Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Friday, April 4, 2008
MCCAIN in MEMPHIS
Good Afternoon Everyone,
I just finished watching Sen. McCain's speech in Memphis today. (my birth place) Although Sen. McCain does not have the most elequant way of speaking to a crowd, I found his speech heartfelt and welcoming. As I listened to him explain and describe Dr. Martin Luther King's character and cause, tears came pouring down my face.
All Americans regardless of race and or gender should be treated equally in America. I believe the focus of America should be the well being of all Americans, not just a select group. I believe that this is exactly what Dr. King meant as well. I believe people should be rewarded by their accomplishments and character, not the color of their skin or their gender.
I believe that we need to focus on today, now what happened yesterday. Continuing to place the blame on select groups of Americans for happenings of the past only continues to create hatred and fuel racism. I believe every American has experienced racism at least once in their lifetime.
Some would have you believe that if you are not of a certain race, you could have never experienced racism. I have heard this statement so many times through out my lifetime and I have to tell you, it is completely false. Again, people of all races have and can be discriminated against just merely by the color of their skin.
When Dr. King said." Rights for All Americans" he was not talking about a select few. He was a Black American, of course trying to help black Americans obtain the same rights as white Americans but his ultimate dream was for "All Americans" regardless of race and or gender to be able to live in harmony together.
I see various churches, clubs, groups, politicians and speakers using Dr. King's words, speeches and his ultimate dream to under mind and to manipulate certain groups of Americans. I can only hope that we as Americans from all races can see and understand what Dr. Kings dream really was.
Many Blessings,
Angela
I just finished watching Sen. McCain's speech in Memphis today. (my birth place) Although Sen. McCain does not have the most elequant way of speaking to a crowd, I found his speech heartfelt and welcoming. As I listened to him explain and describe Dr. Martin Luther King's character and cause, tears came pouring down my face.
All Americans regardless of race and or gender should be treated equally in America. I believe the focus of America should be the well being of all Americans, not just a select group. I believe that this is exactly what Dr. King meant as well. I believe people should be rewarded by their accomplishments and character, not the color of their skin or their gender.
I believe that we need to focus on today, now what happened yesterday. Continuing to place the blame on select groups of Americans for happenings of the past only continues to create hatred and fuel racism. I believe every American has experienced racism at least once in their lifetime.
Some would have you believe that if you are not of a certain race, you could have never experienced racism. I have heard this statement so many times through out my lifetime and I have to tell you, it is completely false. Again, people of all races have and can be discriminated against just merely by the color of their skin.
When Dr. King said." Rights for All Americans" he was not talking about a select few. He was a Black American, of course trying to help black Americans obtain the same rights as white Americans but his ultimate dream was for "All Americans" regardless of race and or gender to be able to live in harmony together.
I see various churches, clubs, groups, politicians and speakers using Dr. King's words, speeches and his ultimate dream to under mind and to manipulate certain groups of Americans. I can only hope that we as Americans from all races can see and understand what Dr. Kings dream really was.
Many Blessings,
Angela
The Illinois Dept on Aging is a Fraud!!!
Good Morning Blogger's
Today, I am going to discuss yet another rant that I have regarding a federally funded organization that proclaims to help elderly citizens in every way they can to live a happy well adjusted life through out their golden years. Within this organization they have a protective agency in which you can make reports of suspected abuse. If you know an elderly person who is being abused, neglected or financially exploited, you are directed to report the information to the Illinois Dept of Aging.
Now, here is what happens when you first attempt to report the abuse. You make the initial report by phone. Here is a tip, they prefer you not to come to them. You think they have written what you reported down on some sort of government document, well they do not. You basically have just made a phone call.
You have to demand them to make a formal report by phone and you still have no idea if they did or not because they will not issue you a copy of the said report and they will not tell you if they are going to report it to whom they have to report to. They have repeatedly informed me that they do not take formal reports in which I come to their office and make my complaint in writing, signing my name to the said report form and receiving a copy.
According to the local Illinois Dept of Aging office here where I live, there is no such forms. Now, come on people. Have you ever heard of a federally funded program of any kind that do not have required complaint forms? Do they really think your that stupid, you will continue to buy into this nonsense? Yes, actually they do.
Try having a conversation with them on the phone, the director seems to think everything is funny. She giggles and chuckles through out the entire phone conversation. One of the directors supervisors actually blames the elder who is being abused and he will deem you as stupid. They indicate that there is nothing you can do about it in a HAHA kind of way.
