Medical Insurance Sucks
I have noticed an up tick recently in the number of my friends who are having medically necessary treatments or procedures declined for payment by insurance companies. It seams like the insurance companies are trying to save as much money now as they can before the new laws take affect.
Personally, I have begun asking my doctors office if they take my insurance, and how much or what percentage is covered for each service the doctors office provides. I am doing this, because the doctor might see me, or order tests with out thinking about my insurance coverage, and then I might end up in collections because I can’t pay the bill. Apparently, it’s up to me to be pro active if I want to stay out of medical bill debt.
Personally, I would have liked the health care bill to require the medical profession to make the costs the same for any test, procedure or treatment no matter where it takes place. If a CAT scan is ordered on my shoulder, the price should be the same all across the country. If a specific blood test is ordered by my doctor, the cost should be the same in a hospital or in a local private clinic. If I have 12 visits for my physical therapy for my broken leg, the cost should be the same no matter where I go for therapy.
I realize, that some people would call my idea the beginning of socialized medicine, and that others would argue that you should be able to go to the most expensive place you want if it means getting better care, but the system we have now is just not working. Many of the doctors we see also own a piece of the labs or therapy clinics we go to, so not only are they making money from our office visits, they are making money on the tests they order as well. If you’re a doctor, how cool is that.
If you have an opinion, tell us about it, let others know how you think, share your feelings. If you want to let your government officials know how you feel, then send them a letter through www.directcomplaint.com.
Who’s minding the store?
I was at Best Buy the other day, to get the serial number for an Apple computer that was stolen from my daughter’s car. She made the mistake of leaving the computer in her car over night, and in the big city, that’s a no no.
I gave the clerk at Best Buy the information he needed to look up my computer purchase, and in no time at all, he found it. I mean he found my purchase, but not the serial number. Apparently, the serial number of the computer is not kept by the store. According to the clerk, the serial number was only on the box the computer came in, or on the recovery disk that came with the computer.
I explained to the clerk, that the Boston PD wanted it to see if the computer is in any pawn shops, but he still insisted that Best Buy didn’t have the number. I explained to the clerk that I was sent into the store by the corporate customer service department, who told me that the serial number is only kept on file in the local stores, and not in the Best Buy corporate offices. According to the clerk, I was given wrong information by the corporate office. The bottom line is no serial number, no chance of getting back the computer.
I would have thought that in today’s world of tracking and accountability that the store would be more diligent in their record keeping, but apparently I was wrong. I would have thought that Apple Computer Company would have required Best Buy to keep the serial numbers of the computers sold, if for no other reason then for accounting and inventory control, but I was wrong again. I would have thought that the serial number would have been printed on the receipt, or the extended service plan for easy tracking, but I would still be wrong.
It seams to me that stores like Best Buy should be required to keep records of the serial numbers of big ticket items like computers if for no other reason, then to be able to prove that the computers sold did not come off of the back of some truck high jacked three months ago. The store was glad to sell me the computer, and take my money, but apparently, that is where their responsibility to me and to Apple Computer ends. The next time my daughter buys a new computer; I will have to insist that she keep the box.
If this is the new way of doing business, we will all end up with a store room full of empty boxes just to prove that every thing we own is really ours.
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Making Hotel Reservations is Not Fun!
I can remember when booking a hotel for a vacation was as easy as calling a simple to remember 800 number, booking the accommodations, giving your credit card for a hold only, and that was it. These days, it’s not so easy to book a hotel, or even to figure out how to get the best price. As part of the new world of making reservations, we still have the 800 numbers, but now they have different rates for weekends, high volume dates, room sizes, children or no children, and an assortment of amenities. As if that’s not bad enough, travel agents have other rates, and on line “discount” web sites offer a hoist of so called discounts making it almost impossible to figure out where you can really find the best rates. I am beginning to think, that the industry wants us as consumers to feel confused so that we will just take any price that is offered to us, even if it is the highest rate the hotel offers. Telephone reservations still require a credit card, only now, they actually run the card first, and put a hold on the entire amount of your booking. Some hotels even charge your credit card a cancellation or change fee if you make changes with in five days of your stay.
