A positive note on customer service – A week ago I wrote about giving feedback. You can read the post here but in a nutshell I got lousy service and I wrote a letter. It took a week but I got a call from one of the co-owners. They had used my letter as a training tool for their employees. They changed some policies (as I suggested in the letter). This is a small company with less than 30 employees so it’s easy to do but I was glad I had given feedback (instead of the anonymous bashing comment on Yelp!). It has (somewhat) restored my faith in humanity. At least for the moment. #finallygoodnews #stilltimetobedisappointed
What’s with the clipart? – I used to be able to find great clipart for free. There were a lot of sites for people who do not use clipart for commercial purposes. You could provide a source or link and they were happy. Sometimes clipart just floated around many different places with no source. Now every time I look for some it has the dreaded watermark that requires me to pay $20 or so to use it once for something that will give me no financial reward. If I were an artist I would certainly want my royalty fee for my work but the stuff I’m looking for is often stick art. Perhaps I should start drawing! #nomoneyfromme
Side effect of a sick cat – Eldest cat Mollie was under the weather. (She is good now.) There were several vet trips and tests. This does not get missed by the other cats. Second eldest cat Morgan became needy. She likes to be around me and isn’t her independent self. I like it but suspect all will go back to normal shortly. I wonder if she remembers that the same thing happened to her buddy Hazel and one day Hazel never came back home. Pets understand more than we give them credit for. #catsremember
Stalking myself – Yesterday we had many phone calls that listed our name and number as the caller. Spoofing? Why would anyone think that it could be anything but a fraud call if it’s listed as your own number? #reallystupidpeople
Chips of the old block – The granddaughters are here this weekend. They have introduced me to a new drink at Starbucks. I love taking them to the dark side! #mangodragonfruityum
So how was your week?
The phone came you describe is really odd! I had to read your description about three times just to see if I was understanding. Very strange! Starbucks with the girls! Now that’s fun. 🙂
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The phone call was very strange and it persisted for 2 days.
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Enjoy the time with your granddaughters! So glad Mollie is feeling better – you are right, cats definitely remember these things. That’s probably why Morgan is feeling kind of needy right now. How great the business you wrote to took your complaint and suggestions to heart and changed their policies and trained their staff!
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It’s a new business and it’s trying hard. Just some tweaking and it would be a great one.
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Hi Kate! That’s funny that you wrote about that weird Robocall from your own number. In the latest AARP magazine or bulletin (can’t remember which) they talked about how that is done and how it is more common. Too bad they (AARP) then turned around and SPAMMED you too! Oh well. But good for you for writing that note to the business about the horrible service you received. I think if more of us took the time it would end up being beneficial for us all. Oh, and glad your cat is feeling better. I suspect ALL our pets have a better sense of what’s really going on than we give them credit! ~Kathy
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Thanks for stopping by. I saw the article too. It wasn’t AARP the was spamming me. I suspect it was the Nigerian prince looking for a sucker.
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Interesting on the customer service. Says a lot of good about you, Kate, and the company on how all was handled. The “Pets understand more” gave me pause. (Oops, not intentional on the play on words, although, it works:) Fun on the granddaughters. I enjoyed reading about them and seeing them on another post:)
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I am now in recovery! From sick pets and visitors. Just easing back!
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Glad you got some positive feedback – they will keep you as a customer now for sure. I get my clip art at Pixabay. https://pixabay.com/
They do not require money, even if they say “coffee money” – it is not required. And they have a searchable database, and you can search by photos, illustrations, vector images … I have been using them for awhile, if I need something and I’ve not taken a picture. I also use Pinterest as they are searchable too. I don’t pin to any board or o that, just created an account and they have such a wide variety of info that you can use by downloading or taking a screenshot. https://www.pinterest.com
Pets are pretty savvy and they take in more what is going on then people give them credit for.
