You sum it up nicely.
Debris Removal Charge?? Permission From Dispatch??
- Thread starter Brisco
- Start date
You sum it up nicely.
After 11 pages or so it no longer matters. The pallet has rotted away by now. Problem solved! 
Brisco
Expert Expediter
I don't mean to bring this back up, old old conversation. (Had to go 15 pages back to find it again)
But, I just kind of had a similar experience with a "Tech" at AT&T that reminded me of this discussion. (going/not going the extra mile at the delivery - good/medicore customer service - using/not using common sense)
Went like this.......
About a year and half ago when I opened up my Car Lot, I called AT&T to have the phone service turned on. Rep on phone went over rates/service, I chose service I wanted, then set-up appointment for Tech to come out and make sure everything was up and running right. I recall Rep on the phone quoting me an extra $125 charge if a "jack" had to be installed in the office or if an existing jack was not active. Told her there's a jack there, if it works, I don't know. The $125 charge would be at the Techs descretion as to whether there would be a charge or not. Just said "OK".........
Well, next day Tech shows up. Real cool down to earth guy driving a fully equipped AT&T service truck, wearing like a flannel shirt, had his tool belt on, etc. Came in, looked at the junction box, checked a couple of wires, went outside to the big green box thingy, worked there for a little bit, then came in and went to the jack in the office. Guess what??? Jack did not work. He pulled the plate off and there were no wires in there whatsoever. So he went back out to the junction box in the showroom(2500 sq ft warehouse) just to make sure phone worked there. It did, then we both noticed that there were no phone wires heading into the office.(obviously whoever had that space before I stripped all the wiring as they left) He was like "Heck - Now I gotta strand new wire from here to your office". I was like "HELL, now it's gonna cost me $125 more!!!" He just looked at me and said "I'm not gonna charge you $125 for 75 ft of wire and 20 minutes of my time".
So, half an hour, and 75 ft of wire later, I had both my Phone Line and Fax Line up and running without any extra charges. Tech and I chit-chatted for a minute, and off he went onto his next call. I plugged in my phone, my fax machine, and was a happy customer. Had not thought of that guy, even with his excellent customer service attitude, ever since.
Now we come to yesterday, and why I dug this thread out again...........
Along with the Bar/Pool Hall/Sports Bar my Brother and I are opening in Wichita Falls, we're also opening up a "High-End Pre-Owned" Office Furniture retail outlet here in the DFW area. ($$$ in this is great!!! Even in this Economy). I am running on my own with this venture. For the last month or so, I've been dealing with Leasing Agents, City Officials for Permits and CO's, electric companies, distributors, liquidators, and again, AT&T.
Signed a lease on a 2500 sq ft store front. (retail shopping center type of location) Location has a good sized showroom, 4 offices off the showroom, and a breakroom. We decided to use the small breakroom as the main office so that we can set-up those 4 offices by the showroom to "display" how our furniture would look already "set-up" as an office so the customer will have a good idea as to how the furniture would look in "their" office.
Anyways, called AT&T to have phone service put in. Went through same shemeel. Price again was $125 if a jack had to be installed or to rewire an exisitng jack. This location was once used as a Tax Office for Jackson-Hewitt, so there are phone jacks all over the dang place, even in the breakroom. Told the Rep on the phone there's like over 30 jacks in this place, and all I need is 1 jack turned on, so don't worry about that $125 charge, the Tech should have no problem. She said "OK"...........
Met with Tech yesterday morning. Guy showed up in fully equipped AT&T service truck, wearing a blue AT&T shirt, all tucked into his starched jeans, wearing his tool belt and all. Guy was "ALL BUSINESS". Not much chit-chat with the "Corporate" wanna-be. Showed him jack in the breakroom I was wanting to use. He went down hall (10 feet away) to closet where the junction box was, played with it a minute, went outside building to big phone box on back of buillding, tinkered there for a minute, came back to breakroom, popped a monitor on the jack, and guess what? No dial tone........
