Real live, hot off the griddle, correspondence between SEARS and myself:
I am emailing you because I tried to call your 1-800-960-9405 number and the woman transferred me to another number and after 15 minutes on hold and the retelling of my story, I was told there was nothing she could do about it and gave me another number to call. For a preferred member, you guys are really giving me the run around here.
I took my Chevy S-10 into your auto center in Kingston, MA on 4/7/09 because there was a loud noise coming from the underside of the truck. They told me that it was the exhaust pipe and it just needed to be welded. I was told it would take about an hour and a half. Two hours later I came back to the store and was told that they were waiting on gasket and then your salesman went on to sell me windshield wipers and other stuff that I really didn’t need.
Two hours later my truck was ready. I paid, got in and drove off, but the noise was still there once I got on the highway. I returned with the truck on the 13th, my first free morning. They told me that it was the right front barring that was making the noise and they would have to order the part. I told them to order the part and I would pay for it today (the 13th) and bring the truck back on the 14th to get the work done, so we weren’t sitting around waiting all day.
I brought the truck in on the 14th and was told it would take about two hours. I returned two hours later and was told that it wasn’t ready because they were waiting on a special tool to be delivered so they could get started. I asked why the tool wasn’t ordered yesterday when I paid for the part (to avoid this kind of waste of time) and was not given an answer.
Two hours later they were done and I paid for the labor and on my way out the door, the salesman told me, he changed the right front barring, but it the left front barring that is making the noise No manager was on duty so I asked that the manager call me at home as soon as he got it (which I was told would be the 15th).
I started my truck and my ABS light for the brakes came on! So, not only have I spent hundreds of dollars and several hours and not gotten the repairs I asked for, now my ABS light is on. Today is the 20th and I have still not heard from the manager of the auto center in Kingston, MA. I would like to hear from him/her. I would like to be told that you will order the part and tool to fix my truck as we first agreed. I would like an appointment to have the service completed and I expect that some of the mark-up on the bill will be knocked off for all the time you wasted for your preferred member #704207336253. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Lance Norris
PO Box 110
Cohasset, MA 02025
lancernorris@hotmail.com
Date: Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:56:43 -0500
From: Custrel@customerservice.sears.com
To: lancernorris@hotmail.com
Subject: Re: National Customer Relations - NC_Complaint_Management (KMM3799310I15977L0KM)
Dear Lance Norris,
Thank you for your recent correspondence regarding your experience with our Kingston, MA auto center. We are always interested in hearing from our customers, and regret it was this type of situation that prompted you to contact us. We apologize for the poor customer service you received. We have forwarded your message to the Auto Center Manager. They will contact you within two (2) business days. Once again, thank you for contacting us.
Sincerely,
Jennifer W.,
National Customer Relations
Sears Holdings Corporation
4/23/09:
You wrote on Monday the 20th that the manager in Kingston would contact me within two (2) business days. It is now Thursday the 23rd and I still have not heard from anyone. Why am I surprised? You have damaged my truck and I expect it to be repaired correctly.
Lance Norris
From: Sears Customer Relations (Custrel@customerservice.sears.com)
Sent: Thu 4/23/09 12:26 PM
Dear Lance Norris,
Thank you for your recent correspondence. We are always interested in hearing from our customers, and regret it was this type of situation that prompted you to contact us. Please accept our apology for any inconvenience you may have encountered with our Kingston Auto Center. We received a response from the auto center, and we feel that you should try to work this out with the Auto Manager.
By sharing your concerns, you have enabled us to address the issues and provide feedback to the appropriate person. Truly, your remarks provide forthright feedback that will enable Sears to achieve excellence in everything we do.
Again, we apologize for this inconvenience to you regarding your vehicle.
Sincerely,
Rosa Lee
National Customer Relations
Sears Holdings Corporation
15 minutes later I wrote:
"try to work this out with the Auto Manager"? He won't call me. Rosa, you need to straighten this out right now!
