Corporate America

With Thanksgiving week being a slow week for the job search, I turned my attention to hassling Corporate America.  My target has been DIRECTV and I believe my cause to be just but I will continue the rebuttals as long as they keep responding.  Read below the thread of email over the past several days!  I reformatted it so the first email is listed first and the conversation reads down naturally.  (Unlike a normal email thread)

Customer (Kim Stevens) - 11/23/2009 01:30 PM
Today I had a charge of $185.34 posted to my checking account. I am disputing that charge and would like it reversed. I cancelled my DirectTV service in July or August of this year. I had been paying through Qwest and I called and cancelled phone, internet, and TV. I assumed everything was OK since I received a final bill from Qwest and then nothing else. Your rep says his notes indicate my TV account was only unbundled at that time and not cancelled so I have accruing a bill. A few days ago a DirectTV rep called and asked if we could bring my account current and turn on full service again. That was the first I knew that I was still being billed. I cancelled at that time but was not told there would be a final charge. I don't believe I owe this $185.00 due to a miscommunicationbetween you and Qwest. I am respectfully requesting a reversal of those charges. Thank you.

Response (Elisa N. - 100126762) - 11/24/2009 03:28 AM
Dear Mr. Stevens,
Thanks for writing. I understand your billing concern. I checked our records and found that we did not receive a request to cancel your DIRECTV service until 11/13. As such, your account remained active and we continued billing you for services. We have reviewed the information you provided and we have found that your account reflects the correct amount due. DIRECTV is unable to honor your credit request. Under the terms of the DIRECTV Customer Agreement, when your DIRECTV service is cancelled all outstanding charges are billed to the method of payment we currently have on file. The Customer Agreement is available online at directv.com/agreements. Please see the “Payment Upon Cancellation” section for more information. Thanks again for writing.
Sincerely,
Elisa N. - 100126762
DIRECTV Customer Service

Customer (Kim Stevens) - 11/24/2009 07:25 AM.
I disagree with you on this. My service was cancelled on 11/13 when I discovered it was still active. I believed that it had been cancelled in July. Your customer service rep told me you have notes from July indicating that Qwest unbundled the service at that time. Instead of just unbundling, it should have been cancelled. Qwest didn't give the proper instructions or you didn't follow them properly. I don't know who made the mistake but I believed everything to be cancelled in July. Please reconsider my request as I don't feel I should pay for a miscommunication between Qwest and DIRECTV.
Thank you,
-Kim Stevens

Response (Mare Lubao - 100260692) - 11/24/2009 07:49 AM
Dear Mr. Stevens,
Thanks for writing us back. I understand your concern about the charges from your former DIRECTV account. Upon reviewing your account I found no notes stating that you disconnected your account from within July to August. However, there is a record that the joint billing with your DIRECTV and Qwest account was unbundled 07/21/2009. Since the account was disconnected just 11/13/2009, we do regret to inform you that DIRECTV is unable to honor your credit request. As previously communicated, we have reviewed the information you provided and we have found that your account reflects the correct amount due. For your convenience you can access your account online at directv.com. On your monthly DIRECTV billing statement the payment due date is listed at the top beneath your account number. If we do not receive your payment in full by the due date appearing on your bill your account will be charged a late fee according to Section 2.c.4 of the DIRECTV Customer Agreement. I hope you find this information helpful and thank you again for writing. We appreciate your patience and understanding.
Sincerely,
Mare V. - 100260692
DIRECTV Customer Service

Customer (Entered by Virginia M. - 100162748) - 11/24/2009 03:17 PM.
Dear DIRECTV,
You guys are idiots. Of course there wasn't a disconnection request in July from Qwest. That is the point of my whole dispute. You admit to a request from Qwest to unbundle on 7/21/09. That should have been a cancellation request not a request to unbundle billing. Because of behemoth corporate america brainless jerks like you, the consumer like me gets screwed and you get your money. Thanks for nothing. Rest assured I won't ever be back to DIRECTV.
-Kim

