Customer Service Woes

I don't know how many of you all out in cyberland read this little blog, but I thought I would channel St. Augustine and write my own little version of "Confessions." I pride myself (which sounds like a sin in itself) in my deep patience and abundant self control. Our daughter Amelia tests this every night when it's time to go to bed. She loves sleep, but hates going to bed. Go figure. Every night is a battle, but we trust that God is teaching us patience in the process. Speaking of patience, I can hang out with teenagers for days on summer trips and overnighters. That alone should add a few gems into my heavenly crown.

All that said, yesterday my patience ran out. A day later, I feel a little better, but I still have that knot in my gut reminding me of my still strong case of righteous indignation. What would turn a mild mannered Presbyterian pastor into sullen, angry and bitter man? The simple answer, corporate incompetence.

You see, Sarah and I purchased a digital camera a couple of years ago to document the life of our first born child. We went ahead and purchased the extended warranty from Sam's Club just to be on the safe side. Sure enough, right around the birth of our second child, the camera gave out. Several attempts to fix the unit proved unsuccessful and finally a nice man named Mike from a camera store in Anaheim, California told me it was a lemon. Representatives from Sam's Club told me I would have to fax in the receipt saying it could not be fixed in order to receive a refund. I did this a month and a half ago. I don't always trust that faxes have gone through so I called to confirm its receipt just to make sure.

Two weeks pass and there is no word from Sam's so I call. I am told that everything is fine and it takes a few weeks to process this kind of request. Another week passes and I call again and get the same answer...and I got something similar last week when I called in. Yesterday, I checked the mailbox again and again, the refund check was no where to be found. I called into Sam's Club and after waiting the obligatory 20 minutes to talk to someone, I was told that they had no record of receiving my original fax and that I would need to send it back in. Of course, they had told me on four separate occasions before that it was in their system and all I needed to do was wait patiently for the check that was coming soon.

Even now, I have to take a deep breath as I write this. At best, I had to deal with ignorance or incompetence. At worst, I just got a taste of a corporate deceit. Of course, this is nothing new. Ask anyone who has problems with insurance companies. It can take several phone calls to solve a problem. There is a part of me that wonders if they make it too difficult that customers will eventually give up. I feel this may be the unwritten policy with many faceless corporations.



I know that I should bring this back to God and provide some kind of spiritual insight. Maybe the lesson learned is that if you rely strictly on human beings you will be disappointed. When you really want answers, you might just get the stock line of "I understand that must be discouraging to you," which really translates into "I will not help you." God doesn't use corporate-ese in the way He deals with us. God is always steady. God is always loving. God is always there to help. We trust that God is the one who provides love and love is patient. My prayer is that I can be patient through this process and not allow the wrongs I experience take me away from God's call on my life.

In Hope and Confidence,
Dave

The Strength To Run

I recently preached a sermon about running the race that God has laid out for our lives. It was based on Hebrews 12:1-2.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely,^*2 and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of ^* the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God."

During the sermon preparation, I kept coming back to the words and life of Eric Liddell. Known as the "Flying Scotsman", he was an accomplished track star and rugby player long before he won gold at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris. The movie, "Chariots of Fire" introduced a new generation to Liddell's racing ability and his love for the Lord. In addition to being a world class athlete, he was also a missionary to China.

I believe that God has a race laid out for all of us. It does not matter whether we are young or old, the Lord has a path for all of us to run. It is natural to get tired and discouraged, but we are called to keep running.


I believe God made you for a purpose and He also made you fast. Run the race the Lord has marked for you!