Category: Opinion

August 11, 2020 – Free Installation… Today’s Customer Service?

August 11, 2020 /

I debated on whether to write about this or not, because it is not really what I am about. This forum is not about complaining or blasting. For that reason, I will not reveal the vendor, I am simply looking to inspire you the reader to take pride in ownership of what you do.

Yesterday, I was installing bathroom hardware and finishing the inside of the apartment. A vendor arrived to do installation, so I was working around him as to stay out of the way. I answered a few basic questions so that he could mount his hardware properly and safely. In about an hour, he was done. The last statement (to the tenant) was, ‘you need to notify the homeowner that the wire I installed is against a tree branch and that will eventually pull down the wire if the branch is not removed’.

Now, one would think that it is in the best interest of the installer and the vendor to cut the branch while you were up there installing the wire if there was a significant risk of damage. I suppose that I can see both sides of the argument, maybe this tree was a prize specimen and cutting it improperly would damage it irreparably. It is probably policy not to do such things. However, I was right there, we talked; we could have worked together if it was a problem.

But even more so in the face of decency was the mess that was left. A haphazard hole that was drilled through the wall and all the mess that went with it.

When I think of customer service, I think of proactively anticipating the wants and needs of the customer. I guess that I don’t believe anyone wants to immediately clean up after someone leaves the job site. The tree I can see as a potential gray area, but not the mess.

The problem is customer service is often the spear tip of every business transaction and interaction. Because they are typically entry level or low paying jobs, occupants are often not experienced or qualified to anticipate the needs, think food service. Additionally as sad, managers are usually equally not capable of training, observing and correcting behavior.

In my former line of work, a reasonable customer complaint would drive an assessment of policy and procedure to take corrective action. That might result in change of process or retraining. Typically, that would occur with the employee in private and re-enforced with the group in a general scenario. Too many of those type of re-occurring events attributed to a single individual might eventually lead to termination of employment.

It is unfortunate that this is the kind of result I expect with free installation. I remember one free car stereo installation that shorted out wiring in the dash and eventually led to the car burning down. Another free car stereo installation, I lost my lights for the heating system and broke my cup holder. Maybe a better way would be to pay a $10 retainer that goes to the installer once the job is completed satisfactorily rather than free?

Using the scenario to inspire people to be better, even without a complaint, take a critical look at what you routinely do assess whether it can be done better, faster or cleaner. Use empathy and put yourself in the other person’s shoes. If you don’t want to clean up the mess, do you think that they do?

In my experience, there are very few un-avoidable customer service mishaps. I am certainly not perfect, but I have no sympathy or time for excuses or stonewalling. Even the most difficult customers (and wrong) can bring some value to the process and make you better. So the best we can do is continuously self assess and take feedback and correct the service problems.

July 31, 2020 – Got to do something, even if it is wrong

July 31, 2020 /

Remember back in high school English, one of the techniques to getting started writing was just to write something? I would say that it is much easier with a computer to just start going and then switch to something more on topic than when we used to have to write it out by hand. I never really did it much because it was so much more extra work, I would delay until I was ready.

Today is kind of one of those days. I wasn’t totally sure what I wanted to write about. However, I have been thinking about a phrase that my grandfather used to use. When it came to sort of a guessing situation, he used to say “We have got to do something, even if it is wrong”. That was his country wisdom way of saying we will figure it out when we need, if it is that important.

Being the analytical type, I prefer to look at all the data and weigh decisions based on factors such as cost, difficulty, potential risk and upside. Many decisions are not worth such analysis or all those factors are roughly the same. So, that is where you pick a direction and go and change course later if needed.

It is interesting that life can be both ways. It is us that picks a method of handling it. Part of me envies the free spirited type because I think that likely ends in a more self-fulfilled destination. My type picks a direction and never looks back because changing direction is too difficult. Hopefully you picked the right one.

Doing something is what I have been doing for the last year. I have been hoping that the right thing would come along if I was busy doing something else. It is why I have thrown myself into intense projects and at times have ignored job searches and business development at the same time. I am avoiding the pain of stepping backward. This strategy hasn’t proven to fully work out.

