Backbone
When I was a kid, I used to hear my mom scream into the phone angrily on numerous occasions with various companies complaining about poor service or miscommunication or even the slightest hiccup. I used to be embarrassed when we were at the mall, and my mom would cause a commotion over the littlest problems. I used to think dang..my mom is a bully, and I would get annoyed with the scene she would cause.
I grew a little older of course…and, instead, understood it from a different light. Although sometimes it escalated into pride or stubbornness, I wondered why was it that my mom was so assertive…knowing exactly how to get what she wants and not taking anything less, and in the same respect…my sister having the same persistence in asserting herself and her wants/needs. I call the art, “DGAF - not taking sh*t from anyone.”
I always wondered why I turned out passive, shying away from the faintest signs of confrontation. Letting others take advantage of my kindness even knowingly. Why couldn’t I be my mother’s daughter or my sister’s sister and have the courage to stand with resolve in my convictions and not back out no matter how little or big of the problem but stand on principles alone. I find it admirable because, in some sense, it’s recognizing one’s worth and fighting for it. Having confidence in yourself to know what you deserve and then having the courage to walk away when you know you can get better.
Realizing it now and knowing I can recognize when I’m being treated unfairly and having the power to not just let it slide but fight…although I felt weird initially saying it, I think I’m starting to turn into my mom and sister lol. I think I can proudly say that I’m developing my backbone and making greater efforts to not take people’s sh*t or let them walk over me.
Comcast is and always will be a POS service. Their customer service makes me want to bang my head through the wall repeatedly. I’ve been having to deal with them over the past few weeks regarding our broken internet service…and they literally had me walking in circles. No follow ups, cancelled appointments, he-said, she-said this miscommunications, etc. No one seriously gives a sh*t for a service that proudly claims that “they are all about their customers.” No sense of urgency at all. Anyway…enough bullsh*t. I took down a laundry list of names and ID numbers. And decided to try my hand in attacking from the offensive rather than patiently waiting on the defensive…and let me tell you…nothing will ever get done otherwise (at least not at your convenience but theirs). I don’t mean to threaten anyone of course…but when you stand by the statement that you’re a valued customer and nothing less, people will respond to that more.
Now I know what a pain it is to deal with crazy, upset customers as I do plenty of customer service at my job and have had to deal with that on my own end…but I can also recognize when people are being shady and really DGAF about you and give you sh*tty service because they can. So I’m not trying to just be a b*tch…but I can say now though..that I can be confident in standing my ground. I think with a combination of patience, assertion, persistence you can do just that. With this approach, I’ve also found an ally within Comcast’s sh*tty call service, building a relationship with one of the supervisors I can contact directly who knows my situation and who can fight within for me for the sake of fairness so that I don’t need to navigate the minefield of useless Comcast call center agents.
It’s nothing big…but I can proudly say..after much persistence, I managed to get my month of cable TV & internet comp-ed as well as HBO, Stars, and HD tv comp-ed for at least 3 months! So it’s no big deal really…but just made me reflect on the principle of being firm in what you stand for, and not taking anyone’s sh*t. Know your self worth.
I thought I didn’t have that backbone like my mom or my sister…but I think it’s just been dormant, waiting for me to actually believe I have one :]
