Archive for January, 2010

Courtesy and Manners, will you please stand up?

It astounds me to see how blatantly rude people can be today. From customer service representatives, to everyday people around me.

Many times, I have requested information from shops, or from banking institutions, as well as many other places, and have been told, “We will get back to you,” or “We’ll have someone get back to you,” or even sometimes from those close to me in the form of “I’ll let you know what’s happening.”

Newsflash! If one out of 25 people actually keep their word in that regard, it’s a lot these days. So often, I have had to follow up and wait on empty promises.

The amazing part is that companies are complaining that business is bad, or sales are slow. But they don’t seem interested in engaging in customer service, or trying to keep the business they do have. A customer much prefers to deal with people and companies who keep their word, and who follow up like they say they are going to.

Another place where courtesy is lacking severely these days, is out on the road. People have become so impatient with everything in life. When a traffic light turns green, is it really necessary to blow the car hooter like an idiot, simply because the driver in front of you doesn’t take off instantly? Mall parking lots are another prime example of impatient, selfish drivers. Many times, I have arrived and looked for a vacant parking bay, only to discover that a few rather selfish individuals have parked like drunken crabs on an ecstacy trip, and have taken up two parking bays. How rude! Mind you, I find the biggest culprits in this category tend to be the SUV’s and MPV’s. People, if you do not know how to drive and handle a large vehicle, then plain and simply, you should not be driving it.

Turn signals/ indicators are on your vehicle for a reason. They are not an ornamental feature. it’s extremely rude to turn out in front of another vehicle without indication if any sort, and here, we are not referring to a middle finger either! Cutting in front of fellow road users is rude. Extremely rude. What example are we setting for our children if we are behaving so badly behind the wheel? If they see us behaving like possessed specimens behind the wheel, they will then think behaviour like that is acceptable, when it is in fact, far from acceptable.

Sadly, I think that many good old fashioned values, manners and courtesy seem to be long forgotten. There is a saying that goes, “Treat others as you would have others treat you,” which I find to be applicable in all aspects of life. If you curse and swear at the habits of other drivers, be sure to not commit the same offences yourself. If you expect others to keep their word, ensure that you do the same.

Feel free to post replies or comments.

Seeing the finish line in the distance

Many times when people set goals, they tend to think that they will never reach the goalposts, or target. Or worse still, many people simply don’t set goals, because they feel that it will “take too long” to make the intended goal, or “they will never get there anyway.”

People seem to have forgotten that achieving goals requires work, and in many cases, sacrifice to a degree. With regards to paying debt, it may need less spending in unnecessary areas, to get the debt paid in full.

Fortunately, I must admit that my debt burden is far smaller than that of many others out there. People may scoff at the meagre $867 that I owe, and tell me that many folk out there owe a heck of a lot more than that, or that many people repay more than that in interest charges in a month on existing debt. But to me, having it get to that milestone from a whopping $2400 at the end of August 2009, down to the $867 today, is  a huge achievement to me. The goalpost has been set at zero by the end of May 2010, which is an easily achievable goal for me.

Although, should I come into any extra forms of income during this time, it will all be channeled towards repaying the outstanding amount a lot faster.

Yes, it has involved  a lot of sacrifice on my part, but I feel that it has all been well worth it. So many people have told me that they would not be able to live like I do, spending as little as possible, and only spending when truly necessary. But as they say, different strokes for different folks. I have chosen to approach my debt with the intensity of a bull in a china shop, in order to eliminate it as fast as possible.

Absolutely all extra spending has been halted. Any cash left over from the budget each week, is channeled into the outstanding debt. I do realise that it takes a heck of a lot of self-control and discipline to achieve this standard of living on an indefinite basis, but it is something I have chosen to undertake, and I have also chosen to be happy while doing so. I know that the reward of being debt free, and not throwing money away on totally unnecessary interest charges, will be well worth the few months of sacrifice.

It is the ideal way to pay debt faster, but it also does not work for everyone. I realise that many folk are not able to embrace the mode of “total sacrifice” when it comes to spending. That’s okay too. We have all been created differently, and that is what makes life interesting.

As the saying goes, “If you want something badly enough, make it happen.”

Would you be able to cut all unnecessary spending in order to achieve a financial goal? I’d love to hear from you.

How badly do you want to be debt free?

I’m sure many (if not all) of us have heard someone saying in our hearing that they wish they could be debt free. A lot of folk would tell you to be careful what you wish for in life, but I think this would definitely be one of those times where the “exception to every rule” concept would apply!

Sure, many people wish, and long, to be debt free, but just how many of them actually take steps to make sure that their dream becomes reality? Very few. In short, a lot of folk expect the finance genie to pop out of their wallet, and dissolve their debt. If that had to happen, it would be nothing short of a modern day miracle.

The only time it will happen, is when effort, and action is put into making it happen. Dreams without actions are merely wishes. Dreams coupled with actions, become reality.

