PC's home phone

A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME wouldn't be my cousin.

This morning, I told my cousin Rose about something that happened yesterday, and Rose's response was, "That kind of thing takes a special, smart, calm type of person. Just like you." 

I love Rose. 

She's my age and lives in Halifax. Our moms were sisters, and Rose is also the youngest of a big family though she only has sisters. No brothers.

And what a handle to get you through life, right? Rose is more than a name; Rose is a decoration. Say this out loud: "Have a nice morning, Rose" 

And have you ever heard anybody say, "Oh that Peter he looks at the world through Mary-coloured glasses."? I also know at least two Junes, and they're angelic. How could you not be, sharing a name with everybody's favourite month?  

But back to me, and why Rose said that stuff.

I told her that last Thursday I surprised my wife Helena with a new (reconditioned but still) and bigger iPhone. I was also pleased with myself for successfully transferring all the pictures and apps from her old unit to the new one. Helena was happy.

Until Saturday morning. 

That was when we realized that the part of the phone that made phone calls wasn't working.

"Phone?" I said to the little machine, "you had one job." Ha ha.

The repair job fell to the household IT department. By sheer coincidence his initials are PC.

I started at about 9:30 a.m. 

I poked and prodded and Googled and ChatGPT'd and finally decided to contact our carrier, Bell Mobility. After a surprisingly short wait, I found myself involved in a call with a tech in Manila. 

But just as we were making headway, I realized it was going on 11:00 and I had promised to meet up with my sister Norma who was visiting from out of town. The Bell person understood and gave me a hotline number for direct access for when I had more time.

The visit with Norma was wonderful and deserving of not merely a separate blog but a Netflix screenplay. The hours passed like minutes, and at 7:30, after Norma had left, I called the hotline.  Again, I got through to a Filipino woman named Max ("short for Maxima," she said). Max was professional, calm and so precise in her language it felt like she was standing next to me. ("Peter, is the little notch on the same side of the SIM card as the word Bell?")

After 10 minutes, Max said, "Try calling the phone."

My next words? "Max I love you!"

I don't really. Max and I scarcely know one another. But the phone worked and for a moment I knew that if Max had asked me for an RV I would have been like, "you want gas or diesel?"  

Which brings me to the point of this story: You know how, when people get bad service, they say "lemme talk to your boss?" 

I do that sometimes but I also enjoy telling supervisors when the person on the other end of the helpline does a terrific job. 

I'm not sure explaining to a boss how efficient one of the staff is ever got anybody a raise, but if you need a mood lifter, this is magic. 

A few years back, I asked a particularly helpful 1-800-help guy in India to put his boss on the line. I told the manager, who said thanks for going to the trouble, and then the tech came back on the phone. He told me the manager had shared my comments with the whole room and his colleagues all applauded. Was it the truth? Who cares? Sure made me feel great.

Saturday, Max assured me her manager would find out I was satisfied. She then asked if there was anything else she could help with, I said "nope," and we hung up.

Fifteen minutes later, my phone rang. It was Max's boss, Mimi, reassuring me that she got the memo. Mimi added that Max had started this job only two weeks earlier, so the commendation was even more meaningful.

Mimi's call made my day. 

And that's what Rose was commenting on.

Fact is, I might be complimenting those help-line folks but in those situations, I'm the one who walks away happy. 

If you could bottle and sell a drug that provides the same relief as the feeling you get the moment you realize that:

a: Your call to the help desk isn't a waste of time; 

b: The person on the other hand of the help desk feels good about the exchange and,

 c: You can tell your wife her new phone works okay,  

you'd be a very wealthy... oh wait. 

It's already been invented. 

And now that I'm finished this blog, I'm going to have an ice-cold can of it. And toast Rose.