd want it in your own house, do it in mine.

Honesty

I've been collecting bids this week to have my hardwood floors refinished. The parade of hardwood floor guys has been pretty uneventful--they measure the rooms, give me their spiel about the company, hit the road, and email me a price later in the day. 

The prices have been all over the board. 

There's one company I was particularly interested in. They have some impressive clients (Vice President's mansion, among them) and several neighbors have used them and been happy. Their bid came in right about in the middle of the pack.

I emailed the owner. Told him I'd very much like to use his company to do the work, gave him a date the work can start, but then said his price was a little on the high side and asked if he could help me out with that.

He knocked several hundred dollars off. Then, he wrote, "That's the lowest I can go on this job. Please let me know if you're still interested."

I appreciated that, quite frankly. It saved me the back and forth of negotiating with several workers to see who could beat what price. It's what's made Saturn and CarMax so popular--the price is the price is the price. No back office negotiations, no "meetings with the manager," no 'if you take this offer right now" deals (which one floor company actually said to me. Unbelievable. You mean if I wait 24 hours, you won't give me your best price??)

I hired the first guy. He still wasn't the cheapest, but I liked his work and I appreciated his honesty. Integrity gets customers, every time.

Fun With Marketing

I'll admit it: there's a big part of my heart that wants to be in marketing. 

I've always been a sucker for a clever commercial or enjoyable way to draw attention to a business. From time to time on this blog, I'll bring those kinds of things to you. You might think they're fun too.

I stumbled on this today on YouTube and thought it was a happy way for Honda to get its name out there in a fun way. Enjoy. (And yes, I checked it out and it's legit.)

No, You Can't See My Card

I hate loyalty cards.

You know the ones. They either fatten your wallet or crowd your key ring. They're those little cards cashiers are forever pestering you to swipe before you check out.

I don't hate them because they chunk up my wallet or whack against my knees when I'm driving. I hate them because they creep me out.

Giant, CVS, Ritz Camera, and all of the other stores that offer these things--and there are lots of them now--make something of a deal with the devil when they hand you one. They give you better prices, and you let them track everything you buy.

You knew they were doing that, right? It's like those contests that give away Fabulous Cash and Prizes if you put your card in the slot. It has nothing to do with the prize, boys and girls, but it's all about collecting your information to solicit you down the road. Over and over and over.

Anyway, I don't particularly like having my purchases tracked. Not that I buy anything particularly interesting. It's all about groceries around here, and we're pretty boring in that department. But the whole concept is too Big Brother for me. Icky sticky yuck.

Count me among the growing number of consumers who fill out those loyalty card forms with bogus names, addresses, and phone numbers. Yes, it's obnoxious to Big Brother. Ask me if I care. 

Better yet, just give me good prices without tracking what I do with them. You'll have a customer for life.

The Clock Guy

We're getting ready to move to another house in the neighborhood. One of the things we'll need to move is our grandfather clock, which is fragile and temperamental, and not something most movers are thrilled to deal with.

About three weeks ago, I called the clock shop who sold it to us. The guy there said they wouldn't move the clock, but for $280, they'd take the guts out of it, wait for us to haul it down the street, and then put it all back together. Call back with a date.

Yesterday, I did that. Only this time, he said the price would be $390. 

I paused. Explained that I'd been quoted $280 a few weeks ago. Explained further that the new house is exactly six doors away from the old one and it will take no more than 10 minutes to move the clock case from one place to the other. We're not talking about an all-day process here. 

He didn't budge. $390. Couldn't explain why we'd been given the lower price before, but there was nothing he could do about that.

Know what? There's something I can do about that. I called another clock place. And they're going to disassemble the clock, wait for me to move it, and reassemble it for $255. 

Grandfather clocks are supposed to be serviced every two years; much like pianos, they need tuning. Since buying our clock in 1998, we've done that through the first clock store. 

As of yesterday, I have a new clock servicer. The people who are helping me move the beast couldn't have been more flexible, accommodating, or nice. And they have a long and great reputation for their work.

Farewell, old clock shop. Seems awfully short-sighted of you to lose a customer over $110, especially in the current economy, but that's your choice. Mine is to wave good-bye and move along.