The first part of becoming debt free involves sacrifice. Not one of us is able to always have everything we want in life. In order to achieve goals, sacrifices often need to be made. In this situation, it would involve spending less on luxuries and non essential items. Often people will say something like, “We can’t live without our cable tv,” or “I’d die if there were no take outs,” or “I absolutely have to have the latest gadget.” Fair enough, if you have those, and know that you actually can’t really afford them, do not complain about having debt.

Luxury items should only be considered if there are no needs that are waiting to be met, and if debt will not be incurred as a result of making the purchase.

Start off by taking the time to inspect your bank statements each month, so that you can see where your hard earned money is going to. In many cases, there are areas that we can cut back, or even eliminate certain expenses. For example, are 200 premium tv channels really necessary? Is it truly necessary to have the fastest inernet connection available?

I’m not saying that a person needs to eliminate everything they enjoy in life, but there are limits. Start by simply shopping around, and attempting to reduce your monthly expenses. From there, take what you are saving, and allocate it towards debt repayment. An example in my own life, was to eliminate a little used gym contract, and to spend a little less each month on junk food purchases. The savings from that have gone towards debt repayment, and I am now reaping the reward of seeing my outstanding balance shrink substantially each month.

One area where it definitely pays to shop around is with precription medications. Here in South Africa, we don’t really have the option of ordering medications online (yet). So it is often a matter of perusing, and asking at different pharmacy/drug store chains, to see who is able to supply the items at the best price. I have managed to save $72 a year on one script alone, simply by using an alternative drug store/pharmacy. This principle also applies to those who often have copayments/levies on scripts for flu medication or anything else that may be prescribed by your doctor, as well as regular over the counter medications or remedies. I found that by using a different pharmacy, I was able to completely avoid copayments far more often that I had been at my regular pharmacy.

After discovering these savings, I went home, and reworked my budget accordingly. It would be no use saving in these different areas, if the money was simply going to be wasted elsewhere. All of these small savings have added up substantially, and are being channeled towards making the debt repayment process go a lot faster than initially planned.

It may only be $9 here, and $4 there, but believe me, they all add up. Before you know it, you will be able to pay a lot more than simply the minimum required on an outstanding account. This method of channeling extra money in small amounts towards debt repayment, is often referred to as the snowball or snowflake method.

Personally, I refer to these small amounts as the snowflakes, because they are all seemingly trivial on their own, but when added up, become quite substantial, much like a snowstorm. To me, the snowball method is for thefolks who have a lot of outstanding debt in different accounts, such as multiple credit cards or store charge accounts.

In this case, the snowball is referred to, because once a particular balance is paid up, the amount that was being paid into it, can then be added to another outstanding debt, effectively creating a snowball, towards paying it off faster than initially planned.

In a situation like this, do not let your bank or creditors bully you. On a few occasions, I have received calls from mine, asking why I am paying them more than the minimum required! I politely repond to them by telling them that I no longer see the need to make monthly donations in the form of interest payments, to institutions who are already making a living from the careless spending habits of others. When I commented to a particular banking institution here in South Africa about their exhorbitant interest rates and “monthly loan administration fees,” I was told rather blatantly, “That’s how we make our money and profit.”

On this note, avoid revolving credit loans even more than you would avoid the Black Plague. This is by far one of the most expensive loan options, with approximately 80% of your monthly repayment going towards interest and “administration fees.” On average, a revolving credit loan can take anywhere from 3 to 15 years to repay!

I have a feeling that my banking institution has labelled me as the consumer from hell, because I have a habit of asking them questions that they are often either not able to answer, or are too embarassed to answer, because they know they are taking advantage of their customers. In fact, I am currently engaged in a dispute with them over interest rates, and am awaiting a response from them. Mind you, they are often guilty of not even acknowledging their clients requests, and they still have the nerve to question my “consumer from hell” status!

Should you have any questions regarding the snowball and snowflake method, or have any questions regarding budgeting, please feel free to comment here, or drop a mail to thegreenpiggy[at]gmail[dot]com, and I will do my best to assist you, or even simply offer a few words of encouragement.

The forgotten art of gratitude

I’m sure most of us have at least heard news about the devastating earthquake that rocked Haiti. It has had catastrophic results for the residents, who are among the world’s poorest people.

Right now, they are simply struggling to survive each day, until enough relief supplies can reach them.

This catastrophe has had me thinking about just how much we take for granted on a daily basis. We turn on the tap, and there’s drinking water. We drive to the store, and buy food. If we need medical attention, we simply drive over to the local ER or doctor, and have our needs attended to. The sad part is, that even in our times of plenty, many of us still find reasons to complain, or be dissatisfied with all that we have been blessed with.

Often, I hear comments like, “I’ll just die without that new handbag,” or, “I really need to go shopping for new clothes.”

The people of Haiti can truly say that they will die, if supplies do not reach them in time. Right now, they are grateful for something as simple as clean drinking water and a little fresh food.