From: Sears Customer Relations (Custrel@customerservice.sears.com)
Sent: Thu 4/23/09 3:00 PM
Dear Lance Norris,
Thank you for your recent correspondence. We are always interested in hearing from our customers, and regret it was this type of situation that prompted you to contact us. We apologize for the inconvenience you have experienced and understand your frustration with the Kingston Sears Auto Center.
We received the following response from the Sears Auto Center Manager: Lance was here on the 14th to have his wheel bearing installed. It was ordered the day before and was waiting for him when he arrived. However the tech didn't have the proper socket to remove the old hub. So he went next door to borrow one. The job was completed in the 2 hour time frame that he was quoted. However when the tech drove the car after the service he noticed some noise coming from the other wheel bearing. We informed the customer of this at time of pick up. There is no possible way we could have found this prior to changing the other side because of the loud grinding that was coming from the bearing we changed. The other side had no play but was noisy. At that time the customer got mad, threatened to burn down the building, and left.
Once again, we apologize for your experience with the ABS lights. We appreciate your business, and value you as a customer. We certainly hope you will continue to make Sears Holdings Corporation your choice for quality and value.
Sincerely,
Brooke G.
National Customer Relations
Sears Holdings Corporation
At 5:16 I wrote:
I am looking at the invoice for the 14th right now. As it clearly shows the truck came in at 10:09 AM and the invoice was printed at 2:10PM . Add to that the fact that I returned for the trunk at 12:00 noon and was told they were waiting on the tool, I think we can state that your manager is either a liar or does not know how to tell time.
As far as his ‘threatened to burn down the building’ crack, that was a response to the salesman’s ramblings earlier in the morning about he was joining the military to ‘burn things down’. I suggested that if he really wanted to burn something down to help America, he should start with this auto shop. The manager was not in the shop, so he is just repeating a third hand statement and you might want to better screen your sales help.
Towards that end, as your manager has never spoken to me in person and refuses to call me, even after I was told my his staff that I would hear from him the next day and then by your office that I would hear from him in two business days, you might need to pull him in for a little more management training. He does not act like a team leader.
My ‘experience with the ABS lights’, as you call it, is that I brought my truck into your shop for work and when it was returned to me, the ABS light was on. Your apologizes aside, what does Sears plan to do that? If you did damage my breaks, they need to be repaired.
I noticed that you removed your ‘satisfaction guaranteed’ slogan. I was told earlier that this was, because of your steady decline in performance, quality and service, you can no longer stand behind your work; but I have always discounted that as an urban myth, like how Kentucky Fried Chicken stopped using real chicken in their meals, which is why they shorted the name to KFC. Please prove me right and take care of this problem in a timely manner.
You think they’ll help a brother out? Na, I don’t either.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Dream Casting
So, here I am, all set to move forward with the romantic comedy script when life has other plans. An old friend interested me in turning one of my old plays into a very small movie. Budgets were made, schedules were blocked out, vodka companies were contacted about product placement, but then it all changed over night.
An actor I sort of knew from a long time ago, who was a major TV star in his time, got a hold of the script based on my play and liked it. He actually would be great in the lead role and no real changes would need to be made to accommodate him. He did have a few suggestion for tweaks, but these were film maker suggestions (as he had directed a feature before as well) and not those pain the ass actorly suggestion you normally get.
Although I’ll drop a name at the drop of a hat, he will remain nameless for now because no deals have been signed and I don’t want to scotch things up. Let me say this though, he’s got that certain charm that some actors have, to be able to pull off a role that may not be the most likeable character you come across. The anti-Seth Rogan as it were.
Rogan’s new movie OBSERVE AND REPORT is a text book example of why all lead characters must have some sort of redeeming quality, or the actor playing him must leak charisma out of his gills to make the part work. Rogan’s character had nothing in him to like and Rogan himself is pretty much a zero if you’re not stone, so OBSERVE AND REPORT became a painfully long experience.