Dealing with this organization is frustrating and they know it. They hope that you will just give up and move on. Well, I have not given up and I have not moved on. I will never give them the satisfaction. I will never sit back and allow elderly citizens to be abused, neglected and exploited with out a fight, even if it means my entire life.
They will tell you that you will not know if they have investigated the case or the outcome because they cannot give you any information due to confiding policies. Do you know how I know they have not done their job? The elder that I reported as being abused, neglected and financially exploited had no air conditioning for 5 years and he still does not. He did not have a bed to sleep in for 2 years. I reported that this man had no bed back in may 2007, they did nothing until DEC 2007, when they received yet another complaint from another citizen. The Aging Dept's social worker claimed she could not get this mans guardian to comply so she found a bed on her own and took it to him.
This elderly mans guardian refused to supply a bed to this man, continues to refuse air conditioning, he does not get a weekly or a monthly food allowance but yet she is still his guardian and she will continue to be his guardian until his money runs out.
This man goes from food pantry to food pantry to get his food, meanwhile all of his money goes to paying his court appointed guardian and her attorneys. Oh, this story gets more evil and interesting. You just wont believe what we have uncovered on this one particular guardian and the local office of the Illinois Dept of Aging.
That story will be on my new blog that will be out in a few weeks. You will also be able to view videos of this elderly man that has been abused, neglected, exploited and trapped for more than 12 years. You will get a chance to hear his story and see his face.
The Illinois Dept of Aging is not standing behind their own polices of assurance to the elderly citizens in the county in which I reside. They refuse to acknowledge certain abusers in which they have formal and personal relationships with. They deny the public help with protecting their loved ones against abusive guardians, if the guardians are not related to the elderly person in question and if the guardian is court appointed and if they have referred the guardian to said elderly person.
These statements I am making are based on facts, facts that can be proven in a court of law, only if the law would allow them to be heard. Until next time.
Many Blessings,
Angela
Today, I am going to discuss yet another rant that I have regarding a federally funded organization that proclaims to help elderly citizens in every way they can to live a happy well adjusted life through out their golden years. Within this organization they have a protective agency in which you can make reports of suspected abuse. If you know an elderly person who is being abused, neglected or financially exploited, you are directed to report the information to the Illinois Dept of Aging.
Now, here is what happens when you first attempt to report the abuse. You make the initial report by phone. Here is a tip, they prefer you not to come to them. You think they have written what you reported down on some sort of government document, well they do not. You basically have just made a phone call.
You have to demand them to make a formal report by phone and you still have no idea if they did or not because they will not issue you a copy of the said report and they will not tell you if they are going to report it to whom they have to report to. They have repeatedly informed me that they do not take formal reports in which I come to their office and make my complaint in writing, signing my name to the said report form and receiving a copy.
According to the local Illinois Dept of Aging office here where I live, there is no such forms. Now, come on people. Have you ever heard of a federally funded program of any kind that do not have required complaint forms? Do they really think your that stupid, you will continue to buy into this nonsense? Yes, actually they do.
Try having a conversation with them on the phone, the director seems to think everything is funny. She giggles and chuckles through out the entire phone conversation. One of the directors supervisors actually blames the elder who is being abused and he will deem you as stupid. They indicate that there is nothing you can do about it in a HAHA kind of way.
Dealing with this organization is frustrating and they know it. They hope that you will just give up and move on. Well, I have not given up and I have not moved on. I will never give them the satisfaction. I will never sit back and allow elderly citizens to be abused, neglected and exploited with out a fight, even if it means my entire life.
They will tell you that you will not know if they have investigated the case or the outcome because they cannot give you any information due to confiding policies. Do you know how I know they have not done their job? The elder that I reported as being abused, neglected and financially exploited had no air conditioning for 5 years and he still does not. He did not have a bed to sleep in for 2 years. I reported that this man had no bed back in may 2007, they did nothing until DEC 2007, when they received yet another complaint from another citizen. The Aging Dept's social worker claimed she could not get this mans guardian to comply so she found a bed on her own and took it to him.
This elderly mans guardian refused to supply a bed to this man, continues to refuse air conditioning, he does not get a weekly or a monthly food allowance but yet she is still his guardian and she will continue to be his guardian until his money runs out.
This man goes from food pantry to food pantry to get his food, meanwhile all of his money goes to paying his court appointed guardian and her attorneys. Oh, this story gets more evil and interesting. You just wont believe what we have uncovered on this one particular guardian and the local office of the Illinois Dept of Aging.
That story will be on my new blog that will be out in a few weeks. You will also be able to view videos of this elderly man that has been abused, neglected, exploited and trapped for more than 12 years. You will get a chance to hear his story and see his face.
