Thursday, January 14, 2010

Taking a break.

Something really weird happened and I still don't know how I feel about it. So I took a break from blogging and twitter.


I will start from the beginning. 


I am a full time stay at home mum. I take one four hour day a week to myself, on a regular schedule so I can go to yoga, run errands and just have a meal to myself. I had one babysitter so my twins would have consistency. She was marvellous, the babies would wait by the door for her arrival and then tell me for days after all about their adventures with her. We were very lucky to have her as a constant. Then over Christmas break she had a serious family emergency that caused her reconsider how much time she was spending away from her family and studies and felt that she had to move on.  Because it was the holidays and I was concerned about contacting people during that time, I called the standby nanny service. I have used them before and though they are expensive it is nice to have a 'just in case' contact. From the last time I had used them, their prices had changed. I knew this but apparently I read it wrong. So when the 'service' called to explain their new price structuring, I said 'Thank you but NO Thank you'! 


When I got the call I was at my computer doing my twitter, facebook, blog and news check. I was on twitter at the time and I tweeted "found out that N------ O- C--- is now charging $30 just for a booking fee [every time], plus the hourly rate $15, plus a 4 hr minimum. wtf!! never again!" and " that would be $90 to do yoga and run errands... umm no thank you." 


I did find someone else but had to switch the day to make it work. I also did not think about my tweeting and kept up my online interactions. Then I got a message on my phone. I rarely answer my phone, changing a diaper, making lunch or simply just ignoring it (just a few moments of silence...please), if you want to get a hold of me, email is best. The message said (and I should have saved it, so this is just an approximation).


 "This is [so and so] from N------ O- C---, we noticed that you made a comment on twitter a few days ago and we would just like to explain... blah blah blah". I quit listening after the caller said that she noticed that I made a comment on twitter.


Again WTF? NOC is not one of my followers, I am new to social net woking and don't even have that many, in fact I don't even have any from this neck of the woods. I know this is a public forum, I know that pretty much anything one says online is fair game. People have something to say to just about everything.  So if someone sees my tweet about NOC then so be it, but to call me personally on my home phone? That is kinda creepy. I don't think I said anything derogatory, and yes I was expressing my awe at the new pricing, but why on earth (if I had already made up mind) are you calling me to explain yourself?


Needles to say I will not be using NOC again.  As for their price structuring. I already pay my babysitters $15 an hour (yes that is market price for babysitters), they have done their own self promotion and I have done the leg work to reach out to them.


Now, if only someone would pay me $30 a booking fee and $15 an hour for the rest of my week.


photo by me... has nothing to do with the post, just like nests.

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