I’ve spent many hours the past six weeks trying to get a financial firm to correct some information they sent me. When I phoned they would first try to brush me off saying the form was correct, then when I convinced them that wasn’t the case, they would promise the corrected form would be sent out by the “end of the week.” Needless to say that never happened.
So last Monday I said I needed to talk to a manager. I was warned it might take a while, and I was put on hold for 30-45 minutes. I’m set up for that now — I have a speaker phone and do other things while waiting.
I did indeed talk to a manager who ended up giving me the number to his direct line. It took two conversations to get at the heart of the matter, and I might have guessed when he started talking in terms of “moving forward” that something was fishy. I finally understood. Aha! I had been assuming they had done what they had promised to do when I set up the account. Instead they had made a mistake and had been trying to cover it up.
I did indulge in one, “You did WHAT?!” but then went along with figuring the best thing to do now. I ended up taking the money out of the account and closing it. It means a small financial loss, and it would have been nice if the fellow had apologized, but I also know that lawyers forbid them from doing that. Saying you’re sorry means admitting blame and opening the company up to a law suit. That’s not our style, but I understand. It’s sad, but that’s the way the world works.
In cases like this Epictetus would say we should try to do the best we can to act with “grace, finesse, and flexibility.” Andy would say, “If I were younger I would work up a towering rage. But I’m too old for that now — it takes too much energy.” And I think in terms of my anti-role model, the monkey who keeps himself trapped because he won’t let go of the treat inside the coconut.
I just ask myself, “Do you have any more sense than that monkey, Jean?” It’s hard to say no, so it’s clearly time to let go and move on. It helps a lot that Andy and I both laugh out loud when we think of the story, and that we have a lot better things to do with our time.
March 20, 2015
you have the only sensible attitude in dealing with that kind of thing.
it’s a little like trying to fight city hall.
pointless!
love your cartoon!
I have a cousin, Prudence Hall. Her family sometimes called her City. –get it?
That is, Prudy had a ‘mind of her own!’
tammy,
The monkey is a big help in reminding me to just let go and move on.
What a pass we have come to that a corporate entity will not apologise for a mistake committed and rectify because it may be sued for poor service! Luckily, that has not started to happen here yet.
You’re lucky!