So anyway, now old budgets are throw out the window, schedules scrapped and owner of vodka company suddenly knows an actress who would love a chance to audition. Now that we’re talking about kicking the budget up a few notches, but still not serious money; I feel it is time for me to step away from producing end of things and bring in a guy I’ve been trying to find a project to do with for four or five years.
Again, we’ve signed no deals, so no names will be mentioned at this point.
I was of the opinion that I could still make this pig for under $200,000 so we’d still qualify for a SAG Low Budget contract, but my producer friend thinks not only does the film need a bigger budget than that, but that he can raise the funds. I’ve already stepped away from the producer’s table, so who am I to argue.
Of course it would be nice if we could pencil into the budget some way for me to walk away from the film when it is done with a brand new Red Camera, but hey, that’s just a $17,000 suggestion.
What happens to project when a ‘name’ actor shows interest is interesting in itself. Now all the sudden you start ‘dream casting’ the other part. A Fantasy Film League, as it were. Steve Carrell would be perfect for the second lead, and he just lives down the street from me, so I send him a note.
Academy Award winner Chris Cooper would be perfect as the heavy. I performed at a couple of fund raisers for his Jessie Cooper Foundation and his wife Maryanne is really nice person, so I sent him a note.
My new producer suggested Evan Rachel Wood for the female lead. I really liked her in THE UP SIDE OF ANGER, LIFE BEFORE HER EYES and the 35 minutes of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE that I could stand to sit through, so; although she doesn’t live near me and I don’t recall ever having spoken to her before, I’ll have to try to get in touch with her too. Why not?
There is another part that would be perfect for my old friend Patty Ross. I’ve got her phone number around here somewhere, so once when have a shooting schedule, calls will be made.
See, it’s easy to cast a motion picture. Of course, I haven’t heard back from Carrell or Cooper yet, and still haven’t talked to Wood, but I found Patty’s number. That’s a start.
I did email and old friend that runs a casting agency to find out what it cost to run auditions in Boston for 10 characters. She gave me the ballpark and after I pulled my jaw back off the floor, I told her I’d pass the numbers along to my producer.
But she also told me something that depressed the hell out of me. She said it has been her experience that I’d still have to do some of the casting out of New York if I wanted the best cast I could get. I refuse to believe there isn’t enough home grown, natural talent in the Boston area to cast this movie, even if Carrell and Cooper let me down.
In fact, I vow right now to only cast ‘Boston Actors’ in this film, just to prove it can be done… With the exception of Evan Rachel Wood. She gets grandfathered in because her name was brought up before I got on my high horse… And I want my friend Jack, who lives in New York to be in it because he taught most everything I know about acting, for good or bad…. But that’s it.
Now I’m running through my mind all the actors I know from around here. This could be hard, but not impossible. In fact, I’ll put a call into Mike O’Malley right now. He’s Hollywood these days, but still a local boy at heart. He’s be great in one of the parts… Damn, voice mail. I’ll try again later.
Because I’m still trying to keep this as skin and bones on the budget as I can, it was written to be shot at two major locations. Tomorrow I’ll head out to Plymouth, MA to scout those locations.
Allegedly they are going to build some huge film studio in Plymouth in a couple of years. I’ve seen THE MUSIC MAN once too often to actually buy into that, but it has got the area thinking that they are going to become Hollywood East, and so right now they are very friendly to film makers. This will all change once they’ve been burnt once or twice by scum bag production managers, but right now it clean slate.
I’ll let you know how that turns out.
An actor I sort of knew from a long time ago, who was a major TV star in his time, got a hold of the script based on my play and liked it. He actually would be great in the lead role and no real changes would need to be made to accommodate him. He did have a few suggestion for tweaks, but these were film maker suggestions (as he had directed a feature before as well) and not those pain the ass actorly suggestion you normally get.
Although I’ll drop a name at the drop of a hat, he will remain nameless for now because no deals have been signed and I don’t want to scotch things up. Let me say this though, he’s got that certain charm that some actors have, to be able to pull off a role that may not be the most likeable character you come across. The anti-Seth Rogan as it were.
