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terpkristin
05-30-2007, 12:52 PM
Don't worry, this has nothing to do with my car, rather it has to do with the bone stimulator I'm supposed to get delivered to me today...

My hand is still messed up, so my doctor has perscribed a bone stimulator for me to use (similar to what happened last year). Basically, the doc's office gives your info to the bone stimulator company (in this case, a company called Donjoy) and then the company works it all out with your insurance and then they have somebody drop one off to you.

Well, all the authorizations went through apparently right before the long weekend, so the guy called me yesterday morning and asked if he could deliver it to me yesterday afternoon, around 1. I said "sure, no problem."

Around lunchtime, I got a message from him (voicemail, as I'd stepped away from my desk and didn't have my cell phone with me) saying that he had a meeting he got called into, is it OK if he delivers Tuesday around 10 a.m.? So I called him back, left a message saying sure no problem, I'm free around 10 but have a meeting at 10:30 so it needs to be at 10.

This morning I get a TEXT MESSAGE from him that says, "When s ur meeting over? kevin"

Is it just me, or is this completely odd? He's a professional in the medical community. I'm technically is client/customer. What makes him think that I have a cell phone set up to receive text messages? Maybe I've set mine to block them. What on EARTH makes him think it's APPROPRIATE to do that over a text message? And why, when he's done that, does he use text message slang?!!?! Now, that said, I do have a text messaging plan and I don't particularly mind, so I texted him back "It should be over by about 1 p.m." and then he replies "Ok c u at 1pm. ok?"


I MIGHT be ok with this, if I'd previously told him it was OK to send me text messages, but I certainly never thought he'd do it on his own, without knowing my situation regarding texts. Is this becoming a norm? I certainly don't tell my boss that I'll be in late over a slangy text message.

Anybody else had stuff like this? I couldn't even figure out how to react.

Meanwhile, he called me at 12:45 and said he was in Alexandria is it OK if he was a little late, I said sure whatever, but now it's almost 2, I'm surprised I haven't heard from him yet saying either "I'm lost" or "I'm here".

How odd.

/tk
Subby
05-30-2007, 12:57 PM
So tell us more about this bone simulator...
albionmoonlight
05-30-2007, 12:59 PM
First, you said "bone stimulator"

*schoolgirl giggle*

Second, this guy sounds like he has more professionalism problems than just texting clients (i.e. his lateness). My guess is that he is some 19 year old kid that got a delivery job and does not yet understand that the working world differs from the casual world.

And, to answer your question, I do see it as unprofessional. It certainly would not fly in my office (or any other office in which I have worked).
RendeR
05-30-2007, 01:23 PM
First off, he is NOT a medial professional, as in most cases like this he's just a delivery boy. The companies that produce home medical equipment farm out the delivery and training part of the task to delivery companies that work specifically with medical supplies, IE Oxygen, breathing quipment, portable electronic monitors etc etc.

So what this kids job is is to pick up his van and delivery the stuff in it to his list of clients for the day, he's had just enough training with the stuff to show you how to put it together, turn it on and check it and just MAYBE is bright enough to give you a phone number to call when something he has no clue about actually happens with it.

His text msg doesn't surprise me in the slightest.
RendeR
05-30-2007, 01:24 PM
DOLA: Sorry if that sounded harsh, I a not very fond of these delivery personnel as they are 90% of the time utter and complete morons.
DaddyTorgo
05-30-2007, 01:33 PM
oh, and tk...no luck with seeing that relative (re: the whole lawyer thing). Sorry
DaddyTorgo
05-30-2007, 01:35 PM
that's kinda amusing though, in a way. but yeah...i'd be wierded out that some delivery guy was txt-ing me too
Eaglesfan27
05-30-2007, 01:38 PM
First, you said "bone stimulator"

*schoolgirl giggle*



Is it wrong that this made me giggle as well?


