Category Archives: Food for Thought

$3,500!!!

Posted on April 25, 2008 | 1 comment

This is the amount that Verizon Wireless told me I was going to have to pay them in overage fees for my internet usage. Oh, crap. That was my first thought. Then I immediately moved into intense panic mode. You know the kind. I started pacing back and forth intensely, making wild gestures, as if that was going to fix the problem. I guess I should explain things.

So, up until recently, I used my Verizon Wireless USB card for all of my internet service. It’s a nifty little device that I plug into the USB port on the side of my laptop. Super cool. Super easy. I’m a flight attendant and the card works similar to a cell phone. It was/is extremely convenient for me to use anywhere in the country. Verizon used to advertise “unlimited” service, no roaming for a monthly fee. I visit their website frequently to check my bill, etc., and even within the last few months they still were advertising “unlimited” service. This morning when I went to the site I discovered it has totally changed. They now have made it clear. They have limits.

And, that is what Jennifer told me when I called to ask why my USB card wasn’t working. To make it worse, I had gone way over their usage limit. Approximately $3,500.00 worth. Jennifer told me that I would have to let her look more closely at my account to see why I was cut off, and she would call me back in a day or two. I guess I really freaked out when she said that, because she called me back in an hour. Evidently, I was “grandfathered” into their new plans and was exempt from the overage fees. Finally, I could take a deep sigh of relief. I apologized to Jennifer for my freak-out “episode.” Evidently, she has been getting this a lot since Verizon changed their usage plans. People are suddenly being told that they owe Verizon Wireless a crap-load of money. Hopefully, people protest a little bit so that they are told that they don’t actually have to pay the money. You will still be cut off for going over. But, at least, you won’t have to pay the fees. So, I called Comcast Cable back up and set up High Speed Internet.

I really detest this kind of stuff. If only a few people blindly pay the overage fees, Verizon will make a lot of money. I’ll be switching to AT&T soon. Not because I think that they won’t screw me over, but, because they have the iPhone. I pretty much have accepted the fact that most companies have equally poor and confusing service. So, you have to choose who you are going to patronize based on different criteria. Like who has the cooler phones. Or, who’s website is easier to use.

Here’s what I learned:

1) When it comes to customer service, never take a company at its word. Always get it in writing.

2) When you get it in writing, always read all the writing. Very important details are usually buried deep within the seemingly meaningless text.

3) When you call to get help from customer service, never hesitate to ask to talk to a supervisor.

4) Always keep confirmation numbers and names of customer service personnel. Never throw away service agreements.

5) Always look at your bill. Never just accept and pay unknown or unusual charges. Always protest a little bit.

1 Comment

Posted in Food for Thought, Rants

Are there really any new ideas?

Posted on February 22, 2008 | Leave a comment

Everyone likes to think that they are original. I know I do. But, if you look at the numbers, this may not be the case. I went to howmanyofme.com (Isn’t the internet great?) and found out that there are 319 people with my exact first and last name. Also, There are 138,087 Tyler’s out there. And, 701,057 people share my last name. This, of course, is only in the United States. (According to the U.S. Census Bureau–which I worked for one summer and would make an interesting story!) On top of that, I decided to do a search of how many people have ever lived on earth. No one really agrees, but, estimates range from 70 to 110 billion. If you just look at the earth’s current population of 6.6 billion, the chances of originality are pretty small. Somewhere, sometime, someone has probably already said what you think is originally yours. Somewhere, sometime, someone has already dreamed up what you think is your million dollar original idea.

Of course, unless you are Paris Hilton. I’m pretty sure she was the first person to coin the phrase “that’s hot.” She actually registered the phrase in February 2007 and has already sued Hallmark for using it. It’s interesting to see the phrases that people “own.” It’s important to remember that just because you trademark a phrase doesn’t mean you were the original one to say it. We just have this insatiable desire to be original. Paris, a blond with not much intelligence, who lives off her family’s name and money in Southern California, now that’s original.

Of course, there are more blatant forms of plagiarism than others. For instance, politicians seem exceptionally prone to plagiarizing one another’s speeches. I’m not talking about stealing an idea or theory. I’m talking about using word for word excerpts from each other’s speeches without giving credit to the other’s speech writer. Because, of course, politicians don’t even create their own original material. What an interesting society we live in.

But, I’m getting carried away here. I’m sure this topic has already been written on many, many times. I could do a search on it and come up with 1,000,000 hits. Or, actually 12,500,000–that’s how many hits there were when I searched “originality.” I guess it’s quite the popular subject these days.

