CUSTOMER SERVICE

"Shiny" pictures are here

No internet ! catastrope, even the mouse couldn't help !

On wednesday morning Mr. Gattino wanted to make a phone call, but the phone was dead. As we have all together, phone line, internet connection and extra TV channels, the whole thing had broken down. He called the complaint service with his mobile and told them. As he was the only who complained they said they would repair it for monday ! Imagine me six days withoutInternet ! He went over to our neighbors and they had the same troubles. So the others called too and suddenly they promised to come the same afternoon. Mr. Gattino had checked in the street and down our street new houses are being built and an intelligent crane operator had cut a cable !

At 3.30 pm I called again. Now you probably know that you can't talk to a person anymore but you have to listen to a recorded voice. In Belgium they first ask you "for flemish push 1" "for french push 2" you choose your language and then hop we go :

Please type your telephone n° followed by a square (#)
For customer service push 1
For accounting department push 2
For log in problems push 3
For TV problems push 4
For telphone problems push 5
For technical service push 6
For commercial information push 7
etc.

After 5 min I finally choose technical problems, what else could I choose I had the problem with all three items ! Then a voice informed me that all the lines were busy but in 2 min I would get an answer. I listened to an awful music and wait. After again about 5 min suddenly somebody shouted in the phone "Technical service" I was so surprised to hear a real person that I jumped back.

I described our problems and the lady informed me that it would be repaired the next day afternoon ! I protested and told her that I needed internet absolutely that I am a at home working person and all my clients need to get in contact with me (you are my clients !) she told me a schedule is a schedule and there were nothing to do I should call customer service they did the schedules.

I called customer service, and had to go through the above described procedure again. No, I was told, all technicians were busy, nobody there and it would be done the next day afternoon. I told her that I would write a letter and ask for damages and made a scandal on the phone, but she became a robot and answered always the same.

The moment I banged the phone on the sofa, Mr. Gattino told me that Belgacom (that's their name) had just arrived for repairing. While I discussed on the phone and always got the answer the technician would come the next day, he was actually standing at our door ! That's cooperation ! But the poor man had thought that only a little cable in our house was cut and didn't expect that it was a cable in the street ! He started to dig then, because the guy who had cut the cable had closed the hole, he had thought it was an old unused cable ! Unused !! yes and the whole street was down !

As there was quite a deep hole to dig, he called another technician to help him and it took them 2 h until they finally found the damaged cable. Neighbors gathered around and also the future house owners and all complained about bad services. Mr. Gattino as a retired person was very busy for 2 h too.

Finally at 7.30 pm the cable was repaired and I had my internet back and Mr. Gattino his favorite TV channel !

FRIDAY FEAST

To drink with today's feast is Pookie's suggestion

Appetizer
Name a funny habit you have.

I put my keys and glasses always at the same place, but then I don't remember which same place it was.

Soup
If you could instantly know how to play a musical instrument, which one would you pick?

drums, for my nerves to destress and as I am generous also for my neighbors.

Salad
How long is your hair?

long enough so that I don't look bald

Main Course
When was the last time you forgave someone, and who was it?

I forgave a cashier at the supermarket because he was wrong with the price but it was in my favor and I saved 5 €. I didn't complain.

Dessert
What is your favorite kitchen appliance?

The once I never have to use.

................................................"You look very beautiful today"

..................................................................."Hrrm, I am here !"

THURSDAY THIRTEEN

Pookie thinks it over

To be an adult is sometimes not so easy ! Just read 13 things which are cute and not at all cute

1. A child giggling with a toothless mouth is cute, an adult ridiculous (grandpa/ma where are your teeth ? you forgot them again !)

2. A stumbling child is cute and will be picked up if it falls, an adult just gets "pay attention you &@&#!"

3. A one year old walking like a drunken sailer is admired, it makes progresses, an adult is considered as a boozer.

4. A child which stammers a few words is congratulated, an adult is sent to reeducation

5. A child who puts on his clothes the wrong way looks cute, an adult immediatley looks like a homeless.

6. A child who asks the neighbor for sweets is cute, an adult is send away ("we buy nothing") or taken for a Jehova witness

7. If a child crosses the street all cars would stop. If it's an adult they may accelerate

8. If a child takes something in a shop he kindly is told to put it back. An adult too, but then comes the police

9. If a child tells the very truth, for example to his kindergarten teacher "your dad is waiting for you" instead of "your husband " it is funny but not at all when it's said by an adult

10. If a child throws up because he had eaten too many sweets everybody pities him, an adult has to hide in the toilet

11. A child who eats Spaghetti and throws them all over the place is cute, an adult is a pig

12. A child who suddenly falls asleep at table is taken carefully away and put in bed. An adult gets a slap in the back to wake up

13. a little boy playing with a doll is cute, why not, a man is considered as obsessed with sex.

It's not easy being adult !

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

AN UNPAYABLE BILL

Pookie had to laugh too !

A few weeks ago I found an invoice in my mailbox from the hospital where I had had a check up. That's nothing special because invoices are usually the only mail most of people get. The invoice showed an amount to pay : 0,00 €. I started to doubt about the mental health of this hospital, this was ridiculous, even the paper was worth more plus the stamps ! That's more than one € isn't it ? I am not a genious in math have never been, but that I could figure out. I dropped it in the wastepaper basket, told it to my friends as it was quite funny and then forgot about it.

