Zuiderdam Customer Service

[stormyc]

I am looking forward to the responses too - this thread really got me thinking... I never really had such high expectations as I did after I found this site and started reading what some of the other experiences are - and trying to take all the posts wih a "grain of salt" is hard sometimes.

 

I know just what you mean! Some comments are easy to discount because they are just out-of-this-world weird ...or heatedly overstated ...or too isolated from other balancing information...

 

The ones that get harder to dismiss are the reports that appear well-balanced between positive and negative experiences - these seem to be much more plausible scenarios.

[Scrumpy]

That depends on the timing of their previous cruises. It's possible that cruising every 5 or 6 years on a line that they notice changes that are not as apparent to more frequent cruisers. It's like when you watch something grow. Go out of town for a few weeks and upon return you see the growth that you do not notice with daily exposure.

 

I vehemently disagree that customers' expectations are greater now than in the past. We are often lucky to get any service, even disinterested service and rarely service with a smile. This holds true in shops, restaurants and hotels. My expectations are certainly lower than they were when I was younger. That is why GOOD service is such a treat. People are a bit nicer here than they've been some places I've lived and clearly not as service-oriented as in other places, but overall it is "take the money and run". My grandparents owned a restaurant and they experienced a lot of these changes first-hand. They simply could NOT get friendly, hard-working servers for years before they retired. I have had excellent service, but I've had absolutely lousy service in some very nice places where one would expect a pleasant experience if not an outstanding one. This is one area that I totally agree with my parents and grandparents. Things just are NOT like they used to be. When I'm bending over backwards to try to get a smile out of a service person, I think maybe some things have changed for the worse.

 

I cannot make a blanket statement about compensation other than to reiterate that a heartfelt apology is usually all I'd ever want - along with the hope that whatever problem occurred would be prevented in the future if possible. I know people who always think they're going to get something extra to compensate for a bad situation. Sometimes, I think they are justified, but most of the time I don't and their bizarre sense of entitlement is offensive. I do know that the few times I have felt strongly enough about something to complain, I often felt like my concerns were falling on deaf ears and part of my frustration stemmed from the idea that someone else would go through the same thing and receive the same treatment.

 

We have become a society that is addicted to immediate gratification. That is certainly true and, imo, lamentable. There is still no excuse for genuinely poor service - rudeness, inattention, and unwillingness to take responsibility when a customer has a genuine gripe.

 

Scrumpy

[sail7seas]

I've enjoyed reading this conversation and agree that many folks are hot on the trail of 'compensation' for every little (or large) thing that happens.

 

I think it should be entered into the conversation, though, that everyone is of a different personality, a different intensity and processes things differently.

Because some folks were very irritated with the chaos of the poorly handled Volendam embarkation, I don't think they should be dismissed out of hand as being demanding or impossible to please. They may have been traveling for many hours and were overtired and stressed to the max. Most folks start their vacations being exhausted from their everyday lives.....that is why they are taking a vacation. From what I have read, it was not HAL's finest hour trying to get all these folks on and off Volendam that day. The people who were terribly irritated were not wrong to be irritated IMO While, in a perfect world, it would roll off everyone's back; the world we live in is not perfect.

Some people are more vocal when they are displeased. Others suffer in silence.

I feel everyone's individual way of coping should be a consideration.

Doesn't mean they are overly demanding; doesn't mean they are looking for a free cruise or huge shipboard credit.....It Does mean they are displeased with what is occuring and how it is being handled. And IMO, they have the right to feel however they wish and to express it. They Do Not have the right to ruin others' good time but it is also up to the other people as to how they will process that!

[ekerr19]

Because some folks were very irritated with the chaos of the poorly handled Volendam embarkation, I don't think they should be dismissed out of hand as being demanding or impossible to please. They may have been traveling for many hours and were overtired and stressed to the max. Most folks start their vacations being exhausted from their everyday lives.....that is why they are taking a vacation. From what I have read, it was not HAL's finest hour trying to get all these folks on and off Volendam that day. The people who were terribly irritated were not wrong to be irritated IMO

 

 

 

Sail - I agree with you - it certainly was not HAL's finest hour and it was VERY uncomfortable for many (most) of the pax - perhaps I should have worded it a bit better. I was irritated, don't get me wrong - but more at the lack of information by the lone person (Shore Staff) than the situation, which was out of HAL's control. Some of us vented amongst each other, but we moved on - fortunately suffering no ill effects of the delay in the hot sun.

