Customer Service Matters (Even for Cheapskates Like Me)

Being the penny pincher that I am I always thought that the lowest price was the bottom-line.  At the end of the day, the less money I can spend the better, right? 

Well if anything could prove me more wrong, it would be my experience with IKEA over the last few days. 

To go through my horrendous experience step by step would require several blog posts, maybe a whole book.  But I can say with certainty, it was the most inefficient, painful, and maddening service experience I’ve ever had.  I spent at least seven hours on the phone with customer service (mostly on hold or going through the automated system yet AGAIN, since they can never give you a direct number even if it is the 8^th time you’re calling due to THEIR lack of efficiency).  My experience at the store was no better.  After three days of dealing with the same order, it STILL isn’t resolved.  I’ve cried, I’ve screamed, I’ve tried to work through it with yoga…  Ultimately, no matter how low their prices are, it’s not worth the time or aggravation. 

The shame of it is, the staff and the employees at the store and call centers are courteous and helpful but drowning under horrible company policies and serious under staffing issues.  I wrote to the company to express my frustration and was met with an unsympathetic email regurgitating the stupid policies I was already all too familiar with.

Needless to say, I will NEVER shop at IKEA again, even if they have the best prices for a broke girl like me.

Would you be willing to pay a higher price for better customer service?

10-minute meal: Chickpea, Avocado, and Lime Salad

Quick, healthy, and easy.  Serve as a salad or a main course.

Chickpeas (1 can or half a can)

1 Avocado, chopped

¼ Red Onion, diced

1 Tomato, diced

1 Bell Pepper, diced

2 Cloves garlic, minced

2 Limes, juiced

Fresh Cilantro (or parsley, or dill, whatever floats your boat)

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients.  Stir and season to taste.

Cool it in the fridge before serving on a hot summer day.  Or just mix it up and serve. Great with a side of quinoa/black bean chips. Yumm!

Stage Door Series: THE COST OF A CALLBACK

You got a callback!  Congratulations!  Here are your 20 pages of sides to learn.  We’ll see you Thursday at noon.

Step one:  You leave a message for your boss.  You won’t be able to babysit until 2pm on Thursday (-2 hours of work= $30).  Your boss calls back.  They really need someone to pick the kids up at noon, just take the day off.  (- 5 hour babysitting shift = $75).

Step two:  You contact your favorite pianist to get the sides recorded.  (-$25 per song= -$50).

Step three:  As you work through the material you find yourself struggling through the bridge- of course it sits right on your break!  You call your vocal coach for an emergency session. (-$100).

Step four:  You nail the callback and they ask you to come back to tap on Friday.  You call your boss to cancel… again (- 5 hour babysitting shift= $75).

Step five:  You haven’t taken a tap class since college.  You run to BDC (- $18).

Step six:  Class totally paid off, they ask you to sing again, and by the way, can you learn this new song? …..

You see where I’m going.  At this point in the process the grand total is up to $318.  Now it may be a bit of an exaggeration, but the reality is not far off.  Auditioning, callbacks, classes, perfecting your craft is expensive.  And even if you nail it, there’s no job guarantee.  And even if you book it, you may be walking away with barely enough to cover your expenses. 

            Be smart about your money.  You’re gonna need more of it to book your next job!

Affordable Health Care NYC

Uninsured?  Underinsured?  While we wait for the new healthcare act to take effect, the following resources for New York City residents are instrumental in providing comprehensive care to the large percentage of un- and under- insured people in this city.

MetroPlus

MetroPlus has a number of affordable health care programs for NYC residents.  The following are programs for those who don’t meet income requirements for Medicaid but still need low cost healthcare.

            Family Health Plus

New York State-sponsored health insurance for adults ages 19-64 with income too high to qualify for Medicaid.  Benefits include regular check ups, prescriptions, referrals to specialists, emergency and hospital care, family planning, etc.

            For more information about Family Health Plus and income restrictions visit:

            http://www.metroplus.org/mpp_family_health_plus.php

Child Health Plus

New York State-sponsored health insurance for children under the age of 19 who are uninsured and are not eligible for Medicaid.  Insurance premiums run from $0-$193.46 (As of April 2011) a month depending on household income level.  There is no income limit for this program.  Benefits include regular checkups, immunizations, emergency and hospital care, vision care, dental care, and more. 

For more information about Child Health Plus visit: http://www.metroplus.org/mpp_child_health_plus.php

New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) OPTIONS.

HHC Options is a program that provides sliding scale care for those with limited income who do not qualify for public health insurance programs.  The fee is determined based on income and family size.  An adult fee for an emergency room or a clinic visit will cost somewhere between $15 and $60, and covers almost all outpatient services (including blood tests and most x-rays).

