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Day after day, we encounter people in the sales and food industry that couldn’t care less if we have a pleasant experience dealing with them, while others can’t seem to do enough. Today I encountered both. I had just purchased my first laptop computer from Dell by mail. In order to use the internet I needed to contract with a server like Verizon and get a wireless card for the computer in order to use the service.

I went to a Verizon Wireless office in a local strip mall and brought the laptop with me. When I entered, I was the only customer and I was greeted in a friendly manner. I told the representative what I wanted and he said he had the air card I needed. I would have to sign up for two years of the service at $60/month with a very high early termination fee. He handed me the card and explained that it came with a CD that would help me install it. I told him I expected the item to be installed in my computer so that I could get on the internet BEFORE I left the store, ensuring everything was compatible and working properly. It was then that all the pleasantness ceased. He said the policy was to never touch a customer’s computer for fear of liability in the event it doesn’t work properly after installation. I told him I couldn’t buy an item and sign a contract for something that might not work on my machine. STALEMATE. I walked out concerned that this Verizon policy would keep me from using my computer.

I drove to BJ’s Wholesale Club, which has a Verizon booth. There I had a completely different experience. They were more then happy to help, contract signed, item was purchased, installed and downloaded into the system along with a full explanation of how to operate it. The card (a $150 item) was given to me free for signing the 2-year contract and I am happily typing this for you on my laptop.

Obviously, this was not a Verizon policy to refuse help, just a lazy jerk who couldn’t (or wouldn’t) put himself out to help. Since he draws the same paycheck either way, he couldn’t have cared less.
Don’t let people like this spoil your day. If people are not treating you, the customer, as they should – LEAVE – there is another store right down the road that will appreciate your business and treat you right.
Dr. Jerry

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I just returned from a great weekend at Biltmore House in Asheville, NC. We are lucky to have such a magnificent year-round attraction and resort just a day’s ride away. Vanderbilt and the best home and landscape architects create his country estate around 1900. He built a railway spur to the area to bring in materials and workmen. The retreat took several years to build and noone knows the exact cost. It is probably the largest private residence ever built in the USA. They planted a thousand trees a day for 10 years. The entrance to the home is a three mile twisting road designed to keep you in suspence until you reach the final turn and lay eyes on this huge building. The gardens and grounds cover thousands of acres and are just as incredible.

Last year we went for the Christmas season. Starting Nov. 1st each year, every room is decorated for the season. A tour of the house at that time is breath taking. We took the basic guided tour, a behind the scenes tour from the servants’ point of view, and a roof top tour to see the detail of construction. The grounds offer a winery, a farm, a barn with animals, carriage house and stables with rides available, an outdoor center for biking, fishing, kyacing, Segway riding and hiking tours, restaurants, giftshops, and overnight accomadations. We returned on the July 4th weekend to take advantage of the outdoor activities we missed in the winter. We took our granddaughters with us both times to enhance the experience. They love dressing up for the Dining Room and the beauty of the Inn at Biltmore. They got me up on a Segway one day and a horse the next. A free shuttle bus took us to all the attractions. On July 4th we were at the outdoor pool at 10PM when the fireworks started. The Inn sits on top of a big hill. The fireworks were shot from a platform at the bottom of the hill and exploded right over the pool. It was like being in a I-Max theater while little pieces of the burnt out fireworks fell on and around us.

The food and wine at the Inn were first class. Put Biltmore House on Google and plan a trip. You will be glad you did. You can stay on the grounds or in Asheville. They have prices to fit all budgets.

I hope you enjoy these pictures

Breathtaking

More later…

Dr. Jerry

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