 

When I kept hearing how horrible it was (the four and fifth day of the cruise), I couldn't help but to think that some of these folks just wanted to complain, and complain they did - to anyone who would sit still and listen. In my mind, why harp on and on about it? Why let it ruin your vacation?

 

Then we started hearing about receiving "compensation" for having to "stand and wait around" - well, it just sat the wrong way with me, that's for sure - and it still does.

 

If someone has a legitimate complaint - and don't get me wrong, I'm the first one agreeing something should be said when it's necessary - state the issue, why it is a problem and what you expect to be done to remedy it - then move on. If it's not resolved to your satisfaction - decide at that point if it's worth it to you to pursue and do so - don't stew and let it fester - it makes things worse, but also have REALISTIC expectations for the outcome too. That helps. Just my point of view, for what it's worth. :)

[dakrewser]

I do have to say that, in my experience, customer service has gone downhill over the past 10-, 20- and 30- years. I've been involved in different aspects of service industries and positions over that time (working and managing retail, sales, and help desk personnel as well as doing periodic reviews of high tech customer service) and it is much worse than it used to be.

 

Training for service personnel has been cut, then cut again for many years. People in service positions do their best to get out of them - or else they take the positions as a means to a different end with no intention of developing in service, just in getting a paycheck.

 

Cruise lines, of course, constantly talk about their high levels of service. HAL, in particular, hasn't adjusted their message even though we know that the staffing levels in service positions (the F& B stewards as well as those in housekeeping) have dropped dramatically in the past couple of years. At the same time, veteran service personnel are opting out of renewing their contracts and moving to different areas of the hospitality industry. All of this contributes to service levels which do not reach the expectations of most cruisers who then feel they've been slighted and wish to have it "made up" to them through some form of compensation.

[Heaven2]

Hello everyone, I have been reading and enjoying your comments. Since some of you would like more explanation, I decided to post again.

 

First of all, Scrumpy I just love you. It would be interesting to be able to sit down and have a great conversation with you. The2ofus love you too. Let' go shopping a Nordstroms, we have one here in KC. Lokalona, you and I have walked in the same shoes, let's be sure we try new ones next time !

 

It seems that I did not make the situation as clear as I thought. Everyone seems to have targeted the comensation issue. Yes, I am one of those money grubbing individuals who makes my living falling on grocery store floors, down department store steps and suing fast food restaurants for the coffee being too hot ( this is especially interesting since I don't drink coffee ) ! My long list of cruises have been paid for by the nefarious tricks I have pulled !!!

 

Now the manner of compensation only became important after the cavalier

attitude that was expressed by the management.

 

It started with the deck chair request that escalated into a sarcastic call from the Human Relations Manager. And yes, after many years in management I recognize sarcasim. Received the deck chairs and decided to write off the attitude from the front office.

 

The next day my husband attempted to ingest an open, rusty staple. Most of you assume that the Lido Manager expressed immediate shock, bowing and scrapping while asking how this terrible thing could have happened. Sorry, he took the staple, asked where we got the food and said he would check on it.

No shock, no awe, no problem ! When he returned to the table he told my husband that he had checked and there was no way it could have been in the food from The Wok. Now ladies and gentlemen of the jury, would you react as my husband did and believe he was being called a liar ? Would you have told the Lido Manager that you were telling the truth ? Would you then be happy that the Lido Manager told you that they had thrown out all the current Wok food and that he ate it everyday without a problem ? Then the Lido Manager retired to another table and proceeded to eat.

 

My husband who is a very pleasant man was very upset at the implication.

He has prided himself on his good word all his life.

 

When we returned from dinner that evening a bottle of red wine was in the room with the following note around it's neck.

 

to.......customer name

From....Lido Manager

Sorry for the inconvenience that happened in Lido restaurant.

 

Now what would have made us happy? Please stop refering to me, for we are a couple in this situation.

 

1. A sincere letter on letter head about the serious situation of finding a rusty, open staple in ones food. This is not just a hair people. Rusty metal can cause many problems. The fact that my husband was quick to detect it, does not mitgate the seriousness.

 

2. Instead of wine ( for you never know if alcohol is acceptable to a customer, it could be very insulting to a member of a Friend of Bill W. ), how about just a ship board credit for the amount of the wine ? It is not the money involved, it is the gesture. How many of you have given a small token to a friend when a problem has arisen ?

