We're not going to take it. . .

So Heather, remember when you were leaving and Jean didn't want you in the meetings to interview new assistants? Wanna know why? Because she was humping your head. She was telling you that you weren't important to this office anymore. Interviews have started. I am not invited.

However, she can't keep them away from me forever! The moment I get a chance to meet with them, I'm TOTALLY going to let them know exactly what this job is really like. I'm also going to tell them that Jean will try to make it sound like I'm a horrible person and that they can't believe anything I say. However, I will let them know that 3 other previous assistants (Heather, Karley and Lynn) will all back me up on this. And I'll let her know that if she wants to know what Jean is really like, all she has to do is listen to my recordings.

If someone actually takes the job after that, she is a mental defective and it serves her right. Or maybe she's such a simpleton that she'll appreciate a little molding by Jean. Like a RM who marries a stupid 18 year old because he knows he can tell her whatever he wants and she will lick it up loving every minute of it. THAT'S what Jean wants. And she'll make sure that they are single so there is no chance of them getting pregnant.

Anyway, this post isn't about that. It's about a series of emails back and forth from Matt and I. Here's the back story: last week Matt sent me an email saying "Please get Donna Gaffin the utility information for her new Suncrest home in Draper. You need to call the HOA too. You should talk to a person named _____" (I can't remember his actual name, but I remember having the emailed opened as I talked to Donna) So then I looked up the number for Draper city, and then got the number for Rocky Mountain Power and Questar Gas. And I called her.

She wrote down the info that I had, and then we started talking about Suncrest. I started to give her the number for Comcast, but she was pretty sure the HOA paid for cable. I said, "I have the name here, but I don't have a phone number" she said, "oh, I have it here, I'll just call them." I said, "Are you sure? I can call them if you would like." She again said no, it was fine, but thanked me for my help and that was the end.

Well, starting this week, Matt turns into a TOTAL tweaker. He starts leaving me multiple messages asking about the Gaffin file and the loan. The loan is another story, but let's just say that he wasn't listening to me when I gave him the info he needed. When I called one person to get the story, that wasn't good enough for him: he would make me call 2 others JUST TO CHECK. Like I said, TWEAKER

It's around Wednesday that I learn that there are TWO HOA's for Suncrest. He says he wants me to call the other agent, and find the number and info for the second HOA. The agent never calls me back. I call again. No call back. I'm sorry, but I can only make so many phone calls in one day.

So today was the closing. Matt went to the closing, and was REALLY upset to find out that the Gaffin's in fact DIDN'T have the Suncrest HOA or the other HOA numbers. He asked that I try the other agent (whose name is Ron, by the way. That will be important later) one more time. I FINALLY get a hold of him and get the number of the Suncrest HOA. Ron told me that the second HOA really hadn't been organized yet, so he would be the contact for the next little while. I passed all this info onto Matt, quite pleased with myself for finding out so much. But then I get this email:

Sent: Friday, April 18, 2008 1:36 PM
To: Alicia Loor
Subject: SUNCREST HOA

FYI: the number you gave me wasn't correct. I was directed to speak with Todd Bean, Community Manager, at 572-1233. Let me be clear: this is the information I had wanted you to get for Donna Gaffin -- i.e., a name and a contact number. Giving her a general Suncrest HOA number is the customer service equivalent of when you ask a kid to get his mom for you and he shouts "MOM!" without moving a muscle.

So, where was the disconnect here? What exactly was your understanding of my request to supply Donna with the Suncrest HOA information? What's weird about this is that you're normally super attentive to these kinds of things. Anyway, please let me know if this feedback is constructive. I'd like to see improvement in our communication. In general you do a phenomenal, top-notch job, so these complete and total disconnects are really quite weird.

Thanks!
Matt

Please tell me this email enrages you as much as it does me. Seriously,that was the most condescending email I've ever read, and he has the nerve to say, "was that constructive? Let me know" So I did. I let him know JUST what I thought. This is my response:

Matt,

This is what you just wrote:

"What exactly was your understanding of my request to supply Donna with the Suncrest HOA information?"

