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Where Petty Annoyances have nothing to do with Tom, or the Heartbreakers...
As you know, we've had a difficult year. Started out the year with a newish web site that did not work properly for the first month or two. We aren't trained in tech support, but we fielded hundreds of calls from pissed off web customers--and got no sales credit for it because those sales actually went to the web department (even though they do NOT take calls from customers).
Then, the company put out a coupon to say Sorry for the site not working and some stupid sale not stopping at midnight or some crap. The coupon didn't work, so we took hundreds of irate calls over that. This is in addition to the shipping errors, warehouse errors, and catalog errors that we deal with on a daily basis. And we get no sales credit for any of that--so we make less money than people who do little to no customer service--which if I may say so, is MUCH more difficult than cataloging inventory or taking stuff off of shelves. Since I work 4 days a week instead of 5, I get no insurance, paid sick time, vacation, etc. Drag.
Then they got us a new system with ludicrously poor training vids. The system is old, outdated (I know one-man publishing houses with more advanced systems), non-intuitive, crashes often, and is PAINFULLY slow. Since we've gotten it, I've been here at least 4 times when we've had to take paper orders over the phone. As you might imagine, it makes us look like complete fools in front of our customers, and my department takes the brunt of that. Again.
And now, we are expected to chat with customers for various customer service and sales questions. We are still NOT trained in tech support and get no credit whatsoever for the orders that come through as a result of our work--but the web department does. The chat is not so bad, but all the time spent doing it is time I'm not making sales, which is the only way to get a decent bonus. Grrrr... So when I found out that this year's holiday party is just another time when every department except mine gets to feel appreciated by the company--I was a tad disappointed. They are once again having the party at a time when my department is open and working.
Once I get my teeny tiny, bonus (seriously, last year's bonus wasn't even enough for H and I to go to a movie) my day-job humiliation will be complete.
My response to all of that is to be here as infrequently as possible, which for me will be 3 days a week as soon as the holiday return rush is over. That should give me enough time to finish The Finster Effect in time to get it to the editor for a 2012 release date.
This weekend I'm starting my new ParaBlog series, finishing my interview questions for the director of Opstandelsen, recording the new podcast ep, and working on one of the short stories from my fundraiser. Thinking about a ghost story, as I don't do too many of those but need to keep this one on the tame side. I'm behind on basically everything, so that's a bummer. Also have 3 batches of cookies and 1 batch of breads that needs to be done *gasp* by next week! Shit, I just realized that and I'm so not ready.
Most of my new work space gear has arrived. I'm bidding a fond farewell to the Global Command Centre that's been with me since 2003. New desk, ergo ball for sitting on (actually, the one I got is too short, so I'm getting a taller one), and a kickass USB hub that looks like a hollowed out skull. Neat, eh?
Pretty disgusted with the State of the Union these days. Obama is letting greedy fuckwits walk all over him. Rich people bitching that they're getting shafted because they have to pay taxes while 9/11 responders can't even see a doctor. Assange being treated as if exposing dicketry is high treason. And the usual How DARE you insinuate that people celebrate other holidays than CHRISTmas bullshit that seems to permeate the dialog every freakin' year now. I'm just so tired of all of it.
I am excited for Christmas if only to see the look on a few faces when they get the awesome stuff I bought them. H's birthday is the 20th, so I always like to make sure he gets separate gifts for both occasions. We set spending limits, but I always seem to go over. I mean, how can I not get H a Left 4 Dead T-shirt when it has a health pack right on the back? I know, right?
Then, the company put out a coupon to say Sorry for the site not working and some stupid sale not stopping at midnight or some crap. The coupon didn't work, so we took hundreds of irate calls over that. This is in addition to the shipping errors, warehouse errors, and catalog errors that we deal with on a daily basis. And we get no sales credit for any of that--so we make less money than people who do little to no customer service--which if I may say so, is MUCH more difficult than cataloging inventory or taking stuff off of shelves. Since I work 4 days a week instead of 5, I get no insurance, paid sick time, vacation, etc. Drag.
Then they got us a new system with ludicrously poor training vids. The system is old, outdated (I know one-man publishing houses with more advanced systems), non-intuitive, crashes often, and is PAINFULLY slow. Since we've gotten it, I've been here at least 4 times when we've had to take paper orders over the phone. As you might imagine, it makes us look like complete fools in front of our customers, and my department takes the brunt of that. Again.
And now, we are expected to chat with customers for various customer service and sales questions. We are still NOT trained in tech support and get no credit whatsoever for the orders that come through as a result of our work--but the web department does. The chat is not so bad, but all the time spent doing it is time I'm not making sales, which is the only way to get a decent bonus. Grrrr... So when I found out that this year's holiday party is just another time when every department except mine gets to feel appreciated by the company--I was a tad disappointed. They are once again having the party at a time when my department is open and working.
Once I get my teeny tiny, bonus (seriously, last year's bonus wasn't even enough for H and I to go to a movie) my day-job humiliation will be complete.
My response to all of that is to be here as infrequently as possible, which for me will be 3 days a week as soon as the holiday return rush is over. That should give me enough time to finish The Finster Effect in time to get it to the editor for a 2012 release date.
This weekend I'm starting my new ParaBlog series, finishing my interview questions for the director of Opstandelsen, recording the new podcast ep, and working on one of the short stories from my fundraiser. Thinking about a ghost story, as I don't do too many of those but need to keep this one on the tame side. I'm behind on basically everything, so that's a bummer. Also have 3 batches of cookies and 1 batch of breads that needs to be done *gasp* by next week! Shit, I just realized that and I'm so not ready.
Most of my new work space gear has arrived. I'm bidding a fond farewell to the Global Command Centre that's been with me since 2003. New desk, ergo ball for sitting on (actually, the one I got is too short, so I'm getting a taller one), and a kickass USB hub that looks like a hollowed out skull. Neat, eh?
Pretty disgusted with the State of the Union these days. Obama is letting greedy fuckwits walk all over him. Rich people bitching that they're getting shafted because they have to pay taxes while 9/11 responders can't even see a doctor. Assange being treated as if exposing dicketry is high treason. And the usual How DARE you insinuate that people celebrate other holidays than CHRISTmas bullshit that seems to permeate the dialog every freakin' year now. I'm just so tired of all of it.
I am excited for Christmas if only to see the look on a few faces when they get the awesome stuff I bought them. H's birthday is the 20th, so I always like to make sure he gets separate gifts for both occasions. We set spending limits, but I always seem to go over. I mean, how can I not get H a Left 4 Dead T-shirt when it has a health pack right on the back? I know, right?