This is what Road Runner Sports thinks is customer care?

Every so often I like to imagine what I'll do to keep busy post-retirement. Jeff wants to perform at Sea World as the Scurvy Pirate Mime. As for me, I think I'll write complaint letters, calling out companies when their customer service is really bad.

Here's what made me think of this. For my birthday, Jeff ordered a Bosu ball online and paid extra in shipping to make sure it arrived in time. Alas, a full week - and my birthday - passed without delivery of the gift. The day after my birthday, Amazon emailed:

We're writing about the marketplace order you placed on 2/18/2013 with Road Runner Sports. Unfortunately, Road Runner Sports has not confirmed the shipment of this order, and we are not able to provide you with shipment details yet.

We quickly replied:

I paid for 2-day shipping in order to receive this in time for my wife's birthday, which has now passed. I would like a refund for the extra money I paid for express shipping, and would like to know when I can expect this.



Very disappointed!

About an hour later, another email from Amazon:

Your Amazon.com order of "Bosu Balance Trainer Home..." has shipped!‏

Amazing!
The next day, Road Runner Sports actually sent us this ridiculous response:

Hi Jeff, 

Thank you for your e-mail. 

I apologize for the delay in shipping your birthday gift out and we if we ruined such event. You deserve to know that the item you ordered was on backorder which is why it did not ship out until the 25th. 

Unfortunately, I will not be able to personally refund you for the extra shipping fee you paid for. Feel great knowing that you can contact Amazon directly at, 866-216-1072. 

I hope that this was helpful! 

If you or your running buddies ever need anything, please don't hesitate to contact a Fit Expert at 1-800-662-8896 for immediate personalized care, as we are here for you at the drop of a dime! 

Have a FEEL GREAT day! 

Sincerely, 

Ricky S. 
Customer Care Specialist 


I could not resist, and so responded:

Dear Ricky S:

Thank you for your response. I see by your signature that you are a Customer Care Specialist. Do you or anyone at your company understand what Customer Care means?

My husband placed his order with your company on February 18. An entire week passed, without any notice from your company that this item was on back order. Then, on February 25, the following communications occurred:

7 p.m. Amazon sends us an email saying the order still hasn't shipped.

7:12 p.m. We respond, expressing our disappointment

8:23 p.m. We receive a second email saying the item has suddenly shipped. 

And we're supposed to believe this is a coincidence?

And now you send a poorly worded apology, deliver no customer care, and end it with a request that I tell my running buddies to contact you for immediate personalized care? Seriously? I can assure you, my husband and I are more than eager to tell our running and fitness buddies, as well as all of our social media contacts, all about the pathetic experience we've had with Road Runner Sports.

You be sure to have a FEEL GREAT day, too!

Sincerely,

Dana Kazel

To his/her credit, Ricky S. wrote back a few hours later:

Hi Dana,

Thank you very much for your response.

Dana, I apologize for such an inconvenience that this has been for you and your husband. You deserve to know that we are a separate company from Amazon and Amazon was the one who took your payment and not us, thus I had advised of you to contact Amazon directly so they may issue the refund for your shipping.

I feel awful for such a bad experience that you've had with us and I implore you to give us another shot; you won't be disappointed! You will be thrilled to know that I have taken it upon myself to contact Amazon directly and they have made the exception to offer a refund through speaking with a representative (myself.) Please allow 1-2 weeks before the payment is posted back on your account.

Dana, feel great knowing that we as a company (Road Runner Sports) strive for the best customer service experience. We offer many amenities in which you as a customer will surely benefit from. Feel free to review our VIP membership program below.

http://www.roadrunnersports.com/rrs/products/RAC55/

Shall you decide to shop with us and give us a chance, please just reference this e-mail to us and we will be happy to honor an additional 15% off on top of your VIP discount (10% if you sign up.) That's a total of, 25% off plus free shipping!!!

I hope that this was helpful and again, we apologize for any inconvenience.

If you or your running buddies ever need anything, please don't hesitate to contact a Fit Expert at 1-800-662-8896 for immediate personalized care, as we are here for you at the drop of a dime!

Have a FEEL GREAT day!

Sincerely,

Ricky S.

Customer Care Specialist

I suppose I could write back and thank Ricky S. for finally doing his/her job, but this person really doesn't get it. It's not Amazon's fault, it's Road Runner Sports' fault.

Thankfully, the story does have a happy ending. My Bosu Ball has arrived and the kids are having a great time with it. 

(Yes, I've worked out with it, too. You just won't be seeing photos of that.) Even better, Amazon refunded us not only the extra shipping cost, but the entire shipping cost.

And I did finally have a FEEL GREAT day. Because guess what else Amazon sent me - an invitation to take an online survey:

Hi Dana, will you please take a minute to share your experience?