 

For those of you that mention problems in land restaurants. We live in a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. If a problem arises and the waiter is informed, the next thing you see is the restaurant manager at your table. He will ask about the situation and offer another item. Sometimes he takes the meal off your bill. At no time did you have to request any of this treatment.

None of it required raised voices, threats, etc. It was just good business practice.

 

Some of you cruise many times a year and you are fortunate to be able to do so.

We on the other hand being retired ( and not of the Warren Buffett income ! )

plan and wait with great excitement for a cruise. Certainly we have high expectations, for does not the cruiseline advertise this perfect vacation ?

How you will be carried away to foreign places, fantastic food, beautiful cabins and stewarts to carry out your wishes ? They don't ? Hmmmm, read the brochures, watch the TV ads...paradise is just yours for the taking !

 

Maybe, just maybe if we knew that another cruise was just around the corner then we would be more relaxed about the small stuff ? As to expectations of customer service, I hold it high because I had to practice it for my entire working career. It can be done, many businesses have proven it. Not that many people are looking to sue for every problem. That is often their last resort. The average person cannot take on Golith and many would not know how to go about it. Again when you express that viewpoint for every wronged customer, you give management the permission to continue bad service. Or are you expressing a political viewpoint ?

 

I hope this gives everyone a better explanation of the problem. As one person pointed out we do have the option of going to another cruiseline. Yes, that is true. Can't you see that in a banner over every ship or land restaurant, theater, etc. " If you have a problem with our service, you can go somewhere else ". Well, at least it would be an honest reflection of their attitude. For those of you that never encounter poor service at the grocery store, beauty shop, barber, fast food, gas station, movie theater...well you are a miracle. Continue to have a positive attitude even when you get the finger !

 

I have always had a positive attitude but just cannot justify spending that much money with a company that considers us expendible. If you read my posts, I gave many examples of positive experiences on the two cruises. They did not overcome the experience of my husband being called untruthful.

For in the end all we really have is our good name. Yes, we took it personally.

Are some of you saying that you would not mind being called a liar or perhaps considering that we are senior citizens..that we are not quite right ?

 

So there it is folks, but I don't believe I will continue to try and explain in more detail. Some of you already "get it " and some of you will never " get it " until ( and it will happen) "your ox is gored ".

[ekerr19]

 

For those of you that never encounter poor service at the grocery store, beauty shop, barber, fast food, gas station, movie theater...well you are a miracle. Continue to have a positive attitude even when you get the finger !

 

 

Well you almost had me convinced until this statement - if you equate poor customer service to "receiving the finger" then I DO think your expectation is extremely high.

 

Poor customer service does happen - sometimes there is NO excuse for it - but other times, maybe a little compassion, understanding and communication go a long way. You said yourself earlier, you chose not to call the GRM back as at that point you considered the matter dropped - and yet here we are.

 

In my mind, you HAD the opportunity to address your dissatisfaction with the GRM, yet you opted not to - that in itself speaks volumes too, sorry.

[CanSail]

Yes Heaven some of us do "get" the message that you have shared with us.

I thank you for passing on your experience and I was so sorry to hear of the cruise experience that you and your husband shared.

I hope you find your next cruise more enjoyable then this last, don't give up on cruising (but it may be time to give up on HAL, sadly)

[stormyc]

Hello everyone, I have been reading and enjoying your comments. Since some of you would like more explanation, I decided to post again....

 

Hi, welcome back - glad you decided to return and add additional comments!:)

 

I was very interested in knowing what compensation you would expect from HAL to "make it right," and I see you have addressed that question.

 

Also wondered if you now have a more positive view overall of your cruise experience, or if the customer service issues you encountered pretty much defined it for you. (I did read your detailed review of your cruise, and was glad to see there were other things that did go well.)

 

Thank you again,

[Scrumpy]

Thank you Heaven2; likewise! That is a very nice thing to say. I noted that you did have positive things to say, but can certainly see why being treated as you and your husband were would cause you to want to "jump ship". When integrity matters, being subjected to such suspicion and disdain is simply too much. That is well beyond the poor service and sarcasm that you encountered with the deck chair, IMHO. I hope all your future cruises are pleasant ones and that there are many of them!

Scrumpy

 

[Heaven2]

Well you almost had me convinced until this statement - if you equate poor customer service to "receiving the finger" then I DO think your expectation is extremely high.

