Yes, 100%. At some point the market will require this sort of corrective. The caveat being that we maintain a market economy. Any kind of state-sponsored or corporate monopoly will crush the incentive to "fix" the problem.
Sounds like it and I imagine somewhere in the US right now this is going on for people with enough money and the right connections.
Your post reminds me that since I became super focused on eating better and mostly vegan, I never eat out and this is a rural place too so I never partake in those things you mentioned. So if I had been in that position, I probably would have hit "no tip," without thinking. I did buy a gift certificate at a bar once (for work) and it had a place to write in a tip. It was bizarre. I didn't. If I am not getting served I won't tip. But I just don't eat out any longer either. I don't trust people with food, lol. I am happy to make my own so I know what all is in it.
I am truly jealous. The only time I don’t resent tipping is when I go take up a table for four hours (once a month or so, when I just have to get out of my apartment — perils of remote work). I drop a big enough tip to ensure they will keep the Coke Zero coming and keep an eye on my devices while I go to the bathroom, and it’s nice to be out of the house. Basically all the rest of the time it feels like extortion.
One of my professors in college brought up this paradox. I fashioned a paper airplane and threw it at him. He called me a crude empiricist, but he meant it nicely.
Been there, done that, too many times. To the point that when I reach a live one who is really helpful, I have the urge to reach out and hug them. Impossible I know, but it's the thought that counts.
When I got to the end of this I saw the footnote and I had to go back and look through to find what it was in reference to. Everything seemed reasonable to me so it took me a minute to see what required it. 😂
Anyway, I think if this happens I’ll feel similar to fixers as the founding fathers did towards tea.
I realize you perceive this now as an imposition, but in fact there is entrepreneurial scope here, and I have every hope that good old American ingenuity will find a way to make this go away at a cost you will find acceptable.
Your overall point matches my experience. Specific to your Verizon issue; Consumer Cellular's customer support is all U.S.-based, and over the past seven years I've had excellent experiences with them. Maybe consider switching . . .
I just love now how I pay by app in a restaurant or cafe and I am asked to give a tip before I have even interacted with anyone, let alone received any service.
By the way I think your answer to Zeno’s paradox is better than Zeno’s, Holly. It’s actually a non-trivial paradox. But I think you are right- it should make us realise that sometimes even a really good analytical framework can break down as an explanation of certain edge cases. I would say Zeno’s paradox is a philosophical analog of a mathematical asymptote. And in physics an asymptote is a sign that it is the analytical framework - not “reality” - that has broken down.
Your experience with Verizon took me back to a 4 year journey with the IRS. Though all of the people who I actually spoke to were actually here in the US, I think some of their minds were definitely fairly detached from their mouths in faraway countries.
My favorite experience is navigating the wonderful phone tree system. I called the IRS and found nothing in the phone tree that addressed my problem. I went to the website and there was nothing there to help me either. I called again and every time it asked for a verbal response I replied "Representative". For almost a year, I spoke with the American version of the woman you spoke with at Stripe. Every few months I tried again. To my chagrin, the website was no longer an option because it only goes back 3 years! After 3 years of intercoursing around with them, I actually was referred (after a demand on my part) to a supervisor. To her credit, she not only had a clue, she had no script but she did have a functioning brain. She asked me if I had considered the Taxpayer Advocacy Program. I had seen it but assumed it was only for low income customers. She even referred my case to them for me. In a matter of weeks, not only did the estate not owe tens of thousands, the IRS owed the estate money! If only the government employed more people who can do more than read from a script!!
Hopefully your Verizon problem will be resolved in your favor. The sad reality is that companies like Verizon know that you "need" the cell phone more than you "need" a solution to the problem that they created. Presently, they are holding you hostage. Hopefully, you and all other Verizon customers will be treated with civility and respect rather than as an account in the near future!
My Uncle is an engineer and has worked across the US and Mexico and everything you described fits perfectly with his stories about working south of the border. Mexican's weren't lazy, but you needed to offer who ever was in charge of them some "extra" before they'd get to work. The Cops weren't hostile or unfriendly, provided you bought them lunch when they stopped by to "inspect" the work site. And on and on and on. Given that I was only about 10 the last time he talked about these stories I can only imagine he had more than one run in with Cartel related stuff that was not suitable for young ears as well. We imported the Third World, not just their people but their practices, and now we stand in wonder how this could happen. Unfortunately deportation might not be enough if they keep out sourcing call centers and Customer Support to India as well, but it certainly won't hurt on the domestic front at least.
And we might welcome AI Customer Service bots as rescuers! More seriously, my sincere condolences. 💐
Yes, 100%. At some point the market will require this sort of corrective. The caveat being that we maintain a market economy. Any kind of state-sponsored or corporate monopoly will crush the incentive to "fix" the problem.
