The One Where Sears Customer Care Tells Me to “PISS OFF”

Posted on by Scott / 3 Comments

Wow – so I guess we’re following up on this old post tonight!

Earlier this afternoon, I got yet another e-mail from the same Sears mailing list that I’ve asked them to remove me from three different times now. The one that I never technically requested to be on in the first place. Out of sheer curiosity because every now and then you see companies respond better via social media than their own websites, I threw a quick tweet out there in chance that someone at Sears might see it…

Sure enough, they did, and somebody actually replied pretty quick offering to look into the issue for me…

I was pretty impressed, so I followed and sent them a couple of direct messages to explain the situation and it’s longevity, and I also shared that old blog post to help explain that this is been an issue for a while. I was angry, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say that I’ve been an asshole about the situation or anything. At least not enough to warrant this lovely example of customer service that appeared in my inbox about an hour ago!

From: Sears Social Media Customer Service 2 <[email protected]>
Date: Thu, Sep 27, 2012 at 6:38 PM
Subject: RE: S / 3 / Twitter / ssevener/Scott Sevener / Marketing
To: [email protected]

Scott
You are too damn stupid to be worked with. Please stop compalining about your issue. This company has more important issues then dealing with your whining about alleged spamming. Now PISS OFF!!

<mailto:[email protected]>
<mailto:[email protected]>
Thank you,

Agent Name
Social Media Support – Senior Case Manager
Email: [email protected]
Hours: Monday – Friday 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM (CST)

That’s right – a frustrated customer raised an issue to Sears that their system wasn’t removing him from one of their mailing lists properly, and in return I got called stupid and told to piss off. I worked in a call center for a number of years, and not for nothing but that kind of outburst to a customer would’ve gotten pretty much anyone fired on the spot.

(note the lack of a real name – only Agent Name … that’s convenient)

After ranting about this absolutely insane response on Twitter, the Twitter Sears person must’ve seen at least one of my tweets – I’m guessing only the one where I included @SearsCares in the body – because I got a follow-up apologizing again for my frustrations, and also offering to forward these concerns to my case manager for review! 😯

Kinda curious to see where it goes from here. I mean, maybe their social media gurus don’t take it seriously, but there are some pretty hefty fines associated with the CAN-SPAM Act if a company refuses to honor opt-out requests properly. I don’t think what I’m asking for is unreasonable, though – I just don’t want to get e-mail from Sears that I never asked to receive in the first place.

Then again, it’d be cool if they didn’t call me stupid, either … I do still tend to shop there quite a bit. Might need to re-think that one…

Google Maps Takes to the High Seas!

Posted on by Scott / 0 Comment

This is cool – so while Apple is having problems getting its new iOS6 mapping feature to recognize key features like roads and buildings, Google is donning its snorkel and flippers to allow users to explore the oceans via a series of interactive underwater panoramic pics of some of the most iconic diving locations in the world. Wow!

Highlights can be found here; or view directly in Google Maps “Street” View here.

Happy diving! :mrgreen:

Lizard Under Glass, Frog Over Glass

Posted on by Scott / 0 Comment

I came across this rather amusing little scenario upon returning home from my walk with Cleo this evening. I like to imagine a little dialog between them…

“Hey, buddy – how’d you get in there?!”

“Nevermind how I got in here – how’d you get out there?!”

“I dunno. I guess I’ve just sort of always been out here! Hey, you should come out here with me – it’s a lot more spacious than it looks in there…”

“How’s about we trade places? You come in here, and then I’ll go out there for a while. It’s actually kinda nice in here – a little bright and warm, though…”

“Nah – I’m good. I guess I’m gonna go sit on that wall for a while. If you find a way out here, you should come join me!”

“Wait – don’t go!!!”

“Crap.”

Have pumpkin, and that’s about it…

Posted on by Scott / 0 Comment

Writing has been a little chaotic since I got back from Michigan last weekend – probably because the clock is already ticking and I’ve barely got a week left to work with before hopping on a cruise ship for a week of tropical fun down in the Caribbean!

Yeah, I’m probably not getting much sympathy from you there, now am I???

🙄

Well, one thing I can report is that pumpkin blogging has seemed to spark back up for another season! I ended up doing quite a bit of posting between Madelyn’s baby food and other stuff while I was up north, and it’s always fun to see the random surge in traffic on that goofy, random little creation between the months of September & December!

P.S. Last night my wife surprised me with a big batch of these and they were pretty amazing! Click through the picture to check out the full review, with recipes, over on said goofy pumpkin blog…

Dream Journal : The Beach House

Posted on by Scott / 0 Comment

This is a really quick one, but I feel like it’s worth documenting simply because this was an awesome house!

