I do not have the temperament to work in technical support. Those people are a breed apart for whom I have tremendous respect. You can tell that they put up with a lot of nonsense and idiots. As a Sacramento short sale agent, I deal with nonsense and idiots day in and day out. I recognize it when I see it.
Like last night. I had to call Surewest because I broke my TV. I broke my TV because I have a big screen plasma and a 13-inch TV brain. I could handle the days of rearranging the scrunched-up aluminum foil around the rabbit ears. I cannot handle 27 remotes with buttons that make no sense. I have discovered I have limitations.
The recording on Surewest is a polite, cheery voice that advises callers to take preliminary precautions before speaking with a Surewest representative. They include such things as making sure the TV is plugged in and you have tried to depress the power button. The outgoing message reminded me of Supra's message when you call for lockbox support. You can tell that Supra was probably annoyed by real estate agents who are calling them over and over and requesting reactivation codes. Because the message warns that an agent will receive one code in any given 24-hour period.
My husband is presently on a month-long trip romping around the U.S. Work and pleasure. I'm a bit jealous. Not only that, but I now must fend for myself. I have to cook my own meals, shop for my own groceries and wash my own clothes. If I don't do it, it doesn't get done around the house. I realize few people have sympathy for me, but that's OK because I have enough for all of us.
I knew that if I didn't fix the TV last night, it wasn't going to fix itself. I considered not watching it for 30 days. That was obviously one solution. I watch very little TV. There were years I never watched TV at all -- the years I lived in Nederland, Colorado, for example. Even living alone I rarely watched TV. But sometimes I may want to turn it on and, if it's not working, turning on my TV is not an option. I don't like limiting my options.
I could have hired somebody to fix it, but that would require a lot of patience. I'd have to wait at least until Monday. I have just enough patience for short sale negotiators and buyers who try to wiggle out of transactions, I don't have any patience leftover to wait for somebody to fix my TV.
The guy at Surewest was very sweet and kind. I think he took pity on me. I have learned that I need to press buttons only once and then wait for things to happen. But my TV is working again. Thank you, Surewest.
Here is a photo from my husband when he discovered he did not beat winter's arrival at Lassen National Park:
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Certified HAFA Specialist
My Sacramento Real Estate Listings
Elizabeth Weintraub is an author, home buying columnist for The New York Times-owned About.com, a Land Park resident, and a Land Park real estate agent who specializes in older, classic homes in Land Park, Curtis Park, Midtown and East Sacramento. Weintraub is also a Sacramento Short Sale agent who lists and successfully sells short sales throughout the four-county Sacramento area. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate. DRE License # 00697006.
The Short Sale Savior, by Elizabeth Weintraub, available at Amazon.com.
Lyon Real Estate is not associated with the government, and our service is not approved by the government or your lender. Even if you accept this offer and use our service, your lender may not agree to change your loan.
Photo: Unless otherwise noted in this blog, the photo is copyrighted by Big Stock Photo and used with permission.
The views expressed herein are Weintraub's personal views and do not reflect the views of Lyon Real Estate.
Disclaimer: If this post contains a listing, information is deemed reliable as of the date it was written. After that date, the listing may be sold, listed by another brokerage, canceled, pending or taken temporarily off the market, and the price could change without notice. It could blow up, explode or vanish. To find out the present status of any listing, please go to elizabethweintraub.com.
