I’ve been meaning to do more with this website. Honest.
Social media platforms are fine for a lot of reasons but there are times that a website fits the bill better than social media. And so, there I was all set to get back into the web work.
And then…
Two very long term relationship came crashing down and I realized that my plans had to be shelved. One of these relationships lasted over 30 years. The other was shorter (13 years) but still dear to me. And things were getting ugly pretty quick.
I’m not sure when matters started going off the rails. I do recall trying to open communication with them. I did try. I quickly learned I wasn’t dealing with a person anymore with either. I was getting cold automated answers to my queries. I found I was on the phone longer than I needed to be and working with them online which used to be simple was getting more and more complex as what used to be clear and understood became harder and harder to navigate. Their website profiles were long on promises and very short on what needed to be done to actually build much less maintain the relationships.
So…I’ve changed my internet service provider and my web hosting service. Key word to both: service.
I had given up for a while. I admit it. I just gave up. And then last December and again last January, I got some extremely unpleasant news and decided I just couldn’t keep the farce going any longer.
Yes, I was getting service as described. And I was paying faithfully. But you know? There as something missing. I wasn’t getting service where I often needed it. The “customer service” wasn’t there. I was mashing numbers on my phone’s key pad. I was on hold. I was navigating to their FAQ sections or wikis that offered lots of information if I knew exactly what words to use to phrase my questions. I was talking to AIs. Good luck with that. And then both hit me with price increases that were nearly double what they had been. No explanations offered. Wow! Entitlement is a relationship killer, isn’t it?
They honestly thought they deserved a raise?
I had to ask myself three questions:
- Were these relationships simple? Well, no. Word salad comes to mind.
- Were they calming? Only when I ignored them. And I knew that’d only lead to more costs being tossed my way down the road. One of them was even advocating automating withdrawals from my account, so I wouldn’t have to be “bothered” dealing with paying them. They’d do it themselves!
- Were they clear in expectations. Apart from “Cough up the bucks, buddy-boy!”? Absolutely NOT.
Say goodbye. Let it go. Let it go. Just let it go…
Connect with the competition. “Can you show me the ropes on how to leave this service and move to yours?” A human answered me. There are humans still at work out there hoping to help me, offering to help me, doing “the extra” to help me. WOW!
Painless really. It takes time, yes. It’s comparable in cost. The new folks offer more options than the older loves did. And yes, they’re upfront about the costs involved.
So, here we go. New beginnings.
Teksavvy, my internet service provider, is an ISP that just fits.
Siteground, my web host service, goes above and beyond in helping me.
And big shout out to WPBeginner for just generally being there with excellent advice. THIS is an expert!
I’m pleased to be where I am.
Indeed.
Next up: an honest to goodness booking calendar for my clients. Possibly an account where I/we/they can stash video links, rehab schedules, etc.