As a Christian, I keep telling myself that there is a plan, I am waiting for it to be revealed. But I can’t help but wonder if I was busy painting or hammering and totally missed the signs. My wife says that her friends are flirty with me all the time, I don’t really see it.

Despite all of that, this is Friday and it shouldn’t be a downer. What I am trying to get across is don’t sweat the small stuff and don’t get paralyzed by indecision. I am so grateful to have spent quality time with my grandfather. All the skills he taught me and to think that I am still dwelling on his phrases, you can’t buy that.

I have been getting up early to let the dog out and it has been a great time to get the day started and get my computer work done. Here is a few pictures of my puppy one month later.

July 21, 2020 – The road not taken

July 21, 2020 /

Remember that poem, “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost? If not, you can read it for yourself. I remember reading it several times throughout my youth. One time, I was a senior in high school in AP English and we were doing a third of a year on poetry. It was an early sign of my miswiring.

How can everything in literature have so much symbolism? We read work after work of supposed super deep and intertwined subtext. Be it ‘The Odyssey’ or ‘Oliver Twist’ or ‘Moby Dick’, we spent weeks on weeks of analysis chapter by chapter. Granted, I think that some did such as Dante’s ‘Inferno’ or some Shakespeare.

I feel like there is no way all those stories can be as deep as we try to make it out in a classroom setting. It could be that the only literature deemed classic from the 1600s was Shakepeare and that only survived because his writing was brilliant from a 3D political commentary standpoint. Or it could be because very little was written and this was the best of the period. Either way, it always felt to me that much of the justification for teaching in such a manner was validation of a chosen career field rather than the confirmation of extensive symbolism.

One of my classmates wrote a response to Oliver Twist and in it had a rather insightful line. I will paraphrase by saying taking a live rabbit and cutting it up into pieces does not make a whole rabbit in the end; Something is lost in the process. I started thinking about this topic last night when I was pondering what I was going to write quickly so I could get to work before the heat set in. That is when I thought I would post project progress to keep it easy. Then I thought about “The Road Not Taken”, then I went on to bash the English profession.

This started with plugging the hole for the downdraft vent and removing the drain plumbing from the old bathroom I found several problems, the waste plumbing from the kitchen sink was broken, siding behind the kitchen was rotten. That got me going deeper into the sheathing which had termite damage. Fortunately, the framing was still solid, so all that had to be replaced.

From the bathroom standpoint, the sheetrock and finishing has been completed, it will be paint next. By the way, if anyone has any real research to prove that Moby Dick was more than a story, I would be interested in it. I have never vested the time myself to look, but I am willing to be wrong on this.

July 8, 2020 – The highs and lows of life

July 8, 2020 /

I am feeling pretty down today. I found out yesterday that I was rejected from a job that I applied for. What, no big deal you say? True, in a sense. However, this is the fourth different job that I have made it through a series of interviews to be denied. It makes you feel like you have lost your touch and question yourself. I was sure that this was the one, the best fit in terms of company and job.

I have to say that before this year of journey and exploration, I never was rejected once I got passed the first interview. Even when I did not make the cut, I knew that I stumbled during the interview. I suppose that I am reaching far deeper and higher in the ranks of businesses than ever before and the consequences are far greater than some entry level position, but it is still hard on the ego.

Deep down, I know there is a plan for me. The plan may be to start over in life… I hope not but who knows. I know that this experience has lead me to question my decision making. Was the job that bad? Will I ever recover from this? Was it all an alternative reality where I was really the one in the wrong? I guess that I won’t really know the answer to those questions. The one thing that I can say is that this extended time has been good for my soul. I think that the Lord is teaching me something, I just don’t understand it yet.

Given how I am feeling at the moment, it is hard to celebrate that things are going well for me on my siding project. I am going to try and not be ‘glass half full’ as my wife says. It is slow and steady progress and that is looking really good. All the Weather Resistant Barrier (WRB) is up. Most of the trim is the up and I am filling in the siding.

