So much like the title of this post says, I graduated from the training class.
I was actually part of the first group to get put on the floor. Today (technically yesterday) was my first day.
Here is the summary:
I had someone cuss me out (first time since being at Amex) and tell me they didn’t want to talk to a robot but a person and that I don’t give a doo doo about customer service..
Another person request to speak to a manager after having spoken to me for long enough to kill my call handle time
And finally system issues throughout the day that caused some serious frustrations for me.
The whole time in training I was running Windows 7. I even verified that all PCs would be running the same OS. Yes yes yes.
The real answer? No no no.
So it was an eventful first day filled with 10 hours of not so fun calls. The whole time I was in training I had 1 escalation. First day and I’m now sitting at 2.
Ick.
This 10 hour stuff will be an adjustment. I am still trying to get my ears use to having a headset on for that long.
So Thanksgiving is this Thursday. For the first time in my life I’ll be working on that day. I’ll be working on Christmas too. Even New Year’s Eve as the ball drops. All firsts for me. I’ve never had to previously.
Now I can check those things off the list that I didn’t want to have checked.
I am frustrated. I keep trying to think of a release. A moment of calm? Something to look at and think ‘it’s all worth it’ I just keep searching for it and coming up with nill.
The schedule isn’t so bad… I guess. At least it isn’t overnight. It’s from 2 to 12:30am.
Hmmmm
Other than that this past weekend I was able to celebrate Maryia’s birthday and we took a day trip up to Flagstaff to see some snow. It was fun. Wasn’t able to get my dad anything other than a card this year. (Lame, I know). We are still on our way to paying down the debts from moving out here so budgets must be kept.
Well, I should be going. Before I know it I’ll be getting up and going into work again.
The last week or two that I have been on the phones have been going alright. Some days are smoother than others.
It is something else though. I am so accustomed to having been the top person and excel in every aspect. I don’t feel like I am on this job. I hear what is said during my reviews and then I hear bits of what others are told. Not so much leading the pack… more like brining around the tail end.
The last two days haven’t been good. They have sucked actually. Bad calls, bad mojo and leaves me not feeling so hot.
Hopefully the week will only get better from here on out (although that is what I thought yesterday).
Um, let’s talk about something else… how about… Rain!
We had some rain yesterday. Totally unexpected. I walked out to my car this morning and saw that it was covered with rain. The temps are also beginning to fall. I like when there begins to have a chill in the air. We aren’t there yet… Temps are still in the 80s but it’s better than last weekend in the 90s.
Cops have been all over this neighborhood lately. A week go Maryia and I saw a pack of cops in our neighborhood. SWAY style. I mean they had their guns drawn and were actively looking for someone. Helicopters were all over and all around. At one point it hovered overhead and we were followed by the spotlight just walking towards our door. There was that mixed with tons of Cop cars everywhere. Kind of intimidating. Especially when you experience it right outside your front door.
Last night there was another incident here and cops were out again. When I got home there was probably 30 or more cops huddled across from our condo reviewing what they were going to do the rest of the night.
What’s the deal? This neighborhood doesn’t seem bad… but now I am really beginning to wonder. Maryia said that before I was home they had the same thing as before. Helicopters and all. Who knows.
Anyway it’s almost 6 am and I should turn this thing off and try again to fall asleep.
So I am well underway with this new job. Nervous as I’ve ever been about any job I’ve held before.
The requirements. The need for graduation… it weighs on me.
Graduation? You might be thinking that I am still in the air. I’m not. The job is. So maybe I am?. I guess I am too.
It is a scary thing to be living on one paycheck and not even have that be a permanent position.
I am six weeks in. I may not know until the end of December if I get to keep this job. I hope and pray that I am able to. You have to be meeting certain metrics in order to keep the position. In previous classes it’s been the norm that some people simply don’t graduate. Ugh. I couldn’t have come all this way for that, could I? I can’t believe so. It wouldn’t make sense.
So this week started our OJT part of training. Those not use to that lingo: on the job training. The class takes calls all throughout the day, as we would on a normal shift but we have access to help incase we need it. We will be in OJT until we graduate or are let go.
Needless to say there is a lot riding on this.
The future of my marriage and even the unborn child.
So what can I do? Today was a horrible day. I felt as though I didn’t know anything. I seem to do fine when I have an idea of what I should be doing. When I have to deal with the opposite I feel stupid. No joke. Today I felt stupid. It’s the very beginning of OJT yet there are people all throughout the class who are more worried about meeting a bonus than even graduation. They are that sure of themselves that they are already planning that far ahead. Not I… I am trying to make it work. Hoping that things will start to go my way. Or at least that things will start to get easier.
Hmmm…
So last Thursday (my Friday) the trainer wanted the class to do a Harlem Shake video. Reluctantly everyone agreed. The result is the link below to the video.
How silly. I’m in green. I had seen the videos for it but to be honest I was always more of a Ganganam Style guy than I was for the Harlem Shake fad.
Anyway. I guess it will be something to remember. That is for sure.
What else? Last weekend we tried a church. It felt like we had jumped back into the early to mid 90’s… Nuff’ said.
Blazers season opener is just a few days away. In some ways the time is zooming by. I have meant to post and update for a while not but have consistently been putting it off.
Today was the day to open the app and just start typing.
The temps are still in the high 80s and low 90s. Just a few more weeks and Phoenix will be entering into the nicer time of the year. I can’t wait. I long for the cool weather. The heat is for the birds. Maybe not even them.
So it’s been a few weeks since I’ve posted anything so I thought it would be nice to update.
We have successfully moved. Chaos would be a good way to put it.
The day we moved in to our new place there was flash flooding. Not even joking. It’s one of the craziest days we could have moved in on.