Response (Virginia M. - 100162748) - 11/24/2009 03:17 PM
Dear Mr. Stevens,
Thanks for writing us back. I'm sorry to hear about the problems are having with your bill. I just wanted to let you know that we received your email and I have forwarded it for special handling. A specialist will respond as soon as an agent is available (likely within 48 hours). For immediate assistance, please call us at 1-800-531-5000.
Sincerely,
Virginia M. 100162748
DIRECTV Customer Service

Response (David S ID 419129) - 11/24/2009 06:45 PM
Dear Mr. Stevens,
Thank you for writing. I am happy to address your concerns regarding your account. I apologize for any miscommunication. However, DIRECTV and Qwest are two separate companies. While your DIRECTV services were bundled with Qwest services and you were receiving a joint bill, our services are still separate. Qwest is not responsible for canceling DIRECTV services and we will not accept a cancellation request from a Qwest representative, as only the account holder can cancel or modify the services on the account. As the account holder, it is your responsibility to inform DIRECTV of any request to change, modify, or cancel the account. As we did not receive a cancellation request until November 13th, 2009, your account was not disconnected until then. As such, DIRECTV is unable to honor your request for credit for services, prior to 11/13/2009. Thank you again for writing and allowing me the opportunity to personally address your concerns.
Sincerely,
David S ID 419129
DIRECTV Resolution Specialist

Customer (Entered by David C. - 100126928) - 11/25/2009 10:35 AM.
I realize that Qwest and DIRECTV are separate companies. But if your services are bundled with Qwests services and the joint billing comes from Qwest, any reasonable person would assume you could cancel the services through Qwest. I called Qwest and cancelled phone, internet, and TV all at the same time. Nobody ever said you have to call DIRECTV separately. In fact when I started this process a couple of weeks ago, Qwest assured me that they had cancelled the services and that you had not responded. Qwest believes they can cancel DIRECTV services and told me so. Of course Qwest couldn't care less because they aren't out anything by all this. You obviously couldn't care less because you got an extra $185.00 for nothing because my receivers were disconnected and I am the victim of corporate greed, stupidity, and insensitivity. But I am not bitter because I have good health and the most awesome family in the world and you can't take that away from me. (At least not yet.....!)
-Kim

Response (David C. - 100126928) - 11/25/2009 10:35 AM
Dear Mr. Stevens,
Thanks for writing us back. I understand that you have an ongoing issue with the charges on your DIRECTV service. I just wanted to let you know that we received your email and I have forwarded it for special handling. A specialist will respond as soon as an agent is available (likely within 48 hours). For immediate assistance, please call us at 1-800-531-5000.
Sincerely,
David C.Employee ID # 100126928
DIRECTV Customer Service


Response (Kimberly C ID 402144) - 11/25/2009 01:15 PM
Dear Mr. Stevens, Thank you for writing back. I can certainly understand your point of view. However, a Qwest agent is not authorized to terminate DIRECTV services on your behalf since they are not the account holder. As previously mentioned, we are unable to honor your request for credit as we did not receive any indication you wanted to cancel your account until 11/13/09. I understand this has been a frustrating experience for you. We respect your time and I appreciate that you've given me the opportunity to personally address your concerns. In addition, I've forwarded your email to DIRECTV's Management Team, who review every suggestion, inquiry and complaint for trends to determine what changes should be considered. Thanks again for writing.
Sincerely,
Kimberly C. 402144
DIRECTV Resolution Specialist

Walking in Darkness

Walking In Darkness:

A Pragmatists Guide to Living with Faith

The pragmatists approach to a practical world is dominated by the desire to understand the consequences of actions and to weigh the practical benefits of any specified course of action. The pragmatist will often consciously or unconsciously conduct a cost benefit analysis to determine the most practical way to conduct ones life. Foremost in his/her mind is the need to know the end from the beginning in order to conduct such an analysis and achieve a determination that seems most prudent based on the facts and experiences at hand.

It would appear that approaching any life experience based on faith would be at odds with the pragmatist. The essential component of faith is action based not on knowledge but on a belief that the end result will be the most desirable outcome. The inability to conduct a traditional analysis of ones life when walking with faith violates the pragmatists need for certainty and an understanding of the whole path.