The Illinois Dept of Aging is not standing behind their own polices of assurance to the elderly citizens in the county in which I reside. They refuse to acknowledge certain abusers in which they have formal and personal relationships with. They deny the public help with protecting their loved ones against abusive guardians, if the guardians are not related to the elderly person in question and if the guardian is court appointed and if they have referred the guardian to said elderly person.
These statements I am making are based on facts, facts that can be proven in a court of law, only if the law would allow them to be heard. Until next time.
Many Blessings,
Angela
Thursday, April 3, 2008
PayPal Misleading Good Ebay Sellers
Good rainy afternoon Blogger's,
Today, I have yet another rant. Seems as if I have more rants than raves lately. The lack of customer service in this country is astounding to say the least. I have been an avid eBayer for almost 5 years now, both as a buyer and a seller. I have always enjoyed pay pal, deeming them a reputable and safe financial company. Unfortunately, I no longer hold them in the highest regard as I once did.
As an EBay seller, I have only received 1 bad feedback verses hundreds and hundreds of positive feed backs. To me, that's a pretty darn good record. Despite my good feedback scores, as a seller I have experienced some pretty bad buyers. Buyers who have threatened bad feed back if I did not give them their item for free. Buyers that bid on my items, never intending on paying for them etc.
This can be very frustrating for sellers but it comes with the territory when you are selling on eBay. I would like to know your opinions about my current situation with Pay pal and why I think they mislead sellers. I sold a like new, 6 month old cell phone in excellent working condition, with the only flaw being a tiny almost unseen smudge of paint missing from the phone, which came this way directly from AT&T. This is one of the newest cell phones out there. The cost of this particular cell phone was almost 300.00 when it came out last year.
My sons friend, who is a college student working his way through school asked us to sell a few items for him on eBay.Of course we were happy to help him. We did not charge him for selling these things on eBay. Anyhow, This gal ended up buying the phone from us and we gave our sons friend the money once we received it from pay pal, well 4 days after the buyer had the phone, she messaged me through eBay claiming she was unhappy with the phone. She asked me if I would discount the phone by 20 percent. She said it looked like there was a crack in the phone where we claimed a tiny smudge of paint missing.
I told her that we examined the phone thoroughly and took several pictures of this phone inside and out. I told her there was and is no crack on the phone when we sold it to her but if she was unhappy with the phone, she could return it within the 7 days as our auction states and we would be glad to refund her the purchase price back. I told her that we do not give 20 percent discounts on our auctions. She said, well I think this is a really nice phone and I want to keep it but I think I deserve some sort of discount. This should have been the warning sign for me but it wasn't at the time.
I went ahead and issued a shipping refund through pay pal. She messaged me back through eBay and thanked me. Okay, I am thinking this is a done deal and time to move on. Boy, was I wrong. 26 days later, after the buyer admitted to using this phone and cracking the phone and the buttons falling off due to her damaging the phone, she sent numerous eBay messages demanding her payment in full.
What was her explanation? Well, she said that she believed that the missing smudge of paint caused the phone to crack and buttons to fall off. NO.. That did not happen. This woman obviously dropped the phone or even worse. My husband and I have cell phones that are old as heck with paint missing all over them, heck we have even dropped ours a few times and we still do not have any buttons missing or cracking. I told her that I did not sell her a phone in this condition and that I would not be demanded to issue yet another refund after she admitted using the phone for 26 days and the damage happening after the 26 days of use.
Anyhow, she decided to file a pay pal dispute, which was fine by me. I actually was the one that filled for the dispute to be escalated and agreed to allow pay pal to make the decision instead of arguing back and forth with this buyer. I knew that I had already offered her a refund in full, in which she admitted to turning that down before she damaged the phone. I knew that I had already issued a shipping refund through pay pal, in which I had to prove to pay pal, okay no problem, did that. I also explained to them in writing what had happened and I had a phone conference on the phone with a very nice papal lady who by the way told me that if I had any information about my buyer that would help my case or show what kind of person that I am dealing with then I could share that information as well.
Since I had already looked her information up as a seller, I saw that she refused to give her buyers a refund when they informed her that they did not receive their items. At one point, she said in The bad feedback that she left for her buyer this, "I SAID NO RETURNS AND YES YOU DID GET YOUR ITEM." I asked the nice pay pal lady if this would help my case and she said, yes. She also said that she made sure to type all of this all down and did it in caps so the investigator would actually read it. I thanked her very much and decided to wait out the Pay Pal decision, thinking all the time that they would have to see this whole thing is very fishy.
