Sunday, February 26, 2012

Bad Customer Service from KFC

I don't know if there is anything I hate more than bad customer service.

Remember the Halal KFC I talked about back here? Today, my brother and I drove back there today because I was craving it. It took us over an hour to get there... and almost THREE HOURS to come back home. But I wasn't too annoyed because it was me who really wanted it.

You know what sucks?

Well, I only eat white meat... and got the same thing for the rest of my family. So I ordered a 12 piece combo of extra crispy fried chicken with all the pieces being substituted for breast pieces. The cashier told me she would go back and check that she had the right amount of breast pieces from the halal section and that I would have to pay extra for substitution. Which I was okay with (and figured).

When the cashier came back, she said that she could do a combination of extra crispy and original friend chicken -- which I was fine with. I went ahead and paid for my order (VERY expensive because of the substitutions). Some time later, I got my order and headed back home. Getting home would take over two and a half hours because of traffic.

When I got home, and my family started eating, I could not believe that two of the pieces that were ALL THE WAY AT THE BOTTOM had been substituted for their grilled chicken! While I am sure their grilled chicken is delicious (I did try it some time ago), it was not what I ordered and I do not appreciate them cheating their customers like that!

She went back to check and confirm that they had the right amount of pieces... if she didn't --- all she had to do was tell me!!! Is that sooo hard? Not only did I pay extra for what I wanted, but I didn't even get what I wanted!

In my opinion, customer service makes or break your business. There is this bakery I loved to visit for a particular cookie that I have NO where else, but refuse to step foot in there because of terrible customer service.

 P.S. I was asked to post their contact information for others. Here is their Customer Service number 1-800-CALL-KFC.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Hyperthyroidism

So remember when I got sick back in September? Unfortunately, something or another has kept on happening since then. MANY doctor visits and tests later, I apparently have hyperthyroidism. I have, without doubt, seen more doctors (and different kinds of doctors) in the past few months than the rest of my life combined.

It's symptoms are so vague and generalized that it really could be attributed to so many things, which is why I guess it took forever to figure it out.

For example, I am just constantly tired (I talked about this here as well). Either I wake up tired or get worn out doing the simplest things. Yet, despite being so tired constantly, I am not sleeping well at all! Either I am up half the night, or wake up several times through the night. You would think that if I am so tired all the time, at least I'd be able to sleep at night... but no.

Appetite. Either I have none at all or I'll be hungry and need to eat several times a day... yet, when I eat, I get full after a few bites (which is probably why I am eating several times a day some days). I've never been a big eater, and my mom says she knew something was up when I started eating more.

Another major annoyance for me -- extremely itchy skin! This has been happening on and off for a few months now, but in the last week or so has become terrible and constant. So much so that, I need to apply anti-itch lotion at least twice a day for temporary relief.

Oh and another thing. Cold. I'm usually always cold nowadays (plus get the chills at times). I don't know what's up with this one because I thought I'd be more sensitive to the heat (since your system speeds up) with hyperthyroidism. Since September, I have been sleeping with two comforters and a blanket... you'd think it was freezing here. Until September, I used to sleep with the fan on all year long.

My eyes have always been sensitive and teared easily if it was really sunny (which is why I wear transition glasses) or if it was windy. Nowadays, they are often red, and tear for no reason even when I am indoors and I've become sensitive to light.

Do you see what I mean about them being so generalized? They could be attributed to oh so many things! The last one, for example, I was just attributing to seasonal allergies!

The biggest one, and the one that prompted the tests (blood work to test thyroid function levels), was my extremely high pulse. Since I got sick in September, it's been constantly high (and pointed out at every doctor visit). For the life of me, I couldn't figure out why it was suddenly so high and the concerned looks from EVERY doctor wasn't very comforting either.

What was annoying was that even the blood work that tests for thyroid problems was coming back inconclusive so I was literally being given no answers. When I had it done for the first time back in November, the TSH (screening test) was low but when I had my T3, Free and T4, Free tested... they would be within the range. At that point, my primary doctor basically said that thyroid problems were not the issue (and we were back to square one).

When I changed my primary doctor in January, however, she retested my thyroid functions. With the same results (low TSH, but normal T3,Free and T4, Free levels), she referred me to an endocrinologist. Like I needed another new doctor [or another type of doctor!].

The endocrinologist, in turn, did some silly tests to look for signs. For example, he had me drink some water and hold it in my mouth and then watched me swallow it. Then he felt my thyroid glands as I swallowed. He then had me hold my hands straight out to see if it trembled (which is apparently a classic sign). He tested my reflexes (those with hyperthyroidism usually have fast reflexes). Checked some stuff with my eyes (and noted they were red and puffy). These amongst other things.

Of all the doctors I've seen so far, I definitely like this one the best. He explains things well, and answers my many (and I mean many) questions (and still asks if I have any other questions). He didn't seem to be in a rush (which is often the case). He's relatively young so it helps in the fact that he is easy to talk to. Oh, and his staff is great! I've only had one appointment thus far, but he definitely left a good impression on me (which is very hard to do).

While it's nice to finally be getting some answers, it sure is an adjustment.

Do you, or anyone you know, have hyperthyroidism? I'd love to hear from you.

I wrote this the date it is published for, but I didn't post it on the blog until a few years down the road in 2014, after coming across it as a saved draft.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

What's for Dinner: Chicken Tikka Wrap

P.S. This post is a part of my "What's for Dinner" series, where I share what I've been cooking and my recipes. Grab and share my button:

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Annual Screening

With Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation in the news so much recently, and the topic weighing heavily on my heart, I figured now would be the perfect time to talk about this.


Cancer. Probably one of the most despised six letter words in the English dictionary.

I can't explain to you the number of times I've started a blog post on the ugly and scary word that is Cancer. Just in the past few months we've had so many stories hit close to home, unfortunately, with deaths because of  women-dominant cancers, like breast cancer.

If you know me personally, and talk to me regularly, you are probably well aware that lately this has been my thing -- to convince my loved ones to get their annual visit in for screening.

A few family friends have lost their lives to breast cancer just recently. The mother of one of my brother's friends (and college roommate) passed away just a few short months after diagnosis a few months ago of a woman-dominant cancer. My cousins' friend (a teenager) passed away early January 2011 from cancer just a few weeks away after her father passed away of a different cancer.


Time and again, we are reminded how fragile life is.


Everyone knows someone effected by cancer. I'd be surprised to hear from someone isn't.

I urge you to get regular screening. Early detection is the best chance for a treatment and/or a cure! I can't stress it enough. If you are an adult female, go get your annual mammogram and get your annual GYN visit in. Take your (female)  loved ones too. You could, in all seriousness, be saving a life. So many things of this nature can be treated and cured IF they are caught early enough!

The momentary discomfort, in hindsight, will be worth it, won't it? YOU are worth it!
If not for yourself, go for your loved ones. You could be saving them the heartache too.

While it would be nice to not have to worry about such things, the reality is we do. Who knows, maybe in our lifetime, research will go far enough to make this horrendous disease that is cancer something of the past. That would be something, wouldn't it?

Related Posts with Thumbnails