Surprise and Delight - São Paulo

In business school, I had a professor of marketing whose favorite refrain was "surprise and delight" your customer.  Today, after a long US-based saga of travel, I was surprised and delighted here in Brazil. So much so, I have to sit down and write about it before I do anything else. But let me set the stage.

My last blog post was about the new Terminal 3 at Guarulhos International Airport in São Paulo. It is a lovely building. You can see it from the outside here--this is a photo taken from the ramp to the parking garage where I had left "the Beast" (BH's ginormous Volvo) on Saturday night. That post was the last happiness in air travel for this past five days...until this morning. 

We flew United to Newark (delayed half an hour out of GRU, for no apparent reason), got stuck in an hour-long immigration line (because BH is B and not US, I had to go through the non-resident line. Not good.) and missed our connection to Boston by 20 minutes. The United helpers told us the rest of the day's flights were full to Boston but that we could fly to Providence instead. So off we went to Providence. Well, all of us except for one of our bags. And paid $200 more for the rental car because we were picking up in one airport and dropping off in another. I must say the PVD airport is very nice, though. I'm thinking about using that one more often.

BH is staying in Boston until Saturday. So it was just me returning to the airport on Tuesday night. There were two brief downpours at 4 pm which meant that my flight was delayed and I would miss my connection in Washington DC. I decided to stay the night, leaving my bags to be sorted and sent to meet me in Newark the next day. All this is to say that I did not have nice flight experiences in the US. Though United personnel were surprisingly fun and happy.

So, I was now taking a flight back on the eve of the World Cup start. Yes, it kicks off at 5 pm today. I was worried about lines at the airport, protests, traffic, everything. The plane was absolutely chock-a-block--Mexican fans, Spain, Costa Rica, Ecuador, US, you name it. As we landed (on time!), the flight attendant gave her usual announcements and then said she was cheering for Portugal. Then the PA was quiet for 30 seconds then the first officer came on and said "Go USA!"and then from somewhere, who knows where, 2 minutes later came "Viva Mexico" from the PA. Fun and funny.

We came into Terminal 3 again. Delightful. Still has a number of workers around doing last minute stuff (no holiday for the weary airport workers). There was zero line for Brazilians and residents (me). I literally walked up to the police and handed my passport over. There was a perhaps 20-minute line for foreigners but tons of windows open. Maybe less. By the time I had walked from the plane, spent 1 minute at immigration and walked to the baggage carrousel, all the bags were out. Unbelievable. 

This guy is thinking "what? I can't believe our bags are already here! wow!"

They ran everyone's bags through the x-ray machines, but all three lanes were open and efficient. Then I walked out to the garage from the walkway on the second floor, and put my key in the ignition exactly 39 minutes after stepping off the plane. An all-time record for days that I have had luggage (always, really). I did look down on the walkway and there was no line for taxis (a friend spent 2 hours in the taxi line on Monday). Tons of taxis. No traffic. Home an hour and fifteen minutes after landing. Spectacular.

So let me sum things up this way:

1. If you can fly any of the airlines that are currently assigned to Terminal 3, do so. These are: Air Canada, United, Lufthansa, Eithiad, Emirates, Turkish, Swiss, TAP. Do not be loyal to airlines if you are all "I'm an AA super-platinum all-star"--it doesn't count for crap if you come into the Terminal 1 or 2 mess. Fly the friendly skies. Trust me.

2. If you are a resident of São Paulo and going for a short trip, do the math on leaving your car at the parking garage. It may be cheaper than taking the taxi back and forth. And no taxi line and you can use your sem-parar. It does not get easier than this. Yes, you have to hoof a 1/4 mile from the arrivals gate at Terminal 3 but it's pleasant and easy.  

3. If you do have to take a taxi and the line is ginormous at Terminals 1 or 2, you may want to ask the officials at Guarucoop if there are taxis at Terminal 3. Then walk there. It may be worth it.

4. Might want to consider coming in on Brazil game days after all. No traffic. None. 

Traffic on Marginal: Brazil flags and military police cars

5. Prepare for the worst, and celebrate the best. I was ready to spend hours in lines. I spent no times in any lines. Surprise and delight, professor Carpenter...I get it!

6. Vai Brasil!

House calls and Haifa - São Paulo

Haifa last week at the fazenda

It turns out that this is going to be animal week. No, not really. I was about to post political observations that always get me into trouble, but then yesterday happened. Yesterday, my 11-year old labrador fell down the stairs after losing control of her hindquarters and is in some weird state of neurological no-man's land. She is now sleeping at my feet--so I have decided to tell you a little bit about her, and the spectacular veterinary care that my dogs both get here in Brazil. Back to my political meanderings tomorrow.

I have two labradors. The first, named Caju, has been with me since he was a tiny puppy. He will turn 14 next month and has all the ups and downs of a senior dog.  In early 2012, he was losing his mojo. I thought adopting a canine companion would help. I didn't think a puppy would work (attention diverted from Caju), and with two small kids, I did not want to get a street dog that might have a history that involved kids torturing it and he might turn on them. I wanted a senior girl.