I guess my point, if I have one, is that I don’t care. Does it really matter if I was the first one to come up with an idea? Not really. Does it make me less creative if someone came up with the same thought or idea before me, if I didn’t know about it? In my mind it was original. And, the important thing is that we all continue to think and attempt to create new ideas. Because, statistically speaking, the odds are pretty good that out of 6.6 billion people, someone will eventually have an original idea that will improve our lives.

Amongst the Masses–part two

Posted on January 15, 2008 | 2 comments

Alright, so I have to be fair. Several weeks ago, I wrote part one of the article Amongst the Masses. Actually, I never intended for there to be a part two. But, I wrote it before the holiday rush. And, as usual, the holiday rush kicked my ass. I truly believe that people are at their truest and worst behavior during the holidays.

You see, I still think that the airport is a real hassle for everyone. And, I understand why it is frustrating. The whole experience is a royal pain in the derrière. I get it. But, one can only observe so much bad behavior before you start to think that some of these people just need to get over it. There are much more horrendous atrocities in the world than your flight being delayed 30 minutes. The interesting thing to me is that the worst behavior doesn’t usually come from the business traveler. They fly enough to understand how the system works. So they tend to have more reasonable expectations. It comes from the family of 10 who never travels.

They are the ones who blame me personally for not having a place to change their baby’s diaper–as if I have anything to do with airplane design. They are the ones who leave that poop-filled diaper in the seat back pocket. (Not to mention the crushed cheerios, gummy worms, chips, skittles, and ripped-up magazines on the floor.) They are the same ones who get upset when their 18 month old–whom they purposefully chose not to buy a seat for–has to actually sit in their lap. Oh boy, could I go on. But, I tend not to enjoy blog rants. So, I better move on quickly.

I can handle children. I don’t have any of my own, which is wonderful; but, I can handle them. It’s their parents that are the real problem. When I look at the rotten behavior of the parents, I can’t help but wonder how these kids are going to be when they are adults. Probably, worse.

As much as I want to provide good service, it is really difficult when people’s expectations are so completely out of whack. Seriously. So, this is my own counterpoint to the first article. All you have to do is go to one of the many airline discussion boards online. I read them from time to time just for kicks. People really have no idea. They are paying less for their tickets than ever in airline history and are expecting more than ever. But, I guess that really is the American way. Get more, pay less. What exactly did you expect when you bought your tickets for $150 each way to go coast to coast. The person next to you probably paid $600 for the same flight.

Personally, my favorite complaint is when someone shakes their itinerary at me and says, “We were supposed to go from Norfolk, Virginia to El Paso, Texas, NON-STOP. We just found out that we have to stop 3 times before we get to El Paso.”

So I say, “May I see your itinerary, please? Thanks…oh, I’m sorry, do you see here were it says ‘stops’?”

“Yes.”

“And, under that it says ‘3’?”

“Oh.”

“And, it says ‘total travel time=13 hours 41 minutes’? That means that today you fly from Norfolk to El Paso, you have 4 flights/3 stops, and it will take you 13 hours and 41 minutes.”

“Oh.”(followed by silence and a seriously nasty look)

Really? People do not read. From Norfolk, Virginia, they could have flown all the way to Hawaii in that amount of time on a NONSTOP. Sorry, I said that I wasn’t going to rant. Well, I promise my next post will not be a rant. I just had to get it out of my system. Happy travels! ;-p

2 Comments

Posted in Flight Attendant, Food for Thought, Rants

Amongst the Masses

Posted on December 10, 2007 | 22 comments

Jeff and I went to Montana to visit his family. It was a great trip, and I will share more about that later. But, first things first. I have a theory about travel. And, here it is…if those who work with the flying public would actually fly once in a while, they would have a much better perspective and would treat the flying public differently.

Jeff and I usually buy tickets when we travel. Now, realize that, being a flight attendant, I could fly for free–even on carriers other than my own. It’s just that I hate to non-rev. That’s the term airline folks use when they use their flying benefits to fly for free. It’s not that I don’t like things that are for free, I do. It’s that Jeff has to buy a ticket since he doesn’t work for an airline. And, I really hate the stress of trying to get where we’re going at the same time by flying stand-by. Who wants to be sitting in an airport waiting for flight after flight, while your partner is already at your destination?

