So I downloaded (egads, yes) the first season and just sort of left it sitting there for awhile.  Then I knew I was going to Virginia and that chances were fairly high that I would be looking for something to do later at night so I copied the Black Butler episodes to my hard drive and off I flew.  And then I settled into bed the second night I was in Virginia and put my headphones on and I started the first episode.  Well, this isn’t too bad, I thought, I’ll watch another.

And then another and another, I was fascinated.  I was hooked.  Black Butler became the most amazing this I had ever seen.  Ok maybe I’m exaggerating a little but I fell in love.  (And just so you know I have purchased both dvds for season 1 – something I never would have done had I not downloaded it and watched it for free first.)   Again, me being me, I started to research this fantastic discovery of mine.  I wanted more!

This was November 2011.  This is when I discovered anime and manga (not that I didn’t know it existed, I certainly did) and that it contained a genre that may as well have been made specifically for me.  Yaoi.  I am not embarrassed to say that I love this genre.  And no Black Butler is not yaoi, it was the key that unlocked the door to something I never would have found had I not bought that doll and posted that picture and had that one girl not commented on that picture.  Fate was working for me.

I’ve been wanting to share my thoughts on the manga I’ve read and the anime I’ve watched but I hadn’t wanted to do it here.  I thought I could create a new page and write entries under that but it doesn’t look like Word Press functions like that.  Maybe I’ll just put the reviews behind click-throughs.  Mostly I wanted to write my thoughts because my friends aren’t into this stuff and I have no one to talk about it with like I would with tv shows or movies or other books I may have read.  It seems funny really discovering this now as an adult of however many years but I’m not complaining.  It just means I’m old enough to legally buy the manga I want to read!  HA.

The other day I joined the W Club. Registration closes January 18th so there’s still time to join. I just got the basic registration because I wasn’t really blown away by either doll. I’m interested to see what being a member is like and hoping this may mean I get my hands on something I really want.

Seems like there’s so much to do and instead of doing any of it, I do nothing. I should probably do something about that!

And that got me thinking. A lot of the time we experience things as a customer and we get annoyed but we don’t say anything. Well, if the store doesn’t know, they can’t change it (if they’re so inclined). Now, I’m the type of person that actually DOES provide customer feedback, regularly. If something has happened in a store that has displeased me in some way, I come home and I look up the store and find out how to contact them and then I write to them and tell them what happened. I even received a gift card from a store in appreciation for my feedback. But that’s not why I sent it, I sent it because I wanted them to know what had happened. Often, whatever has upset you is not something the higher ups are aware of and generally it’s something they are happy to correct but the key is letting them know. By that same token, when I receive really good customer service, I will come home, look up the store and then write to them and let them know, including the employee’s name if I know it along with the store location, the date and the time.

Customer feedback is really important but it’s on you. Complaining to your friends, your family, your dog, won’t change anything. Letting the higher ups in the company know about your complaint just might. As someone who also works in customer service, here is some advice:

Be polite. Seriously. Even if you’re really angry. In fact, if you’re really angry, wait. Cool off and then contact them.

Don’t swear. There’s no need for it. By that same token, don’t use insults. Even if you’re emailing in your complaint you need to remember that a real live human being is on the other side. You wouldn’t like it if someone came to your work and told you how much you sucked and how stupid you are, right? So why do it to someone else. As much as people in customer service try not to take it personally, it’s upsetting and it’s unnecessary. It won’t get you more help if you’re mean. In some cases it might get you ignored completely if the company feels (rightly so) that abusive complaints don’t warrant an answer.

Explain the situation in detail. Don’t assume the person on the other end is going to know exactly what you mean when you say things like “it” or “the account”. Whenever appropriate, state the store location, date and time of an incident. If it’s an online transaction, state the date. Again, explain the situation in detail. The more details you give, the more specific you are, the quicker your problem can be addressed. If you write in and say something like “My account stopped working” or “The clerk was rude” then you can expect that there will be a lot of back and forth before your issue can actually be addressed. Remember that the person on the other end has no idea who you are or what happened. They may cover multiple areas or service multiple accounts so you need to be specific. Did I mention be specific?

Often, companies only hear from customers when they have a complaint. Don’t be afraid to give feedback because something good happened. Even if it was at McDonalds, it’s nice to hear the positive. This positive often gets relayed back to the employee and that feels good too.

I know that sometimes a customer does all that, provides details, is polite, etc. and in return they receive a nasty reply. I’ve been on that receiving end too. My advice, if you’re providing customer service/support is to always be polite, even if the person is being rude, there’s no need to devolve along with them.

Read the full email, if the complaint is emailed in. Responding improperly or only addressing half of the complaint is only going to further anger the customer. If they’re on the phone or in person, listen. Hear them out. Most people just want to be acknowledged as having been heard even if you can’t fix their problem.

If you make a mistake own up to it. It’s ok. You’re human. Explain to the customer that you were mistaken or you made an error, apologize and move on. Most of the time, the person on the other end will appreciate that you’re being honest, they’ll certainly appreciate the apology and you may even diffuse a tense situation and turn a negative experience into a positive for that customer.

That’s all I can think of for now. I’m not a customer relations guru. I’m just speaking through my own experience both as a customer and as a person on the receiving end of customer complaints. Here’s hoping Old Navy starts putting their “short” jeans on the lower shelves.

“No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

Steve Jobs, 1955-2011