 

Poor customer service does happen - sometimes there is NO excuse for it - but other times, maybe a little compassion, understanding and communication go a long way. You said yourself earlier, you chose not to call the GRM back as at that point you considered the matter dropped - and yet here we are.

 

In my mind, you HAD the opportunity to address your dissatisfaction with the GRM, yet you opted not to - that in itself speaks volumes too, sorry.

 

Hey, lighten up there partner. Don't you know a sardonic comment when you see one ? And this was my cruise experience, so chill out. You are getting a little personal when you equate my statements with having no compassion, understanding and communication. What in the world are you so angry about ?

[JDee]

It appears to me that the OP was seeking some monetary compensation in excess of $100.00 and a letter from management acknowledging the incident with an apology. The bottle of wine just didn't cut it nor the brief apology in the note. Also appears to to a personality conflict. The Lido Mgr did state that the food in question was thrown out, so he must have had some belief of the story.

 

To quote from OP's posting from the thread "Zuiderdam Back to Back Right Now":

 

"Yesterday my husband and I had lunch in the Lido. We had food from the Wok. My husband was eating and got a very strange expression on his face. He then pulled out a staple from his mouth. It was open, not closed and seemed to be rusty. I took the staple to the Lido Manager and put it in his hand, explaining where it came from. Then I returned to the table. Five minutes later he appeared at the table and told my husband that he had checked and there was no way it could have come from the Wok. My husband told him that he was telling the truth and did not carry around staples to put in the food. The Manager said they threw all the food out but that he eats it and has no problem.

 

That evening a bottle of red wine was sent to our cabin with a note around the neck. Saying it was for the incident in the Lido and sent by the Lido manager.

 

Now I don't know what you all think of this situation, be we are not happy with the response. We still feel that the manager does not believe us. A bottle of wine (which we do not drink) doesn't seem enough for the "small incident" of almost swallowing a staple. We would have appreciated a letter from the management and possibly they could have seen their way to give us some type of ship board credit ? We are not looking for a huge reimbursement but I have heard of others getting $100 credit for a lot less."

 

No where is it said that the Lido mangager called her husband a liar or said he did not believe her husband. That is an assumption made by the OP. He just said it could not have come from the Wok. He must have had some degree of belief, as he did dump that food......

 

Various responses to the thread expressed their sorrow for the incident & seemed to think the wine was adequate compensation. Certainly no sympathy shown for lack of a more substantial compensation....

 

Also appears to me that the OP carried a monkey on her back on the verandah lounge chair incident. Appears got bad info on that subject since they had a lounge chair on their verandah on the prior week. Had to write a letter to the Hotel manager to get the lounge chair(s) placed on the verandah.

 

Yes, there is bad service in many places throughout our world. However, more often than not, a win-win situation can be accomplished with some give and take on both sides. A company will not stay in business very long if the manager gives away the store for every incident..

[discjoker]

While I believe there is no excuse for poor customer service, I feel like the OP is just over reacting. I myself am in a customer service oriented position and nothing is worse than dealing with someone who is also in customer service. They somehow think they know better and somehow know that their way is the right way to handle a situation.

 

You can only do so much to try to remedy a situation. Sometimes when it seems like nothing is going to fix a situation you just need to let it go. You need to let the customer move on and if they never are a customer of yours again it may be for the better.

[lougee1043]

 

The next day my husband attempted to ingest an open, rusty staple. Most of you assume that the Lido Manager expressed immediate shock, bowing and scrapping while asking how this terrible thing could have happened. Sorry, he took the staple, asked where we got the food and said he would check on it.

QUOTE]

 

since this is your quote it is my feeling that anything less then bowing and scrapping from the lido mgr would be unsatisfactory to you and it was--- you even didnt like the note attached to the bottle---

 

as i recall you originally posted either on this thread or the other one that you started regarding this subject that there was no note just a bottle of wine

[discjoker]

A company will not stay in business very long if the manager gives away the store for every incident..

 

Bravo!

[dakrewser]

Hey, lighten up there partner. Don't you know a sardonic comment when you see one ? And this was my cruise experience, so chill out. You are getting a little personal when you equate my statements with having no compassion, understanding and communication. What in the world are you so angry about ?

 

And perhaps you should lighten up as well. I'm sorry that not very many people agree with you about the matter of your compensation, but that's the way it is - everyone has an opinion and they rarely agree.