He then popped the cover off, and guess what?? No wiring inside!!! So, he started checking the jacks out in the showroom. Back and forth, hallway-showroom-hallway-showroom. After about 5 minutes, he came in and showed me all the jacks I could get service to. Told him again, only jack I need turned on was the one in the breakroom. He then went into a schmeeel about how the charge would be $175 to rewire that jack. I said I was told $125. He explained the $125 charge was for "wire usage and labor", and the extra $50 charge was for equipment use and some sort of hazardous labor charge. I was like "hazardous labor"???? He said he'd have to drag the ladder in, move a couple of ceiling panels, go up in the rafters, and run wire from the junction box down the wall in the breakroom. I told him that jack is probably 22 feet from the junction box, and that extra $50 charge is ridiculous. He then tried to explain to me these are rates that AT&T set, not him...............(reminded me of Phil trying to explain to the lady why it would cost extra to carry a pallet out)
Well, there was a jack right outside the breakroom in the showroom. Shared the same wall..........Asked him if that one was active. He checked it, it was. Told him to turn that one on. He did. 5 minutes later he was gone.
I sat there this morning and trimmed out a plate sized hole inside the breakroom myself. Reached in and turned the box around by hand. Placed a blank plate on the wall in the showroom, and waalaahhhh, I have a phone jack in the room I chose as an office. Total time, about 30 minutes, 1 trip to Ace Hardware where I spent about $7.00 for a blank plate and a smaller blade for my handsaw. Screw that $175 charge..........
I did this using plain common sense, of which I believe that Tech yesterday lacked.
Now, again, Sorry to bring this up AGAIN. But, it was like Deja' Vu all over. Different industry, but yet 2 major "Corporate" companies involved. (FedEx and AT&T) Guess every major company has their "common sense" individuals out there representing them doing what all they can to keep their customers happy, along with their "Corporate Wanna Be's" who's only interest is bringing in as much revenue to the company to enhance their financial portfolio any way they can.
Guess which guy from AT&T I'll probably remember the longest? Will it be the one that went out of his way to service the customers needs and leaving them with a positive outcome of the service provided? Or will it be the one that played the "Corporate" game with the customer by trying to nickel and dime them while servicing them, which resulted in pessing the customer off in general???
I don't know about you, but I seem to remember people that pess me off longer....
OK, bury this in the archives again. Just had to share a similar experience, that's all. If Phil had only carried out that pallet for that nice lady.............................
But, I just kind of had a similar experience with a "Tech" at AT&T that reminded me of this discussion. (going/not going the extra mile at the delivery - good/medicore customer service - using/not using common sense)
Went like this.......
About a year and half ago when I opened up my Car Lot, I called AT&T to have the phone service turned on. Rep on phone went over rates/service, I chose service I wanted, then set-up appointment for Tech to come out and make sure everything was up and running right. I recall Rep on the phone quoting me an extra $125 charge if a "jack" had to be installed in the office or if an existing jack was not active. Told her there's a jack there, if it works, I don't know. The $125 charge would be at the Techs descretion as to whether there would be a charge or not. Just said "OK".........
Well, next day Tech shows up. Real cool down to earth guy driving a fully equipped AT&T service truck, wearing like a flannel shirt, had his tool belt on, etc. Came in, looked at the junction box, checked a couple of wires, went outside to the big green box thingy, worked there for a little bit, then came in and went to the jack in the office. Guess what??? Jack did not work. He pulled the plate off and there were no wires in there whatsoever. So he went back out to the junction box in the showroom(2500 sq ft warehouse) just to make sure phone worked there. It did, then we both noticed that there were no phone wires heading into the office.(obviously whoever had that space before I stripped all the wiring as they left) He was like "Heck - Now I gotta strand new wire from here to your office". I was like "HELL, now it's gonna cost me $125 more!!!" He just looked at me and said "I'm not gonna charge you $125 for 75 ft of wire and 20 minutes of my time".