To find the HHC facility closest to you visit  http://www.nyc.gov/html/hia/html/resources/hhc.shtml

Community Health Centers (CHC)

Community Health Centers provide affordable primary care and various supportive services (dental, vision, mental health, etc) depending on location.  Check your location to see which services they provide.

Visit here for a list of centers.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/hia/html/resources/community.shtml

Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Clinics (DOHMH)

DOHMH offers free health services including immunizations, STD testing, etc with no income requirements or restrictions.  For a list of clinics and their specific offerings visit.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/hia/html/resources/clinics.shtml

Dental

Dental clinics and schools offer reduced-cost dental treatment.  The following link offers a list of options.  I personally have used the clinic at NYU’s dental school for everything from getting a cleaning to a filling to a dental implant.  While each visit is a solid two hours, the savings are worthwhile and the quality of care is excellent.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/hia/html/resources/services_dental.shtml

NYC Health Insurance Link

NYC Health Insurance Link is a new online tool that finds you an affordable healthcare plan based on your specific circumstances and requirements.

Click here to get started.

https://a069-webapps7.nyc.gov/healthinslink/home.aspx

Prescriptions

Save an average of 47% on prescriptions with Big Apple Rx.

Get your discount card here.

http://www.bigapplerx.com/

Save up to 75% on prescriptions with New York Rx card.

Get your discount card here.

http://newyorkrxcard.com/index.php

Manhattan Clinics

The following is a list of three excellent, affordable clinics in Manhattan.

New York City Free Clinic (NYCFC)

            16 East 16^th Street

For uninsured adults 18 years or older, the NYCFC provides basic primary care, disease screening and prevention, a women’s health clinic, and many other services.  For more comprehensive care, free referrals are available to the clinic at Bellevue Hospital Center and all extra care provided there is free.

For more information visit http://nycfreeclinic.med.nyu.edu/

Weill Cornell Community Clinic

505 East 70^th Street

A student run clinic for uninsured NYC adults 19 years or older.  Open every Monday from 5pm-8pm.  Provides primary health care services, social work services, some laboratory tests, and access to community resources like eye care services and cancer screenings.

For more information visit http://weill.cornell.edu/wccc/index.html

Al Hirschfield Free Health Clinic

475 W 57^th Street

Funded by The Actors Fund, this clinic is specifically for entertainment professionals 18- 64 years of age.  The clinic provides free primary, and specialty care in addition to lab screenings, women’s health, and referrals to affordable specialty clinics and doctors.

For more information visit http://www.actorsfund.org/services-and-programs/al-hirschfeld-free-health-clinic

The resources are out there.  Call a clinic today and ensure your health for tomorrow.

Why Facebook Rocks My World.

Facebook has been denounced as a privacy invading, constantly changing, “faux” friend inducing, emoticon overusing, time wasting vortex of crap.  I, however, have found Facebook to be an invaluable tool.  Not only in maintaining my friendships and filling my social calendar, but in providing a public forum for life changing networking opportunities.

Job Opportunities

I’ve gotten work just from responding to friends’ statuses on Facebook.  On the other hand, I've spent hours on Craigslist sifting through countless questionable job postings and applying for gigs to no avail.  When I finally did book a gig through Craigslist, I went through hell just to get paid for my work and was NEVER paid in full. 

When a friend posts about work on Facebook, the work and the employer have already been vetted in some way.  You can at least judge the dependability of the gig and the likelihood of being paid by the dependability of the friend.  For me, one time Facebook gigs have turned into full-blown part time work.  And I’ve NEVER had a problem being paid.

Resources

I also use Facebook to find resources.  It’s like a free version of Angie’s List.  I post a status of what I’m looking for, and within half an hour, I have at least five recommendations for what I need (often with direct contact emails and numbers).  Everything from getting my dental implant affordably to getting music recorded immediately, the Facebook community has pointed me in the right direction.

Promotion

Talk about free marketing.  Most of the entertainment I patronize (be it a friends’ band playing on the Lower East Side or a Broadway show) is from events and postings I’ve seen on Facebook.

I’ve watched as causes, surgeries, projects, and shows have been funded with campaigns shared through Facebook. 

I’ve done my best to vote for people entering contests and using the vast network of Facebook to don support.

The current number one source of traffic for this blog is from Facebook (thanks for reading and sharing by the way).    

Freebies

Finally, Facebook keeps me updated on friends’, families’, and acquaintances’ careers and whereabouts.  If I need advice from a certain professional I can reach out far beyond my innermost social circle with the accessibility that Facebook provides.  I can also reach out when I’m traveling.  Finding friends and acquaintances who’ll give recommendations, will act as local tour guides, or provide a free place to stay.  By having this vast social media database of people with different expertise from all over the country and the world, the opportunities are limitless.  I’ve reconnected with people I haven’t seen in years through Facebook.  Not only have I saved money by staying with them, but enriched my travel and life experience by reconnecting.

