Archive for the Personal Category

Introspection

February 19, 2009 by kastorff.

Often, but not often enough to sustain clarity, after a day or so of feeling sorry for myself about some aspect of my life (if not the whole thing), I’ll begin to get a whiff of my own cooking, and realize that for everything negative I can find in my life, there are countless folks out there who have far greater challenges than I. I also manage to uncover a long list of blessings I conveniently overlook on those self indulgent moments. Even a blind man sees life more clearly than I do at times.

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Do You Even Know What Customer Service Means?

April 1, 2008 by kastorff.

I’m amazed at what some companies call customer service. It’s like they think it’s the customer’s responsibility to figure things out, and that even the lamest excuse for an attempt at communication satisfies their obligation.

I recently heard about a company, Fast Icon, that was doing custom caricatures (www.fasticon.com). You send in a photograph, and they work with you to create a custom avatar. The price seemed reasonable, and the samples looked very nice, so on March 11, 2008 I paid $29 USD via 2Checkout.com, and received a reciept via email from 2Checkout.

I rather expected something from Fast Icon indicating what our next steps should be, but after waiting a day, on March 13th I sent this email (with attached picture) to the email address listed on their web site for picture submission.

I’ve attached the photo as indicated on the web site.
2Checkout.com Order Number xxxxxxxxx

On March 17th, I sent this follow up email.

I purchased a custom caricature icon last week (March 11th) and submitted a picture (March 13th). I’ve received no confirmation of receipt or status. What’s up with my order?

Sales Receipt: xxxxxxxxxx

Thanks,

Keith

After my picture submission and query about my order I received…nothing. No response whatsoever. Checking their web site indicated everything was up and running. I then submitted a query via their web form on their site again asking about the status of my order (because of the medium used, I have no copy of that communication). At the very least I was looking for an acknowledgement of receipt.

On March 28th, I sent this email. I had received no communication ever from Fast Icon. The only communication I’d received was the order confirmation from 2Checkout.

I’ve sent two previous emails (not including the one where I submitted a picture) requesting status of my order placed March 11th. I’ve gotten zero response. I intend to relate my negative customer experience, and the theft of my purchase price on my public discussion board. Just Google for it.

Keith

Well, well, well…after threatening to go public, on March 29th I received this email from Fast Icon (the very first response, and only communication, period, to date)

Dear Mr. Kastorff,

We placed a public note in our site last week informing all our customers about the reason of the delay and lack of the communication.
Besides, we sent emails through the 2checkout with the same information, saying that the orders would be long more than the programmed. In that same email, we asked if the customer wanted to wait, or to receive immediate refund.

We wants to render a quality service, however we had a work overload and that caused the delay.
Now we went up the price of the caricatures, to be able to hire more artists and to accomplish all the orders that we received.

But, like you it demonstrated total dissatisfaction with our service, (and I understand you, due to the delay) I’m your refund payment so that you can seek another company that makes that service for you.

Sorry for any inconvenience.

Best Regards,

Dirceu Veiga
www.fasticon.com

I looked on their site for any announcement regarding a delay; I found nothing. I never received any communication from 2Checkout explaining the delay and allowing me to choose between a refund or a delay in processing. Since I’ve received two emails from 2Checkout, based on the observed behavior of Fast Icon, I don’t believe they ever sent anything regarding my order. Even if one believes they tried, it’s quite odd I would get 2 emails (the original purchase receipt, and the refund notice — see below) from 2Checkout just fine, and not receive a supposed third.

When I checked their site for the supposed “public note” I saw that they had doubled the price for the custom caricature from the original $29 to $59.

On the same day, I sent this email in response.

Sir,

As I stated, I received no emails, either directly from fasticon.com or from 2checkout. This is the very first communication I’ve received, and I get it after I express my intent to relate my customer experience publicly. On top of that, you decide to refund my original purchase cost without offering me a choice between receiving what I ordered at the originally published price or getting a refund. You call that “quality service”? I don’t think it even gets close.

Now that you’ve raised your prices, it is essentially refusing to do work I paid you for unless I pay you more. Here in the United States, that’s grounds for a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.

