On My Mind

I've been away for a few days, taking care of some family business.  I am happy to say it all went VERY well.  I came down with the cold that has been going around my office- all this travel and worry over the last few weeks wore me down.  I am planning on spending MOST of the day in bed, after I go to the store and replenish the larder.

I give credit to books on cd for getting me to and from.  I have put over 1,200 miles on the car in the last week and a half ( probably time for an oil change) and at some points the ONLY thing keeping me awake enough to drive was the book I was listening to.  I am more tired than I can remember being. Ever. I cannot find the spark of energy that I usually have.  I am going to TRY to sleep all day today, but the kids in the apartment complex I live in probably have other ideas.  Our bedroom fronts on the courtyard where the kids play sometimes.  It can get noisy.  I can't complain.  They are CHILDREN after all and they need a safe place to play.  The  front of the building is no good.  People drive down the street like they are qualifying. 

Customer Service- part 2.  I called to make my Gas Co payment yesterday.  For some reason, I can't get the online system to work for me, so I enrolled in their "pay by phone" several years ago.  Yesterday's encounter with the automated system gave me fits.  I got in and it asked me the amount I wished to pay  I said. "total bill"  it heard "$10.02"  and would NOT let me change it.  My bill was a BIT more than $10.02 and I wanted to pay the whole thing, so it transferred me to a live person who went "hmmmm" and transferred me back ( after telling me she would). Here's where the fun starts.  The system let me get ALL THE WAY in, and when it came time to confirm my payment, it said - and I am NOT making this up- "It seems someone has already made a payment on this account today.  If you need to make a payment today, call back tomorrow. "  WHAT???   Someone has been learning double-speak.  I called and talked to TWO more people who were just as confounded with that statement as I was.  I suggested to the supervisor that they get someone to change the message.  It will just result in really angry people.  She agreed with me.  I realize it will be rare that this happens, but what kind of system can only handle one payment and shouldn't there be some way for live employees to override it?  Gotta love technology.  I think the people who create some of the programs don't think like the rest of us and never figure in human input.  I am not saying human error, but that's what I mean.  When a person gets involved in the works, there is always a little room for problems to occur.  The Gas Company people were nice enough, but due to the changes in the system could not help me.  Thankfully I was able to get in this morning and pay the bill.  Geez.