Talking to the Right Person
Apr. 11th, 2002 09:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lillibetTen days ago, while we were in Spain, I lost my glasses. In a bizarrely
fortunate coincidence, the woman I was travelling with had a spare pair with
her and the prescription was so close to mine that I could wear hers without
getting headaches and with only minor impairment of my vision.
After we got home, Jason mentioned the possibility that our medical
insurance would cover the replacement cost. He inquired at work and was
told no, but that the travel insurance we had through the company probably
would cover it, since the glasses were lost while travelling.
Jason gave me the travel insurance card and I called the London number on
the back. I explained the situation to the woman there, who discussed it
with her supervisor and advised me that I would have to speak to the home
office in Johannesburg and offered to have them call me.
A guy from that office left a message for me on Friday evening suggesting
that I call back, collect, on Monday. I did so and got to hone my story by
repeating it to three different people before reaching Steffie. Steffie
explained that she would be the person to help me, but that she would have
to know who the underwriter of our policy is, a piece of information not
included on our insurance card.
On Monday afternoon I went in for an eye exam. The assistant warned me not
to tell the doctor I'd been wearing someone else's glasses, or he'd yell at
me. So I made him promise not to yell at me before I explained the
situation. He examined my eyes, with and without the glasses and pronounced
himself stunned that my friend and I happened to have such closely matched
prescriptions. Essentially, they correct my near-sightedness almost
perfectly, only failing to adress my astigmatism. He gave me a new
prescription, Jason helped me to pick out new frames, and I was told to pick
up the glasses on Thursday.
Having to sign a credit card slip for that much money made me even more
motivated to find someone else to foot the bill. When Jason went up to the
office on Tuesday, I had him check with the office manager and get the name
of our travel insurance underwriter.
This morning I placed the second call of my life to South Africa, reached
Steffie directly, and proudly told her the name of our underwriter. Then
she explained that they're unfamiliar with that underwriter and have no
relationship with them and no idea why the London office would have told me
to call them in Johannesburg. She had to go over this a few times before it
sank in.
During this conversation, I had become somewhat overheated. I was wearing a
bulky sweater that I couldn't easily take off while talking on the phone, so
I stepped outside onto the deck. When I hung up with Steffie and turned the
insurance card over to get the number of the London office, the stiff wind
snatched the card from my hand and sent it sailing over the rail. "NOOOOO!"
I cried.
Fortunately, the card landed on the walk of the basement apartment. There
is a door between the street and the walk that should be locked, so I went
down, armed with pen and post-it, to leave a note for the basement tenant to
please find my card and give it back to me. But the door to the walkway was
open, so I was able to get it myself.
Back in the apartment, I picked up the phone again and rang the London
office. I explained the situaton to the woman answering the call--this had
to be repeated twice, because she seemed very confused that I could have
lost my glasses in Spain and yet be calling from London and my accent
probably added to her muddle. She took down my information and asked me to
hold for a moment.
A minute or two later, another woman picked up the line and asked how she
could help and I repeated my story yet again and she said "You'd like a
claim form sent out then?"
"Well, um, yes," I mumbled in my shock and surprise. She took my name and
address, assured me it would go in the post today, sked if there were any
other way she could help me and hung up.
It really is amazing how simple an answer can be when you're talking to the
right person.
fortunate coincidence, the woman I was travelling with had a spare pair with
her and the prescription was so close to mine that I could wear hers without
getting headaches and with only minor impairment of my vision.
After we got home, Jason mentioned the possibility that our medical
insurance would cover the replacement cost. He inquired at work and was
told no, but that the travel insurance we had through the company probably
would cover it, since the glasses were lost while travelling.
Jason gave me the travel insurance card and I called the London number on
the back. I explained the situation to the woman there, who discussed it
with her supervisor and advised me that I would have to speak to the home
office in Johannesburg and offered to have them call me.
A guy from that office left a message for me on Friday evening suggesting
that I call back, collect, on Monday. I did so and got to hone my story by
repeating it to three different people before reaching Steffie. Steffie
explained that she would be the person to help me, but that she would have
to know who the underwriter of our policy is, a piece of information not
included on our insurance card.
On Monday afternoon I went in for an eye exam. The assistant warned me not
to tell the doctor I'd been wearing someone else's glasses, or he'd yell at
me. So I made him promise not to yell at me before I explained the
situation. He examined my eyes, with and without the glasses and pronounced
himself stunned that my friend and I happened to have such closely matched
prescriptions. Essentially, they correct my near-sightedness almost
perfectly, only failing to adress my astigmatism. He gave me a new
prescription, Jason helped me to pick out new frames, and I was told to pick
up the glasses on Thursday.
Having to sign a credit card slip for that much money made me even more
motivated to find someone else to foot the bill. When Jason went up to the
office on Tuesday, I had him check with the office manager and get the name
of our travel insurance underwriter.
This morning I placed the second call of my life to South Africa, reached
Steffie directly, and proudly told her the name of our underwriter. Then
she explained that they're unfamiliar with that underwriter and have no
relationship with them and no idea why the London office would have told me
to call them in Johannesburg. She had to go over this a few times before it
sank in.
During this conversation, I had become somewhat overheated. I was wearing a
bulky sweater that I couldn't easily take off while talking on the phone, so
I stepped outside onto the deck. When I hung up with Steffie and turned the
insurance card over to get the number of the London office, the stiff wind
snatched the card from my hand and sent it sailing over the rail. "NOOOOO!"
I cried.
Fortunately, the card landed on the walk of the basement apartment. There
is a door between the street and the walk that should be locked, so I went
down, armed with pen and post-it, to leave a note for the basement tenant to
please find my card and give it back to me. But the door to the walkway was
open, so I was able to get it myself.
Back in the apartment, I picked up the phone again and rang the London
office. I explained the situaton to the woman answering the call--this had
to be repeated twice, because she seemed very confused that I could have
lost my glasses in Spain and yet be calling from London and my accent
probably added to her muddle. She took down my information and asked me to
hold for a moment.
A minute or two later, another woman picked up the line and asked how she
could help and I repeated my story yet again and she said "You'd like a
claim form sent out then?"
"Well, um, yes," I mumbled in my shock and surprise. She took my name and
address, assured me it would go in the post today, sked if there were any
other way she could help me and hung up.
It really is amazing how simple an answer can be when you're talking to the
right person.