You see, amazingly, for someone who flies for a living, I am a horrible flier. Oh, I could manage through it, if I were traveling alone or with another flight attendant. But, I don’t like the stress of it…especially when I am on vacation. So…I buy a ticket and travel like everyone else. And, after doing this several times, I am convinced that every airline employee should do this once in a while. Here’s why: Airline employees need to know what the passengers go through.

Here’s my “airport experience” as a flight attendant…

A pre-arranged van picks me up from the hotel an hour before the scheduled departure time. I am dropped off at the curb and walk directly to the front of the security line, bypassing everyone. I am allowed to leave my belt and shoes on and I am not restricted by liquid bans or number of carry-on rules. I show up to the airplane before anyone gets on it and take my time getting settled before any passengers board. At the end of my day, I gather my belongings and walk straight to the hotel van. Someone loads my luggage into the back for me and I am off.

I am not saying that there are no stresses for me at work. I do have to deal with passengers who are difficult. I am bound to the plane often for 10+ hours. And, if there are delays or other circumstances, I’m right there with everyone else. But, from traveling among hoi polloi, here is what I have learned:

The “airport experience” of the masses…

Expecting long line-waits, I had to arrive at the airport at least two hours before my departure. I wait in my first line for the ticket counter. I check my bags, say a prayer that they’ll make it to my final destination and move on to the security line. I wander through the snake-shaped line, pausing for flight crews and passengers with special needs to squeeze in front. Finally, at the front of the line, I have to take off my jacket, my belt, and my shoes. My bag, which has no liquids, is chosen for further screening. I watch without touching, the agent ruin my careful packing job. I am left with my belongings in a pile, half-disrobed, and a TSA agent pushing me to “move on.” I finally get myself re-organized and head to the gate and wait some more. I finally start to board the plane and wait in line again.

Now, the fun begins. I am 6’2″ and sitting in a middle seat for two hours. It’s not exactly comfortable. But, I’m fine. It’s only a two hour flight. At least, I’m not flying international. I arrive at my first destination and have a connection. So, I have to go through the boarding process again, followed by another crammed flight on an even smaller plane. Once I arrive at my final destination, I then deplane and wait again for my luggage, hoping that it made it all the way.

The amazing thing is that this scenario doesn’t even involve any delays or cancellations or actually any of the really extreme situations which can happen on a trip. My point is that flying is not fun. There is no question about that. Even in writing this out, I empathize with the flying public. It’s interesting to me that while I am at work, I usually think that people should be better mannered. But, honestly, now, I think that most people are just doing the best they can with a rather unpleasant experience.

And, I know as a passenger and a airline employee, it is just nice to know that someone understands and cares.

22 Comments

Posted in Flight Attendant, Food for Thought, Rants

Just a thought.

Posted on October 30, 2007 | 1 comment

I can be so easily distracted. Sometimes it’s a good thing. Like when one of your plants dies (in my case, one of my children…refer to Meet My Chirren) and you’ve got to get your mind off of it.

“What did I do wrong? I’m such a bad parent. I don’t deserve to raise plants…oh look, Oprah’s on, I’ve been wanting to see this one.”

It really doesn’t take much. Take for instance, right now. I’ve been sitting in my office (the corner coffee shop) trying to get my latest blog post out. I’ve actually been working on it for days now. And, worst of all, the one you are currently reading isn’t even the one I was working on. Although, I probably will eventually get that one out, this one was born out of a simple distraction.

I’m sitting here trying to focus and type when a guy sits down at the table next to me and starts to practically attack his laptop. At least, that’s what it sounded like. He is typing so fast and so hard, it sounds like a hailstorm. Which gets me thinking, “Why can’t I type that fast?”

“I wish I had so much going on in my head that I simply must furiously type it all out before I lose it.”

“Why don’t I have anything pressing going on in my head?”

“Am I that boring?”

“Wow. He’s typing really fast. I hope that he doesn’t break his computer.”

I sneak a glance at him and notice that he has absolutely no expression on his face whatsoever. No sweat dripping off his nose. No brow furrowed in concentration. Hmmm. This makes me think, “Maybe he’s just pretending. He just wants me to think that he can type super fast, that he’s a really important person doing really important business.”

I’m fascinated by the theater of it all. I start to think of how sometimes at work I’ll start walking really fast through the terminal–just to make people think that I am going somewhere important, not to Lubbock, Texas.

Then I get distracted again. “This is a great idea for an article. I bet I could pound this out in about 5 minutes.” And so, I begin to furiously type, lest even one thought should escape my frantic fingers.

1 Comment

Posted in Food for Thought, Humor