Since I ordered your product at the originally published price, what I want is for you to fulfill your obligation as a business, and provide me with the product you promised, at the quality you promised. I’m not aware of anyone else doing this sort of work, are you?

I fully understand a situation where unexpected product demand causes production issues. I do not understand why any company who even pretends to care about its customers would then display the lack of communication you have, raise prices, and then refuse to deliver the agreed upon product by refunding purchase cost without any prior dialog with the customer.

I also do not see any “public note in our site”. Where is it? This is bad customer service in the worst way.

Keith

Later that day, I received an email from 2Checkout indicating they were refunding my purchase price.

I’ll let you decide if this is the kind of company you want to give your business.

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Writing the Novel

November 8, 2007 by kastorff.

I’ve always had this idea that I could write. For years I’ve thought that someday I would write a novel, and I’ve collected ideas and “thought snippets” I figured could be useful. The big issue with writing isn’t grammar, sentence structure, and phrasing…it’s having something to say. I can take a near nothing of a thought, and run with it, making up a story as I go, like spinning a yarn around a campfire, but I have difficulty sustaining it long enough to be something substantive.I had a talk with my friend Ken Boa this week about the novel I’m working on. I related my overall concept, and shared some of my plot ideas. He’s the most well read person I know, and when he indicated my plot and story ideas weren’t already published somewhere, it was great news. I had this fear I would create something someone else had already created. He gave me great feedback and some wonderful suggestions on plot twists, and he challenged me to write 3 blocks of text a week. If I can do that, I’ll be able to sustain some creative inertia, and maybe, actually, get this done.

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Thoughts For The Day

March 27, 2005 by Keith Kastorff.

Got girl friend problems again…I love her but we just don’t seem to sync most of the time. We keep going up and down emotionally, traveling from one crisis to another. She’s perfect in so many ways, I just don’t understand why we can’t seem to build this relationship.

My ex-wife is getting a divorce from her second husband. He’s a great guy who has a drinking problem. I really hope they can work things out. My son thinks a great deal of him. (Update: they worked it out, and stayed together!)

Did the sound at the early Easter service at church today. It was a hoot! The bulletin I was using didn’t match the service, so I was doing everything on the fly. With an orchestra, choir, and 3 pastors, it was wild.

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My Father

October 29, 2004 by Keith Kastorff.

I’m thinking of my father. He had ear surgery not too long ago. It wasn’t too bad, they went in to fix a hole in his eardrum and clean out some infected tissue. As far as we know, his life wasn’t in any danger, but I know I spend time reflecting on my relationship with him just like it was a life or death situation. I wish I could spend more time with him.

Both of us remember fondly the Christmas we worked together to rebuild an antique ice box for my sister’s present. We spent a couple of weeks in his shop together, and it was perhaps the best time we ever had together. Jack was in his element, comfortable, and I was trying to be a good Indian. It was one of the best times of my life.

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Blinders

January 25, 2004 by kastorff.

Some people are amazing in their willingness to judge others. Many times they don’t see themselves very clearly, yet believe they are empowered with amazing clarity when it comes to measuring others. They wear virtual blinders that enable them to see only what they want to see, and declare everything else as inapplicable to their current view. It’s a wonderful luxury to have, one that I acknowledge would be truly paradise. Unfortunately these virtual blinders are just a mask for what is really a true blindness, an inability to measure the big picture. And most importantly, these virtual blinders have no mirrors…no way to see themselves as others see them. It is so powerful to be so sure of one’s self, so convinced in one’s rightness that everything that challenges that rightness fades away into non-existence. I understand the appeal. I wish my mind would let me lie to it so completely. I keep myself from looking at some parts of myself too closely, too often, because I am either unable or unprepared to deal with my shortcomings. But thank God I do see them.

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Polarized Relationships

July 23, 2003 by kastorff.

I’m reflecting on the way we polarize our relationships, without really trying to, most often when we don’t want to. I have a tough situation with my ex-wife that is really hard to manage because of the years of frustration we’ve both experienced with each other. I don’t really dislike her, but I see her through a filter that I can’t control. And I believe she does exactly the same thing with me. I’d like to wipe that filter clean, and be able to see her today, exactly as she sees herself, to better understand her perspective. It would be so much easier if I could. Oh well…

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