WiFi at the Millenium Knickerbocker Hotel

Monday evening, I drove into to Chicago. On Tuesday, I attended the Great Place to Work Institute's Best Practices Forum. The seminar was pretty interesting, with a good deal of information on what other companies do to create great working environments. That's not what I want to write about, however.

After I checked into the hotel, I tried accessing the internet. I had paid for a wireless connection, but I couldn't for the life of me connect. I made sure I followed all the written directions, then I called the front desk to ask if there was a trick I was missing. The front desk clerk asked me to hold on, and the next thing I knew I was talking to a tech support rep somewhere else in the country. They tracked the problem down to non-functioning routers, but were unable to fix the issue.

The next morning as I was reviewing my bill, I noticed they had deleted the charge for the wireless, but they added a charge for a long distance phone call. Apparently when the front desk clerk transferred me - without asking me first - she added the charge to my account.

Unbelievable. They couldn't provide me with the service for which I paid, I ask for help, and they charge me for the help.

Another example of less-than-stellar customer service.

After a quick trip to the front desk, I had the additional charge removed.

How Is Math Taught Today?

On my way home from a seminar today, I stopped into the grocery store to pick up supplies for stir-fry. The elderly lady in front of me in the checkout line bought a container of cookies that totaled $3.03 with tax. She handed the young cashier a $20 bill and three pennies.

The cashier gave her $17.97 in change.

The lady tried to give the coins back, but the cashier couldn't understand. The supervisor standing at the end of the counter helping to bag the groceries didn't understand either. The lady gave up and took the extra money.

I admit, I thought to myself when I saw the money being exchanged that I rarely see cash as a form of payment anymore. Is this an indication of how little cash is used now? Did the cashier not know what to do because she rarely handles cash? Even so, this was an easy math problem........