Wednesday, August 05, 2009

I'm sorry, who?

I was doing some business late last week with a company and had a need to call customer service. I spoke with a customer service representative named "Margie" who explained that I needed to fill out a customer service form and return some information that way. She said she would e-mail me the form, and I could e-mail it back. That was on Friday, and although I am freakishly obsessed with e-mail and check it nonstop checked periodically, the e-mail never came.

I was a little annoyed, but you know, these things happen. So first thing Monday morning, I called back and asked for the form to be sent to me again. I spoke with the same CSR, Margie, who assured me she sent it. (yeah, right) She confirmed my e-mail address and promised it would be sent again before the end of the day.

That night, I checked my e-mail program again .... not there.

At this point I was starting to get a little cranky. Don't tell me you're going to do something, especially something as simple as sending an e-mail, and then not do it.

This morning I was all set to call one final time and if needed, be a little more assertive to get my point across. I mean, come on. It's a freaking e-mail, Margie, how difficult can it be to hit the "send" button??? But because I have a history of putting my foot in my mouth, I thought I should check my e-mail boxes one final time before calling.

Inbox: Nope, not there.

Spam: Nope, not there.

Every single various sub-folder on my system: Not there.

And then, just to be on the safe side, I went to my Deleted E-mail folder and sorted alphabetically by sender's name, looking for Margie.

Guess what?

There were two e-mails, sent three days apart, BOTH OF WHICH I had deleted without opening. Want to know why? Because they were sent, with no subject line, with attachments.

From MARGE SIMPSON.

I totally thought it was a joke, or a virus, and had deleted them both without reading them. And because I delete so much stuff without opening it, it didn't even register what I had done, and I forgot about it the second they were gone.

Geez, was I ever relieved I didn't call her back to complain.

What a doofus. (Me, not Margie.)

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

...at least the the subject didn't say "Homer!" I also delete emails from those I don't know...I was wondering why I wasn't getting committee member emails for Relay for Life... and it was because they were from a name that sounded like a porn star name and in the subject it said, "Let's get together!" It was weeks before I relaized that the porn star was our Relay Chair!!

Happy Wednesday, lMnop

cathy said...

DOH!

Cathy
Santa Clara

truestarr said...

In the increasingly bizarre world of email, you would think that a customer service representative who must sends out more than two or three emails a week, would have the brains to put something to identify the subject - IN THE SUBJECT LINE...

Unless she is one of those people who opens every email she gets at her personal email address, and buys timepieces and strange pharmaceuticals from nameless African emailers, you'd think she'd empathize, particularly when she sent it a second time.

Sigh.

DeborahB said...

This wouldn't be the medical administrator over at CSP, would it? Cuz her name is Marjorie Simpson too! And I hate it when people send emails with no subject line. One or two words, that's it. Just to let me know if it's important or just another erectile dysfunction email.

Jim Smith said...

You're too kind to ole Margie. She's as much if not more the doofus. No subject line with attachment is a red flag. I had a similar experience where I got an email asking me why I hadn't repsonded to earlier emails. WHAT EARLIER EMAILS? I found them in my Spam folder with no SENT FROM address. CSRs should know better in this age of excessive email.

Tracy said...

My husband once coached a boy named Bart. His mom's name was -- you guessed it -- Marge!! Their last name wasn't Simpson, but still :) And any business person, regardless of their name, should put a subject in the subject line.

Emily said...

You can take some of the blame, but some of it lay with Marge as well. With all the SPAM we get these days, it wouldn't have killed Marge to put something in the text line.

Love Being A Nonny said...

Too funny!! I think you should let her in on it. Seriously, she should put a subject with the company name. Still, I have probably done the same thing and wondered why I didn't get the e mail I was waiting on. Lesson learned!

Donna said...

That made me laugh out loud! I would have deleted them too!

Cindi said...

I don't view this as your fault. She should have put something in the subject line. Given that she has a name that one MAY associate with either a virus or spam, she also should have told you on the phone what her full name was.

I don't open email if I don't know who it is from or what it is about.

Pam D said...

Totally not your fault. I don't even open stuff from folks I know if it appears to be a forwarded attachment. Unless it's something they created themselves (like a calendar for scouts, or a flyer for a school function), I'm not putting my computer at risk for a Trojan horse. Or a Trojan anything. I think you should let Marjie know WHY her emails were deleted; surely you can't be the only person who has done this?

Nanci, Oakdale, MN said...

I work in the customer service field and I ALWAYS put something recognizable in the subject line. We've been told at work not to open e-mail if you we don't recognize the persons name (unfortunately, that could mean someone from inside the company that is new!) I have buyers who don't put something recognizable in the subject line such as their company name and Purchase order number and I've been known to delete some of those e-mails (just as I've been known to open something from someone whose name I didn't recognize and got stuck with a virus on my computer!). No way is Kristi to blame!

Cathy said...

My husband works with a guy name Homer and guess what his wife's name is? Marge. Too funny.

I do the same thing if I don't recognize the sending or the subject... delete.

I was trying to track down a back pack from Sea World and the gal there was so sweet in dealing with me but it had been a few days since I heard from her and she sent me an email with a subject of "purse". I deleted it. It happens to all of us.