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Why I'm changing careers #1749


goldendesign

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An independent jewelry maker next to the Subway changes watch batteries for $5.00, has a sign in his window advising such. I don't buy jewelry but I stopped in to get fresh batteries in a couple of old watches.

Very nice old guy, about my age, mellow vibe to the shop, hard to describe but it had a peaceful feel to it. So he's changing the batteries, talking to me in a slight accent, radio playing in the background.

A rap song came on and he spun around and turned off the radio. Turned back to me and said (paraphrase) "that is not music, demeans woman, advocates violence, I will not listen to it "

I know where I'm buying my watch batteries, and any jewelry I may find myself needing. 

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2 hours ago, Airehead said:

I would treat you kindly and pay for the battery.

This is why Airehead is a saint.

Me, I'd buy a watch that had the same battery as my hearing aids, my bike computers, the battery powered Christmas ornaments, and my calculators and every time one of them died I'd stuff in the back of that watch with the 5 year warranty and take it back to that stiff in the mall jewelry store who's ripping off all the old people by giving them the free batteries.  :nodhead:

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So you're going into IT?

An industry where people are constantly blaming us for being a cost suck, a necessary evil, voyeurs, control freaks, or "those weird geek" people, because they don't understand what we do or that we actually are the support that drives their sales/service crews in order to make a profit?

The people that tell us six months after we fixed a problem "Ever since YOU were here, this thing happens? (Hint:  Why are you telling me this six months later, when you could have told me three weeks later? Could it be in the hope we won't bill you for something you did five months later?)

The people that call you for professional help, yet feel compelled to give you advice about how to solve the problem they're paying a hundred bucks an hour to have fixed? (Hint:  I sure as heck don't tell my plumber or auto mechanic how to do their job, but you are another matter).

The people that scream at us when their shit is broke as if we were the ones that actually broke it, rather than the people riding in to save the day?

The people that tell you they had their genius son try to fix the network first, because we're so expensive, but that didn't help, so they didn't have a choice (Hint: Your son took a mild to moderate problem and made it much worse, and now if I can't fix it, you'll triumphantly say "Even the pros couldn't fix it!" and when we can, you'll gripe that it cost more due to the increased difficulty?)

You chose this as your next profession....as someone who has been doing it 22 years....well....I'm going to grin at the irony. ;)

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12 hours ago, goldendesign said:

If I banned every customer who was rude to me I would have no customers in the end.

The culture of today is that no matter I am a skilled tradesman, owner, and all around okay guy. I work in a mall and therefor am a piece of shit that can be treated as such.

Trust me, you don't have to work in a mall to get that from some customers.

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5 hours ago, LoneWolf said:

 

You chose this as your next profession....as someone who has been doing it 22 years....well....I'm going to grin at the irony. ;)

Im becoming a software engineer. Though I understand what your saying. In any service profession you have to be ready to be shit on. I might be overly hopeful that it won't be so blatant. My wife works in an engineering consulting firm and office politics and griping happen but I've never heard her have a client/coworker walk right up to them in a room full of people and call them a piece of shit, thief, incompetent, or any other forms of blatant abuse. I and my staff deal with entitled "customer always right" clients on a weekly basis. I've done this for 16 years.

I'm hoping, though how I'm treated is merely an aside to my change, that it is at least more overt than retail customer service. 

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8 hours ago, LoneWolf said:

So you're going into IT?

An industry where people are constantly blaming us for being a cost suck, a necessary evil, voyeurs, control freaks, or "those weird geek" people, because they don't understand what we do or that we actually are the support that drives their sales/service crews in order to make a profit?

The people that tell us six months after we fixed a problem "Ever since YOU were here, this thing happens? (Hint:  Why are you telling me this six months later, when you could have told me three weeks later? Could it be in the hope we won't bill you for something you did five months later?)

The people that call you for professional help, yet feel compelled to give you advice about how to solve the problem they're paying a hundred bucks an hour to have fixed? (Hint:  I sure as heck don't tell my plumber or auto mechanic how to do their job, but you are another matter).

The people that scream at us when their shit is broke as if we were the ones that actually broke it, rather than the people riding in to save the day?

The people that tell you they had their genius son try to fix the network first, because we're so expensive, but that didn't help, so they didn't have a choice (Hint: Your son took a mild to moderate problem and made it much worse, and now if I can't fix it, you'll triumphantly say "Even the pros couldn't fix it!" and when we can, you'll gripe that it cost more due to the increased difficulty?)

You chose this as your next profession....as someone who has been doing it 22 years....well....I'm going to grin at the irony. ;)

51GHM9uUnzL._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

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21 hours ago, goldendesign said:

Little old lady comes in. Claims I keep selling her defective batteries. I look at the watch, I offer a 5 year guarantee on batteries, watch died after 2 years. This is totally normal. Vast majority of watches only last 1.5-3 years. I sell the warranty so they keep coming to me.

Lady very upset as I put the free battery in her watch that it didn't last the 5 years and she's bought three warranties on three watches and she cannot believe the scam I'm pulling.

I politely point out very few watches make a battery last that long and every watch gets a high quality, swiss, battery in their watches. It's merely a fact of the accuracy and condition of their watch. Which is exactly why I sell the warranty, to make the battery change a convenient experience. 

I say this all while I am servicing her watch. As I hand it back to her she asks me how much it was going to cost. I smiled and said it's under warranty and therefore free. I wished her a happy day.

She looks at me all grumpy and then says I won't be bringing my watches here again and I can go to fuck myself.

TL;DR:

An 80 year old woman told me to go fuck myself because I changed her watch battery for free.

If you were in Indiana, I would swear that was my Mother in law.

 

Dementia is really setting in with her, she got pissed off at my wife for telling her she was wrong about something, hasn't talked to her four months as she refuses to even pick up the phone when my wife calls.

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