29 December 2011
I forgot to mention that at three o’clock precisely, yesterday afternoon, Medhi, the co-supervisor at Dragon telephoned me for what he understood to be a scheduled browser session. I explained to him that I had replied to Ruben’s e-mail to the effect that Paul and I would be available on 27 December but on the morning of the 27th. I received another e-mail informing me that my response to Ruben had been deleted without being read. This being so Medhi was not aware of my reply to Ruben, who is now on vacation, and as joint senior technician he was honouring, what he thought was, a scheduled session.
I explained to him that I thought it would really be far more sensible if Ruben himself took the call as he was fully aware of the problems from which we had suffered over the last six months or so. Medhi agreed and we left it that we would reschedule on Ruben’s return next week. As it happened I was able to get hold of Paul and agree to offer them a 1.30 time next Friday. During this exchange I discovered that Paul had developed a filthy cold and had e-mailed me to say that, in my best interests, he did not think he should come near me until the end of next week. So, as it happened, all turned out well.
Whilst speaking to Medhi he told me that his head office had been made aware of Michael claimed regarding their automated telephone message and that they had agreed with me for the need to change that Dragons automated message to make it clear that although the advice service was free, the caller would be charged for the telephone costs at a premium rate. Albeit only 6p. a minute but premium nevertheless. In my case with over 60 telephone calls it all mounts up. In any event I made it clear that it was not so much the cost of the call, which was certainly not excessive, but the fraudulent misrepresentation that the whole process was completely free to caller Whether or not the Trading Standards Authority have formally notified Dragon of the interchange their message to making clear that the caller was paying the telephone costs at a premium rate I was not told. Although Mehdi did say that he thought the matter would be dealt with shortly.
My occupational therapist , Lynne, came today in response to a call I had made to her for a solution to problem that I have in marketing the Chinese students examination papers ,in not being able to hold a pen. I wondered whether, between us we could devise some way that I could strap a pen in my hand so that I could tick the keywords, as set out in the marking schedule I have prepared. I have managed to make a perfectly good schedule for the final marks which I can type in. It’s just that I need to be able to tick the various parts of the answers, in order to indicate to the moderator where I have awarded marks, and then write the number of marks awarded against the question before transferring the result to my typed computer-generated table,
Fortunately, Lynne did not let me down and we devised a splint for my left hand, through which he felt pen is inserted. I have been able to make ticks and write numbers up to 10, so with a little practice this will suffice. Good old Lynne has never let me down yet. I must start marking the papers over the next few days as I promised I would try to complete them by the first week in January.
Whilst on the subject of examinations I thought you might like to see how sharp your yourself. Click here and take this little ‘Quiz for Bright People ‘ (at least I know how to spell quiz even if the guy who sent it to me does not!