A Little Bit More

I hope you like the new categories I have added.  There are the Book Reviews, Good Service and Not So Good Service.

It’s hard trying to decide what I should add to the blog now before it gets to the website stage.  The beauty of the blog is I can edit everything.  But the basic package I am using doesn’t allow me to vary each of the sections very much, which can make the whole blog ’samey’.

I know I could use photographs but at this stage it’s not appropriate, so I may look at some pretty cartoon type pictures which will take a little work to convert them, but it may help it look better.

In the meantime I hope you are enjoying the blog.

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12

 To love and to be loved is to feel the sun from both sides.

Anon

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NatWest

Oh dear.  I really think they should change their slogan from ‘another way’ because at the moment another way is to change your bank!

I was in a local branch the other day and in the queue for customer service got talking to the two people behind me. They were both complaining about things going wrong with their standing orders which the bank had not managed to get right.

We were actually having a laugh at the bank’s expense although when you are dealing with people’s money it’s no laughing matter.

I have already complained to our local branch in writing over something I wasn’t happy with and said to these people that they should do the same.  The trouble is the bank at higher levels are not aware of customer disatisfaction.

We discussed that the basic problem with the bank is the dilution of information regarding how to operate a branch is down to having ‘faceless’ call centres.

I actually used to work for this company many years ago and when the branches retained the services that they deemed appropriate to ‘put out’ to call centres, customer service was much better. 

The trouble is instead of having worked through all the positions we did at branch level (to gain how it all fit together), many of the employees have probably never seen a customer face to face and don’t understand.

Also, the customer service people within the branch don’t know enough to help people properly. Here are some of the key issues:

*  Lack of knowledge with staff means you queue for longer while they keep having to go out the back to sort your problems out.

*  Our request was simply to add a signatory onto our account.  I knew exactly the right name of the form we needed, yet it took us having to wait a good few minutes while the chap helping us had to go ‘out the back’ to sort this out.  Years ago there would have been a selection of these forms to hand at the help desk so you didn’t have to make the customer wait.

*  With the onset of direct banking, the two parts don’t seem to be working together well.  To change our signatory status was going to take about 10 days to alter from when the forms went to direct banking.  Why?  Years ago it would be dealt with within a day or two.

*  The layout of branches now means no privacy.  The counters are lower with microphones so people behind you can hear everything going on.

*  When talking to the customer service people in the foyer area, you are giving out private information within listening distance of everyone!

*  NatWest has an advertising campaign saying you can talk directly to branches.  Only if they pick up within 5 rings of you calling.  You then get put through to ‘customer support’ at the call centre.  On an occasion that I needed to speak to the branch, I was told try ringing again and if they don’t pick up within 5 rings, try again!

*  We have taken postal orders within our business.  These have been a pain to pay in, but we were given a book to use to prepare the paperwork ahead of time.  These changed recently and look like cheques now, much simpler.  When I tried to find out  if I had to pay these in as cheques now I could not get an answer from anyone.  They didn’t know. 

Mind you nor did the Post Office when I called them.  In the end I paid them in how I thought they should and just hoped when I got to the bank it would be okay.  Thankfully it was, but why had I got more know-how than the bank?

I don’t blame the people in the branches.  Nor to some degree the people in the call centres.  At the end of the day they are at the beck and call of the management.  It is down to bad training of staff, no cohesion between the services they offer and a complete lack of understanding of customer care in it’s total form.

There are some lovely people working in NatWest and if I’m honest I feel really sorry for them especially knowing that some of the problems going wrong are caused by people they don’t actually work with and then they have to take the flack.

But it comes to something when even one of my friends who still works for NatWest can’t bear going into the branch because of the ineffeciency!

www.natwest.com

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If I were you by Julia Llewellyn

I really enjoyed this book for it’s ability to relax me and make me forget about the messy house and stresses around me.

The story is about two friends Natasha and Sophie who have been best friends since school and how they secretly envy each others lifestyle. 

Natasha is single with a high flying career, a fantastic flat but finds love with a man who is already engaged to someone else.

Sophie has been in a relationship for a few years and wants to get married, have babies and set up home.  Trouble is her boyfriend won’t ask her to marry him.

The story explores relationships at different levels, what they are looking for, what they end up with and the compromises that are made along the way.

Light hearted and funny, it hits on emotions that many of us have probably all felt at some time including the lengths we would go to for our man (whether it’s the right man is another matter).  It also shows the difference between men and women’s concepts of relationships in a humerous way.

