I got an estimate from Scottish Gas for putting temperature valves on 6 radiators. I did a wee bit of research. Well, I asked a couple of pals and a heating engineer who lives across the road. Discovered if I did this, I could save some money on my heating bills and would only pay 5% vat because it's a home improvement. I also found out it's a good idea to hold on to old radiators rather than replace them: the older they are the better quality they are. So I phoned up, pledged £387 and made an appointment for today between 12 and 6.
I found at 2.00 and 2.01 I had missed calls on my mobile. I gave my mobile number to Scottish Gas under protest because the phone is on vibrate (I hate the ring tones available) and if I'm not right next to it, I don't hear it. I asked them to use my landline, which in fairness they have done up till now. I tried phoning the number I'd missed, got voicemail confirmation I'd had a call from Scottish Gas but it wasn't urgent and they would contact me another time.
So all through this lovely summer afternoon, I sit in the house by the phone. I have tubs to be filled outside, plants to split or move and coffee to drink sitting on the steps. At 4.20 I finally find the contact number, faff about with the Scottish Gas switchboard and finally get hold of someone in the call centre who passes me to someone in the appointments section.
The person who took the original booking had omitted to order the parts for my job. That was what the missed calls were about at 2pm. Why did nobody phone me again? They thought they'd left me an urgent message to phone them. Wrong - I was able to play them the message that had been left - hah! Why were they using my mobile number when I'd asked them four times in writing to use my landline? A mistake. I rebooked for the 18th of June having checked the person I was talking to had booked the parts.
At no time did anyone use the word sorry. You know, the word you use in business when you've f*ck*d a customer about, want to keep their custom and have been trained to understand sometimes that's all the customer needs to hear.
Why didn't I lose the rag and scream and shout? No point. The rest of my service from Scottish Gas has been fine for years. I even have my pal's daughter in the call centre in Hamilton keeping an eye on my account to make sure all goes well. Sadly, she was having a day off today. Really, Eirwen, it had to be today?
And anyway I lost the place completely last week when I got a cold call from someone called Jean (funny that) with a pronounced Indian accent, representing Virgin Media and promising me a new deal on my phone/broadband/TV set-up. But first Jean wanted me to give her my password. You know, the secret one you're meant to keep - well - secret. And she wanted me to think of it while I was standing over the cooker making a stir-fry. I threw a strop it took me hours to recover from. Not worth it. So today I did the zen thing: poured myself a glass of wine and went and sat on the steps, watched the butterflies and listened to the birdsong. And as soon as one of my neighbours appeared, I poured her a glass of wine too.....and then I let rip.
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