Almost a month went by, they had already taken the funds out of my pay pal account and placed them in waiting until the dispute was over. Yesterday, I get an email saying, " Thank you for allowing us to take money from your account to refund the buyer. I was like, what the heck? I called pay pal at 924 pm last night. Went through the whole thing all over again only for him to tell me that Pay Pal "ALWAYS" goes with the buyer in these situations.
I could not believe my ears. I asked him what was the point of going through the complete dispute process between buyers and sellers if Pay pal is "ALWAYS" sides with the buyer? I also explained to him that in the email that was sent to me by pay pal, Pay pal stated when the item is delivered back to you in its "Original" condition, we will issue a full refund to the buyer. How can my item be sent back to me in the original condition when she admitted already it was not in the same original condition that she received it in?
He had no answer for me at all at this point. All he said was that he understood why I would be upset and he did not blame me nor did he think it was fair either. Well, thanks Mr. Pay Pal employee but what can I do about this now? He said that I could file an appeal after I received the damaged phone back. I could also file a fraud complaint, which I intend to do but with him stating to me on the phone that pay pal "ALWAYS" sides with the buyer in these cases, how the heck are these appeals going to help me? All he could say was, I am sorry and good luck Ma'am.
Here is the real point of my rant. Pay pal is misleading sellers by allowing them to believe that they have a fair dispute process. They claim that they look at both sides( buyers and sellers) fairly and unbias but basically by what happened to me in my case, proves 100 percent that what the Pay pal employee said to me is completely true. Again, Pay pal "ALWAYS" sides with the buyers. I would like to know what you think? What are your opinions?
I would also like to tell all of you eBayer's and Pay pal users that I decided to do some Internet research on Pay pal and to my amazement they have so many problems and people filing complaints and lawsuits, it is unbelievable. I never knew any of this until I decided to Google Sellers problems with pay pal. I will say to you, that I will file whatever I have to file against Papal. I am also going to write letters to newspapers all over the USA, and I will be contacting my Attorney General here in Illinois and notifying them that Pay pal does not stand by their word or policies.
Thanks for listening and I will keep you updated through out this process.
Many Blessings,
Angela
Today, I have yet another rant. Seems as if I have more rants than raves lately. The lack of customer service in this country is astounding to say the least. I have been an avid eBayer for almost 5 years now, both as a buyer and a seller. I have always enjoyed pay pal, deeming them a reputable and safe financial company. Unfortunately, I no longer hold them in the highest regard as I once did.
As an EBay seller, I have only received 1 bad feedback verses hundreds and hundreds of positive feed backs. To me, that's a pretty darn good record. Despite my good feedback scores, as a seller I have experienced some pretty bad buyers. Buyers who have threatened bad feed back if I did not give them their item for free. Buyers that bid on my items, never intending on paying for them etc.
This can be very frustrating for sellers but it comes with the territory when you are selling on eBay. I would like to know your opinions about my current situation with Pay pal and why I think they mislead sellers. I sold a like new, 6 month old cell phone in excellent working condition, with the only flaw being a tiny almost unseen smudge of paint missing from the phone, which came this way directly from AT&T. This is one of the newest cell phones out there. The cost of this particular cell phone was almost 300.00 when it came out last year.
My sons friend, who is a college student working his way through school asked us to sell a few items for him on eBay.Of course we were happy to help him. We did not charge him for selling these things on eBay. Anyhow, This gal ended up buying the phone from us and we gave our sons friend the money once we received it from pay pal, well 4 days after the buyer had the phone, she messaged me through eBay claiming she was unhappy with the phone. She asked me if I would discount the phone by 20 percent. She said it looked like there was a crack in the phone where we claimed a tiny smudge of paint missing.
I told her that we examined the phone thoroughly and took several pictures of this phone inside and out. I told her there was and is no crack on the phone when we sold it to her but if she was unhappy with the phone, she could return it within the 7 days as our auction states and we would be glad to refund her the purchase price back. I told her that we do not give 20 percent discounts on our auctions. She said, well I think this is a really nice phone and I want to keep it but I think I deserve some sort of discount. This should have been the warning sign for me but it wasn't at the time.
I went ahead and issued a shipping refund through pay pal. She messaged me back through eBay and thanked me. Okay, I am thinking this is a done deal and time to move on. Boy, was I wrong. 26 days later, after the buyer admitted to using this phone and cracking the phone and the buttons falling off due to her damaging the phone, she sent numerous eBay messages demanding her payment in full.
