Don't tell me what you CAN'T do...

Tell me what you can do for me.

It's that effin simple people.

I've got 6 guys on the road, in two trucks. That takes a lot of damned gas, and, if you haven't noticed, gas is getting damned expensive. I used to just give the boys cash to fill up but that got to be a hassle, especially with one crew driving 220 miles round trip everyday to a job in Orlando.

I gave that crew a credit card with a $500 limit so they could get fuel without constantly bothering me for cash. Smart enough I thought. I've been keeping tabs on the card online and when it'd get close to the limit I'd pay it and let them start over.

They brought me the card this morning and said it didn't work, limit was reached. I'd just payed $500 on it on June 15th, I'd paid $475 two weeks before that. That's almost a grand inside of 30 days. I went online today to make a payment and I'd been hit with an overlimit fee.

To be fair, we did go over the limit, no getting around that. But $29 fee for it is ridiculous, I'd been making payments all along, not the minimum mind you but the whole damn balance. Just so happened that the card doesn't work that way. It's what you spend in the cycle that counts.

I called the company, it rhymes with Capital One... and asked that they lose the fee and I'd make the payment there and then and I wanted to talk with someone about raising the limits. All the punk kid could do was tell me he couldn't do anything for me, I had reached the collections department since I was overlimit. Crap. I made the payment, $703 right on the spot, while I was talking to him and he still couldn't do anything for me.

I told him, don't keep telling me what you can't do, tell me what you can do for me. I want the fee tossed and the limit raised, I have a great credit history that shouldn't be a problem. CAN'T DO IT. Okay so pass me to someone who can. CAN'T DO IT. Give me to customer service, CAN'T DO IT, they won't talk to you while the account is in collections. COLLECTIONS? But I've paid the bill, in full, every two weeks. Doesn't matter, it won't post till tomorrow, call back then. Do you want me to keep this card or cut it up I asked, we want you to keep it he said, then help me out here. CAN'T DO IT.

Then let me talk to a supervisor, can you do that? He wanted to know why? Are you fucking kidding me? No offense to any call center operators out there but every now and then, let go of the script, think for yourselves and help a guy out. I'm not a delinquent, I'm a damned busy guy, I ain't got time to call back tomorrow dammit. I have right now to deal with it, and right now only. We're both on the phone, let's work this out, k?

CAN'T DO IT. It was then that I presented my very controlled and pissed off customer act. Lo and behold, he passed me to a supervisor, who looked over my account history, sterling as it is, and decided to forgo the fee. WOOT! WOOT! Hot damn, now was that so tough? I mean, they control the card, why did they cut it off at $675 and not at $500 as is the limit. OOOH, OOOH, I know, they wanted to make another fucking fee. Bastards.

So, I got aggravated as hell, and only saved $29. I still have to call back tomorrow and see about having the limit raised. Ah, but therein lies the rub. I cut the fucking card to pieces. Yeah, I'm kinda that way. I have this quaint little notion that I'm the customer and the vendor is supposed to want my business and take care of me. When they don't, I take my business elsewhere.

So, I'll dig through the ole bag 'o credit cards and give the boys another, from another company, maybe with a higher limit. There's more than one way to fill a truck.

Okay, I'm done now, and yes, I feel better. Hope y'all have a great Wednesday, and ATL LG, be happy man, you don't have to look at my white ass any more.

HNT

Was the least I could do, haven't posted a damn thing in two weeks it seems.

Sooner or later I'll put something up worthwhile. Thanks to those that still stop by even during the content drought.

Happy HNT y'all!

Finally

A chance to sit down, and not behind the steering wheel. Since Monday am I have driven nearly 950 miles. Monday to St. Augustine and back, around Tampa on Tuesday. Wednesday back to St. Augustine then today back from there through Orlando.

No special reason for Tuesday's Sinatra clip, just feeling beat up and left for dead for the day. Love to blast that song when things aren't the way they should be, reminds me why I was in the situation I was in. Cuz I did it "my way". And it wasn't the wrong way, I just bit off more than I could chew it would seem.

I just have a look at the books and gaze at the bottom line - more often than not that cheers me up. Pisser is it's all in receivables on not in my damn bank account. To give you an idea of how much I've taken on and grown... current receivables under 60 days are about 10 grand less than last years total revenue. Not bad eh?

Now things have settled down and seem to be under control - for the next hour or two anyway - maybe, I hope, please. Tomorrow I'm gonna fly to Charlotte (if I can find my flight info).

Headed there to watch my niece graduate from high school.

(that's not her - she hasn't graduated yet...)

Gonna be some family in, so there'll be lots of food. And if I have any say in the matter, there'll be a few (read 79) of these as well.

Maybe, just maybe I'll get to relax for a couple of days. Wonder if I remember how.

Everybody - just have a damned fantastic weekend, Pirate's orders.

There were times

I'm sure you knew
when I bit off
more than I could chew
but through it all
when there was doubt
I ate it up
and spit it out.

Hate to talk with my mouth full, but today sucks.

FreeBooby Tuesday

Hey all, hope your respective Mondays went well, the pirate drove to St. Augustine and back, perfect way to fill the day I suppose. 400 miles. yeehaw.

Have to head back there tonight, have a truck arriving Wednesday am and I'm all out of crews. I actually have to put my tools on this week - that's not supposed to happen. Bringing in a couple of extra hands but not normal crews so I'll have to educate them first and hope we can finish in an expedient manner. And there's why I won't be around the rest of the week.

When I come back Friday I have a flight to North Carolina for my nieces graduation on Saturday. Will get back Sunday from there and then more than likely it'll be back to St. Augustine for another couple of days. Basically I won't see home for a week or so.

Anywho, FreeBooby Tuesday it is. Here's a few, pair. The first I just kinda like, it goes with the whole pirate and the sea thing. Damn nice photoshop by somebody.

Have a great week people.

Pirate out.

Friday.

Seeing as how the instigator of FuckYou! Friday has taken a hiatus(?) I'm not gonna bitch about anything today. Not that I don't have anything to bitch about and a few fuck yous to hand out, I'm just not in the mood.

Yesterday the Pirate was having a fucked up day, really. I was doing something entirely out of character for me, worrying about something I couldn't control. Not me, not what I do. I pretty much wasted the entire damn day fretting, worrying and bitching. Again, not me, not my style.

Has to do with a job that will not be done on time. Been FUBAR from the beginning, this is for the day job and not my biz but it still has my name all over it and that bothers me. I decided that I'd go get my hair cut just to get away for a while and that's when I had my moment.

In the spot next to me was a guy just two years younger than me, also getting his hair cut. Difference here was that he was in a wheelchair, a quad, couldn't speak either, and the two women with him were arguing over how his hair should be. This guy had a completely normal life til 4 years ago when a car crash left him in this condition. Turns out my day wasn't so damned bad after all now was it.

I could still walk, I could still talk, I could still tell Maren how to cut my hair. In the scheme of things who cares if the truck with my material is gonna be late, who cares if it's gonna cost the boss man 3 grand a day for everyday the jobs not done past the 13th (well maybe he does, but he never did anything to make sure it was gonna be on time) so screw it. Not my problem.

All I could think about was that guy sitting there, probably hearing these two argue over his hair and not being able to tell them to shut the fuck up. My day was pretty good all things considered. I'm over it now, I'm still gonna go to Charlotte for my neice's graduation on the 8th and if the job isn't done so fucking be it.

Y'all have a great weekend, have some fun and enjoy yourselves.
Pirate out.

Grandma Update - she's doing better, much better than expected. she should be able to come home this weekend and after a week or so be able to live on her own again. Yeah Granny! You go girl!