Tonight's picture was taken in September of 2008. Mattie was in his second month of chemotherapy and was home between treatments. While home, he got a visit from JJ, our resident Jack Russell Terrier, and our neighbor JP. It is hard to believe that both Mattie and JP are both dead and JJ was relocated to South Carolina. Mattie loved animals and always wanted a dog. So we appreciated all friends who visited Mattie and brought their dog, especially when Mattie was in cancer treatment.
Quote of the day: Today's coronavirus update from Johns Hopkins.
- number of people diagnosed with the virus: 6,064,409
- number of people who died from the virus: 184,320
For those of you who have been following along, you know that on August 21, I contacted American Airlines. I contacted them because it appeared that my parents would not be able to get a refund for the tickets they purchased for a December flight. They booked their tickets through AMEX travel services, rather than going directly through the Airline. One may think using your AMEX card and their travel services provides you some level of security, and that you could then easily get reimbursed if you are unable to travel! WRONG, WRONG, WRONG! In actuality there is NO advantage to using AMEX travel services! Unless you purchase their travel insurance, you as the customer are stuck. As they follow the guidelines and rules set forth by the airlines. In fact, when I tried to apply for a reimbursement for my parent's airline tickets through AMEX, they told me they were sorry but they couldn't help me. They also said that basically they would be out of pocket for the cost of these tickets because the airline most likely would not accept a medical reason for the request for reimbursement. ALSO WRONG!
On August 21, I reached out to American Airlines. I went through their customer service system. Naturally my initial instinct was to write to chiefs and department heads. Firing off a nasty gram! But I then I read an article about the importance of going through the proper chain of command when making a complaint and request. That was actually VERY GOOD advice. The customer service representative assigned to our case was a real professional and kind. She actually called me and we discussed the issue over the phone. She then instructed me on what I needed to do, as the Airline Refund Center did not know the extent of my dad's illness and health condition (which is why they initially denied the refund).
Because I was having trouble with the automated refund center on the Airline's website, this customer service representative agreed that I could send a more extensive medical letter to her email and then she would forward it to the refund center. Not only did she do that, but today, I heard back from the Airlines. They are granting the refund request for both of my parents. Peter and I only fly American Airlines, and now after this decision, we feel confident in our Airline choice. They handled the whole situation very well, and so much for AMEX's advice to me! Later today, I composed an email to our customer service representative thanking her for her professionalism and guidance on this process. As I believe it is important to not only write complaints, but also acknowledge outstanding service.
The highlight of my day is I got to talk by phone to a friend of mine. She and I went to graduate school together and have been in touch ever since. We live in different states and we have done different things with our degrees. She is a very successful educator and researcher, and in all intensive purposes, I am sure there are professors of mine who may look at how I live my life and what I do as a potential failure. As I am not using my degree perhaps the way it was intended. Which is why when my friend said today, unsolicited, that I use my counseling skills every day in the foundation and with all the countless people I help, that made a big impression on me. She couldn't tell, but this beautiful reflection actually brought tears to my eyes. Which isn't easy, as I don't tear easily!
The second highlight is Peter and I went out to lunch today. It was wonderful to sit outside, without interruptions and reconnect. As Peter has an intense job search under way and many different opportunities that he is juggling. I was happy to hear about each one of them and to be able to focus on him, something I couldn't do for a month.
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