Necessity is the Mother of Invention. When failure to serve becomes intolerable a solution will emerge.
Sounds like it and I imagine somewhere in the US right now this is going on for people with enough money and the right connections.
Your post reminds me that since I became super focused on eating better and mostly vegan, I never eat out and this is a rural place too so I never partake in those things you mentioned. So if I had been in that position, I probably would have hit "no tip," without thinking. I did buy a gift certificate at a bar once (for work) and it had a place to write in a tip. It was bizarre. I didn't. If I am not getting served I won't tip. But I just don't eat out any longer either. I don't trust people with food, lol. I am happy to make my own so I know what all is in it.
One of the best things about Australian culture: no expectation of tipping.
You're welcome (in every sense).
Having said that, we're certainly not immune to the enshittification of which you speak.
I am truly jealous. The only time I don’t resent tipping is when I go take up a table for four hours (once a month or so, when I just have to get out of my apartment — perils of remote work). I drop a big enough tip to ensure they will keep the Coke Zero coming and keep an eye on my devices while I go to the bathroom, and it’s nice to be out of the house. Basically all the rest of the time it feels like extortion.
One of my professors in college brought up this paradox. I fashioned a paper airplane and threw it at him. He called me a crude empiricist, but he meant it nicely.
LMAO
Fixers go from being a convenience to a necessity. The people who need them most can’t afford them.
Been there, done that, too many times. To the point that when I reach a live one who is really helpful, I have the urge to reach out and hug them. Impossible I know, but it's the thought that counts.
You are so damn right!!
When I got to the end of this I saw the footnote and I had to go back and look through to find what it was in reference to. Everything seemed reasonable to me so it took me a minute to see what required it. 😂
Anyway, I think if this happens I’ll feel similar to fixers as the founding fathers did towards tea.
I realize you perceive this now as an imposition, but in fact there is entrepreneurial scope here, and I have every hope that good old American ingenuity will find a way to make this go away at a cost you will find acceptable.
Your overall point matches my experience. Specific to your Verizon issue; Consumer Cellular's customer support is all U.S.-based, and over the past seven years I've had excellent experiences with them. Maybe consider switching . . .
Also consider other options Like Patriot Mobile or PureTalk Wireless.
I just love now how I pay by app in a restaurant or cafe and I am asked to give a tip before I have even interacted with anyone, let alone received any service.
I’ve had a few websites ask for tips now. I’m surprised Amazon hasn’t started yet.
By the way I think your answer to Zeno’s paradox is better than Zeno’s, Holly. It’s actually a non-trivial paradox. But I think you are right- it should make us realise that sometimes even a really good analytical framework can break down as an explanation of certain edge cases. I would say Zeno’s paradox is a philosophical analog of a mathematical asymptote. And in physics an asymptote is a sign that it is the analytical framework - not “reality” - that has broken down.
Your experience with Verizon took me back to a 4 year journey with the IRS. Though all of the people who I actually spoke to were actually here in the US, I think some of their minds were definitely fairly detached from their mouths in faraway countries.
My favorite experience is navigating the wonderful phone tree system. I called the IRS and found nothing in the phone tree that addressed my problem. I went to the website and there was nothing there to help me either. I called again and every time it asked for a verbal response I replied "Representative". For almost a year, I spoke with the American version of the woman you spoke with at Stripe. Every few months I tried again. To my chagrin, the website was no longer an option because it only goes back 3 years! After 3 years of intercoursing around with them, I actually was referred (after a demand on my part) to a supervisor. To her credit, she not only had a clue, she had no script but she did have a functioning brain. She asked me if I had considered the Taxpayer Advocacy Program. I had seen it but assumed it was only for low income customers. She even referred my case to them for me. In a matter of weeks, not only did the estate not owe tens of thousands, the IRS owed the estate money! If only the government employed more people who can do more than read from a script!!
Hopefully your Verizon problem will be resolved in your favor. The sad reality is that companies like Verizon know that you "need" the cell phone more than you "need" a solution to the problem that they created. Presently, they are holding you hostage. Hopefully, you and all other Verizon customers will be treated with civility and respect rather than as an account in the near future!
My Uncle is an engineer and has worked across the US and Mexico and everything you described fits perfectly with his stories about working south of the border. Mexican's weren't lazy, but you needed to offer who ever was in charge of them some "extra" before they'd get to work. The Cops weren't hostile or unfriendly, provided you bought them lunch when they stopped by to "inspect" the work site. And on and on and on. Given that I was only about 10 the last time he talked about these stories I can only imagine he had more than one run in with Cartel related stuff that was not suitable for young ears as well. We imported the Third World, not just their people but their practices, and now we stand in wonder how this could happen. Unfortunately deportation might not be enough if they keep out sourcing call centers and Customer Support to India as well, but it certainly won't hurt on the domestic front at least.