It is about the value I getting after all by Tony Green

Is this the value I am getting?

Recently my family decided to take the plunge and get rid of our land line since all of us had mobile phones and, normally, the only calls we received were telemarketing calls. I hoped all of the annoying calls you received when you were busy offering services/products you are not interested in buying would go away. I soon learned how unaware I was about the lengths people would go to in attempts to get a little bit more of my money.

One Friday evening a few months ago I had just cleared the dishes from the dinner table and I heard a knock on the door. For some unexplained reason, I answered instead of delivering my customary message of “Not interested” through my locked front door. My visitor happened to be a representative of Comcast who wanted to speak with me. I politely informed her I was already a Comcast customer. She explained that was the reason for her visit; my current coverage needed to be discussed so I might get the maximum value for my account. All the while she referred to this clip board with paper attached as if forms would make this intrusion on my evening more official.

I found the idea annoying that someone who I did business with would show up on my front doorstep unannounced after dinner on Friday evening.  I am aware, as a technical sales person, folks in general are becoming less and less tolerant of interruptive sales techniques.  Is it prudent to risk affecting the customer relationship to gain a slight increase in their revenue stream?  Perhaps Comcast believes there are not any other choices of vendors for all of these services and if they continued to pound, prod and otherwise interrupt its customer base they will be successful in milking incrementally more money out of their accounts.

Maybe I would have preferred to have received the call and simply hung up. Then again, I reminded myself showing up on my door step is all about the value I could be receiving. If they wanted to add value why no add additional channels to my cable offering without increasing my rates.

Once I calmed down I thought about the offer I get from AT&T to bundle my HDTV, High Speed Internet and phone service under one bill. If this is how Comcast is going to treat its customers should I take them up on their offer?

Yes this republican would get my vote by Tony Green

Image of flooded car in aftermath of SuperStorm Sandy

I am sure you are aware of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie praising of President Obama’s response to the plight of those New Jersey residents who lost their homes in the aftermath of Super Storm/Hurricane Sandy. This resulted in the governor receiving criticism from his republican colleagues for saying something positive about an incumbent Democratic president who, at the time, was in the midst of a tightly contested re-election battle.  

Aside from ensuring their party’s leader is living in the White House as our president, controlling of the House or Senate, and catering to wealthy special interest groups the spectacle made me wonder what the point of having publically elected officials at all? 

Here’s a thought, how about looking after the constituents who selected him to look out for their well-being times of crisis?

Can any reader reading this posting find a legitimate issue with Governor Christie being more worried about the communities’ plight then toting the party line prior to an election? I think he should be commended for having the guts to stand on what he believed and on being man enough to express it. Finally, all of us need to remember what politics I should be about. It is not and “politics” and “power” but “people”.  

I do not have anything in common with Governor Christie other than being a fellow alumna of the University of Delaware. My party affiliation has been Democratic since childhood and although Governor Christie is a Republican I would consider voting for him if I had the opportunity. My thinking is if some calamity occurred where large scale government assistance was required I would want my elected officials supporting me regardless of what his or my party choices are.