This Old House

I spent my early childhood in a little community in St. Catherine called Guys Hill. I have real fond memories of those days. It was a very humble community, what people would probably call ‘backward”. We were the only one’s in our little district in Waterford, Guys Hill who even had a freezer; we made very good money selling ice- I smile at that now.

I visit every once in a while. A lot of my family still lives there, like my Grandfather and Grandma and a hosts of cousins and aunts. I visited that old house recently. It was great being back, I really did feel like a kid again. I took some pics of the things I had in that house that I found there today. Things that still work! I couldn’t believe it. Like the old Piano that I spent so much time on. My grandaunt says I used to slip out of bed at night and make a ton of noise on that thing when everyone else was sleeping. lol. I don’t remember that but I believe her. I saw my favourite little teapot aaawww its so cute. I managed to steal it away  .

So many memories when I think about that old house. Everyone I shared that home with is gone now but all the things remain. When I step inside it’s almost as though I’m back in 1991 again smiling with my great grandfather and my grandaunt and getting licks for not wanting to take a bath, doing my homework in front of the tv, plaiting my grandaunts hair and helping her sew.  I should go back more often because that’s when I feel closest to the people I loved so much and miss even more!

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TALK Di THINGS -My NCB Experience

I'm a stickler for good customer service. So, I try everything in my power to not have to deal with people face to face, because customer service is really lacking in JA.So, I was rather happy as an NCB customer to have my midas card, my credit cards AND online services at my disposal. That meant- never having to go into the branch! Yay me! Right? Well, yeah, it means that UNLESS something horrible happens....*cue sensational music*

On a few occasions I have had to visit the bank. On this occasion I was rather annoyed by the fact that a vendor had run the transaction on my card more than once and debited my card twice. So, of course, I went in to rectify the problem. Whenever I have to deal with customer service, I'm always on the defensive, ready to go in and storm the place. ( I just cant help it, too many bad experiences). So, I went into the branch and the first thing that threw me off my war path was the fact that this customer service rep. was actually smiling and very pleasant and upbeat. Not the usual, "I have to be here so let's get on with it" demeanor I normally encounter. I explained my problem and and she was quick to apologize for the inconvenience even though it was no fault of the bank. (Here I am, starting to feeling less and less agitated) She continued to explain the procedure I would need to go through and helped me to fill out the required form, unlike some other places that give you a form to fill out while they deal with other customers. She told me it wold take about two weeks for the matter to be sorted out because the bank had to do their own investigations. Normally I would have been annoyed again that it would take so long but, the sincerely pleasant demeanor of the customer service rep. made me just say "Ok".(I was actually smiling at this point). Anyways I left the bank feeling calm amazed at how stress free the situation was. No long unnecessary waiting and no attitude from the customer service rep. Kudos to NCB, I thought.

People refuse to realize just how important customer service really is. Had I been met with a stoic or abrasive individual, things would have gone completely different and I might not have wanted to continue banking with NCB. And, would you believe that things actually got better, AFTER I left the branch? I was so surprised when, someone from the branch called me to let me know the matter had be sorted out and the money had been credited to my account! I was shocked. little ole me! I don't have a hefty account balance and I don't bring a lot of business to the bank, I thought only 'big shots' got that kind of treatment. I didn't sound it on the phone, but I was actually smiling widely when she called. So, of course, I'm even more likely to continue to bank with NCB because they know that customer service really matters and I can feel my account is safe.

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