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The Body Shop

The first accolade goes to The Body Shop. 

I used to buy their Cotton White Eau de Toilette which really suited me.  Unfortunately they discontinued it due to it not being as popular as it used to be.  Hey ho, this normally happens to me.

As a long shot I wrote, via email, to their Customer Relations who, gave me the number of three of their factory outlets who receive discontinued stock to sell off.

Even though I discovered there was no more Eau de Toilette to be had, I was really taken with the friendliness and professionalism, not only from the lady (Sarah) who intially wrote back to me, but each of the stores that I contacted.

The York store even advised me of a new product that was out, that while not exactly the same, may appeal to me.

It doesn’t take much to be curteous to people and through their individual responses The Body Shop have now gone up in my estimation.

www.thebodyshop.co.uk

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11

"A true friend is the greatest of all blessings."

Francois de la Rochefoucauld

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10

 It’s frustrating when you know all the answers, but nobody bothers to ask you the questions.

Anon

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Introduction

Crazy, mad, depressed and this is when she is in a good mood! Our writer of Getting a Backbone is seriously not normal but we mean that in a loving way.

Telling the story of a woman in her forties getting her life in order and winning - but not without a fight.

This writer shares some intimate details in a bid to rid herself of old demons. Linking present life to past experiences we build up a picture of how she’s got where she is today. Funny, cringing, sad with some laugh out loud moments - everything we all experience at one time or another.

We were hooked from the first few paragraphs she wrote for us, we hope you are too.

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Sweet Dreams

My son has never liked me singing to him and to be honest I can’t blame him. I can’t sing.

However, recently he has started asking me to sing him to sleep. This would be okay normally except that he rather particular about the type of song and the exact level I have to sing it. This is what happened.

After being asked to sing him  to sleep I attempted my repertoire of songs that I know some of the words to. I tried ‘Row Your Boat’ and was told no. I tried a whole host of nursery rhymes that you can sing to and was told no. I tried ‘Dingle, Dangle Scarecrow’ and was told no.

Then, out of desperation for a song that I knew any words to (and because I was feeling a bit exasperated and a little bit naughty) I started to sing ‘Tainted Love’ by Soft Cell. This is one of my all time favourite songs and I do know almost all of the words. All of a sudden my son looked at me, big grin and said, “that’s my favourite”. Yippee, my manic playing of 80’s music around the house had paid off.

Slight hitch though, I hadn’t got the right sound in my voice!! I was then given a couple of minutes tuition by my child as to what level I should sing, and he made me copy his voice. Three attempts later, I was allowed to continue with my singing. Thankfully, he soon got fed up and started to fall asleep.

But it didn’t end there, a couple of nights later he asked me to sing ‘Tainted Love’ again, but this time when I started singing he kept interrupting me to ask me to explain why the person in the song wanted to run away!! Please bear in mind that my son is only 4, so it was hard to explain that love can sometimes break your heart and you need to get away, but I managed.

I then had to change song, but now we have some additions to the portfolio - ‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’ (safe) and wait for it . . . ‘Sweet Dreams Are Made of This’ by the Eurythmics!!

Oh for the days when a story was all that was wanted.

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Discovery

This week I have discovered something new and re-discovered something.  Both of these things have made me happy.

Firstly I have re-discovered the library! With the onset of computers and frankly not really having any reason to use the library, my ticket expired many years ago.  However, a friend of mine who works for a local library told me about the free rhymetime and storytimes they do.

I decided to try them out and at the same time I re-newed my membership.  I was really thinking more of the children.  However when I went in this week, I discovered that they have shelves full of chick lit, which I have to say are my favourite reads.

I like books to be an easy read for chilling out with at the end of the day.  I like simply written books with not too much detail.  (Yes, I really am that basic!) What’s more  I can stock up on my favourite authors, read them and change them all for free!  Brilliant.

This is great for another reason as part of my website was to be book reviews and now I have chance to read loads without having to keep paying out for them.

I have to say I am really impressed with the library system.  Within an area, you can take the books back to any library.  You can have books out for a month.  And if you want to renew them, you can do this over the phone or via the computer to save you actually going in. 

They also have computers that you can use for up to an hour.  (This may vary within different libraries). Gosh how it’s changed.

Secondly, I discovered Innocent Smoothies (www.innocentdrinks.co.uk)  in pineapple, coconut and banana flavour.  Ooooooh yummy!!  If you like pina colada flavour, you will love these.  The only annoying thing about them is one of my children also loves the taste, so we are having mini battles to see who can get to the carton first!

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