I am painting before I hang the siding so as to minimize the ladder time for final painting. The idea is to touch up after it is installed. Plus it is a lot easier to to get many of the cracks and joints when they are all pieces before assembly.

I am still energized to get this thing done. It is not project at all costs, but close. The culture of hurry message is banging around in my head with the weight of the world in front of me.

July 7, 2020 – Freedom isn’t free… or wanted nor appreciated

July 7, 2020 /

I had a good Fourth of July. It certainly wasn’t normal or typical. One of the best benefits of living in a small town on Main Street is the parade that goes by our house every year. We usually have a a sizable gathering of friends and family to watch and then the grill goes on afterward. Not this year because of COVID.

Our sister city next door puts on a 40 minute fireworks display that causes enough traffic to take over an hour to move two miles. Not this year because of COVID. As a result, a lot of people were home and a lot of people were itching to celebrate.

It is common knowledge that I live in Oregon. I feel like I have written enough about my opinion that you can probably speculate on where I am going to come down on a lot of issues, but I want to divert to fireworks for a bit. Throughout my years, I have watched this state go from an independent thinking and acting group to an increasing statist leaning. Fireworks are no exception. Oregon has very strict laws on what fireworks are legal under the guise of personal safety and fire risk.

Despite that, Washington does not adhere to the same laws. I am literally sixty miles from purchasing any fireworks that I would like to buy. I can somewhat understand the fire risk argument, however I have rarely heard of a fire started by errant fireworks. I prescribe that it is a more nanny state rule, than fact. I lived in South Carolina for a couple of years and they definitely enjoyed their freedom when it came to fireworks. Ironically, North Carolina did not and we were ten miles from the border in that case.

I want to introduce a term here – Agorism. You can look up the definition but it to summarize it is the voluntary association of people for mutual benefit. We live in a society that is the opposite of that; involuntary association that uses the power of the state to make people comply to arbitrary rules or opinions.

Another applicable term that is misunderstood is Anarchy. The common perception of Anarchy is violence and chaos which I would argue is much more akin to revolution than a society without rulers. I am going to show some examples of what I saw on Nextdoor after we got done with our celebration on Saturday.

In this case, there was a half-hearted attempt blast out an plea to stop lighting fireworks (I am assuming illegal). The first issue is that the people lighting them off are not reading Nextdoor posts right now, I sure wasn’t. Additionally, she made no attempt address the people that she had the issue with. But the real problem I have is the reasoning is not solid. I am willing to bet that there is no one with PTSD in that household. Pets – maybe, but I believe that the real issue is that Becky does not want to enjoy freedom.

Before I get too carried away, I want to make sure that my position is clear. There is a time and a place to light fireworks. Fourth of July, after dark and before midnight is the time and the place to do so. I talked with my neighbors while we were lighting fireworks off. If I knew that someone had a problem like PTSD, I would appreciate it if we had a discussion where we would set clear expectations about what we would do.

I was already kind of agitated when I read the second post.

The white supremacist’s are looting and rioting? What? If you read all the responses you would see that Howard is lamenting the lack of fireworks display – cancelled because of COVID but yet the city (of Salem) is staffing up for a Black Lives Matter protest. People such as Deby are now using completely flawed logic to push her agenda and lash out. There has been no looting or rioting in Salem, Marion or Polk counties (Nextdoor’s target group). Those activities have occurred within the protest ranks. I am not sure what she is tired of.

My point with all of this is that a lot of people don’t really want freedom. They like to think that they do, but true freedom has to let people do things they want, whether they agree with the activity or not. They want to live in neighborhoods with and association dictating what they can do. They want to use the power of the state to enact laws based on their own beliefs. Both sides of the political isle do it. It just depends on your flavor rule.

I think it goes part and parcel with people not using logic and blathering nonsense whenever they feel like it. I am looking for a way to opt out of Nextdoor as I speak.

June 23, 2020 – Motivation, Determination and Imagination

June 23, 2020 /

I am giving credit here to Jack Spirko at the Survival Podcast for coining the three things to make a business (or any endeavor) successful. There may be a little bit of self analysis here too before I get done.

