12-29-10 Wednesday (Bye Bye Airplane)

This morning is when Mom flies back to Florida… or so I thought.  We left the house an hour and a half before the flight.  It took a half hour to get there, leaving us an hour.   We stood in line for a while and them someone announced to move down to other lines if the flight was before 11am.  We moved.  Wasted time.  We stood in line and I realized that 2 lines were formed for 1 person.  We moved again.  The next line just as most only had 2 people ahead so no big deal.  We were next.  It was taking forever.  I was getting nervous.  3 “self check in” terminals were manned by one guy who mumbled something about being late and left.  Our line slammed to a halt.  The people at the terminals were holding their ID’s in their hand awaiting the final step. 

Eternity passes and we get someone else who was handling her own lines to come over and assist.  We’re up next.  I key in the info to the kiosk and the computer says it’s too late to check in.  I tell the woman.  I even cut ahead of some others who were waiting.  I felt kind of guilty but we kinda have an crisis.  She makes a call.  She says she’ll take us to someone who can help us.  She walks us to the Resolution Desk.  She puts us ahead of 2 people already in line and walks away.  Hmmmm.  Another employee tells us to get in line behind the others.  I tell her that we were put right here.  She walks away.  A guy comes over and says to get in line.  I tell him the same thing.  He asks who did that.  I point.  He walks over to the woman and I hear her saying “sorry, I never even looked.”  He walks back and tells us that we must get in line.  We comply.  We wait.

We finally get to speak to the woman who asks us which flight we’d like to take?  Huh?  It’s too late to get on this plane.  She says we should have been there at least 45 minutes prior.  I told her we were here an hour earlier than the flight.  She says sorry but holds firm to rebooking the flight.  We rebook for tomorrow evening.  I’m mad but then I realize I’m not working.  My mom isn’t working.  We didn’t screw anyone up so I guess “big deal?”  I guess I should have set aside more time?  Eventually I’ll laugh about it.

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When will I learn to get names, employee numbers or the like of people I talk to on the phone?  When?  When will I learn to write down dates and times?  When? 

I called the Unemployment office last week with an inquiry.  I was told that something hadn’t been completed by a previous employer (it was mailed back blank) and that they’d send an email to someone requesting that they call the employer.  I didn’t write anything down.  Today I call to follow up and they tell me the same thing.  I told her I called last week and was already told that.  She said her records indicate my last call as November 22nd.  I’m very angry.

At the beginning of December I received an email from Comcast (our cable, internet, and phone provider in Florida) requesting I get a hold of them for something.  I went online and looked at my account.  I discovered a credit balance.  When we closed our account (2 frickin’ years ago) we were told “checks in the mail” sorta thing and then forgot about it. 

December 14th I call requesting a refund.  I‘m given a ticket #. 

December 21st I call to check on it and was told no one did anything with the ticket so he issued me a new ticket # stating it would be escalated. 

I call today and am told no one has viewed either ticket number and she’d forward this to a supervisor.  I ask for her employee number.  She gives me her name and extension number and says she’ll call me later with a status.  (as of 12-30-10, she never did!) I’m very angry.  She tells me that she’ll get it resolved and that it typically takes 6 weeks.  Excuse me?  6 weeks?  I told her that I’ll take that up with the final person who tells me it will take 6 weeks because it’s not going to fly with me.  You’ve had my money since August of 2008.  I want it back.  Now.

2 different companies, 2 different problems and it never ceases to amaze me how too many businesses don’t do what they say they will.

I have another story but I’ll refrain from sharing since it’s about a potential employer.  Let’s just say they got confused about applicants and it’s been going on for a few days.  It seems to get more “interesting” each day.  Just a comedy of errors.  Yeah, we’ll leave it at that for now.