So today I am trying to contact the company that has my dog's pet insurance (24PetWatch). I had submitted a claim for quite a few medical procedures and treatments for my beagle, Sadie. I followed the lengthy directions on submitting a claim. That included attaching the medical bills, getting a statement of treatment and signature from my vet, including only things which were on the allowed list and sending in the claim.
I received a very nice letter saying they received my claim but I needed to send them my pet's complete medical history. I did not see that on the checklist on the claim form. Then the letter said that if I did not respond to the letter within 25 days of the date on the letter they would consider the matter closed. I looked all over the letter and did not see a date when it was sent.
Right now I have been on the phone for ten minutes getting the following message,
"All of our agents are currently busy with other customers. Thank you for your patience. If you would like to maintain your position in the queue and have us return your call Press 1. Your position in the queue is 4"
I have been number 4 in the queue for 10 minutes. They must have only one person working on the "queue" today. Oh, now I just moved up to number 3 in the queue.
It will be interesting to see if this is resolved and they pay any of the claim. It seems like their business model is to place as many barriers as possible between the customer and them fulfilling their agreement to provide pet insurance to my dog.
It does not sound promising because one line in the letter I received says, "Upon receipt of all required information and completion of our review, you will receive a written response from our Claims Department." Just a response, no mention of a check.
Hopefully they do a better job if a dog is lost. This company also has the microchip information for my dog.
I just moved up to number 2 in the queue. It has been almost 20 minutes on the phone. It was amazing that when I purchased the insurance I did not have to wait this long on the phone.
Monday, June 29, 2015
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Don't You Just Love Talented People?
One of the shows that my husband and I watch sometimes (usually on Saturday afternoon) is Music City Roots, Live from the Loveless Cafe, on PBS. They have such a great assortment of traditional music, country, bluegrass, Americana and a wide spectrum of talent. Recently we were watching a show that was filmed in March during the horrible ice storm they had in Nashville. We were commenting that everyone in the audience was wearing heavy coats, hats and gloves.
On this show they were showcasing talent from nearby Belmont University. Belmont is known for its musical programs and the graduates who populate the country music scene in Nashville. One such as was a duo with a young man and woman called "Striking Matches" This duo (Sarah Zimmermann and Justin Davis) met in guitar class their freshman year at Belmont. The story goes that the professor was pairing up the students in the class to work on throughout the semester. Sarah was the only girl in the class and Justin said all the boys were secretly saying "Don't pair me with the girl."
Well the professor paired Sarah and Justin. He asked her if she could play the blues. Sarah said that she pulled our her slide and played a few riffs. The duo has since become songwriting and performance partners and have a new album out called, "Nothing but the Silence." (On I. R. S. Nashville, produced by T. Bone Burnett).
I love seeing talented people, especially those who can write songs and perform them. Sarah's guitar work reminds me of Bonnie Raitt or Melissa Ethridge. Their songs have been featured on the TV show "Nashville" which has broadened their American as well as their international audience.
I am a writer of words and stories and would love to be able to tell stories with music. That is just not my gift so I thoroughly enjoy seeing singer/songwriters perform their work.
So what is the moral of this story. First of all when watching Music City Roots you may never know what you will find. I found a young talented duo who I will continue to follow as their careers blossom. The other moral is don't be afraid to be paired with the only girl in guitar class. She may just pull out her slide and blow your socks off with her grasp and interpretation of the blues.
Check them out (www.strikingmatches.com). I hope to be able to see them perform in person sometime.
On this show they were showcasing talent from nearby Belmont University. Belmont is known for its musical programs and the graduates who populate the country music scene in Nashville. One such as was a duo with a young man and woman called "Striking Matches" This duo (Sarah Zimmermann and Justin Davis) met in guitar class their freshman year at Belmont. The story goes that the professor was pairing up the students in the class to work on throughout the semester. Sarah was the only girl in the class and Justin said all the boys were secretly saying "Don't pair me with the girl."
Well the professor paired Sarah and Justin. He asked her if she could play the blues. Sarah said that she pulled our her slide and played a few riffs. The duo has since become songwriting and performance partners and have a new album out called, "Nothing but the Silence." (On I. R. S. Nashville, produced by T. Bone Burnett).
I love seeing talented people, especially those who can write songs and perform them. Sarah's guitar work reminds me of Bonnie Raitt or Melissa Ethridge. Their songs have been featured on the TV show "Nashville" which has broadened their American as well as their international audience.
I am a writer of words and stories and would love to be able to tell stories with music. That is just not my gift so I thoroughly enjoy seeing singer/songwriters perform their work.
So what is the moral of this story. First of all when watching Music City Roots you may never know what you will find. I found a young talented duo who I will continue to follow as their careers blossom. The other moral is don't be afraid to be paired with the only girl in guitar class. She may just pull out her slide and blow your socks off with her grasp and interpretation of the blues.
Check them out (www.strikingmatches.com). I hope to be able to see them perform in person sometime.
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Visiting my "Boys"
For almost 10 years my husband and I were a host family (and housing coordinators) for the Indiana Ice hockey team. That team was part of the USHL(United States Hockey League) which is the only Tier 1 hockey league in the US which prepares elite hockey players for transition to Division 1 college hockey or for professional hockey.
Since these players wish to maintain their amateur status (and NCAA eligibility) they are not paid for their participation in this league. They also live with host families who open their homes to these young men and receive a small stipend for housing and feeding them. (Check out their website: www.ushl.com for more information on the league and the housing program).
Over the years we have housed and developed relationships with many players and their families. Some have now completed college and are playing professionally. Some have gone on to business or coaching careers. One graduated from West Point and is serving in the Army. We have two players who lived with us who are seniors at Miami University in Oxford Ohio.
