[lit-ideas] Re: On the Thickness of Me
- From: David Ritchie <profdritchie@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 28 Feb 2012 11:47:57 -0800
A friend writes that she finds herself in limbo. Currently I do too, staying
home between 8 and 12 to host the visit of Sears' Dishwasher Assessor
Extraordinaire. When said male or female hadn't shown up after three hours,
just for fun I called the company. This would be the very same company which
last week transferred my call three times before cutting me off and then
arranged for a computer to call me to ask whether I was satisfied that the
installation had been completed. Yes or no.
I eventually got today's repair appointment by calling the fellow who sold me
the dishwasher--which is possibly defective--and having him call the back line
to the repair people.
This time I got through just fine...to a lady who told me that the guy would be
here...at twelve fifty. I said I hoped the call was indeed being recorded, as
I'd been warned, because twelve fifty is not really, by any stretch of the
imagination, "between eight and noon." She decided I should be transferred.
On the line came a fellow countryman of mine, a northerner, who explained that
circumstances come up...it's the nature of the job. I waited a beat to see if
he'd add, "guv."
I agreed and said that a simple phone call would have taken the edge off my
ire. He moved to the next part of his telephone script, "We would like to make
this up to you by offering you a free in-home quote for re-modeling services."
I complimented him on first class psychology; when you provide bad service this
clearly the ideal moment to offer, as a form of "compensation," a request for
more business. Poor fellow. He was only trying to do his job. And of course
Sears is itself trying to stay in business. Can't think why they're not doing
particularly well at present.
All of this caused me wonder why "limbo" dancing is so called. The answer,
apparently, is Trini, the dialect of Trinidad. Wikipedia on the subject is
quite interesting. I don't advise trying to challenge the world record. You'd
have to be less than eight and a half inches thick. I haven't measured myself,
but I doubt I am.
Carry on.
David Ritchie,
Portland, Oregon
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