Got a call today from my good friend Zach at the Aeros. (I love Aeros customer service people, by the way) We talked about the offseason, about the team's weaknesses last year and how we feel the upper management in Minnesota has done a good job of making adjustments so that we'll have a more exciting and competitive product on the ice. Then Zach asked if I was interesting in purchasing a voucher pack, like I have in years past (tho not last season). I told him that this was a bad month to ask me anything about money, as it was tighter than usual, and he said "Hey, that's fine. I can definitely understand that. How about I just email you the information, and you can look it over, and then in another couple of months I'll check in with you before the season to see if it's something you might be able to swing." I said that'd be great, and we hung up.
I love working with the Aeros organization.
***
This evening, at something like 8:30, I was going to make myself a nice Banquet fish sticks dinner (yay VBS week!) when I got a call from Allstate fire insurance, or something like that. You could tell the girl on the other side of the line was reading from a script, and that it had been a long day but it was her job to sound friendly so gosh darn it, she was going to sound friendly . Apparently, I know qualify for something impressive because it has the word Platinum in front of it, and she wanted to sign me up right there on the spot for 2 months at $1.99. After I agreed to sign up, she'd send me the information on it, and if I wanted to cancel I could just call or go online and let them know, neat and easy, nothing to worry about. I said I was a little leery of agreeing to anything I hadn't read and asked if they could just send the information. She said yes, sir, absolutely, she'd just sign me up for $1.99 and then send mail me a packet of info. I said I wasn't crazy about the idea, because I've seen situations where communication broke down and somebody wanting to cancel something lost something in the mail, or it didn't go through, and I just didn't want to risk it without knowing for certain what I was agreeing to.
At this point, it was like a competition. We were trying to see who could force the other one to accept our position with more tact.
She said that Allstate greatly appreciated and cares for my business, and so I could trust that they were not going to get me into anything that could get me into trouble, because I am valued customer and they would do anything to keep me satisfied, and did I understand that? I said yes, I did believe that, and that was why I was certain they would not force me into accepting anything I hadn't had the chance to read BEFORE agreeing to any service. She said that was why there were absolutely no commitments and no contracts, and all the information would be in the packet I'd be sent once she signed me up.
"I think what you're hearing me say," I said, "is that I'm going to have to pass for now."
She thanked me and wished me a good night. I wished her the same, and she muttered a half-hearted "thanks" and was gone.
Sometimes, no means no, ma'am. Especially when there are fish sticks a-waitin'.