I had AARP call me 8 times today – annoyed. I answered and said “I’m sorry I gave you my number” but it was a robocall – something about a prescription rally. I hunt up, but they continued calling back – I was annoyed.
I bought a package of Starbucks PSL to save for the holidays … individual instant packages – yum.
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I didn’t know they has instant PSL. Hope it’s good. I’ll check out Pixabay. I use Pinterest sometimes.
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I haven’t tried it yet as I got it to have around the holidays. It is instant and I was surprised Starbucks made an instant product. Here is the link to see what the package looks like:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Starbucks-VIA-Instant-Pumpkin-Spice-Latte-1-Box-of-5-Packets/164068821
I like Pinterest when I need to have a specific picture – one time I did a post on the different shades of gray in the sky. I searched for gray crayons on Pinterest and got a ton of photos.
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I decided to try one cup after I commented to you and sent that link. I like it a lot. I also like that it’s instant too because that’s all I drink anyway. I don’t have a coffeemaker since it’s just me drinking coffee.
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I haven’t had instant coffee since the 70’s Sanka! Glad it was good. Sometimes the flavored coffees do ok instant.
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I drink Nescafe Classico Dark Roast instant – it is good. We had instant coffee, even when my mom was still here – no room on the countertop for a coffeemaker and I drank coffee all day at work anyway – my mom was more a tea drinker the last few years of her life. I don’t like tea. I usually get some of the Hills Bros. flavored coffees (English Toffee is my favorite) for the holidays. I saw this Starbucks PSL on an endcap at Meijer and thought I’d try it. So that was about 6:00-ish last night. I have not had Starbucks since I stopped working on site in April 2009. We used to get bagged Starbucks or Caribou for the office since no Starbucks was near us. I forgot how much of a kick it had. I got two posts done last night and decided to head to bed. Not sleepy … all night long! Woke up this morning on a couple of hours’ sleep (if that much), so I had another PSL this a.m. I felt like a teenager downing Mountain Dew or a Red Bull. I am not sure it was the caffeine, as much as the sugar content. It is tasty – try it for those big snowy or icy days –
they are coming faster than you think.
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I’m not a big fan of instant. There is a flavor difference. One reason I like Starbucks is that it’s strong so when I get the decaf there is some flavor. Many decafs taste like dishwater. (That’s a quote from my mom!) 🙂
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I didn’t realize you drank decaf … perhaps I never noticed you wrote that in your Starbucks-related posts. Wow – that is a whole different story, because I thought I’d have decaf as my second cup of coffee when I returned from walking and even the Nescafe Classico … just no. No taste to it. When I make my coffee, I use 1 1/2 heaping teaspoons for flavor as I like a strong cup of coffee. Back when I stopped at Starbucks in our building, I’d get a large/tall (whatever it was called) and take it straight … no cream or sugar, even Sumatra, though not my favorite as I found it a little too strong and earthy tasting. I remember Sanka from my waitressing days – the pot of hot water and orange foil packet. My father had an ulcer and drank Postum for a while. Tried it once – awful. My mom used that expression too; that and “it tastes like the coffee bean ran through it!”
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I’ve never had Postum! Doesn’t sound inviting!
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This was decades ago and funny, I hadn’t thought of it in years, but last week I Googled something and it was available at the Vermont Country Store. Have you ever looked at their online catalogs? They sell a lot of items that have been discontinued, even clothing. They are pricey though, but they had Postum. But just Googled and Amazon and Walmarts has it too. It is a “roasted grain” drink that makes you feel like you’re drinking coffee. I thought it had a peculiar smell. When I looked at that catalog, I saw an appliance and countertop cleaner/polish named “Jubilee” that my mom loved and when she stopped carrying it in our grocery store, she made me go around to all the hardware stores and buy up the supply. I thought of my mom when I saw it. My mom was big on top but petite and she liked PJ tops that were loose-fitting, not tailored. She found some flannel PJs at the VCS and ordered them, even though they were costly. When they arrived, they were sized wrong and like a 2X, but said Medium. They would not take them back as they were PJs. We washed them in boiling hot water and they did not shrink and I couldn’t wear them, as tall as I am. Never ordered from there again.