What was her explanation? Well, she said that she believed that the missing smudge of paint caused the phone to crack and buttons to fall off. NO.. That did not happen. This woman obviously dropped the phone or even worse. My husband and I have cell phones that are old as heck with paint missing all over them, heck we have even dropped ours a few times and we still do not have any buttons missing or cracking. I told her that I did not sell her a phone in this condition and that I would not be demanded to issue yet another refund after she admitted using the phone for 26 days and the damage happening after the 26 days of use.
Anyhow, she decided to file a pay pal dispute, which was fine by me. I actually was the one that filled for the dispute to be escalated and agreed to allow pay pal to make the decision instead of arguing back and forth with this buyer. I knew that I had already offered her a refund in full, in which she admitted to turning that down before she damaged the phone. I knew that I had already issued a shipping refund through pay pal, in which I had to prove to pay pal, okay no problem, did that. I also explained to them in writing what had happened and I had a phone conference on the phone with a very nice papal lady who by the way told me that if I had any information about my buyer that would help my case or show what kind of person that I am dealing with then I could share that information as well.
Since I had already looked her information up as a seller, I saw that she refused to give her buyers a refund when they informed her that they did not receive their items. At one point, she said in The bad feedback that she left for her buyer this, "I SAID NO RETURNS AND YES YOU DID GET YOUR ITEM." I asked the nice pay pal lady if this would help my case and she said, yes. She also said that she made sure to type all of this all down and did it in caps so the investigator would actually read it. I thanked her very much and decided to wait out the Pay Pal decision, thinking all the time that they would have to see this whole thing is very fishy.
Almost a month went by, they had already taken the funds out of my pay pal account and placed them in waiting until the dispute was over. Yesterday, I get an email saying, " Thank you for allowing us to take money from your account to refund the buyer. I was like, what the heck? I called pay pal at 924 pm last night. Went through the whole thing all over again only for him to tell me that Pay Pal "ALWAYS" goes with the buyer in these situations.
I could not believe my ears. I asked him what was the point of going through the complete dispute process between buyers and sellers if Pay pal is "ALWAYS" sides with the buyer? I also explained to him that in the email that was sent to me by pay pal, Pay pal stated when the item is delivered back to you in its "Original" condition, we will issue a full refund to the buyer. How can my item be sent back to me in the original condition when she admitted already it was not in the same original condition that she received it in?
He had no answer for me at all at this point. All he said was that he understood why I would be upset and he did not blame me nor did he think it was fair either. Well, thanks Mr. Pay Pal employee but what can I do about this now? He said that I could file an appeal after I received the damaged phone back. I could also file a fraud complaint, which I intend to do but with him stating to me on the phone that pay pal "ALWAYS" sides with the buyer in these cases, how the heck are these appeals going to help me? All he could say was, I am sorry and good luck Ma'am.
Here is the real point of my rant. Pay pal is misleading sellers by allowing them to believe that they have a fair dispute process. They claim that they look at both sides( buyers and sellers) fairly and unbias but basically by what happened to me in my case, proves 100 percent that what the Pay pal employee said to me is completely true. Again, Pay pal "ALWAYS" sides with the buyers. I would like to know what you think? What are your opinions?
I would also like to tell all of you eBayer's and Pay pal users that I decided to do some Internet research on Pay pal and to my amazement they have so many problems and people filing complaints and lawsuits, it is unbelievable. I never knew any of this until I decided to Google Sellers problems with pay pal. I will say to you, that I will file whatever I have to file against Papal. I am also going to write letters to newspapers all over the USA, and I will be contacting my Attorney General here in Illinois and notifying them that Pay pal does not stand by their word or policies.
Thanks for listening and I will keep you updated through out this process.
Many Blessings,
Angela
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
"A Retail Rant" Schnucks verses Walmart
Good morning,
The sun is finally starting to peek from under the dreary clouds this morning, showing a small sign of spring. We have had lots of rain lately and the temperatures certainly haven't felt like spring. On sunny days like this it gives me hope that spring is almost here in the cold Midwest where winter tends to linger until mid may. Okay, Okay, enough on the weather update.
Most of my friends and family know that I am not a big fan of the Retail Giant, called "Walmart". I have tried my best not to spend the bulk of my household income at Walmart. Before our, "Super Walmart" moved in a few months ago, I shopped at Walmart for my paper towels, toilet paper, household cleaners etc. My major shopping was done at my local Schnucks grocery store. Walmart and Schnucks sat side by side for years in my little city until Walmart moved into its new location when they became, "Super." or "Superior" as some say.