Back when I was working a job, I was a support manager for a software engineering company. One of the frequent hang-ups between adding a new customer was whether my company had in-depth knowledge of the software that we were potentially proposing to support. The prevailing position was that if we did not write the software, then we would not be able to support the software.

Yes it is true that potentially supporting software that was compiled by someone else could leave some risk. Before I get too technical, compiling is the act of taking some base level computer code and packaging it up into an executable form. You could make the analogy to baking. The code is the ingredients and what runs are the results. In the case of software, you cant get from the cake back to the ingredients unless you made the cake. I hope that was simple enough.

Here is a another fact, my team did not write any of the code that we supported. So, to them it was frequently all new. Having access to subject matter experts was possible but it was just as possible that the person that wrote the code did not work at the company anymore. Real production type emergencies did not allow us the time to do any sort of reading or studying of what the system was supposed to do anyway.

My team bid on, won and successfully supported systems that our company did not build. They did not have the same boundary issues that others did in the company.

It is time to refresh on the ‘Toolbox Fallacy’.

You see, the Toolbox Fallacy is the antithesis of motivation, determination and imagination. It is all the reasons and excuses of why something cannot be done rather than just doing it.

I am no exception to this problem. I have told myself that when my pantry project is over, I can dedicate more time to this endeavor. Then came the apartment remodel. I want to move from this free blog format to a dedicated host (when this project is over). I need to develop a clearer purpose and target audience before I migrate. I told myself that would first work on posting consistency before progressing into podcasting. I have been very comfortable posting once a day and then moving off to work on my project.

I suppose the thrust of the analysis is why am I lacking Motivation, Determination and/or Imagination in this endeavor. I can see aspects of all three. I know that in my logical, analytical mind setting goals and working toward a schedule would go a long way into remediating this. Another aspect is accountability. I could skip a week or a month without any real consequences (other than personal).

Despite all of that, at this stage I am going to hold on to the Toolbox Fallacy a little longer. I can see the light at the end of my project. It doesn’t mean that I don’t think about developing this medium daily… maybe it means that this is a hobby and not a future job. My recent spiritual re-awaking is starting to clarify aspects in my life that have long been fuzzy. It has made me accountable and thoughtful in more emotional ways than ever before.

One example of unexpected consequences was that I made a video about repairing a nail gun and now I am approaching 2000 views. I made it for a post on this blog, but now I have gotten a lot of questions about repairing nail guns. I never looked to see if there was any content out there and I made it for my own reasons, but maybe I should look at tool repair videos?

The final message for today is that I will keep looking at these principles and adjust accordingly when and where appropriate. Take a listen to the podcast because there is a lot of good information in there if you ever considered doing something of your own.

June 16, 2020 – Whose fault is this?

June 16, 2020 /

It has been said that some businesses have excellent return policies. These companies have come to mind Costco, Nordstrom and Amazon. Other companies offer no excuse, 100% lifetime warranties like Orvis and Lands End. That is a different criteria but an example of the breadth of differences with companies and products.

A few years ago, I needed some new shoes for an upcoming half marathon. This was a time when I was working a lot and shoes are a very personal thing. It seems like some brands need some miles on them to become comfortable while others comfort fades. Some brands seem to comfortable for everyday wear and others never. It is very difficult to know with a store fitting and always somewhat of a gamble.

It was late in the evening, like nine PM and I couldn’t decide. I was persuaded to get both, run in both and return the ones I didn’t like. I did, and I hated myself the whole time. I didn’t think that running in shoes for a week and returning them was the right thing to do. What happens to those shoes? Are they sold as new again?

Recently I bought some roof jacks from a home center. I was in a hurry when I grabbed them and they looked a little scuffed up. Overall, no big deal. When I got home and looked at them more carefully, I could clearly see signs that these had been used and returned. The scrape patter of sliding on shingles, the nail marks from where they were fastened, the tar from shingle contact, etc.

Now, these are items that will last a lifetime, especially at my usage level. There really is no harm in them being used, and obviously lightly. But, it got me thinking of the psychology of someone using something and then returning it (again).