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I’ve never bought from them but one time when I was in the area, I walked through their store. It’s huge. I wonder if it’s still there.
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Looking at the online catalog was fun as I remembered a lot of the products. We got some homespun tablecloths from them before those PJs. They are a waffle weave (the kitchen is done in Early American) and we had looked everywhere for new ones and we happened to get a catalog from them … that was before the internet.
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We get a few of those robocalls that show one of our names as the caller. It’s weird and I hope illegal. I cannot imagine how these scammer companies think seeing my name will prompt me to pick up the phone for them. Stupid is as stupid does
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Makes no sense!
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People have tried for years to get spoofed phone numbers federally criminalized and outlawed. But the ones that could do that probably have screeners that answer their phones, so they don’t have to deal with it. So annoying
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We don’t answer our phones most of the time but when we are waiting for an important call, we do run to check the caller ID. I get so annoyed that I exerted the effort and it’s a scam.
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I told the Prince you weren’t interested….
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Thanks. I appreciate that and somehow miraculously be haven’t had any more in two days. You’re good!
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Enjoy corrupting, I mean spending time with, the grands. ☕️
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They just left. We had a good weekend!
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Liquid introductions are especially wonderful with those we love.
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🙂
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Yay about the feedback that you got! So nice to know that you were actually listened to!
My daughter loves the strawberry tea at Starbucks. It is very sweet!
So glad Mollie is better! Pets definitely can sense more than we know. If only they could talk, I think they could amaze us with all they know!
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It was nice to know that my feedback was useful. I only had a sip of the drink so maybe a whole drink would be sweet for me. It’s a drink for a hot day for me.
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The spoofing phone calls and emails get so frustrating. Hope you enjoy a couple days with the granddaughters. Trying a new drink, good for you. 😊
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Granddaughters are now teenagers — yikes!
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They do grow fast.
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That’s amazing that your granddaughters introduced you to something at Starbucks.
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I get the same thing there all the time. Most of their fancy drinks are too sweet for me so it was surprising that this one wasn’t. It’s not a morning drink (at least for me) but it’s a nice afternoon refresher.
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Would you divulge the name of the drink, or do you not do free ads on your blog?
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It’s in the hashtag — mango dragonfruit and I think they are called refreshers. Very good.
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I MUST get in the habit of reading your hashtags. I have skipped over them as if they were in a foreign language.
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🙂 They are a foreign language!
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One place you can get free clip art is wikimedia commons. It’s seldom what you want and need, though. A couple of times I got personal photos from other bloggers to supplement my own photos of the Manila Chinese Cemetery. That was fun. I ended up following them on Facebook and on their blogs. But I agree: It’s hard to find clip art. One day I spent hours trying to find something from Alice in Wonderland. I finally found something, but it wasn’t what I’d hoped for.
Writing a helpful letter is so much kinder and effective than complaining on Yelp. We should all follow your example, even though it takes time.
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I’ve never tried that. Sometimes I have an image in my head that I’ve seen and can’t find it again. I’ve started to save stuff I think I may have a use for later. Sometimes I feel badly for businesses that get a really bad review especially if it’s something out of their control, like construction in their area.
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Good job on the feedback ~ both you and the company! I bet Morgan was remembering when Hazel disappeared . . . and she does not want YOU to disappear!
Hope you’re having a blast with your grandkids. We’ve had a fun week. New farmer’s market, couple visits to the beach, 3-4 get-to-gethers with friends, Bridge games, etc. All good.
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You never know what’s going on in a cat’s mind! Sounds like your weekend is fun. Our weather is crummy. Today is rainy, damp, cold and dreary but the kids are out at Ulta with their Gramps! (That should be a story!) Yesterday was ok and they did an amusement park.