Schnucks had always been known to have the best quality in produce and meats etc. Their friendly service has been impeccable to say the least. Even when problems do arise, they have been quick to take care of their customers with a smile.
They have always had an awesome Seafood Dept. One of the greatest services that the Seafood Dept has offered, was cooking your fish purchase right there for you. I have been very thankful for this service on my Fish Friday's. Okay, so now that Super Walmart has arrived and moved to a different location, my Schnucks grocery store seemed gloomy and quiet for the first few weeks.
There were times, when I felt like I was the only one in the store. The employee's were all standing around trying to find something to do. I even saw one of the managers dusting the cereal boxes, yes.. she was literally dusting the cereal boxes. I assumed she was trying to look busy or it was a desperate attempt to relieve her boredom.
I chatted with several of the Schnucks ladies, as I like to call them about the empty feel of the store since Super Walmart arrived. I told them of my die hard affection for Schnucks. I told them that by me promising to continue my patron ship to Schnucks only, it was cutting into my monthly household budget by 65.00 to 100.00 by weekly. I told them that it was worth it to me to be able to get the Schnucks satisfaction and out standing customer service that I had always received while shopping at Schnucks.
Well, as the months have passed by with my continuing pledge to shop exclusively at Schnucks, something has changed in my beloved grocery store of choice. I have noticed the deli meats are not as fresh as they had been. They are sitting under the glass all day with a sweaty tone to them. For the first time last week, I had to ask the young man behind the counter to please exchange my healthy choice turkey for fresh healthy choice turkey.
He, of course was happy to do so and even commented to me that the turkey did look a little spoiled. So, after the turkey exchange, we did the rest of our shopping before going to the Seafood Dept to order our favorite seafood dish from Schnucks. We are standing at the fish counter waiting for someone to come up from the back to help us.
As I was glancing through the glass door in the back of the seafood dept, I could see two employee's chatting away. They were giggling and smiling. Okay, no big deal. After all, this is my beloved Schnucks, the friendliest store in town. I am still standing there looking and one of the employee's motioned her hand to me as if to say, just a second. My husband and I looked at each other like, Oh boy. I am assuming the employee saw the look on my face and decided to end her chat early with the other employee, because when I turned to say something to my husband, she came swiftly out the door to ask us if we needed anything. At first, I was going to play a funny and say, No, were just standing here taking a break from shopping and this is our favorite spot to stand in the store but I decided not to say that and go ahead and tell the gal what we wanted.
Before we could finish our sentence, she announced that the fryer was broken and she could not cook our catfish. As she told us this, she leaned on one of the cabinets with her head tilted back using her hand to lean her head on. I said, are you sure it is broken? She said yes. I asked how long had been broken. She replied, I do not know but it has been broken since I got here. I asked her if she had any idea when it would be back up and running? She replied, nope. I said, well okay, thank you and walked off astounded that she would not even offer to gather the information that we requested. It looked like she was ready to take a nap instead of helping us out.
We get in line and we check out. As we are leaving the grocery store, I head over to the customer service desk because I noticed on my receipt, I was over changed for my pound of deli turkey. The young man had pushed the wrong code when preparing the label for my package. No big deal, the familiar customer service lady took care of it and gave me the difference.
I decided to ask her about the fish fryer in the Seafood Dept. I told her what the gal had said to me and to my amazement, the customer service gal said, you mean it is broken again? I replied, I have no idea if it is broken or not but this is what the seafood gal has told me while she was attempting to take a nap against a cabinet by the ordering counter. We both chuckled at my somewhat condescending comment.
She then apologized to me for the inconvenience. I said, thank you and asked her if she had any idea when the fryer would be back up and running? She then told me that "if" they reported it, no one would be able to come out before the next morning to fix it. She had no idea the fryer was broken or if someone had been called in to fix it. I asked her who reports these issues and she told me the Seafood Dept but as you already read, the seafood gal claimed she knew nothing about the situation and or issue with the fryer either. A few years ago or maybe even a few months ago, if I had made the same comments to any of the customer service staff, they would have immediately checked on the situation for me, but as I said Schnucks does not seem to have the same atmosphere anymore. I am beginning to think the employee's might be losing confidence in their employer but I am really not sure.
This brings me to my "Retail Rant". For more than 10 years, I have been devoted to Schnucks. Spending the majority of my household budget there. I have pleaded with friends and family to shop at Schnucks without allowing Walmart to gobble them up like they have done to so many other retail and grocery establishments. I have raved about their customer service verses Walmart's lack there of. I have expressed time and time again that it was worth it for me to spend the extra 200.00 bucks a month in order to receive the outstanding services that I have received from Schnucks.