Rogan’s new movie OBSERVE AND REPORT is a text book example of why all lead characters must have some sort of redeeming quality, or the actor playing him must leak charisma out of his gills to make the part work. Rogan’s character had nothing in him to like and Rogan himself is pretty much a zero if you’re not stone, so OBSERVE AND REPORT became a painfully long experience.
So anyway, now old budgets are throw out the window, schedules scrapped and owner of vodka company suddenly knows an actress who would love a chance to audition. Now that we’re talking about kicking the budget up a few notches, but still not serious money; I feel it is time for me to step away from producing end of things and bring in a guy I’ve been trying to find a project to do with for four or five years.
Again, we’ve signed no deals, so no names will be mentioned at this point.
I was of the opinion that I could still make this pig for under $200,000 so we’d still qualify for a SAG Low Budget contract, but my producer friend thinks not only does the film need a bigger budget than that, but that he can raise the funds. I’ve already stepped away from the producer’s table, so who am I to argue.
Of course it would be nice if we could pencil into the budget some way for me to walk away from the film when it is done with a brand new Red Camera, but hey, that’s just a $17,000 suggestion.
What happens to project when a ‘name’ actor shows interest is interesting in itself. Now all the sudden you start ‘dream casting’ the other part. A Fantasy Film League, as it were. Steve Carrell would be perfect for the second lead, and he just lives down the street from me, so I send him a note.
Academy Award winner Chris Cooper would be perfect as the heavy. I performed at a couple of fund raisers for his Jessie Cooper Foundation and his wife Maryanne is really nice person, so I sent him a note.
My new producer suggested Evan Rachel Wood for the female lead. I really liked her in THE UP SIDE OF ANGER, LIFE BEFORE HER EYES and the 35 minutes of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE that I could stand to sit through, so; although she doesn’t live near me and I don’t recall ever having spoken to her before, I’ll have to try to get in touch with her too. Why not?
There is another part that would be perfect for my old friend Patty Ross. I’ve got her phone number around here somewhere, so once when have a shooting schedule, calls will be made.
See, it’s easy to cast a motion picture. Of course, I haven’t heard back from Carrell or Cooper yet, and still haven’t talked to Wood, but I found Patty’s number. That’s a start.
I did email and old friend that runs a casting agency to find out what it cost to run auditions in Boston for 10 characters. She gave me the ballpark and after I pulled my jaw back off the floor, I told her I’d pass the numbers along to my producer.
But she also told me something that depressed the hell out of me. She said it has been her experience that I’d still have to do some of the casting out of New York if I wanted the best cast I could get. I refuse to believe there isn’t enough home grown, natural talent in the Boston area to cast this movie, even if Carrell and Cooper let me down.
In fact, I vow right now to only cast ‘Boston Actors’ in this film, just to prove it can be done… With the exception of Evan Rachel Wood. She gets grandfathered in because her name was brought up before I got on my high horse… And I want my friend Jack, who lives in New York to be in it because he taught most everything I know about acting, for good or bad…. But that’s it.
Now I’m running through my mind all the actors I know from around here. This could be hard, but not impossible. In fact, I’ll put a call into Mike O’Malley right now. He’s Hollywood these days, but still a local boy at heart. He’s be great in one of the parts… Damn, voice mail. I’ll try again later.
Because I’m still trying to keep this as skin and bones on the budget as I can, it was written to be shot at two major locations. Tomorrow I’ll head out to Plymouth, MA to scout those locations.
Allegedly they are going to build some huge film studio in Plymouth in a couple of years. I’ve seen THE MUSIC MAN once too often to actually buy into that, but it has got the area thinking that they are going to become Hollywood East, and so right now they are very friendly to film makers. This will all change once they’ve been burnt once or twice by scum bag production managers, but right now it clean slate.
I’ll let you know how that turns out.
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