Customer Service in U.S. sucks, healthcare expenses

The United States has become a country where customer service has taken a back seat to
making money. Companies, especially big ones, (Ma Bell and other national biggies) have
customer service reps who must be underpaid, undertrained and/or of foreign origin. Yes,
we are a country of immigrants and while it is great you have come to America, if you
are in customer service, I can't quite understand you and you mess up my order, I will be a wee
bit upset -- especially if you mess up my order so much that my service is discontinued!

What am I talking about? I can talking about the fact that my son and I tried three times online and I tried two times over the phone to get our phone account straigthtened out.It shouldn't take rocket science to transfer a phone account into another person's name, and for it to "have" 2 names on the cellphone account. But if you try to change the name of the person the cellphone is billed to, you get in all kinds of trouble. The automated "program" doesn't go through; and finally, you have to call customer service.

What has happened to customer service in this country? Especially customer service on the phone? Do you know how difficult it is to get a "real" person to talk to you? And if that real person has an accent you don't understand, you may not get what you want either. AT&T has made it difficult for me to want to continue with them. Presently, even though I paid my bill, I have "no network coverage". Could it be that something is wrong with my sim card or other mechanical failure? Perhaps, but I think it is moreso because they sent me 2 separate bills, one  for me and one for my spouse, for over $116! And we hardly use the dang phone! I'm not made out of money but maybe AT&T thinks I am. Why couldn't they put both names on the one account, as I had asked (over the phone and also at an AT&T office with a customer service rep)? Why must customer service be such a lackluster, screwed up function of today's big businesses? 

Would a small business screw up like this? Would a small business care about individual problems? I would hope so, or they wouldn't be in business. But as for big business, forget about it.

And I just received a notice -- yet "another" medical facility that won't take my husband's insurance, so I owe $450 for a 30 second bone density scan! Healthcare sucks too.

Winter Wonders, Son Moving, Money

   Well, winter has made itself known again, with an inch of white before it almost all disappears. We have had, now, our sixth snow, even if it is not more than an inch. And people question global climate change? I don't see how they can doubt something is happening with our weather.
    Still, the Master Naturalist must push on. It was a "wonder" the other week I could do water monitoring. I foolishly thrust my hand into 38o degree water (!) to encapulate some rushing stream water-- how can water be so cold and still flow! (Okay, yeah, right, it's not 32 degrees.) I should have
brought something waterproof along, like a few layers of those yellow latex dishwashing gloves, over a pair winter gloves that aren't so bulky. My husband suggested this later--- after the experience.
   The oldest son, Zeb, helped with the water monitoring experience but it looks like he will be moving to a new place. He actually found himself a decent paying job! True, it is at a prison in a rural area several hours' drive away, but, hey, that's something in this economy. But helping him move will put a dent in our meager savings. Ah well, it's always easy come, easy go with savings. But in 2011, if I can find work as a  writer, then that will be great! There are writing possibilities out there and, hopefully, I can finish my novels (that's right, two of them) and get published FOR PAY, the two words all writers hope for. Maybe I should do a blog for money.