So, half an hour, and 75 ft of wire later, I had both my Phone Line and Fax Line up and running without any extra charges. Tech and I chit-chatted for a minute, and off he went onto his next call. I plugged in my phone, my fax machine, and was a happy customer. Had not thought of that guy, even with his excellent customer service attitude, ever since.
Now we come to yesterday, and why I dug this thread out again...........
Along with the Bar/Pool Hall/Sports Bar my Brother and I are opening in Wichita Falls, we're also opening up a "High-End Pre-Owned" Office Furniture retail outlet here in the DFW area. ($$$ in this is great!!! Even in this Economy). I am running on my own with this venture. For the last month or so, I've been dealing with Leasing Agents, City Officials for Permits and CO's, electric companies, distributors, liquidators, and again, AT&T.
Signed a lease on a 2500 sq ft store front. (retail shopping center type of location) Location has a good sized showroom, 4 offices off the showroom, and a breakroom. We decided to use the small breakroom as the main office so that we can set-up those 4 offices by the showroom to "display" how our furniture would look already "set-up" as an office so the customer will have a good idea as to how the furniture would look in "their" office.
Anyways, called AT&T to have phone service put in. Went through same shemeel. Price again was $125 if a jack had to be installed or to rewire an exisitng jack. This location was once used as a Tax Office for Jackson-Hewitt, so there are phone jacks all over the dang place, even in the breakroom. Told the Rep on the phone there's like over 30 jacks in this place, and all I need is 1 jack turned on, so don't worry about that $125 charge, the Tech should have no problem. She said "OK"...........
Met with Tech yesterday morning. Guy showed up in fully equipped AT&T service truck, wearing a blue AT&T shirt, all tucked into his starched jeans, wearing his tool belt and all. Guy was "ALL BUSINESS". Not much chit-chat with the "Corporate" wanna-be. Showed him jack in the breakroom I was wanting to use. He went down hall (10 feet away) to closet where the junction box was, played with it a minute, went outside building to big phone box on back of buillding, tinkered there for a minute, came back to breakroom, popped a monitor on the jack, and guess what? No dial tone........
He then popped the cover off, and guess what?? No wiring inside!!! So, he started checking the jacks out in the showroom. Back and forth, hallway-showroom-hallway-showroom. After about 5 minutes, he came in and showed me all the jacks I could get service to. Told him again, only jack I need turned on was the one in the breakroom. He then went into a schmeeel about how the charge would be $175 to rewire that jack. I said I was told $125. He explained the $125 charge was for "wire usage and labor", and the extra $50 charge was for equipment use and some sort of hazardous labor charge. I was like "hazardous labor"???? He said he'd have to drag the ladder in, move a couple of ceiling panels, go up in the rafters, and run wire from the junction box down the wall in the breakroom. I told him that jack is probably 22 feet from the junction box, and that extra $50 charge is ridiculous. He then tried to explain to me these are rates that AT&T set, not him...............(reminded me of Phil trying to explain to the lady why it would cost extra to carry a pallet out)
Well, there was a jack right outside the breakroom in the showroom. Shared the same wall..........Asked him if that one was active. He checked it, it was. Told him to turn that one on. He did. 5 minutes later he was gone.
I sat there this morning and trimmed out a plate sized hole inside the breakroom myself. Reached in and turned the box around by hand. Placed a blank plate on the wall in the showroom, and waalaahhhh, I have a phone jack in the room I chose as an office. Total time, about 30 minutes, 1 trip to Ace Hardware where I spent about $7.00 for a blank plate and a smaller blade for my handsaw. Screw that $175 charge..........
I did this using plain common sense, of which I believe that Tech yesterday lacked.
Now, again, Sorry to bring this up AGAIN. But, it was like Deja' Vu all over. Different industry, but yet 2 major "Corporate" companies involved. (FedEx and AT&T) Guess every major company has their "common sense" individuals out there representing them doing what all they can to keep their customers happy, along with their "Corporate Wanna Be's" who's only interest is bringing in as much revenue to the company to enhance their financial portfolio any way they can.