We may not have the latest and greatest gadgets, but we have at least 500 times more than many other people out there. We may not be able to go out to dinner tonight, but if we go to our pantry or fridge, there is a 99% chance of there being food to eat. If we open our closets, we have clothing to wear, most times, a heck of a lot more than we need.

Many times, I have heard children complaining that they don’t have all of the Barbie dolls, or they only have 50 wii games. Now is the time to sit down with them, and teach them to be grateful for the things they do have. Mind you, this lesson goes for many adults as well. We are so often focused on what we don’t have, or what we want, simply because others have it, that we forget to be thankful for what we already have.

“I would be so happy if,” is something I have often heard people say. Many people make the mistake of trying to derive happiness from possessions. Happiness comes from within us. In fact, it is a choice we make on a daily basis. We can choose to find happiness and be happy, and content with what we have, or we can choose to lament, and complain about what we do not have.

The fact is, we are extremely spoilt with all that we do have in life. We need to be truly thankful for it, and treat each day as a gift. When we feel the negative thoughts, and start to experience feelings of dissatisfaction about life in general, stop, and spare a thought for those who have literally been left with nothing. Rather sobering, isn’t it?

Comments? Replies?

Frozen flies and days of our lives

Being Friday today, I thought I’d keep posting relatively light, so I thought I’d share a few actual responses I have received from customer follow up calls, as well as anecdotes of what some of my past and present coworkers get up to, or used to get up to during the quiet moments.

Working at a motor dealership provides many entertaining moments during the day. I have worked at a fair few places, so for identity protection purposes, I will not divulge whether these anecdotes result from present or past coworkers.

Me: “Good day sir, your vehicle was in our workshop a few days ago, so we are doing a follow up call to see if you were happy with the service you received from us.”

Customer: “My radio was replaced under warranty, because it was faulty, but now, each time I press the power switch, I have a problem with the electric windows. If they are closed, they open. If they are open, they close, but strangely enough, the radio is still not working.”

Me: “Good day sir, your vehicle was in our workshop a few days ago, so we are doing a follow up call to see if you were happy with the service you received from us.”

Customer: “Good service, but why does my heater blow hot air when I turn it on?”

Me (after checking jobcard): “Uhm, sir, you seem to have a relatively late model vehicle, and it looks like that may be an added feature on the particular model you have.”

Customer: “Oh, thanks. have a good day. Bye”

Me: “Good day sir, your vehicle was in our workshop a few days ago, so we are doing a follow up call to see if you were happy with the service you received from us.”

Customer: “Why does the vehicle’s outside temperature display gauge fluctuate while driving?” (seriously)

Explaining that one was a bit of a mission…

During a quiet spell, one of the aforementioned coworkers decided to create a little entertainment. Ingredients used, were one ziplock baggy and one fresh fly. The fly was placed into the ziplock baggy and placed in the fridge freezer in the office.

The baggy was left in the freezer for an hour ot two, and upon returning to the freezer and removing the baggy, the fly appeared to be rather stiff. The coworker opened the baggy and gently removed the fly, which clung to his hand for a minute or two, and appeard rather comatose. As it thawed out, it started walking, and after a few minutes, it took off.

We took delivery of a large part for a customer, and one of the storemen removed the part from the box and crawled inside. He pulled the flap over himself, and waited for an unsuspecting victim to walk past the box.

As the unsuspecting victim, namely the tea lady, walked close to the box, he reached his hand out quietly and grabbed her leg. To say that she levitated, would have put it very mildly.

In one of the places I’ve worked, we had a mezzanine floor level where a lot of stuff was stored, which also made for a few entertaining moments. The next stunt involved a long cord, to which a large rubber spider was attached.

The poor tea lady was once again the unsuspecting victim here. She was walking down the aisle, and stopped to speak to a staff member. Meanwhile, one of the sales people was upstairs with the spider on the cord. While she stood there, he slowly lowered it down, and had it plop gently on to her shoulder.

She took one look at the specimen that had materialised on her shoulder, and hightailed it out of our department faster than greased lightning. Strangely enough, we didn’t see her for a day or two after that.

Of course, guys will be guys. Where there are guys involved who smoke, the stunts tend to be even more elaborate. One example was having a storeman who liked to play with his lighter. He would fart, and see how big he could get the flame to go. Needless to say, he was caught short on one occasion when the flame took to his pants and set them alight.

While he was trying to extinguish the flame with his hand, one of the sales guys saw what was happening, so he picked up a rather large wooden plank and started swatting at the flames with it. While this fiasco was taking place, the MD happened to walk into the department with a visitor in tow. The MD took one look at the events unfolding before his eyes, and shook his head. The look on the visitors’ face, however, was priceless. The MD turned and said to him, “Welcome to our parts department.”

In between that, there have also been wiper blade wars, antenna duels, and sandpaper skirmishes.

Yip folks, never a dull moment at any of the places I have worked for!

What’s the wackiest thing you ever did at work? Post comments.