Also, I'll second what others have said. From my experience, the people that work for these companies are low paid delivery men who are not even close to medical professionals. They know how to set up the machine they are delivering after many training sessions, but professionalism seems to be low on the list of priorities for many of the companies. I'd be annoyed if a tech did this to me as well.
rkmsuf
05-30-2007, 01:40 PM
I hope he shows up in a robe and wizard hat.
DaddyTorgo
05-30-2007, 01:45 PM
I hope he shows up in a robe and wizard hat.

HAHA. oh shit :D
DaddyTorgo
05-30-2007, 01:45 PM
I hope he shows up in a robe and wizard hat.

HAHA. oh shit :D
heybrad
05-30-2007, 01:45 PM
First, you said "bone stimulator"

*schoolgirl giggle*

How in the hell is a pocket pussy going to solve your problem?
DaddyTorgo
05-30-2007, 01:45 PM
i'd so delete that post, but i'm a post-whore
Butter
05-30-2007, 01:50 PM
My wife prefers the manual bone stimulator, but YMMV.
terpkristin
05-30-2007, 02:21 PM
Also, I'll second what others have said. From my experience, the people that work for these companies are low paid delivery men who are not even close to medical professionals. They know how to set up the machine they are delivering after many training sessions, but professionalism seems to be low on the list of priorities for many of the companies. I'd be annoyed if a tech did this to me as well.

In my defense, I said he was a professional in the medical community, not a medical professional. His voicemail also says he is from Donjoy, so that makes me think he's not necessarily just a "hired hand" to do the delivery. But that said, I know it's just his job to deliver the item. But the guy who did it last year was much more professional...wore a tie, explained everything, went through all the forms with me. This guy showed up an hour late, didn't follow the directions I gave him (ended up on the opposite side of the building), sent me a text message, and was wearing shorts and sandals (with white socks alas!).

I suppose I just didn't expect to get a text message at 8:30 or so this morning in the way I got it.

Oh well.

Yep, I have a BONE STIMULATOR for my hand. Really it's nowhere near as interesting as you giggling kids want it to be :D

/tk
DaddyTorgo
05-30-2007, 02:26 PM
Yep, I have a BONE STIMULATOR for my hand.

/tk

so umm...i'll be over later and you can use your handheld bone stimulator okay? :p
rkmsuf
05-30-2007, 02:29 PM
so umm...i'll be over later and you can use your handheld bone stimulator okay? :p

You change the "my" to an "a" and we are in business.
DaddyTorgo
05-30-2007, 02:33 PM
You change the "my" to an "a" and we are in business.

huh?
Subby
05-30-2007, 02:35 PM
HEY MAYBE THE GUY LIKES YOU IN A HETEROSEXUAL WAY AND IS TRYING TO ASK YOU OUT.
Mustang
05-30-2007, 02:35 PM
Luckily the company is not named Dongjoy...
Drake
05-30-2007, 02:39 PM
Text messaging is the new e-mail. The university I work for is looking at ways to deploy text messaging on a large scale for official communications because the students have said that they prefer that route.

Eventually, we'll just beam thoughts straight into their heads. Oddly enough, I'm cool with that.
terpkristin
05-30-2007, 02:46 PM
Text messaging is the new e-mail. The university I work for is looking at ways to deploy text messaging on a large scale for official communications because the students have said that they prefer that route.

Eventually, we'll just beam thoughts straight into their heads. Oddly enough, I'm cool with that.

In the end, I'm OK with text messaging, but I like the people who are doing the text messaging to ask me if it's OK. I'm sure the university you're at has an opt-in/opt-out form or something so you can tell them it's OK to send you text messages. When I fly, I have the airlines send me text messages with late-breaking flight information, I really don't have a problem with it as a form of communication or information dissemination (that must be spelled wrong). For me, it works great.

But I don't expect someone who hasn't asked if they can, who doesn't know if my phone can accept text messages, to think it's an acceptable means of getting in touch with me, especially when the previous conversations were over the phone (voice calls, not text messages).

The circumstances around this particular instance just struck me as odd. But oh well, what can you do? I have the device, now hopefully my hand can heal up correctly.

/tk