Sometimes I wonder if corporations understand what computers can do.<\/p>\n
Take Borders, for instance. The last time I shopped there, the clerk pounced on me, as I paid for my purchases, and pitched their new “rewards” program. I would get a gift, he said. And money off purchases, he said.<\/p>\n
Oh great, I thought. Yet another marketing gauntlet to run, when all I want is to pay and get home.<\/p>\n
But I did it. I gave in. I gave him my email address. Reluctantly. I don’t need to be on any more email lists, I really don’t. And I walked away with yet another customer rewards card for my burdgeoning collection. I hope soon I’m able to get on the customer rewards program for a luggage company, because I’m going to need a suitcase to carry around all my customer rewards program cards. One with wheels, thank you.<\/p>\n
Anyway, within a week I’d already received about five happy happy joy joy emails from Borders, each of which I deleted unread. Then, this morning, another one, with a subject line that mentioned the “free gift” promised by the clerk. Ah, I said.<\/p>\n
So I clicked the email hotlink and went out to their site, and right away I’m faced with an online form which I have to fill out. “All fields required.”<\/p>\n
Here’s where I get to the “don’t understand computers” part. I already gave them my information in the store. I gave them my email address. That’s how they found me online to start with.<\/p>\n
Why, now, is it MY job to type in all this information? Why is it my job to go find my card and key in my ID number?<\/p>\n
Wouldn’t you think that this all would be tracked in some database they’ve got?<\/p>\n
How is it rewarding for me to become an unpaid data entry staffer for Borders????<\/p>\n
And of course it took me 10 minutes to find the stupid card. It’s not like I can keep it in my purse, since I’m a small purse person<\/a>. Or on my keyring, since I’m a keyring-in-my-front-pocket person.<\/p>\n Found it, finally. And of course I’m supposed to tell them everything. Name, phone number. Date of birth, so they can step up the email harassment on my next birthday.<\/p>\n User name and password. I actually need a user name and password to enter the hallowed website of a corporate rewards program. Oh, brother.<\/p>\n But here’s the funny part.<\/p>\n For my user name, I typed in “Ihatethis.”<\/p>\n And guess what?<\/p>\n It was TAKEN!!!!<\/p>\n LOL<\/p>\n I had to use “Ireallyhatethis”!!!!<\/p>\n LOL<\/p>\n So that cheered me up.<\/p>\n The free gift didn’t, though. Of course it wasn’t really a “gift.” There were three choices. The closest to an actual gift was a free cup of coffee. But they didn’t offer to bring it to me, and I’ll be damned if I’ll accept a free cup of crappy coffee as incentive to add my warm body to their “store traffic” tallies. So that left the other two “gifts” which were discounts.<\/p>\n So my “gift,” in other words, is to shop at Borders.<\/p>\n No toaster. No tote bag (one with 5 billion compartments for carrying customer reward cards would be mighty handy, Borders).<\/p>\n Give me a break. And show me how to get myself unsubscribed from your stupid emails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sometimes I wonder if corporations understand what computers can do. Take Borders, for instance. The last time I shopped there, the clerk pounced on me, as I paid for my purchases, and pitched their new “rewards” program. I would get … Continue reading