Booking on line is even worse. Using your credit card on line to book hotel reservations is like giving your money away. The web sites that claim to have the lowest prices have very strict and limited cancellation policies that almost none of us ever read. They add on a bunch of additional charges for “processing, confirmation, taxes, user fees, and transaction fees”. By the time you add up all of the fees, your not really saving much money I have often found that one of the best ways to get a lower hotel price is to call the hotel directly. If it is a national or international chain, don’t use the 800 number, but go directly to the location where you want to stay. Use your smarts, look on line for the lowest price you can find, call the national reservations number to get a quote, and only after you do all of that should you call the local number. Tell them about the lowest price you found, and let them know about any memberships you have like AAA or AARP etc…
Unfortunately, booking a hotel reservation is like booking an airline ticket. I would bet that if you ask the other people standing on line with you at the check in desk, you would find that most if not all of you each paid a different price for the same accommodations on the same night. If you have problems with your hotel reservations or complaints about any hotel stay, check out www.directcomplaint.com and use the Hotel Motel Complaint Form in the consumer complaint center.
Extended Service Plans- Do we really need them?
Extended Warranties: Worth The Investment?
When the customer service representative offers an extended service agreement on a product you are buying in the store, or ordering over the telephone, do they really understand what they are talking about?
I just hate it when I receive a call, especially from Sears, and the person on the other end of the telephone is trying to sell me an extended service agreement on everything I have ever bought from Sears. It doesn’t matter if the item is twenty years old, dis-continued, or even if I have thrown it out years ago. As long as Sears has a record of it, you can always get it covered. It’s just as bad when you purchase home electronics, computers, car accessories, and even head phones from your local consumer electronics store.
A $39.00 pair of head phones will get you an extended service plan for three years at $49.00. A $400.00 computer will earn you an extended agreement for only two years, and cost you $199.00. Most of the extended service agreements don’t even offer you any coverage while the product is still under the manufacturers warrantee, and that makes the actual coverage even shorter.
If you ask the customer service representative when the extended service plan takes effect, the answer you are most likely to hear, is “as of today” and that couldn’t be further from the truth.
The customer service person or sales representative makes extra money each time they up-sell, and get you to buy an extended service agreement, or service maintenance plan.
The store is betting that you will forget that you bought the plan.
If you were to buy an insurance policy for your car, or invest in the stock market, the representatives would all have to be licensed by your state or the federal government. Doesn’t it make sense to require people selling us service plans to know more about their companies plans, and the coverage’s they offer?
Attitude is everything
I think everyone can agree that we all get a sense of anxiety before we call customer service. We all wonder who or if anyone is going to pick up on the other side. I can say that 50% of the time I call customer service; the representative for the company does not speak English, is hard to understand or has a bad attitude. How can the person representing the company understand your problem or concern if they do not fluently speak your language? I’ll tell you how; the script they are told to follow. But, the conversation doesn’t always go as smoothly as planned.
If a company knows the best way to succeed in providing good customer service, they should guarantee their employees will display a positive attitude, concern, empathy and interest in the costumers feelings. Doing this can generate positive customer feedback, even when delivering bad news. From the famous Winston Churchill, “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.” There are many ways a rep can display positive attitude, for example smiling, it has been proven that smiling when on the telephone or even during an online customer service “chat” sends out positive signals to your customer. The rep should also always learn active listening; hearing should not be confused with listening, by listening this will enhance the customer service contact, they should be displaying that they have listened to you closely; they should give you the proper information to solve your problem. You should all know how a customer service rep should treat you, but if you have experienced bad attitude, no concern or disinterest for the problem you are calling about, than as a consumer the power is in your hands and you should use it!
I think everyone should be convinced that attitude is a big part in solving a problem,
Customer service starts and ends with attitude.
Customer Service, always get their name.
Why is it, that when we call a customer service center, the representatives are often un-willing to give us their names or the name of the state or country where they are located?