I have bought the ‘open package’ before and low and behold it was missing some critical component. I just dont know if the missing part was removed or carelessly not returned. With today’s customer service at stores, their only real recourse is to replace the entire contents rather than make it whole which is another hassle. So, I have become a person that avoids obviously opened packaged because I have been burned by the consequences too many times.

See my post about Amazon Warehouse. They clearly did not inspect the item as the policy states or they would have known that they did not even get the same part back.

On my current project, I mistakenly bought 5lbs of 3 1/2″ box nails instead of sinkers. I didn’t even notice for weeks because I was working out of another source. I hadnt even opened them but I was going to refill my working container and noticed that they were the wrong type. So, I returned them because I can never see myself using those nails (in that quantity). In that case, the package was unopened and as new.

So, I get down to the fundamental question. Who’s fault is it when something clearly used is sold on a store shelf? Is it the returner who treats the item as a loaner? It is the store who is unable/unwilling to make a judgement on accepting items for return and by the same turn resells used items as new? Or is the consumer who expects that everything is new including the price?

Not surprisingly, I think a little bit of all three. It first starts with ethics. If a store’s policy and practice are to accept all items, regardless of condition then that is OK. To try and return the item in as un-used is not. If the store wants to resell used items, that is OK. I would like a discount (or at least a warning so that I pay more attention to the selection). The consumer should not mindlessly grab and go if these factors are important.

Multiple times, I have grabbed items from the same bin which turned out to be different. Things like pipe fittings and cabinet hardware come to mind. I now pay a lot more attention to make sure that I getting what I think that I am getting. I would like to point out that this seems to be much less so at the small hardware stores. Not only is the customer service more personal, they know their inventory and do a better job making sure things are in the right place. They also tend to have much less inventory which makes a different sized pipe fitting stand out much easier.

In the end, I just want to know that some items could be used and I will decide whether I want to shop there or purchase there.

June 10, 2020 – 100th post and a side of pain

June 10, 2020 /

I suppose that I have been lucky in life. I haven’t had any broken bones, so far no chronic illness and never a trip to the ER. I do occasionally have some kind of issue in my wrist that is triggered by typing on my lap and some prolonged mouse usage. That stems from a time when I was a young man and holding a high pressure hose all day.

The pain goes away in a few days by modifying how I use the computer and lightening up a bit on things like typing. This last week, I have been dealing with some wrist pain. Unfortunately, it is not getting better but worse. It now feels like it is sprained and is visibly swollen.

My body is telling me that I need to stop and take a break. Unfortunately, that is about a week and a half too early. Ironically, as much as I have been fortunate, I have a lot of experience with the medical system around some of the lessor known specialties.

The science of pain management is much less developed than trauma or acute medicine. It has been a number of years now, but I believe my wife has some sort of immunodeficiency. It started with psoriasis and manifested into full body pain. That lead to incorrect diagnosis of fibromyalgia, then later lupus suspect to eventually disappearing. The complete tale is very long and not really my story to share.

What I am trying to say is that based on my experience, the medical system does not know how to treat pain. The basic approach is to keep trying pharmaceuticals until the pain goes away or you do. It seems to me that the hospital is pretty quick to offer Dilaudid of Fentanyl but root cause is lacking.

I have observed this process several times. Here is a simple workflow.

  1. Person feels pain, goes to ER
  2. ER doesn’t know what to do, sends person back home to follow up with Primary Care Physician (PCP)
  3. Person meets with PCP. PCP doesn’t know what to do and prescribes drugs and tests. Person is told ‘if this doesn’t work then follow up’
  4. Repeat steps 1-3 until PCP refers to specialist
  5. Now substitute specialist for PCP in the chain until specialist gives person back to PCP or hopefully the problem is solved.

In the end, who is managing the care? It is the patient not the doctor. If you do not advocate for yourself or you are not pushy enough then you may end up near death before the issue is addressed. You cannot abdicate your health to someone else, that is foolish.