God created all men in his own image¹. God is the creator and author of our mortal bodies and spiritual destiny. Our very existence requires that we have faith in our pre-mortal existence and that God has a plan for us to achieve exaltation and eternal life. In order for the pragmatist to come to terms with living day to day life with faith, he must accept our Heavenly Father’s Plan of Salvation as the ultimate guiding force that leads to eternal consequences. He must accept that as one of God’s creations his mortal mind is in the image of God but without the infinite knowledge of God. The pursuit of knowledge or intelligence is the glory of God and will remain with us eternally². It is one of the purposes for our earthly existence. In the eternal sense a pragmatic view of our existence will be most likely based on the infinite intelligence we can gain. That journey begins in this life.

The pragmatists’ natural tendency is to plan out every detail of our lives. We can only know if we will be successful in reaching our destination if we have carefully evaluated each step of the way and are confident in our ability to take each step and arrive safely at our destination. When we plan a trip each detail is known from the beginning. We know what day we will leave and how far we will travel each day. We have a reservation waiting for us at each day’s destination. We know what will happen each day of the trip. We know what sights or attractions will be seen and how much time and cost is involved in each one.

We also know that in order to avoid undesirable consequences we must obey the laws that exist or take the necessary precautions. A reservation will ensure that we have a place to stay when we arrive. Careful maintenance of the car prior to departure will help ensure a trip free from vehicle problems. Understanding the laws or customs of a foreign location will free us from undesirable consequences.

Through our experience we know that the diligence paid to these details will bring the desired results. We have learned how to successfully rent a hotel room or arrive at the airport in enough time to catch a flight. We have also learned about diligence in all aspects of our lives. We know that watering and caring for the flower garden will result in a beautiful garden with flowers to brighten our surroundings. We know how to plan and prepare a great feast where family and friends can enjoy each others company without worry and concern about the food. We can cite numerous examples in our lives where diligence and careful attention to detail brings the desired results.

But even the pragmatist must acknowledge that not all consequences can be foreseen and that there are times when even the most carefully laid plans can go awry. A flight is cancelled because of airplane mechanical problems. A beautiful garden is wiped out by a furious storm. Or the feast is interrupted by a loss of electricity which is always assumed to be present. Even the most carefully made plans can be ruined by events beyond our control and beyond our ability (or the practicality!) of making contingent plans. The pragmatist is usually able to come to terms with these problems because of the nature of the unintended event. The problem arises when plans don’t bring about the intended results and the cause is unknown. The most frustrating delays are those that happen with no explanation. Remember the last time you made an appointment with a doctor, dentist, or someone else and the time for the appointment came and went with you sitting quietly in the waiting room with no idea when you would be seen?

In the gospel of Jesus Christ we are also taught that diligence will bring a desired reward. In the gospel we usually refer to diligence as obedience and reward as blessing. We are taught that obedience to certain laws brings a desired blessing³. There are innumerable examples throughout the scriptures where we are promised certain blessings for obedience to certain commandments. Honoring our parents, paying an honest tithe, and following the Word of Wisdom are just a few. But there are also times when living the Gospel that our diligence or obedience does not seem to bring the desired result.

I have been a faithful tithe payer my whole life. I have experienced the blessings that come from paying a full tithe. I have lived in a house for 15 years and never replaced the carpet when others have replaced theirs at least once and sometimes many times. Without discounting the great care and attention that my wife gives to our home, I also believe it to be a blessing of paying our tithing. I have also been able to receive money from unexpected sources and at unexpected times when we had a great need. It would seem that faithfully paying tithing would always result in the promised blessings according to our needs. But unexpected economic consequences can spoil our plans. I am experiencing unemployment due to economic and regulatory consequences beyond my control. My best laid plan of paying an honest tithe so I would always be provided for financially seems to have gone awry. Why are the blessings of tithing being withheld at this time? Not only am I not able to pay the normal day to day expenses; I am also experiencing a number of unexpected expenses. Many things that I own are breaking down and need repair. Like sitting in the doctor’s office, I expect that some time I will be seen or receive the promised blessings but right now that is unknown.