I also love that Facebook catches me up on all the latest viral videos, memes, trending news stories, and such, but that’s just for fun :)

How has Facebook served you?

Choosing Your Response: A Thought Catalogue

Ever feel like the whole world is conspiring against you?  Yeah, me too.  It’s totally nutso but every so often there are those moments where it’s like “Really?”, “Is this REALLY my life?”,  “There’s no way this shit just happens, there must be some bigger plot.”

Deep breaths.

More deep breaths.

AAAAAHHHHH!!!! 

DEEP BREATHS.  In….and out….

Only you can choose your happiness.  Shit happens… and happens… and happens.  But you have to continue to stand up and say, I will chose the positive response.  I will learn from this experience and move forward stronger and smarter.

F**** my life!

DEEP BREATHS.  In…and out…

Yes, there are setbacks.  Doubts.  Despair even. 

You can’t choose what happens to you but you can choose how you react.  So if you encounter catastrophe or even a minor setback- financially, spiritually, emotionally, etc- I encourage you to step back, breathe, and rebuild from a place of greater and wiser power.

Excuses.

I haven’t posted in a while.  I recently got a fantastic gig that ate up just about every free moment of my last few weeks.  Yes, I’m making excuses.

On the one hand, it was wonderful to have work and make some real money.  On the other hand, I noticed how much I deferred my own projects and dreams. 

I see it happen with my friends (mostly actors in New York) all the time.   Everyone is so committed to their day job, what they’re doing just to get by, that they wipe themselves out and don’t make it to auditions or class or networking events.  For some reason we feel so much more committed to our survival job schedule than our reason for being here in the first place.

I recall a morning when I had to go work the breakfast shift at a restaurant.  I got up at 5am and got myself on the bus, reluctantly, but I did it.  I remember thinking; I wouldn’t do this for an audition.  I wouldn’t do this for my own goals, but I’ll do it for someone else.  It seemed so backwards.

Fast-forward two years and the same thing is happening.  This Wednesday I finally had a day off after two weeks of non-stop work.  I did nothing.  I had put my goals on hold to work for someone else, and when I had the time to execute them, I didn’t.  I negotiated with myself.  I procrastinated.

Why can’t I prioritize the work and goals I set for myself the way I unquestioningly execute the work I do for others?   Everyone does it.  Whether it be career goals like being a working actor or personal goals like writing a blog or working out.  When it comes to ourselves, we defer and make excuses.

It’s hard, but I think we need to endow our own dreams with the same importance and respect that we give to others.  I see too many brilliant people get so caught up in working for someone or something else that they lose sight of themselves. 

So here I am.  Committing to myself.  You can hold me accountable.  There will be weekly posts.  There will be a redesign.  There will be a giveaway.  There will be social media interaction.  There will be growth.   

Now what will you commit to?  And who will hold you accountable?

The New MetroCard: What You Need to Know

Fares are up all around.  Here’s a cheat sheet to help you decide if your usual MetroCard purchase is still the best value for your needs.

Base Fare: $2.50

30 Day Unlimited: $112

Is it worth it?  You must ride the subway 48 times in 30 days for this card to be worthwhile.  That’s two rides per work day and eight on the weekend.  If you’re not anticipating that much travel, stick with a pay per ride card.

7 Day Unlimited: $30

Is it worth it?  You must ride the subway 13 times in 7 days for this card to be worthwhile.  Again, If you’re not anticipating that much travel, stick with a pay per ride card.

Pay Per Ride

The pay per ride bonuses are dropping from 7% to 5%.  If you want your card bonus to work out to an exact amount of rides, purchase a $50 metro card and your balance will return to zero rather than 75 cents or some other awkward amount.

** If you want to get your balance down to zero, you can put your card in the machine and select “Other Amounts”.  Manually type in the difference needed to get to the base fare of $2.50.

NEW CHARGE!  $1 fee for every new MetroCard you buy! 

Time to start refilling your old MetroCards. If your old card is damaged or expired (they expire every two years), go to the window and turn it in for a new one free of charge.

Times to Reconsider Your Usual MetroCard Purchase:

-       -  When you’re scheduled to leave town for more than a couple of days.  If you wind up with an extra week or even an extra day or two on your unlimited, pass it off to a friend or someone on the street.  They’ll appreciate it.

-       - If your commute changes.  New job.  New apartment.  New locations.  Will it change the frequency with which you’ll be taking the train?

- 

-      - If your schedule changes.  Working freelance and things are quiet?  Maybe opt for a pay per ride for “as needed” trips and spend some time building your business from home.

-      - If the weather changes.  As temperatures start to rise and we enjoy a few glorious spring months you may want to opt for walking (if it’s a possibility) or biking more often.

For additional information about the new fares visit the MTA’s site. 

http://www.mta.info/news/stories/?story=979