A Smile of an Ah-Q

好久好久没有练习过英文写作了，刻苦了好几年得来的那点儿不足道的进步，已不知道都还到哪里去了。

今年好象流年还是不利，开年才没几天，尽是口舌。刚刚跟Comcast客服大吵了一架，郁闷得出去走了好多圈儿，还是委屈得愤愤不平。可是脑子里突然蹦出来的一个念头，让我忍不住笑了。

In early January I ordered to add a TV connector to my Cable services from Comcast. The girl who answered my call offered an upgraded service bundle at a lower monthly cost plus free installation for everything. I accepted her offer after triple-checking that the installation was free and getting positive answers. Their technician came in to get the work done a couple of days later, and he confirmed that all installation was free of charge.

When I received the bill three weeks later. The $70 installation was included in it. So I called their customer service. A guy answered and he told me the mistake at their side was fixed and I only need to pay the total shown on the bill minus 70. When I checked back on my account two weeks later after paying the adjusted balance, it showed that I owed them $70. So I called again. This time the guy who answered the phone told me that he saw it (the $70 credit) in the system and he was going to quicken the process so that I could see the adjustment within 24 hours. And I was assured that even if it didn't show on my account, I didn't need to do anything about it any further.

So now it is time for me to get the second bill since the upgrade and installation. And the $70 charge, which was supposed to be long gone, is still there. I grabbed my phone and believed this time it would be solved immediately on the spot by whoever that answers me. A lady named Cathy answered me, and she told me "we don't have any free installation program and there is no trace of any waiver to your installation fee". Holy cow!

I stated the full journey I had gone through before reaching her, and Cathy told me that she was sorry that she couldn't see related records in their system. Making sure it was beyond her power to solve the problem, I asked her to get me someone who has the authority to do so. After putting me on hold for a while, Cathy came back offering me a big favor -- half off of the installation. No! I am not here asking for any favor. I just want what I was promised!

I finally got to talk to a guy named Larry, claiming to be Cathy's supervisor. And this supervisor stated again the same crap to me and explained why the half installation fee cut was a favor. Even though for years I have been learning to be and to stay calm when facing anything exciting, I wasn't able to hold my anger any longer. I told him rather than offering me such a favor while indicating that I was making something up, someone owed me an apology for my wasted time and struggle that they caused me. I told him that they could pull out their records and find and listen to the phone recordings. If they didn't have either, it is their problem and any customer is not subjected to pay for their mistakes. I guess I was ferocious at the moment.

I did get an apology and another promise of fee adjustment, plus Larry's number and a promise I can call him back anytime. But hours after the fight, I was still at unease, feeling really sad. So I walked and walked and walked and walked. Then out of a sudden, I realized that I was mouth fighting all the way through in English, so confidently and fluently, without any preparation or stammering. So I decided there is actually something worth celebrating with a smile.
 

所有跟帖： 

• You won! Thanks for sharing your story:) -南山松- ♀ (0 bytes) () 03/02/2015 postreply 17:48:40

• Good writing & arguing in English! We need to learn from you :) -冲浪潜水员- ♂ (6 bytes) () 03/03/2015 postreply 00:19:20

• Hey Erjie, Congrats, this is really something worth celebrating. -yingyudidida- ♂ (61 bytes) () 03/03/2015 postreply 10:16:31

• Thank you all for your kind words and encouragement. -肖庄- ♀ (0 bytes) () 03/04/2015 postreply 15:21:42

• 写得好，说得棒，同庆祝。 -斯葭- ♀ (0 bytes) () 03/04/2015 postreply 21:52:24

• 谢谢斯葭。周末快乐！ -肖庄- ♀ (0 bytes) () 03/06/2015 postreply 10:35:42

• 写得好，说得棒，同庆祝。 -~叶子~- ♀ (0 bytes) () 03/09/2015 postreply 14:30:10