This is a crucial point for the pragmatist learning to live with faith. Because the expected blessing did not result from careful obedience does not mean that the obedience was not necessary or unrewarded. The tendency is to believe that if we did not receive what we expected or anticipated that somehow we did something wrong or that the obedience really does not result in blessing. Even worse we may believe that some are blessed for their obedience but that we somehow don’t qualify. When the transmission failed on my fairly new car my initial reaction was to become angry because the expected blessings did not occur when I felt they were needed and most deserved. Doubt and disbelieve that arise from following God’s commands are a tool of Satan and are intended to stop us from further obedience. The natural man wants to play into this deception and believe that God had forgotten or ignored him. Remember that the natural man is an enemy to God and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, unless he becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him⁴. The essence of living with faith is to accept the unknown time table of the Father. This includes namely submissiveness, humility, patience, and love.

The pragmatist must learn to humbly submit to all things which the Lord sees fit. Being submissive is easier when the results are known and understood. Even in the extreme cases of submitting to invasive and dangerous medical treatments is tolerable with the knowledge and understanding that the end results will be worth the pain and suffering. Submitting to the Lord is often times required without the benefit of such knowledge and understanding. Remember, our mortal minds are on a journey to gather this intelligence. If we will stop and feel ourselves humble before the Lord, we will gain the strength to submit in all things. Feeling humble means that, above all else, our desire is to do the will of the Lord.

Time management experts have long espoused to benefits of careful time allocation. Instead of letting the events of the day determine your course of action, you plan and allocate time from the beginning. These ideals resonate well with the pragmatist. Instead of letting email interrupt you when it comes in, you will allocate time specifically for responding to email. You may even set aside a specific time to return phone calls. You know that there are certain activities that are not urgent in nature but are of extreme importance. Consistently setting aside these activities can have disastrous long-term effects. You will allocate time for these in your day so they don’t get neglected. But even the most ardent devotee of time management will acknowledge that emergencies arise and unforeseen events will intrude on the day. They will even go so far as to allocate “empty” time when they can address such issues or to move other activities into this slot. We can expand these concepts of allocation to include larger chunks of our lives. Recognizing that we may need “empty” time in our life to deal with disasters or unforeseen events will assist us in humbly submitting to whatever the Lord sees fit.

Patience will be difficult as we see our life crumbling around us. After having decided to submit ourselves to the will of the Lord, we have to remember that we are submitting on His time table and not ours. Patience will require that we maintain our humility and continue in love. Love is the product of looking beyond ourselves and doing the Lords work with others.

Service many times results when we allow ourselves to displace our own cares and concerns. There are of course planned acts of service for which we can be richly rewarded. These acts fit easily within our paradigm for life because they are planned, executed, and completed with our pre-conceived expectations. As the pragmatist learns to perform spontaneous and random acts of kindness, he will benefit from forgetting about his own cares and concerns and worrying about the welfare of another. Continuing down this path will lead to the development of a greater amount of love. In fact, President Thomas S. Monson taught “you can never love the Lord until you serve Him by serving His people⁵.

When we love other people, we are seeing them as children of our Heavenly Father. We are seeing them as He sees them. As we grow closer to other people, we are also growing closer to our Heavenly Father and becoming more like Him. Our faith will increase and we will know that we can trust in our Heavenly Father’s plan.

Now the pragmatist has come full circle. Instead of fearing the unknown and having the inability to proceed down darkened paths, our faith and trust in the Lord allows us to see the real end to our journey. The real end is the faith and confidence that the Lord has a plan for us. The real end is knowing that we are children of our Heavenly Father and that he loves each one of us more than we can possibly imagine. The real end is knowing that when we do what the Lord says he is bound to provide the promised blessings⁶. The real end is knowing that as we humbly submit to the time table of the Lord, we can have all that He has⁷.