[ekerr19]

Hey, lighten up there partner. Don't you know a sardonic comment when you see one ? And this was my cruise experience, so chill out. You are getting a little personal when you equate my statements with having no compassion, understanding and communication. What in the world are you so angry about ?

 

Angry? I merely questioned why you chose not to address the issue with the GRM, especially after she called you - when it obviously was a big deal to you and it was enough of one that you also had to come back home and post about it yet AGAIN... I guess I don't understand.

 

You are right, it is "your" cruise experience, but when you come to a public forum, such as this, and post about - your experience becomes public and what you say potentially impacts future cruisers.

 

If you "re-read" my post - nowhere did I equate YOUR statements with having no compassion, understanding or communication, merely stating that having a bit of it DOES go along way, in my opinion -

 

You were the one who brought up the point that those of us accepting less than YOUR standard of customer service is equal to receiving the finger - which is a pretty rude comment directed to those who merely disagreed with your assessment of what can be considered good or bad... and you call me angry? LOL, that's a REAL good one. :)

 

Also, you may want keep in mind "sardonic", "sarcasm", "joking", etc. are often lost on message boards - and no, I didn't take it as such, since you mention it.

 

I sort of equate this as being a situation where you want to vent - but if/when someone presents a contrary arguement and asks for facts - they have the problem and it's easier just to cast stones in their direction in order to diffuse the heat.

[ekerr19]

While I believe there is no excuse for poor customer service, I feel like the OP is just over reacting. I myself am in a customer service oriented position and nothing is worse than dealing with someone who is also in customer service. They somehow think they know better and somehow know that their way is the right way to handle a situation.

 

 

Bravo discjoker! Couldn't agree more. :)

[xpcdoojk]

For some reason so many of these threads sound like a song to me.

 

One that comes to mind is by ABBA, and I thought of it first when I read this one because we have recently seen "Mama Mia" for the 3rd time.

 

Money, money, money I work all night, I work all day

To pay the bills I have to pay

Ain't it sad

And still there never seems to be

A single penny left for me

That's too bad

In my dreams I have a plan

If I got me a wealthy man

I wouldn't have to work at all

I'd fool around and have a ball Money, money, money

Must be funny

In the rich man's world

Money, money, money

Always sunny

In the rich man's world

Aha, aha

All the things I could do

If I had a little money

It's a rich man's world It's a rich man's world A man like that is hard to find

But I can't get him off my mind

Ain't it sad

And if he happens to be free

I bet he wouldn't fancy me

That's too bad

So I must leave, I'll have to go

To Las Vegas or Monaco

And win a fortune in a game

My life will never be the same Money, money, money

Must be funny

In the rich man's world

Money, money, money

Always sunny

In the rich man's world

Aha, aha

All the things I could do

If I had a little money

It's a rich man's world Money, money, money

Must be funny

In the rich man's world

Money, money, money

Always sunny

In the rich man's world

Aha, aha

All the things I could do

If I had a little money

It's a rich man's world It's a rich man's world

 

jc <---- humming to himself.:D

[ryansmemom]

Heaven,

 

As I said in my previous post, I am sorry your cruise did not go better for you. I do not feel that there is an excuse for poor customer service as far as upper level managers are concerned. By upper level managers I mean people like, Guest Relations Managers, Dining Room Managers, anyone with the word manager in their title, as well as their superiors.

 

I was also not aware that this was your first cruise. You may not be aware of this, however, I have also said that very often people on their first cruise need to be given extra lattitude and mentoring. I have actually spoken to a Hotel Manager on board the Statendam about this. It is difficult to get their needs met on board a ship because they do not understand how the system works and how it differs from a land based vacation venue. There are extra layers and extra people with different responsibilities.

 

One thing that you said that really strikes me is that this vacation is a huge investment of time and money. It's not like you can just make up for it next time or easily go somewhere else. You are basically stuck on the ship for the duratation. If it is your first time, you may not know just who to turn to if a manager has caused the problem. After all, I would wonder if a Lido Manager was higher or lower in the heirarchy than the Guest Relations Manager. It can be confusing, especially if you are new to this.

 

My husband and I have been on 16 cruises, 11 of them on HAL. We have enjoyed all of our cruises. We are admittedly very easy to please. We enjoyed them more after we learned the ropes. I am not in any way excusing the treatment you received. It was in my opinion inexcusable. They should have asked you how they could have made it better for you. There are other options open to them rather than a bottle of wine and a cursory note.

