"Sometimes cyclists are a danger to themselves..."

I recently ordered a Verizon phone line for my townhouse which required a technician coming over to activate the line. My conversation with the customer service rep went something like this:

“Are you available between 8AM and 5PM on the 17th?”
“No, but I’m off on the 18th.”
“That’s available.”
“Is there a window when the technician will be coming?”
“Between 8AM and 5PM, sir.”
“Are you serious? Can he call me when he’s on his way?”
“No, sir. We don't do that.”
“Cool.”

So I spent my comp day last week waking up early and waiting for Verizon to come. And of course, no technician ever showed up. At that point I basically decided, “Screw Verizon. As much as I hate Comcast, I’ll stick with them.” Well, five days later, I found a note on my door that said a technician came on the 22nd and activated my service and “no inside wire/jack work was required.” So, basically, they did the work four days late and I didn’t even need to be home? Needless to say, Verizon is now on top of my “ish list.” I have quite a few lists, including my infamous “man crush list,” headed by The Rock and Jeremy Shockey, but that’s a whole other topic.

Meanwhile, one of Verizon’s biggest competitors, AT&T, is my cell phone provider. Two weeks ago, one of my clients and I were purchasing three Blackberries and were talking it up with the sales rep. He was so approachable and friendly that we jokingly asked if he could hook us up with a discount on our personal lines because my client's boyfriend got a 7% discount through his company. He laughed and said, “I can do better than that.” Well, we both received our latest cell phone bills a few days ago, complete with a 15% discount. If anyone asks, I’m a U.S. Export-Import Bank Employee (whatever that is) and she used to be in the Navy. That's how you do customer service.

So, in light of Verizon ruining my comp day and with Duke playing Maryland this weekend (Go Terps!), here’s a few other items from my “ish list."

People who wear bluetooth earpieces.


People who can’t drive or park.


Personal trainers and people who do stupid exercises.


People who ride their bikes on the road when there’s a sidewalk.