I’ve had a couple of memorable dreams about beach houses, really, but this one simply took the cake because not only was it right on the beach, but literally the water came right up to the back door! In hindsight, I have absolutely no idea how the foundation was maintained or how the place fared when tides came in each night, but for all tends and purposes of this particular dream, it just seemed awesome to me.

I didn’t really experience much of the house, but at one distinct point I was walking from the end of one wing to the other when I noticed people outside and decided to check it out. I’m really not sure what was keeping the water outside – you’d step out a door and suddenly be standing on a sandy beach with seawater up to your ankles! Outside I found my Dad getting ready to go kayaking with another guy who I later identified to be my new neighbor. We chatted for a minute, then the two of them got in their boats and paddled for a small hole in a seawall made out of rocks, and then they were gone.

It may also be worth noting that my Dad (in real life) had a stroke a while back and probably won’t be kayaking again anytime soon, though he used to love it in his earlier years. So many weird things in this dream, but above all else – man, was that house cool!

Woohoo! iPhone 5!! It’s gonna be AMAZING!!! Oh, wait…

Posted on by Scott / 0 Comment

Alright, alright – so when you put it that way, maybe I don’t need to rush out and replace my perfectly great iPhone 4 that’s technically two versions behind now, but still surpasses my expectations in about every other way!

For the record, though, I still don’t get what all of the stink is about changing up the connector – how many things do you people plug your phone into?! I’ve got a special cord attached to the stereo in my car, and that’s about it – everything else is just the standard USB -> iPhone 30-pin cable that you can buy on Amazon for $2.35 a piece. What, do you have docking stations for every flat surface in your house or something?!?!?!

The Popinator

Posted on by Scott / 0 Comment

I don’t know about you, but it helps me to sleep at night knowing it’s out there, serving up tasty treats for the extraordinarily busy and/or lazy, not to mention those who don’t have any arms at all…

Random Observations From the Road – the long drive back home again…

Posted on by Scott / 0 Comment

Drove back from Michigan with just me and the dog, as the wife departed mid-trip for a business excursion out west. I think the last time I drove all the way from Michigan to Florida – by myself, in 2 days – was probably sometime in 2005, and needless to say, I didn’t miss it!

Next time Cleo is gonna have to learn how to fly… 😉

(Michigan) It was only about 15 minutes into the drive that I realized I had forgotten to download any new podcasts for the 22-hour journey which was now underway. Damn you, Apple/Verizon, for requiring a wifi connection for downloads over 20 MB – what part of Unlimited Data Plan don’t you understand?!

(Michigan) On the upside, at least it wasn’t snowing.

(Ohio) For some reason I always think of Ohio as being a really long state, akin to driving the 4 hours through Michigan, but I guess it actually goes by pretty quick when you cut corners across the state! Also, most spacious. rest area. ever.

(Kentucky) I wonder if semis can get ticketed for not merging over when there’s a disabled vehicle on the side of the road. I mean, it’s a nice gesture and all, but after several hours of watching their ping-pong games, it makes me curious as to how many new accidents are caused by semis merging over into other cars to leave room for accidents that have already transpired!

(Tennessee) Why in the world doesn’t this state have a rest area along I-75 anywhere before Knoxville?!?!?! I ask because my bladder really needed one at that point… 😛

(Tennessee) P.S. Thank god this was my stopping place for the night because 12 hours is a lot of driving for one guy (and one dog)!

(Georgia) Butts county.

(Georgia) Also, the more I got in and out of the car by this point, the more I felt like an incredibly old man. Exercise – yoga – I need something!

(Florida) Left Michigan at noon on Friday, layover in Tennessee, and pulled into our driveway back home just after 9:00pm. Whew…

Notable Mentions…

  • There really aren’t any good options for a man by himself to use the rest room when he’s traveling with puppy.
  • Likewise with good places to eat, but I’m also getting incredibly picky about fast food these days.
  • Believe it or not, Cleo will eventually get to the point where she’ll refuse peanut butter even when the jar is thrust into her face, though as far as I can tell it requires quite the upset/carsick belly to get her there. 🙁
  • Cheddar Cheese Bagels from Tim Hortons make for pretty much the most fantastic road trip treats ever.

Caine’s Arcade, Part 2 – a cardboard arcade follow-up

Posted on by Scott / 0 Comment

Remember Caine’s Arcade from earlier this spring?

Well, they’ve been hard at work not only fostering Caine’s creativity, but also encouraging other kids all around the world to do the same! They’ve started the Imagination Foundation to help support childhood creativity, and now they’re getting ready to host the Global Cardboard Challenge, where over 100 events in more than 25 countries around the world will host kids making their own inventions out of cardboard and then invite the rest of us to come out and play!

These kids are our next generation of scientists and engineers … isn’t it inspiring to see creativity gone viral in such an incredibly productive way?! 😉