Guess which guy from AT&T I'll probably remember the longest? Will it be the one that went out of his way to service the customers needs and leaving them with a positive outcome of the service provided? Or will it be the one that played the "Corporate" game with the customer by trying to nickel and dime them while servicing them, which resulted in pessing the customer off in general???
I don't know about you, but I seem to remember people that pess me off longer....
OK, bury this in the archives again. Just had to share a similar experience, that's all. If Phil had only carried out that pallet for that nice lady.............................
Interesting.... Just the other day I had a delivery to an AT&T office/switching center in downtown Houston. Inside pickup at a place owned by the Cherokee Nation, which turned out to be not much of a deal since they had these six boxes ranging from 5 pounds to 140 pounds on a skid, shrink wrapped, and loaded me with a fork lift.
Then it's inside delivery, with debris removal at the consignee. The inside delivery ended up being not that big a deal, either, since the inside of the multi-story AT&T building was basically gutted for remodelling and reconstruction. The loading dock, such that its was, was inside the building. I back into the building at the opened overhead door, and there was just enough room to close the door once I was inside. I broke down the slid and stacked the boxes onto the dock area, and then a couple of the construction guys came with a cart and took the boxes up the service elevator.
But they were adamant about the debris removal, getting rid of the "wood", despite there being two large construction dumpsters right there inside the building off to the side of loading dock, barely 20 feet from where I was parked.
So, what do you do with a bunch of shrink wrap and a pallet in downtown Houston? Can't just go dumping it any ol' place, not even inside someone else's dumpster. My next pickup is at an oil refinery, delivering to another oil refinery, "no debris in trailer" required at both ends. Not much chance of passing the skid off onto the shipper, and zero shot at taking it onto the next delivery. Also, there's certainly a limit as to just how creative I can get in getting rid of it, what with my carrier's name being on the side of the van, because whatever I do I'll be representing them while I'm doing it.
Debris removal sounds like an easy thing to accomplish, great customer service and all that, not a problem, especially for (forgive me) "armchair" expediters who haven't experienced the subtle issues of what starts off as looking like 75 feet and 20 minutes of your time, but can quickly turn into a major ordeal with some significant domino effects. Those who rarely deal with White Glove, or in my case, Elite Services, and the particulars that go along with it, will likely not understand. Most of the time these things really are pretty simple, but not always, certainly not to where one can say, "Just take the skid away, it's a simple thing, and provides great customer service," because if it was truly always just a simple thing, then customers could easily deal with their own debris removal just as easily. So no, expediters really aren't just delivery drivers. Sometimes we are, but sometimes there's more to it than that, and you have to be able to know when those difference are minor, and when something that seems minor is really kind of a big deal. I got paid handsomly for the inside pickup, the inside delivery, and the debris removal, and all three in a manner which satisfied both the customer and the carrier.
Then it's inside delivery, with debris removal at the consignee. The inside delivery ended up being not that big a deal, either, since the inside of the multi-story AT&T building was basically gutted for remodelling and reconstruction. The loading dock, such that its was, was inside the building. I back into the building at the opened overhead door, and there was just enough room to close the door once I was inside. I broke down the slid and stacked the boxes onto the dock area, and then a couple of the construction guys came with a cart and took the boxes up the service elevator.
But they were adamant about the debris removal, getting rid of the "wood", despite there being two large construction dumpsters right there inside the building off to the side of loading dock, barely 20 feet from where I was parked.
So, what do you do with a bunch of shrink wrap and a pallet in downtown Houston? Can't just go dumping it any ol' place, not even inside someone else's dumpster. My next pickup is at an oil refinery, delivering to another oil refinery, "no debris in trailer" required at both ends. Not much chance of passing the skid off onto the shipper, and zero shot at taking it onto the next delivery. Also, there's certainly a limit as to just how creative I can get in getting rid of it, what with my carrier's name being on the side of the van, because whatever I do I'll be representing them while I'm doing it.