I have given up some of my favorite products and switched to Schnucks brands in order to try to maintain my household budget and continue to shop at Schnucks. I am an avid Cook, Caterer, and Personal Chef. I strive for the best products and ingredients to serve to my family and clients. I also strive to give my clients the best customer service that I can. I will never ask them to accept anything less of me. I have expected the same kind of customer service from Schnucks as well.
Here is my point. If I am going to continue to get to get Walmart service from Schnucks, why should I be paying Schnucks prices? Why should I sacrifice my Gain laundry detergent for Schnucks basic brand if Schnucks is going to turn way from their superb customer service that use to have? This might sound silly to some of you reading this, but I am very much torn with this shopping situation.
I have only been to the new and improved Super Walmart three occasions since they first opened a few months ago and even when pulling into the huge parking lot, I feel guilty. I have felt like I am dishonoring Schnucks. I feel as if I am participating in the " Retail Gorging" that I have felt the Walmart Giant has continued to do throughout little cities like mine.
Even though, I have only purchased water bottles and diapers there, the guilt still sets in. So, what should I do? I am thinking of writing the Schnucks Corporation explaining my concerns and retail dilemma that I have found myself in. If and after I receive a response from them, I will make my decision on whether or not to continue to do the majority of of my shopping there. I guess I just need validations, as well as reasons to continue to spend more money at Schnucks. I need to know that I am going to get what I am paying for and for me it was the Customer service that I was gladly and willingly to continue to pay for. I can only hope that this situation at Schnucks is just a little set back due to the new Walmart opening and relocating.
I am hoping that the Schnucks that I know and love will be able to bounce back and continue on as they once did. I am hoping that I will gain the confidence that I once had with Schnucks again.
Many Blessings,
Angela
The sun is finally starting to peek from under the dreary clouds this morning, showing a small sign of spring. We have had lots of rain lately and the temperatures certainly haven't felt like spring. On sunny days like this it gives me hope that spring is almost here in the cold Midwest where winter tends to linger until mid may. Okay, Okay, enough on the weather update.
Most of my friends and family know that I am not a big fan of the Retail Giant, called "Walmart". I have tried my best not to spend the bulk of my household income at Walmart. Before our, "Super Walmart" moved in a few months ago, I shopped at Walmart for my paper towels, toilet paper, household cleaners etc. My major shopping was done at my local Schnucks grocery store. Walmart and Schnucks sat side by side for years in my little city until Walmart moved into its new location when they became, "Super." or "Superior" as some say.
Schnucks had always been known to have the best quality in produce and meats etc. Their friendly service has been impeccable to say the least. Even when problems do arise, they have been quick to take care of their customers with a smile.
They have always had an awesome Seafood Dept. One of the greatest services that the Seafood Dept has offered, was cooking your fish purchase right there for you. I have been very thankful for this service on my Fish Friday's. Okay, so now that Super Walmart has arrived and moved to a different location, my Schnucks grocery store seemed gloomy and quiet for the first few weeks.
There were times, when I felt like I was the only one in the store. The employee's were all standing around trying to find something to do. I even saw one of the managers dusting the cereal boxes, yes.. she was literally dusting the cereal boxes. I assumed she was trying to look busy or it was a desperate attempt to relieve her boredom.
I chatted with several of the Schnucks ladies, as I like to call them about the empty feel of the store since Super Walmart arrived. I told them of my die hard affection for Schnucks. I told them that by me promising to continue my patron ship to Schnucks only, it was cutting into my monthly household budget by 65.00 to 100.00 by weekly. I told them that it was worth it to me to be able to get the Schnucks satisfaction and out standing customer service that I had always received while shopping at Schnucks.
Well, as the months have passed by with my continuing pledge to shop exclusively at Schnucks, something has changed in my beloved grocery store of choice. I have noticed the deli meats are not as fresh as they had been. They are sitting under the glass all day with a sweaty tone to them. For the first time last week, I had to ask the young man behind the counter to please exchange my healthy choice turkey for fresh healthy choice turkey.
He, of course was happy to do so and even commented to me that the turkey did look a little spoiled. So, after the turkey exchange, we did the rest of our shopping before going to the Seafood Dept to order our favorite seafood dish from Schnucks. We are standing at the fish counter waiting for someone to come up from the back to help us.
