Investing

[Dan Gilmore]

I once had a very helpful CS person for Comcast. He explained how I could move to a slightly different internet package and pay less. My assumption was he was fired the next day (your call may be recorded…).

[CMRivdogs]

4 minutes ago, Dan Gilmore said:

I once had a very helpful CS person for Comcast. He explained how I could move to a slightly different internet package and pay less. My assumption was he was fired the next day (your call may be recorded…).

Probably more likely he moved on his own. The pay is similar to fast food work, maybe slightly better. The amount of abuse these folks get on a regular bases wears you down.

Think about it an 8 hour shift, 1/2 for lunch and maybe 2 15 minute breaks for $15-20 an hour average (I left my last gig at the start of the Pandemic). Depending on the company your taking 6-10 calls an hour depending on the product and nature of the business, always expected to attempt to upsell while you are looking at the cue line (which means no down time between calls).

The burn out rate for some of these jobs are outrageous. The gigs I had were relatively easy in comparison but you left work each day mentally shot.

[Deleterious]

Trump issued a statement today saying the US will not do business with any country that buys oil from Iran.

China buys almost all of the oil Iran exports. So that could be interesting.

[gehringer_2]

1 hour ago, Deleterious said:

Trump issued a statement today saying the US will not do business with any country that buys oil from Iran.

China buys almost all of the oil Iran exports. So that could be interesting.

Every statement issued by this admin is operative right up until it is not. I doubt this one will be be operative very long.

[Screwball]

Crude oil is under $60 bucks a barrel. Time to fill up the SPR.

Moving on, customer service. Maybe this doesn't count as customer service but to the entire ineptitude of corporate America.

Converted to fiber optic from the old coax last Saturday. Took my old cable modem back to their store on Tuesday. They open at 10:03. I stood in line. How can I help you? Terminate service. I also want proof of returning the modem. Only took a minute or so.

Later that day I get a text telling me to return my modem to the nearest office. I also get an email. Then another email the next day which was a survey on how my service was, to the email account that should no longer work. And of course another, would you like to pay your bill?

I think I was a couple of days late turning it in to the billing cycle, so I'm probably gonna get charged for another month.

[Screwball]

On the automotive front. The issues I have been dealing with is like a blast from the past. Back around 2014 I was at a corporate obedience training class at the mothership. Part of the torture to keep our job.

The problem I have with my vehicle is a design problem. They don't know how to fix it. Well, they do...

Back to school. We spent a day and a half collecting and analyzing data and proved the problem was a design problem. And they were exactly right. Any questions? Yes, matter of fact, I do.

From engineering, I agree with you 100 percent.  It's going to cost a few million dollars to fix it, maybe more. Problem is, you ain't gonna get it - not in the budget - or the next 8k. Now what are you going to do?

Crickets.

Send them to customer service where it all goes to die.

Edited yesterday at 01:01 AM by Screwball

[Deleterious]

 

[Deleterious]

Good jobs report but some revisions from the past two months.

https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm

Quote

he change in total nonfarm payroll employment for February was revised down by 15,000, from +117,000 to +102,000, and the change for March was revised down by 43,000, from +228,000 to +185,000. With these revisions, employment in February and March combined is 58,000 lower than previously reported. (Monthly revisions result from additional reports received from businesses and government agencies since the last published estimates and from the recalculation of seasonal factors.)

 

 

[Screwball]

People falling down drunk on red BS will believe it.

People falling down drunk on blue BS won't believe it.

The rest think it doesn't matter, and they are probably right.

[Tiger337]

12 minutes ago, Screwball said:

People falling down drunk on red BS will believe it.

People falling down drunk on blue BS won't believe it.

The rest think it doesn't matter, and they are probably right.

One jobs report doesn't matter either way even you totally trust them.  

[Screwball]

Since corporate ineptness was a topic. I must share this story.

Circa 2007, multi-national. The brain trust decided a new way to motivate everyone (since the posters on the wall didn't seem to work) was to give us salary people two paths to prosperity. Management or technical. Chose a path and the yellow brick road is soon to follow.

Every year they would chose two of the management path people to attend a "elite" corporate obedience training class - a suckfest if you will. There would be around 20 people with 3 or 4 teachers in an exclusive location, like a retreat, for 16 hours a day over the course of a week. When you graduate, the final sacrifice is walking on hot coals. True story. It gets better.

One of the guys we sent, when hailing the greatness of this experience at the next staff meeting told them he just signed up his kid, and paid for it himself.

These space cadets are why we have fuel pumps in gas tanks.

[Screwball]