One week later or so, I got a reminder to please pay the outstaning invoice of € 0,00. Again by mail and with stamps. I shaked my head thought they are crazy and threw it away.

After a while I got another reminder telling me that I had already had one reminder but still not payed the invoice and I should do this right away. Now I had a real problem how can I pay 0,00 € ? The bank will take me for mad and I didn't intend to spend the rest of my life in a mad house. Sighing I threw it away.

Then I got another letter, this time encircled with red and a menacing text, all in red, that I still had not payed and that this was the last payment invitation. I got scared and threw it away.

Another week went by and another letter arrived. This time with registred mail ! The postman looked suspiciously at me ... did I commit a crime ?

The letter was quite rude informing me that this would be the last (underlined, red, exclamation mark) reminder before taking juridical steps ! My Godness I thought, should I take a lawyer ? I saw myself already sitting in a nicely decorated cell with computer and flowers around me (but sadly without cats) and my husband bringing me oranges.

Now, I thought, I should call them and ask for an explanation because very honestly I did not have a 0 € coin or bill. That really was a big problem. Otherwise I would have driven over there and paid it.

I called the accounting department and wanted to explain my problem. From service to service to service who all were not responsible finally I ended up with a person who seemed to at least know something. I explained for the X time my problem. The female voice on the phone declared me that this is the fault of the computer, he was the culprit ! And the best thing I could do was to send 0,00 € per bank transfer.

On my timid statement that this would be absurd, she told me, no not at all, as the computer only understands when he gets a transfer. Then I could live in peace again. But, I dared to oppose, the computer does only things which people had told it to do, she looked at me with a pityful glance, not saying loud but what she thought deep inside, that I was again one of these stupid people who really don't understand anything about computers ! To assure this oh so clever woman I promised her to make a transfer of 0,00 € right away. I hang up the phone and .... did it.

Since today I haven't got any mail anymore except other invoices of course. That the hospital spend at least 10 € for stamps and registred mail was apparently normal. And they always complain about lack of money.

MANIC MONDAY - HEAT

MANIC MONDAY


Kudasasi

The four last days of my roundtrip in Turkey I stayed in Kudasasi which is one of Turkey's principle holiday resorts, and is a real cute little old city situated on the west coast of Turkey- 90km south of Izmir. It is also close to the important historical sites including Ephesus, where I had also been.

Of course getting up very early in the morning (sometimes at 5.30 am) and climbing the whole day in the heat through roman and greek historical ruins was at the end a little tireing.

The hotel where I stayed was very nice and of course had also airconditionning against this still spring heat and I was quite surprised that a lot of private houses were equipped with that too.

The city itself had quite some very nice mosques and was surrounded by a big wall from ancient greek and roman times. The first day I spend there was very hot and cloudy a sticky heat hang over the little town despite the fact that it's located just at the sea.

Kusadasi also has a very big habour where Cruise ships from all countries stop to visit the town. The Setur Marina is one of the largest and best equipped marinas in Turkey with the capacity of 629 yachts both a float and on shore, visited between 2500-3000 boats each year.

click on pictures to make them bigger




The remains of the city wall





One of the fortress had a wonderful inner courtyard, decorated with beautiful carpets and there was also a café where you could get cold drinks.



Of course there were shops side by side, selling jewlery, leather clothes (very cheap), souvenirs, and carpets.


carpets wherever you look






Suddenly a heavy rain started and in a minute the streets were full of water. Here you can see the shop owners trying to put their things inside and free their shops from water.





Fortunately the rain stopped quickly and I visited the fisher market. What an odor !



It still was cloudy but warm. This is a monument of freedom at the seafront




Women chatting


There were a lot of yellow taxis all around



I watched military divers who had pulled out all this junk from the sea !





The rest of my holidays the weather was beautiful as you can see here. Cruise ships boarding. They usually stayed there over night.

I didn't suffer from the heat, because there was always a little breeze coming from the sea.

TOILETS OR RESTROOMS ?

Pookie washes her paws in innocence with such a story !

One thing I had to get used to (again) were the toilets in Turkey ! In the 60-70th you could find the same in Italy or France but in Turkey they still are very commun everywhere, airport, historical sites, restaurants, on the ferry and public toilets. Only in hotels I didn't see them.

Now you can easily imagine the gymnastic which people had to do because it's not so easy to pee while standing with the feet on the forseen gutters without wetting your shoes and cause an inondation. There is nothing to hold yourself in this position and usually it's years ago when we as little girls used to do that in the bushes !

But nature is nature and when you have to you have to !

The old romans had another view of toilets and I wonder if the word "restroom" doesn't come from there because toilets really were there to rest.

This picture shows a meeting room in a roman historical site, where they all sat together side by side on the "throne". For more then 2000 years ago it was already very sophisticated, with running water underneath ! While slaves brought in plates and plates of food and a lot of wine, they ate, chatted and shit (sorry) all at the same time.

Now can you imagine our politicians in such a meeting place ? Maybe the world would be better then !