I am not anti-doctor, nor am I claiming that this is an easy job. What I will say is that they are overburdened and dare I say a little too comfortable writing prescriptions rather than root cause analysis. What changed our lives was investigation and education into actual science. Learning about the causes of inflammation and a willingness to admit that lifestyle and not a drug deficiency was the problem. Cutting out things in our diet that were causing inflammation made those problems disappear.

This has been over ten years now. The experience has made me much more receptive to the idea that there are things broken within the medical system. Care is actually one of them. It has made me realize that there are other tools that aren’t used enough like physical therapy and nutrition. If you are over weight and eat garbage then you are suspect to these problems as well.

The experience has opened me to the idea that there are new frontiers that are not medically or politically acceptable but can be effective like the cannabinoid receptors in our body. I do believe that the legalization argument for marijuana is largely for recreation use but so what? That doesn’t mean that we should write off what is possible.

Wow… I didnt wake up seeing this go this direction this morning. I was thinking that I was going to justify waiting out the pain. I feel like I have a lot more to say but I think that would be rambling at this point.

June 2, 2020 – My mom is now a YouTuber

June 2, 2020 /

I feel like I am from a different era in life. As much as I am of Generation X, I also feel like I was watching many of the character building stereotypes through a fishbowl. I am aware of the pop culture trends of the 1970s, 80s and 90s, but didn’t completely participate.

I wasn’t a ‘latch key kid’, we didn’t get cable, we weren’t allowed to watch Saturday morning cartoons or TV whenever we wanted. We didn’t spend our weekends watching rented VHS movies one after the other. We didn’t have a mall in town until high school, but we weren’t permitted to roam just willy-nilly. I guess that is probably why I am the only one in my family who knows how to set a proper table.

I am not one that wants a high degree of formality in life, but it is nice to have the knowledge in your pocket when you want it like for Thanksgiving or Christmas. I lament to my family, probably weekly that their lack of decorum around the table is sad. Some day, my boys are going to want to appear polite for someone else instead of setting the table by throwing out napkins and forks, and forgetting half the items.

One of the things I did on Mother’s Day weekend was to help my mom edit a video on proper table setting. I didn’t actually watch it until last night and I learned a few things. Here it is so that you can finally learn how to make a proper table setting.

June 1, 2020 – Aghhh… to many things going on!

June 1, 2020 /

I know that it seems like I dart around from subject to subject. And to a large degree that is true. But, this is a creative outlet that will eventually pushing to something larger. This is why I make it a priority every weekday to post. As everyone is influenced, my favorite podcasts are ones that are not strictly business but intermingle personal life into the subject matter. That is why I do it.

First and foremost, this is my mom’s birthday. Happy birthday mom. It is sometimes difficult to step back and see your parents move from “senior citizens” to very near elderly. My dad is moving toward mid seventies now. I am starting to keep an eye on them more to make sure that they can continue to be healthy and active, but behaving age appropriate. As the years move on, I need to be more involved as I am definitely the closest geographic child.

Friday night, my wife and I took a class in hosting a small group in our church. The idea is that people are allowed to gather in small groups at this time and it harkens back to a format of early church where people met in their homes. Additionally, relationship is the foundation of strong spiritual connection and growth. This is supposed to start next Sunday, I am thinking of writing more about our plans on Friday.

Saturday marked the much anticipated opening of Tractor Supply. This is the biggest retail opening in nearly thirty years in this town. It was the mid-nineties when the last grocery store (one of two) was built and a complimentary establishment to other businesses in town. I do believe that it will impact other businesses in the area, but we didnt have great options to buy things like pet food in town. I am not sure about their hours, but for a town that starts to roll-up after five, I can see myself frequenting them because other hardware options are closed.

After we inventoried Tractor Supply, we headed to Costco for our major monthly, grocery shop. I picked up a new laptop, an HP Pavillion 15.6″. This is my first experience with HP as my last three home computers and six business computers have been Dell. I am not going to try a completely justify the purchase, but in these days of school and working from home, having a device that I can use to build my site will be nice. I have been wanting to start podcasting and more video editing and now I feel like I have a dedicated home to work.

After the chores have been done, back to work on my apartment. I wont talk about it too much now, but a photo grid from the weekend.

And now, back to work.