I guess my understanding was that I should get her the number. Did I know that there was a general number, a clubhouse number, a community manager number and then number only used for certain days of the week? No, how was I supposed to know that? Did you make that clear to me? No, all you said was "Get Donna Gaffin the HOA number"

Secondly, when I talked to Donna on the phone, she said to me "I HAVE THAT ALREADY" I offered to call and find out what the utilities were that came through the HOA, but she said no. I said, "Oh, do you have the number already? I can still call it for you if you would like" She said no thanks, that she would call him, and then said the name of the contact there (the same name that you gave me) and so I knew she had the right information.

Thirdly, the number I gave you was the number I got from Ron this morning when I could FINALLY get a hold of him. He gave me that number. I'm sorry if it was incorrect, but again, how would I have known that? He gave me that number and I believed him. I guess I shouldn't believe what people tell me anymore. Also, not knowing that there were MULTIPLE numbers for the HOA, I was sure that that number would be enough.

I guess my problem is that the tone of your letter suggests that you somehow think that my "inattentiveness" to these items is recent. Maybe you are viewing me differently now that you realize that I'm going to be leaving in May. But I've known that I would be leaving in May for many months now, and by your own admission I am usually "super attentive" to these things. That being the case, it's obvious that I didn't' decide to "check out" back in September when I found out that I was pregnant. You made it clear in your last letter that I have continued my level of professionalism and hard work.

However it seems that since my announcement yesterday more people have decided to become quite short with me and blame me for more things that normal. I would like you to know that in this case, I did everything possible to get the number from Ron short of riving up to see him personally.

I feel that every time you tell me to call Donna, or Ron or someone else, I do just what you want. But for some reason it's not good enough. For some reason I should KNOW that there are 2 HOA's for that property, or that there are multiple numbers for one HOA without anyone explaining this to me. I don't expect you to know things without being told them, so I'm a little upset that the same courtesy isn't extended to me.

Finally, I guess you can have your own opinion about me. It's quite obvious that everyone here has decided to write me off as "disassociated" or "checked out" when that is not the case at all. I am still being paid for a job, so I'm going to continue to do it. All I can do it keep working hard. I cannot change how people in this office view me.

Thanks,
Alicia Loor

I think that I made it pretty clear: His email pissed me off and he's a jerk off for even insinuating that I've been "disconnected" at all. I think that it got to him, because he TOTALLY backed down. He eventually sent me this short and quick email:

Very good. Just know that I'm jut trying to improve our customer service -- especially in situations like the Gaffins where we're basically completely out of the loop.

There was one more email in between those where he said that we should email everything. He said that if I emailed her, then we wouldn't have this problem because I could show proof that I did it. I reminded him that the Gaffin's were driving across the country and didn't have access to a computer, and that's why I called her about the utilities in the first place. He responded with the email you just read above I think we put that item of business to rest.

I'm so glad I responded with the nasty email. I know that many of you won't think that it's THAT nasty, but for me it was really hard to send it. I actually had Lynn read it first and she was like "SEND IT NOW!! IT'S PERFECT!!!" I really don't think that I would've done it unless someone told me to do it. It was kinda scary. I'm sure Jean will eventually read it and try to use it against me. Whatever. I expect that.

And lastly, I want you to know how wonderful my husband is. He asked me for Jean and Matt's email address. He's going to defend my honor to them. He said that he's going to write Matt and say, "I don't know what is the matter with you, but I would never treat YOUR wife the way you have treated mine. Even if she and I worked together. I used to think you were a better person than that. I guess you really showed me your true self"

Isn't that cute! I mean it won't do a dang thing, but I LOVE that he's going to do it. Even if it causes more problems for me. AND I'm not going to mention that he's only doing it NOW right before I'm about to leave. We're not thinking about that. Let's all just think about how great he is for doing it all. I love my husband!

What will I blog about when I leave my job? Let's hope I still can have crazy experiences!