Why, yes, I'd be more than happy to!

Snow fun

Who needs hockey for winter fun when Mother Nature delivers five and a half inches of new, fluffy snow?

My silly children thought it'd be funny to throw snowballs at Mom while she shoveled the sidewalk.

Coincidentally, AJ tripped soon after that and landed in a snowbank.

As he laid in the snow laughing, he came up with the brilliant idea that it would be fun to be buried in snow, like he'd done with leaves last fall. His sister was happy to help him with that.

As he laid their grinning with his eyes closed, I only had to comment, "Sydney, is that yellow snow you're throwing on him?" (It wasn't)

And suddenly he couldn't get up fast enough.

As AJ attempted to scramble to his feet, Gus was right there, wanting to play tug-of-war with AJ's gloves.

As tired as I am of winter, I have to say this is the best kind of snow. It's light and easy to shovel, and even faster to melt.

How many hockey games can you cram into one weekend?

HOCKEY SEASON IS OVER!!!

Was my excitement obvious enough? If not, let me repeat:

HOCKEY SEASON IS OVER!!! DONE!!! FINISHED!!!

How ready am I to be done with hockey? I'm going to wrap up a crazy weekend full of games (four for AJ, one for Sydney and one for Jeff) in just one post. And then be done with it.

The weekend started way too early with an 8:15 a.m. Saturday game in Hermantown. On a positive note, the game kicked off with a recorded singing of the National Anthem. It's the first time that's ever been done at a Mite game.

AJ was a little worried that they were told to keep their helmets on, so I explained it would have delayed the game too long if the coaches had to help that many kids get their helmets snapped back on. Though, in retrospect, a game delay would have helped us. Our goalie got mixed up on the game time and didn't show up until the start of the second period.

AJ didn't seem bothered by the early morning ice time. He managed to score a hat trick.

Game two wasn't until 6:15 Saturday night. AJ scored two goals in that one. I don't remember the final score, but his team actually won, as was evidenced by the mob of players congratulating the goalie by mobbing him in the net.

Game three was Sunday morning when we should have been at church. I can't help but wonder if giving us three of the worst options for game times is Hermantown's subtle way of saying they really don't want us at their tournament. Okay by me if we skip next year.

As I looked closely at the below photo, I noticed AJ's tongue hanging out and wondered when he'd started doing that in hockey. And then it dawned on me that the reason I probably haven't noticed it before is because normally he's wearing a mouth guard. It turns out he hadn't been wearing it at all during the tournament. He'd taken it out the night he reffed for the Moms/Mites game and never reattached it to his helmet. Oops.

So then we had a couple hour break, after which we headed to Cloquet for two more games. First it was Sydney's turn.

She really has no interest in playing hockey. Let her skate with her friends, and she's perfectly happy. 

Towards the end of the game, the coach told her to stand by the net. It took a couple shifts, but eventually her friend Jayce was able to pass her the puck and she scored. And so her season ended on a happy note.

And then it was time to watch AJ one last time. He ended his season playing goalie in the final game.

Initially he'd been upset when he realized playing goalie meant he wouldn't have a chance to score one last goal for the season. But instead he put in a great performance in the net. They played two 27-minute periods, each one against a different team. He only allowed two goals in the first half, and four in the second. He actually had a shut out going for the first 15 minutes against the second team.

Bottom line, both games ended in a win, and AJ was savoring the glory. 

Next week we'll join the team for an end-of-season party, and then it's time to tear the hockey shack down for good. By next year, we should have a brand new warming house. Though I just learned that the referendum I worked so hard on to help pass does not include funding for ice rinks. In other words, we'll have a wonderful building in which we can sit and lace up our skates, and then have no where to skate.There's some brilliant planning! So we have yet another challenge ahead of us now - to try and line up grants and donations to cover this key detail. 

But for now, I'm simply enjoying the reality that I can leave work at night, come home and eat dinner with the rest of my family, with absolutely no where to rush off to afterward. 

One score + (only) one fall = Success

The magic number for us was one last week during the annual Moms versus Mite 1s hockey game.

Sydney scored one goal, and I only fell one time (which I'm TOTALLY blaming on the soft ice conditions.), which means we both had a great time.

Sydney's #6 on the far left. I'm in the yellow jersey trying not to embarrass myself.

It was AJ's first year NOT playing in the game, but he still found a way to be involved. He tried to be impartial, but admitted that I and my friend Crystal were the only moms he was rooting for. He wanted Sydney's team to win.

The weather had been unseasonably warm for several days leading up to the game, so we'd all been warned to bring boots in case the ice was too soft for skating. That probably would have been the smarter option for footwear, but not nearly as fun. Thankfully no one got hurt. A cone was placed over one larger hole, and it wasn't uncommon to feel your skate blade dropping a half inch or more when you tried to stop.