Could it be that the policy of the company is to not be consumer friendly, or that the representative doesn’t want to give us the information because if they give us wrong information, or can’t help us, they don’t want to get in trouble?
Even if we get the representative to give us their name and or location, we truly don’t know if it is correct. I mean, it’s hard to believe a person who says they are in India, or Thailand, when they say their name is Jack or Jill. Even if the representative offers us their “ID” number, the chances of it being correct are generally low, and if they don’t make any notes in the computer, or give us a confirmation call number, we can unfortunately assume that their will never be a record of our telephone call.
I recommend that when you call customer service with a problem or complaint, that you begin each conversation by calmly asking the rep. for their name, ID number, and state or country of the service center you are calling.
If they refuse to give it to you, calmly ask for the supervisor, and tell the representative that you don’t want to be placed on hold, or put into a voice mail box. When you are transferred to a “supervisor” ask the person the same aforementioned questions, and if they are a supervisor. Unfortunately, many customer service reps. will just dump your call back into their call system. If this happens, immediately ask to be connected to a supervisor, get the name, and try again.
You can also post your complaint for free at http://wwwdirectcomplaint.com on the consumer poster board, and let the world know how you feel.
If you would like to know more about customer service telephone etiquette that is: suppose to make your call a pleasurable experience,
You call customer service, but nobody’s home!
As we begin the new decade, I can’t help but think of the ways that customer service has changed. Companies spend a lot of money to “improve” and “streamline” their customer service centers and policies, but they have over looked the customer.
It is probably easier to call the White House, then to call most companies customer service lines. The first problem is the menu of choices we hear telling us to press a number, only to get into another menu and press yet another number. Once we get to the end of the selection lines, we are then requested to hold for who knows how much time, only to get dis-connected, or speak to a person who informs us that we are in the wrong department, and they need to transfer the call.
The micro management of customer service has only served to rain more confusion down on our heads. I think that many companies are secretly hoping that if they make the customer service experience complicated, then consumers will just quietly go away. What ever happened to good old time phone systems, with humans answering the phone, speaking in English, and knowledgeable about the products?
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Your Home Office On Wheels
Your home/office on wheels is coming sooner then you might think. Pretty soon, you won’t have to go to your office to do your work, and you won’t have to go home to your family at the end of the day. Technology is quickly bringing the internet and social networking into, and on to the dashboards of new cars. Pretty soon, the glove box will be replaced by an all in one printer, fax, and copy machine.
In keeping with the theme of yesterday’s blog post, I feel it is necessary to at least question the direction that technology is taking us. Not only will the new automotive technology increase our distractibility factor, it will make it easier for us to shut out the rest of the world. Pretty soon, when a friend tells you they slept in their car, it will probably mean they were using the car as a kind of escape from the rest of the world.
The pace of technology is moving so fast, that we barely have a chance to get a taste of one type, and a new one comes along. When will we reach over load? Before we know it, psychiatrists will be treating people for technology over load and interface related disorders. Here is just one example of future automotive technology, you be the judge.
Texting While Driving
Texting and Driving don’t mix; at least that’s what the federal government thinks.
We have all heard arguments for and against using our cell phones for texting while driving. I would even bet that most of us who do text while driving have been asked on at least one occasion to stop texting by passengers in the car. If you have young children in the car or mini van, and you are texting while driving, you are probably already distracted by the children, and they don’t have a voice to ask you to stop texting.
I am totally blind, and there are not many things that scare me, but hearing the driver text while he or she is going sixty miles an hour down the highway does not leave me with a safe feeling inside.
The federal government via congress, seems determined to get into the argument. Pending legislation would link the amount of federal highway funds a state receives directly to their texting while driving laws. In affect, the federal government won’t tell individual states what they should pass for laws, but they will with hold valuable resources if states don’t conform to the federal mandates.
As a passenger, I want to be able to talk on my cell phone, and if I could see to text, I would do that too. But, if I were a driver, I would not talk on the phone, and I definitely would not text, even if the texting screen is in the middle of the steering wheel, no way, not me.
What do you think? This is an important issue that will effect us all in the future. To learn more about proposed legislation check out the link provided.