So now the pragmatist can know the end from the beginning. But he can only know in an eternal and spiritual sense. As he loves others and develops faith in the Lord Jesus Christ his understanding will increase, his knowledge will expand, and he will be able to walk in darkness with the full faith, trust, and confidence that the Lord will not lead astray but will in the end do all that He has promised.






Notes:
1. Genesis 1:26-27
2. See D&C 93:36 and D&C 130:18-19
3. D&C 130:20-21
4. Mosiah 3:19
5. Thomas S. Monson, “Great Expectations” (Church Educational System fireside for young adults, Jan. 11, 2009), www.ldsces.org
6. D&C 82:10
7. D&C 84:38

Moral Decay of Society

The recent conference address my Elder D. Todd Christofferson struck a poignant and painful chord with me. In speaking of moral discipline, Elder Christofferson commented on how the lack of internal control by individuals breeds external control by government.¹ Citing a columnist he observed “gentlemanly behavior [for example, once] protected women from coarse behavior. Today, we expect sexual harassment laws to restrain coarse behavior. . . .

“Policemen and laws can never replace customs, traditions and moral values as a means for regulating human behavior. At best, the police and criminal justice system are the last desperate line of defense for a civilized society. Our increased reliance on laws to regulate behavior is a measure of how uncivilized we’ve become.”²

I have spent the last 3 years in the mortgage industry. Much has been said about the greed, corruption, and fraud that has occurred in this industry. It is true that many individuals within this industry acted in such a way as to deceive and cheat consumers and contribute to the financial downfall we have experienced.

In an attempt to regulate the behavior of these unscrupulous individuals many new laws and regulations have been put into effect over the past year.  These are harsh governmental controls that attempt to police the unsavory and protect the naïve.

Unfortunately we will find that additional laws and regulations will do nothing to stop those that have no moral compass and only create undue harm and discomfort for those it intended to protect.

One example is the HVCC laws passed that dictated the relationship between mortgage loan officers and appraisers. In an attempt to deter the undue influence of a loan officer on an appraiser, any contact at all between the two was prohibited. The result was the emergence of a third party appraisal company that acted as a liaison between the loan officer and the appraiser. The appraisal company would accept orders and assign them to random appraisers. As a result, costs to the consumer increased and fair pay to the appraiser decreased. An appraisal that used to cost $350 now cost $400, the middle man kept $100 and only paid the appraiser $300. The consumer pays more, the appraiser earns less, and the appraisal company earns $100 for shuffling papers with no vested interest in the timeliness or quality of the appraisal. There are many other problems as a result of HVCC but that is just one example.

Disclosures are another example of regulation that attempts to control the greedy but only cause hardship and heartache for the consumer and the professional. Because of tight controls on disclosures and the inevitable variability in the mortgage transaction, home purchases could be delayed to allow appropriate waiting times from the receipt of disclosures. These delays can be costly to the consumer in terms of purchase contract provisions and even personal scheduling. If you miss the anticipated closing because it hasn’t been 3 days since re-disclosure, there goes all your weekend moving help you had arranged.

As a society we have become more and more uncivilized.  We tout our increased tolerance and diversity as evidence of increased civility.  The problem is that we are losing ground even more quickly with our lack of moral discipline and reliance upon government intervention to control behavior.




1. D. Todd Christofferson, “Moral Discipline”, Ensign, Nov. 2009, p.106
2. Walter Williams, “Laws Are a Poor Substitute for Common Decency, Moral Values,” Deseret News, Apr. 29, 2009, A15.

What are you doing?

"Develop your cultural talents.  Many lie dormant within you to expand upon.  Seek to know your real gifts in the arts.  Develop your ability to communicate in the powers of expression, for you will have many opportunities to teach in the church and kingdom, and to communicate important ideas as a leader in the community in which you live."

These words were spoken to me almost 30 years ago.  I have learned to teach having had many opportunites to speak and teach to the young people of the world through my church and through the Boy Scout program.  I now feel that the power of written communication is a dormant talent that I am to expand upon.

We are now well embedded in the Internet Age where so much information is passed along through blogs and other postings.  I can't think of a better way to develop my abilities to communicate than through a free blogging service.