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Must have been heartening to know your feedback was listened to. Anyone worth their salt won’t sit and pout about things like that they’ll take the opportunity to take a good hard look at whatever a “customer” has told them and see if there’s something that can be done about it. So glad Mollie is OK now – if only they could understand it’s just as hard on us having to take them to the vets, deal with their illness, help them as we can as it is on THEM for having the problem! Have fun with your grandkids…..make some memories.
Hugs, Pam
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Thanks. It’s a hectic weekend for sure. Mollie has found a peaceful hidey spot to hang out in. Back to normal tomorrow!
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I agree that something has gotten a little different with the clipart sites. I’m not sure what it is either, but I’ve struggled of late to find appropriate, royalty-free clipart images. Out of courtesy, I always link back to the originating site for all images I use.
I’ve only paid twice for an image. Once for my site’s main image on the top of my page, and another time was for something I thought was just too good to pass up (I’ve long forgotten which one it is). But generally I avoid paying. I mean seriously, my blog isn’t a money maker. 🙂 – Marty
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Perhaps we need to draw stick people and charge for it!
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Glad you got some positive feedback on your feedback Kate.
Also good to know Mollie is better.
I’m planning on meeting my bestie for coffee when we’re down there next week. I haven’t seen her for two years, and have pencilled in meeting up 2 days after my surgery…… something positive to look forward to!
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How long will you stay down there? It’s always good to include some positive things along with the negatives.
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We think a couple of weeks tops, but as soon as the drain’s out and I’m cleared to travel, we’ll be coming home.
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Hugs.
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Thank you. 🙂
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What is the new drink at Starbucks? Please tell!
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It’s the mango dragonfruit. It’s either with lemonade or iced tea. I don’t usually get those drinks and it wasn’t bad. The girls had the iced tea version and it wasn’t too sweet for me but it’s definitely not a morning drink.
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I once wrote a letter about an employee who was hopelessly incompetent. I got a call back, some gift certificates, and they fired her. #mixedemotions
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At my eye doc, I have written three letters, for two I cc’d the owner and I always addressed to the office manager. As far as I know she’s still working there and screwing up billing. She worked in the bookkeeping or billing group. Small practice I it may have only been her. I talked to her and was not impressed. My background includes benefits. Some of the stuff she told me I know was wrong (ad actually was fraud).
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Wow. Sometimes you wonder how people keep their jobs. Inertia?
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I don’t understand it myself. I talked to the doc I had but he wasn’t in charge of that so he wasn’t interested.
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I’m glad Mollie is better. It’s so awful when you can’t communicate clearly with the cat and they are sick.
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It is. Sometimes you just have a bad day and I wish she could say that. “Go away I just want some alone time without anyone hovering over me or taking me to the vet!”
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🤣 and you know they would!
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Clipart has always befuddled me. I always want to use it but I am always concerned about using it… attribution and all that. Don’t like the clipart where they want you to give them some of your stuff. Good news on the positive feedback. So glad Mollie is still doing well. Enjoy your Grands!
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Another truly weird thing about clipart is that it floats around. You can see a picture that is marked “free download” at one site, yet another on another site you have to pay. There are sites for teachers that are free and if I can find my subject I try to use those. I had used a kite picture early in my blogging days. (It was a line drawing that I could have done myself!) I attributed it to the artists but they contacted me and asked me to put a website link in it. I did that and they were fine with it.
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This sounds like a smart business. It’s not whether a business never makes a mistake, it’s how they react to a situation when they do. The fact they took the time to respond to you about what they were doing to correct the problem speaks volume about their integrity. Kudos both to you for writing the letter and to them for ‘listening’ and acting accordingly.
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It really did restore faith in humanity for me. At least for a few days.
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Nice job on the feedback, Kate. Enjoy the grandies! Go Eagles! I’ll probably only be able to stay up for the first quarter.
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With house guests not sure what will happen!
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