Our day started with moderate rain and temps in the 70s while we were at the DMV. We didn’t think it would be so bad if that was as bad as it would get. I mean, it’s Phoenix.
That’s right. In a place that only gets 300+ days of sun a year, we picked the day with the most rain. We checked out the place and started moving in. Most of our boxes were getting wet just walking then inside. Thankfully our totes are weather proof. We were soaked from head to toe just brining the first few items in. Every time we thought that we should wait (to see if the rain would get lighter) the rain progressively began to pour heavier without letting up.
What a day.
We returned the U-Haul and came across cars stuck in flooded roads. Roads deep enough that I normally wouldn’t have been caught driving on with that much water. At about 4 or 5 that day the rain started to lift.
The next day it rained some more on and off. We went to find some furniture and other things we needed. Along the way we even stopped at Shaneco to get the rings cleaned. The furniture was insane. One leather couch from La-Z-Boy cost over $4,000. We could not afford anything close to that. We hardly could afford anything at all. We did however find some things at the Room Store. Which wasn’t that bad (because they have a 5 day return policy on anything they sell with no questions asked. That gave us a little piece of mind. And the price wasn’t anywhere near the 4K that we heard elsewhere.
The there was Directv and Ally bank. Both of whom let me down.
Directv wanted to charge me 65 to install a dish, saying I needed custom work. The tech said he could do it for 50 if I paid him. Um.. Can someone say sketchy? Add this on to the fact that I already had problems setting up my account with them in the first place, being told multiple different stories on what things would cost.. I wasn’t a happy camper. I requested for a different person/supervisor to come out to verify any additional charges. On Friday of that week they came back out and this time told me that there wasn’t anything additional I needed – everything would be as I was quoted. A free install.
So I guess that story is just a warning for anyone else who is told something like that. I get that there are legitimate cases where they need to do something extra, but don’t hesitate to question people and speak to their leaders.
Then there was Ally. They broke my heart. Why? I loved that bank. They couldn’t do wrong by me. I have aways spoke highly of them and recommended them to anyone that would listen. Not so much after this experience I have been having with them.
I requested an official check for our deposits to move in, weeks before we moved. They said it could take 7 to 10 business days but normally would only take 3 to 5. Perfect. That left me with about a week buffer time. I provided them with the information of the persons name to make the check out to and they said it was done.
10 business days later I call up and they let me know there was a delay in processing. I should receive it by the end of the week. I wait. Nothing shows up. Again, the rep says that it should arrive on Saturday. The same day I was packing the U-haul before we left the next morning. Saturday afternoon comes and nothing is in the mail.
They said I would need to sign forms to cancel the check and then they could wire the money to me. That wouldn’t work because I needed the money that day. We borrowed the deposits from family. Then I continued communication with Ally to ensure the money would be sent back to my account. We arrive in Phoenix, no mail from Ally. They told us they sent forms to cancel the check (which we didn’t get until after we had moved in, Via email with no printer available). I called them up and they said they would mail the forms. They didn’t arrived until that Saturday. We filled them out and sent them back right away. A few days later I called to check the status of the forms. They told me it could take 5 to 7 business days to get the forms that I had sent in. Perfect. I always wanted my money to be tied up with nonsense.
The following Saturday (5 days ago) we received a check in the mail.
This is what we saw.
We are still trying to get our money back. They have us speaking to their executive resolution department due to how out of control the service failure is on nearly every touch point. For the record I gave them the name of Edward for the name on the check. Not my name. So I called to see if I could cash that check but they told me there was already a stop on it. Now they had to wait until the forms were received so they could deposit the money back.
I like them– they’re still the best option from other banks.. but man alive have they sorely failed me when it really needed them.
Next time I’ll get a cashier check elsewhere.
other than that….
I am in my 2nd week of training. I’ll update more on that soon.
Knotts. Not like the berry farm but rather the kind you get in your stomach. I am filled with them. Trying to not be, but I look at life and cant help but feel a little uneasy.
Everything fit. The U-Haul was jammed packed. Filled to the ceiling but it fit. I actually couldn’t believe how many things we own. Despite some efforts to downsize there are still quite the number of things we own.
The condo won’t let people park at the complex in front of the living areas… so we were forced to find some other parking for the night. A little ways away in the Ralph’s Parking lot is all of our stuff packed inside a 10ft truck and the car on a trailer behind it. Tomorrow is the day. Tomorrow is that day. Again.
Yet, looking at the time tomorrow is now today. Time really has sped by the past few weeks. Things have went into hyper drive. Now we will spend more money on furniture and services before I even start work. We have little other options. Limited is the best way to describe them.
Tonight/this morning we are sleeping in the living room. Not sure we will even be able to sleep that much. I know with how I feel I probably won’t get that much rest. I’m a mess. What can I do? I’m more surrounded by what I can’t do rather than what I can do. It’s quite the predicament to be in.
September. Already? Next week will make… 12 years since 9/11. How insane. Yet now it feels as tho the country is going to embark on new ways of war against new lands than it was 12 some odd years ago.. Not going to go into all of that. Syria is in the need of help, but who knows if they want that help to come in the form of bombings? I sure don’t. Instead of all the polls about if Americans want to bomb Syria, lets ask the people of Syria if they want us to intervene in the bombing ways that people are speaking of.
Woah, getting off track. Time. “Time is ticking away. Tick tick tickin’ away…”
More recently though it feels like we were just at Knotts. As of now it was almost a month ago. i can hardly believe it. Yes, I am taking this post full circle. I know that being in my late 20’s I am still young. I can however understand the old saying that “you wake up one day and life has passed you by”. I get it. I know how that could happen. Maybe not to the extent of some. But the fact that every year time seems to speed up more and more…
Anyway. I should try and sleep. It will be time to get up and go before I know it.
