ENTR 210 'Launch and Learn'

Welp. This semester is the one where I start a business. And discuss it in class. In front of people. People that aren't my mother.

At first, I was really scared of this class. Last semester's Intro to Entrepreneurship class intimidated me because I was surrounded by all these really smart kids who knew just what they wanted to do in the business world or already had businesses of their own, etc. The first day of this new class, I felt dread. I do, in fact, know what I want to do in the business world. It's just not something I'm really comfortable starting on just yet, especially while I'm in school.

And the thing about ENTR 210 is that you actually have to start a business start a business start a business start a business.

After today I am no longer as intimidated. Brother Porter had us each tell the class who we were and our business idea. Some kids still didn't have ideas and others had too many. Oh, I thought. I'm not the only human kid here, I guess.

Now that I have my idea (which I will be sharing here very soon!) I'm pretty excited to get started. It's going to take a while, but an Irishman in my class told me it could get me to SL Comic Con in April, and maybe September!

Best Buy's Customer Service is a Joke

When attending a business school, one naturally expects to learn a few things about customer service. One of my teachers related to my class a tale involving the clothing retail giant Nordstrom's accepting the return and refunding the purchase of a used car tire. This and other such stories have given me a standard of customer service to hold my future business to, and my current dealings with existing businesses. I think you'll see why I was upset when the events described in the following letter transpired. I've thrown down my gauntlet....


Wednesday 04 December, 2013 17:47

To Lisa Smith, Vice President, Enterprise Customer Care at Best Buy:

This Black Friday, I purchased a MacBook Air on the BestBuy website at a $150 discount. I was sent a confirmation email that said my order had been processed and was ready to ship. So you'll understand why I was surprised and dismayed to find this in my inbox:

Hello Olivia,        

We're sorry, but the order listed below has been canceled because we are unable to ship to the address provided.        

Be assured that if you paid by credit card, it has not been charged, and any other method of payment has been credited. If you used a Gift Card for this order and no longer have it, please call the number below and we'll send you a replacement. Please note that this cancellation might affect your order's free shipping eligibility, bundle pricing, or gift-with-purchase eligibility.        

If you have any questions — or if you'd like to place this order again — please contact us at 1-888-BEST BUY (1-888-237-8289). If possible, please have your order number handy.        

Once again, we're sorry for this inconvenience. We hope to hear from you soon.                                              Sincerely,

Lisa Smith

Vice President

Best Buy Customer Care

My first reaction upon reading your reason for cancelling my order included wondering why I was not simply contacted to verify my address, give a different address if necessary, or just arrange for an in-store pickup. As requested in your last line, I called the Customer Care number listed in the email and spoke with an associate named Yolanda. She was as helpful as she could be, and was very patient with me. She confirmed the address I had given for shipping, and upon finding that it was indeed correct, informed me that there was no good reason why my order should have been cancelled. Why, then, was it? I asked to reorder my purchase and requested that the sale price I originally paid be honoured. She told me this wasn’t possible and apologised for the inconvenience. Additionally, Yolanda informed me that this exact same scenario had happened more than once this weekend!

This is a mockery of customer service. I, as well as customers facing similar predicaments, was promised a price and paid it, expecting the computer I ordered. I was not expecting this transaction to leave me empty-handed. Unless I am allowed to reorder the computer at the promised price, you can expect no further business from me or my friends and family.

Looking forward to your response,

Olivia Sunday 

....think they'll pick it up?

Regarding SSHS's production of Once Upon A Mattress

So...after three days of grueling auditions and feeling like a horrible person when I laughed at people's singing (yes I actually did. I tried so hard not to, so give me a pat on the back for effort) I have a piece of news that I think will interest anyone who knows me personally! I am playing the role of Queen Aggravain in my high school's production of Once Upon A Mattress. I'm so excited because I know this year the musical will be quality. Our last music teacher barely knew what he was doing and our new teacher is SO AMAZING (a trained opera singer) I don't even have enough words to describe her skills. She knows everything there is to know about your voice after just a few minutes of hearing you speak or sing, and sometimes all she needs is to look at you. It's kind of creepy. She knows how to really teach people to sing and adapt to individual learning needs, something the last teacher lacked. Also, her husband is a legitimate film and stage director so he is directing our musical. It's already turning out well and we only just today read the script...I'm feeling really confident! I have until January 7th to memorise Act I, and until January 24th to memorise Act II. I feel confident because I know that my teacher (I'm not saying her name on here because I don't know how kindly she would take my plastering her name all over my blog) can help me be truly amazing. Last year I wouldn't have felt this confident.

Another thing I really like about her is that you don't get the feeling she's thinking about doing you when you make eye contact (unfortunately, everyone agrees that our last music teacher gave off that vibe. Even the boys). That's always a plus.

And also I'm really good friends with her daughter, who watched DOCTOR WHO!! Finally! Another teenage Soda Springs Whovian!

And boy did this post veer from the original subject...by the way, Tokio Hotel is supposedly releasing a new album next year. Thought you ought to know.