As I was glancing through the glass door in the back of the seafood dept, I could see two employee's chatting away. They were giggling and smiling. Okay, no big deal. After all, this is my beloved Schnucks, the friendliest store in town. I am still standing there looking and one of the employee's motioned her hand to me as if to say, just a second. My husband and I looked at each other like, Oh boy. I am assuming the employee saw the look on my face and decided to end her chat early with the other employee, because when I turned to say something to my husband, she came swiftly out the door to ask us if we needed anything. At first, I was going to play a funny and say, No, were just standing here taking a break from shopping and this is our favorite spot to stand in the store but I decided not to say that and go ahead and tell the gal what we wanted.
Before we could finish our sentence, she announced that the fryer was broken and she could not cook our catfish. As she told us this, she leaned on one of the cabinets with her head tilted back using her hand to lean her head on. I said, are you sure it is broken? She said yes. I asked how long had been broken. She replied, I do not know but it has been broken since I got here. I asked her if she had any idea when it would be back up and running? She replied, nope. I said, well okay, thank you and walked off astounded that she would not even offer to gather the information that we requested. It looked like she was ready to take a nap instead of helping us out.
We get in line and we check out. As we are leaving the grocery store, I head over to the customer service desk because I noticed on my receipt, I was over changed for my pound of deli turkey. The young man had pushed the wrong code when preparing the label for my package. No big deal, the familiar customer service lady took care of it and gave me the difference.
I decided to ask her about the fish fryer in the Seafood Dept. I told her what the gal had said to me and to my amazement, the customer service gal said, you mean it is broken again? I replied, I have no idea if it is broken or not but this is what the seafood gal has told me while she was attempting to take a nap against a cabinet by the ordering counter. We both chuckled at my somewhat condescending comment.
She then apologized to me for the inconvenience. I said, thank you and asked her if she had any idea when the fryer would be back up and running? She then told me that "if" they reported it, no one would be able to come out before the next morning to fix it. She had no idea the fryer was broken or if someone had been called in to fix it. I asked her who reports these issues and she told me the Seafood Dept but as you already read, the seafood gal claimed she knew nothing about the situation and or issue with the fryer either. A few years ago or maybe even a few months ago, if I had made the same comments to any of the customer service staff, they would have immediately checked on the situation for me, but as I said Schnucks does not seem to have the same atmosphere anymore. I am beginning to think the employee's might be losing confidence in their employer but I am really not sure.
This brings me to my "Retail Rant". For more than 10 years, I have been devoted to Schnucks. Spending the majority of my household budget there. I have pleaded with friends and family to shop at Schnucks without allowing Walmart to gobble them up like they have done to so many other retail and grocery establishments. I have raved about their customer service verses Walmart's lack there of. I have expressed time and time again that it was worth it for me to spend the extra 200.00 bucks a month in order to receive the outstanding services that I have received from Schnucks.
I have given up some of my favorite products and switched to Schnucks brands in order to try to maintain my household budget and continue to shop at Schnucks. I am an avid Cook, Caterer, and Personal Chef. I strive for the best products and ingredients to serve to my family and clients. I also strive to give my clients the best customer service that I can. I will never ask them to accept anything less of me. I have expected the same kind of customer service from Schnucks as well.
Here is my point. If I am going to continue to get to get Walmart service from Schnucks, why should I be paying Schnucks prices? Why should I sacrifice my Gain laundry detergent for Schnucks basic brand if Schnucks is going to turn way from their superb customer service that use to have? This might sound silly to some of you reading this, but I am very much torn with this shopping situation.
I have only been to the new and improved Super Walmart three occasions since they first opened a few months ago and even when pulling into the huge parking lot, I feel guilty. I have felt like I am dishonoring Schnucks. I feel as if I am participating in the " Retail Gorging" that I have felt the Walmart Giant has continued to do throughout little cities like mine.
Even though, I have only purchased water bottles and diapers there, the guilt still sets in. So, what should I do? I am thinking of writing the Schnucks Corporation explaining my concerns and retail dilemma that I have found myself in. If and after I receive a response from them, I will make my decision on whether or not to continue to do the majority of of my shopping there. I guess I just need validations, as well as reasons to continue to spend more money at Schnucks. I need to know that I am going to get what I am paying for and for me it was the Customer service that I was gladly and willingly to continue to pay for. I can only hope that this situation at Schnucks is just a little set back due to the new Walmart opening and relocating.
I am hoping that the Schnucks that I know and love will be able to bounce back and continue on as they once did. I am hoping that I will gain the confidence that I once had with Schnucks again.
Many Blessings,
Angela
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
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