Sydney had a ball, showing how fast she could skate, but as always, showed little interest in the actual game.  She's already announced she doesn't want to play hockey next year. I'm half hoping an 8-month break will be enough to renew her interest, but won't push her if she hasn't changed her mind.

But it is a sad thought to realize this just might have been my last time playing in this game. Though realistically, if we're only working around one hockey player's schedule next year, we'll end up with a lot more time to skate for fun as a family.

Dad's turn on ice

For three years I've had the fun of playing against AJ's Mite 1 hockey team at the end of each season. This year, at last, AJ is a Mite 2, which means it's now Jeff's and the other dads' turn to face off against the team.

AJ's #4, Jeff's #15

Jeff figures it was his first time playing a game on outdoor ice since high school.

For AJ, almost as much fun as playing against Dad, was trying to score on the coach, who drew the short straw and had to play goalie.

Or maybe he just knew how badly the kids wanted to take a shot at him.

Again, and again, and again.

My suggestion for next year is to have these guys play every month, rather than just at the end of the season. The boys learned a lot about defense and playing positions, just through this game.

When the game ended, the bigger boys looked pretty winded, while the younger ones seemed barely warmed up. I'm guessing a few of the dads were pretty sore the next morning.

And then it was time for more fun: dropping gloves and hamming it up for the camera.

Lot of fun. Lot of laughs.

The suite life for hockey fans

And now they know how the other half lives. Or at least how they watch hockey. I hope they don't get used to this.

A former Army colleague of Jeff's works for a bank that has a suite at Amsoil Arena. This friend invited Jeff and I to watch a Bulldogs hockey game from there earlier this season - something we've never told the children about. (They just think we were on a date.) But this past weekend, he invited us all to join him for the high school section semi-finals.

As we walked down the long, plush hallway to our suite, Sydney exclaimed, "This looks like a hotel." (She paused as the realization struck) "Do we get one of these rooms?!?"

Once inside, the kids quickly scoped out the benefits of their fancy surroundings. Yes, the view was good. But more significant...

"Sydney, we get pizza!"

Our host had ordered pizza, pop and popcorn to be catered into our suite. It's a young hockey fan's dream!

Of course, midway through the first period, with her attention span already shot, Sydney asked, "Can we go to the snack shack?"

That would be no.

Unfortunately, the team AJ hopes to someday play for, Cloquet-Esko-Carlton, got shut out, 3-0. I couldn't help but feel bad for the senior players and their parents. All those years of practice. All those years of shivering in the cold at ice rinks and arenas. Over. Just like that. Though maybe they're just happy to never again have to stand at shiver in the cold at an ice rink or arena.

For us, it was still a good time. And now I'm just waiting for the kids to ask the next time we go to Amsoil, "Do we get to watch from the suite again?"

That would be no.

Birthday treats

If this past weekend was any indication, I'm really going to like being 43. That's because between enjoying a Saturday night date with my husband, good fellowship with some church friends on Sunday morning, some alone time for me on a five-mile run, ice skating with the kids Sunday afternoon, and then more fun with my kids and my "hockey family" Sunday evening, I just can't think of any part of this past weekend that I'd change.

It was a pretty perfect birthday.

But I can't help but wonder what year 43 will hold. During my run, my mind started to wonder, as it often does, and I started thinking about events of other key years. 

I consider age 23 as my first real year of adulthood. It was the year I got my first "real job" out of college, followed by the job that brought me to Duluth, my first time living away from home.

When I was 33, (which I've joked for years was the age when I finally was as old as my parents, because that's the first age I remember them being), I spent half the year wishing it was over. It was the year Jeff deployed to Bosnia, and I couldn't wait for the time to pass so he could come home. (He made it home two days before my 34th birthday.)

Now another 10 years have passed. And I couldn't be happier with where I am in life. I wonder if the people who dread birthdays are really just regretting bad choices they've made that have kept them from realizing a dream.

But enough of the philosophical thoughts. Here are some pictures of the fun. I got to watch my two favorite guys battle it out on the ice during the Dads versus Mite 2s hockey game. It's an annual tradition, and I'll write more about it in another day.

The bright sun that had blessed us all day gave way to an almost full moon.

After the game, a fellow hockey mom and Esko Pride committee member surprised me with cupcakes. Check out the depth of that frosting. All of the kids were in awe.

And because that wasn't enough sugar for them, we split early and headed to Dairy Queen for some blizzards.

And then, because the weekend wasn't perfect enough, I woke up this morning to email confirmation that both Jeff and I were picked in the lottery to run the half marathon again.

Life is good!