Debris removal sounds like an easy thing to accomplish, great customer service and all that, not a problem, especially for (forgive me) "armchair" expediters who haven't experienced the subtle issues of what starts off as looking like 75 feet and 20 minutes of your time, but can quickly turn into a major ordeal with some significant domino effects. Those who rarely deal with White Glove, or in my case, Elite Services, and the particulars that go along with it, will likely not understand. Most of the time these things really are pretty simple, but not always, certainly not to where one can say, "Just take the skid away, it's a simple thing, and provides great customer service," because if it was truly always just a simple thing, then customers could easily deal with their own debris removal just as easily. So no, expediters really aren't just delivery drivers. Sometimes we are, but sometimes there's more to it than that, and you have to be able to know when those difference are minor, and when something that seems minor is really kind of a big deal. I got paid handsomly for the inside pickup, the inside delivery, and the debris removal, and all three in a manner which satisfied both the customer and the carrier.
Umm, take it up the road to the Flying Pilot?
Exactly. Well, in this case, yes, since they were still remodeling, adding the Cinnabon and the Carvel Ice Cream to that location, and I was able to donate the skid to the top of a stack of pallets they already had sitting out back.
That was an amazingly good guess, though.
That was an amazingly good guess, though.
Yeah, I should have bought a powerball thing instead of wasting it here. Or I could have entered the "guess how many calories are in a Cinnabon cinnamon roll" contest.
I looked it up, it's not as bad as I thought.
Cinnabon Classic
221 grams (7.8 ounces)
Amount Per Serving:
Calories 880
Calories from Fat 320
Total Fat 36g
Total Carbohydrates 127g
Dietary Fiber 2g
That's about 2 week's worth of Atkins Diet carbs, tho.
Cinnabon Classic
221 grams (7.8 ounces)
Amount Per Serving:
Calories 880
Calories from Fat 320
Total Fat 36g
Total Carbohydrates 127g
Dietary Fiber 2g
That's about 2 week's worth of Atkins Diet carbs, tho.
I looked it up, it's not as bad as I thought.
Cinnabon Classic
221 grams (7.8 ounces)
Amount Per Serving:
Calories 880
Calories from Fat 320
Total Fat 36g
Total Carbohydrates 127g
Dietary Fiber 2g
That's about 2 week's worth of Atkins Diet carbs, tho.
Yipes...those should be labeled Hazmat...
Yipes...those should be labeled Hazmat...
AW, so what? Something has to kill you!! Might as well enjoy what does!!
AW, so what? Something has to kill you!! Might as well enjoy what does!!
Whats with the "so what"? you change your name to Greg..LOL
Whats with the "so what"? you change your name to Greg..LOL
Hey!! Be nice!! LOL!! You know, I have known several people who ate right, worked out etc. All younger than me and they all died healthier than this old fart!! All that HEALTHY stuff will kill you!!
Hey!! Be nice!! LOL!! You know, I have known several people who ate right, worked out etc. All younger than me and they all died healthier than this old fart!! All that HEALTHY stuff will kill you!!
Contrary to popular rumor, NICE is my middle name...
Something has to kill you!! Might as well enjoy what does!!
6 White Castle double cheeseburgers, large fry, chocolate shake.
YUMMO!!!!!
6 White Castle double cheeseburgers, large fry, chocolate shake.
YUMMO!!!!!
Better yet, an entire sack of White Castle cheeseburgers, take them home, get a HUGE bags of chips, some dip and a few beers to wash it all down!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Brisco
Expert Expediter
All that HEALTHY stuff will kill you!!
Yeah.....tell me about it!!!
Last night I ate "HEALTHY".
Big Ole' Salad with Wednesday nights leftover grilled chicken cut up in it. You know how well a Big Ole' salad is gonna clear ya out, right????
Well, my colon blew so hard this morning I thought I was gonna die!!!