My husband and I are both alums of Miami and we have maintained football and hockey season tickets for their teams. The last three years have been very special to see our "boys" play for Miami. This is the final year for us to have players who have lived with us playing for the Miami hockey team.
So over the summer we take a trip to Oxford, Ohio and spend some time (usually dinner) with whichever boys are there taking summer classes. This week we spent some time with three players who are very special to us. It was so much fun! We talked and laughed and caught up on the news about players who have graduated or who we all know. It was at this dinner that we found out that Jeff Blashill (former Miami and Indiana Ice coach) was named head coach for the Detroit Red Wings.
This will be a bittersweet year for us. It is a year when we will see some outstanding young men complete their college hockey careers (and complete college). We have enjoyed knowing these young men since they were in their teens. Now they are adults and getting ready to move on into life after college. We will stay in touch but the chances of meeting up will become fewer as they move on in life.
Yet I would not change this for anything. Having this opportunity to be part of the life of some outstanding young people has made my life richer. I will treasure every opportunity to spend time with them as they finish their college careers and move on to their life goals (professional hockey, coaching, business or whatever life brings to them). I also look forward to the invitations to weddings, announcements about babies in the future, and possibly an invitation to a Stanley Cup party!
Since these players wish to maintain their amateur status (and NCAA eligibility) they are not paid for their participation in this league. They also live with host families who open their homes to these young men and receive a small stipend for housing and feeding them. (Check out their website: www.ushl.com for more information on the league and the housing program).
Over the years we have housed and developed relationships with many players and their families. Some have now completed college and are playing professionally. Some have gone on to business or coaching careers. One graduated from West Point and is serving in the Army. We have two players who lived with us who are seniors at Miami University in Oxford Ohio.
My husband and I are both alums of Miami and we have maintained football and hockey season tickets for their teams. The last three years have been very special to see our "boys" play for Miami. This is the final year for us to have players who have lived with us playing for the Miami hockey team.
So over the summer we take a trip to Oxford, Ohio and spend some time (usually dinner) with whichever boys are there taking summer classes. This week we spent some time with three players who are very special to us. It was so much fun! We talked and laughed and caught up on the news about players who have graduated or who we all know. It was at this dinner that we found out that Jeff Blashill (former Miami and Indiana Ice coach) was named head coach for the Detroit Red Wings.
This will be a bittersweet year for us. It is a year when we will see some outstanding young men complete their college hockey careers (and complete college). We have enjoyed knowing these young men since they were in their teens. Now they are adults and getting ready to move on into life after college. We will stay in touch but the chances of meeting up will become fewer as they move on in life.
Yet I would not change this for anything. Having this opportunity to be part of the life of some outstanding young people has made my life richer. I will treasure every opportunity to spend time with them as they finish their college careers and move on to their life goals (professional hockey, coaching, business or whatever life brings to them). I also look forward to the invitations to weddings, announcements about babies in the future, and possibly an invitation to a Stanley Cup party!
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
OK, do I just drive to work or launch a rocket with this technology?
So this week I purchased a new 2015 Ford Escape. This is the first new car I have had in probably 20 years. In the past I have purchased used cars. I got this car because Ford was having a great sale and I was able to "upgrade" for the same payment - these are the words of my salesman, Jay.
It is a pretty slick car with Microsoft's "Sync" (who in my opinion sounds like Apple's "Suri" - could they be sisters? ). I can use voice commands to call people with the Bluetooth connection to my phone. Of course my son, James, always tells me he hates people who use the speaker on their phones when they call him. I tell him he should be happy his mom is still around to call him, even if she uses Bluetooth.
I have a camera and navigation and enough electronics to probably launch a rocket to the moon or somewhere else in space. The climate control has two zones, so my husband Bob can put his side of the car on subzero (or the meat locker number as I call it).
It also has lots of safety features, even knee air bags! For someone of my age the thought of keeping my knees safe in a possible collision is pretty attractive! This car also does not have keys! It has one of those electronic ignition systems. I just push the button to start it and turn it off. I have the turning on part of it down pretty well. I wonder how long it will be before I stop reaching for the keys to turn the car off?
It has been fun driving this new car but I find there are so many distractions. I'm going to have to park it and just play with all the controls. Or I can call the "Sync Specialist" at the car dealership (who looks like he is about 12-years-old) and he will give me another lesson. For someone like me who is easily distracted I just have to focus on keeping my eyes on the road when I am driving. I will leave all the fun stuff for the times I am parked and want to explore.
It is a pretty slick car with Microsoft's "Sync" (who in my opinion sounds like Apple's "Suri" - could they be sisters? ). I can use voice commands to call people with the Bluetooth connection to my phone. Of course my son, James, always tells me he hates people who use the speaker on their phones when they call him. I tell him he should be happy his mom is still around to call him, even if she uses Bluetooth.
I have a camera and navigation and enough electronics to probably launch a rocket to the moon or somewhere else in space. The climate control has two zones, so my husband Bob can put his side of the car on subzero (or the meat locker number as I call it).
It also has lots of safety features, even knee air bags! For someone of my age the thought of keeping my knees safe in a possible collision is pretty attractive! This car also does not have keys! It has one of those electronic ignition systems. I just push the button to start it and turn it off. I have the turning on part of it down pretty well. I wonder how long it will be before I stop reaching for the keys to turn the car off?
It has been fun driving this new car but I find there are so many distractions. I'm going to have to park it and just play with all the controls. Or I can call the "Sync Specialist" at the car dealership (who looks like he is about 12-years-old) and he will give me another lesson. For someone like me who is easily distracted I just have to focus on keeping my eyes on the road when I am driving. I will leave all the fun stuff for the times I am parked and want to explore.
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