 

A face to face apology would have been really nice. Perhaps dinner in the Pinnacle or some Spa service. They have so many options available. It does't have to be financial compensation or credit toward a future cruise you may not want. I would imagine something that would help make the present cruise more enjoyable would be better appreciated. Who knows, a face to face, sincere apology and understanding may have done the trick. A face to face meeting and apology and understand from not just the Lido Manager but the Hotel Manager would have seemed appropriate in my estimation. At that time they would have had the opportunity to ask you and your husband how they could make things up to you and perhaps even offer you several options. That would have been excellent customer service. And that is what they advertise. It is only human to make mistakes. None of us are perfect. What really counts is how we handle things after the mistake is made.

 

My husband and I enjoy HAL. It is not perfect. If you are willing to chance it, try one of the smaller ships. I beleive you will find the experience to be a better one. Just my opinion. I have never been on a Vista class ship so some will say I don't know what I am talking about. However, I can say with confidence the customer service I have experienced on the S and R class ships has always been excellent.

 

Linda

[Heaven2]

This is a very interesting thread because no matter how I express myself, it all comes back to money. Believe there is a Bob Fosse song about that ?

 

A credit for the amount of a bottle of wine and a letter. I don't remember where I mentioned wanting huge amounts of compensation. This seems to be the one point that most of you agree on, I must have had a chip on my shoulder, was vengeful and wanted lots of money. In my first post I mentioned a credit of $100 as an example that I have seen given for not much of a problem. It was certainly not a suggestion of an amount I wanted, too bad it was taken as such.

 

No, I was just reporting on a bad customer service problem which few want to believe was my reason.

 

So my first inclination was not to post and it was the correct one. I haven't posted to this board very often and much of it was very positive about Hal.

But it has been interesting reading the resonses. My husband and I know what was said, how it was said and when someone is sincere. As to calling the Customer Service Manager back the second time, the first conversation was enough. My only mistake was to take it to this board. If I had not done that, it would have stopped.

 

And humor can be mixed with comments. Maybe in this day and age of such over reaction, one should put a smiley face with each sardonic, humorous comment ?

 

Thanks for all the information, it has been an eye opener into my personality ( smile ) giving me all sorts of things to think about...well, maybe ( smile )

 

For those of you that wondered if I wanted to try Holland again, not really, there are so many lines out there.

 

Now this really will be my last comment on this subject. It seems to be escalating into some weird topic and it is a beautiful sunny day today. I am going to go out and enjoy it.

 

Thanks to you all ( smile ) no chip on shoulder !

[ekerr19]

Deleted.

[HeatherInFlorida]

It always interests me what sort of compensation people think is "enough" or "not enough" for an incident. Had the OP's husband actually been successful in ingesting the staple, there's a good chance it would have passed through his system and no one would have been the wiser. I hate to think what odd objects I may have consumed over the many years since my birth:eek: .

 

Instead, luckily he found it in his mouth and thankfully no harm was done. So OP's upset seems to be over two things: 1) the staple, and 2) the treatment that followed. Both are legitimate things to be upset about. But I'm not clear on whether it was the treatment or the lack of renumeration that is still upsetting the OP.

 

My husband and I had a horrible experience on a cruise (not HAL) a couple of years ago. I went to the Front Desk and told them about it. That night we received a bottle of Champagne in our cabin with a note saying they were sorry for our experience. I thought that was very nice. A call followed from the HM asking us to call if we wanted to discuss further. We didn't call because the matter was closed in our opinion. We are both alcoholics and do not drink, but they didn't know that and I wouldn't expect them to.

 

Since the OP was still upset, she should have returned the call and discussed further. Not to do so indicated to management that the matter was closed.

 

It seems to me the OP wanted $100 for either the staple or the treatment. It is not within my ability to understand how the $100 would have changed anything. I'm tired of everything being measured in dollars. HAL followed up, OP chose not to respond ... the case should be closed.

[ekerr19]

It seems to me the OP wanted $100 for either the staple or the treatment. It is not within my ability to understand how the $100 would have changed anything. I'm tired of everything being measured in dollars. HAL followed up, OP chose not to respond ... the case should be closed.

 

BINGO - As usual, you hit the nail on the head. :) In my post above, I was going to try an point out the OP's contradictions, but figured, what they hey? Life is too short anyway.

 

Thanks for stating the obvious so succintly, Heather.

[stormyc]

i'm going to go lay down for a few moments - this thread has made me feel very, very tired - sigh :o