I called the vet who had sold me my first Brazilian lab, Chopp. Audrey knows well Caju--mostly because Caju has had every single problem known to doggie-kind (cancer, pancreatitis, canine tick disease, arthritis, various varmints living in his skin). She was no longer breeding dogs and did not want to give up any of the 9 seniors currently living at her home. She suggested I contact Brazil's largest labrador kennel, called Tokay.   

I sent a note to Tokay and three days later I heard back. The owner said she had never heard of anyone wanting to adopt a retired breeding lab but yes, she had three females, all age 9, all retired. She suggested I look at their photos on the web, which I did. And I saw one, Haifa, was related intergenerationally to Caju. Her grandfather was Caju's father.  Haifa came home with me.

The story gets too long about her arrival here. She was not in good condition, is partially deaf, and needed minor surgery to fix a number of issues. But she is a complete love. She is my shadow now that Caju can't walk so well. She wants nothing more than to be with someone, principally me, all of the time.

Yesterday, she was behaving strangely. We had gone for a big hike at the ranch on Sunday, and she had exerted herself more than usual--jumping a creek, uphill and downhill on various trails. Still she was fine on Sunday. On Monday, she fell over when she got up. She tripped and fell into her bed. She crashed into the door when trying to get out of the house. At one point she got up and ran for the back door and seemed not to hear me calling her. Even yelling and whistling. Her eyes are more than a little vacant.  She is having accidents all over the house.

I called Daniela, who is the vet at PetHelp, the closest vet clinic to me, and who always comes in on the senior dog emergencies. She makes house calls--and when you have two elderly dogs, you need house calls. She has pulled bernes (fly larvae) out of one, cleaned and cared for wounds, assisted on eye surgery, etc. She said that she suspected some kind of neurological problem, some pain in the spinal column, and said that we should start with painkillers and then move to anti-inflammatories if things didn't get better. The worry was brain swelling. The worry really is a brain tumor. The neurologist she recommended can only see Haifa on Monday.

After Dani left, I called Audrey. I love a second opinion. This is at 6 pm on a Monday afternoon and Audrey picks up the phone, and I explain and Audrey says that she'll come by after her last patient--around 8:15 pm. The diagnosis is the same--anti-inflammatories, pain killers--and monitor. At this moment, Haifa has taken her first pills and is sleeping at my feet after face-planting into her water bowl. I am hopeful that she will get better.

As I tell you this dog soap opera, I will tell you that Haifa and her survival are not the points of this story. The point is that I have spoken often about bad customer service in Brazil and not enough about great customer service.  So here it is, another reason why I love Brazil:

I have two extremely competent vets who come when I call--I don't mean that in a "come-hither" way. I mean, these are two dedicated knowledgeable women who come to my house and see my old labradors when they have an issue--and they have them fairly often now. When I don't understand a medication, I can ask either one and the response is immediate through text or facebook or phone. There is no "after-hours" charge. There is no "I'm on my way home so just bring him to the emergency room." There are two vets (and three with Audrey's husband Gilberto who has also come on a Saturday for dog care) who I will place at the very top of the list of best client care experiences anywhere, anytime.  

For those of you in Brazil with fluffy folks at home, I highly recommend Pro-Cão (Audrey) and PetHelp (Dani). 

And keep your fingers crossed for Haifa.

More dead than alive - São Paulo

Image credit: http://guiblogado.blogspot.com

I am hoping that I will be able to finish this blog post before the data plan on my cell phone runs out. I don't have high hopes. You see, since Wednesday, the cable modem at our house is not working. The cable TV is not working. They are "morto" or dead. 

They are both the responsibility of a company called "Vivo" or alive. I believe I don't have to explain that irony. Ah, the little blue dude above in the image is the Vivo character--in this case I believe he should be lying on his side without "sinal da vida" (sign of life).

Anyway, I find myself somewhat restricted in what I can say about Vivo. Primarily because I don't want them to find out about it and cut me off from even cell phone (yep, also their product). Secondly because BH and I have friends who work there. Thirdly, because BH used to work there. Wait, the third point should actually be a reason to post bad stuff about the company...but in fact, BH's time there (13 years!) was pretty good. We used to even get priority response to any system blips, but alas, the paycheck stops and the good service does too. We are now some of the little people...

As everyone can probably guess, data/cable/satellite/cell companies are the biggest complaint magnets here in Brazil.  And probably in the world (note to self: check this whenever we get cable back, probably in 2015). Here is the chart from Procon, the consumer defense organization. These "tech" companies hold six of the top 10 complaint positions. Vivo is way out front, almost double the closest competitor (another cell phone company). It is, as I like to say, Queen of the Pigs (this should not be confused as a compliment from a Palmeiras fan). You might as well go big.

I am really glad I got invited to a Superbowl party this year so I don't have to worry about the Big Game being a big dud on Sunday. Cause I'm guessing Vivo will still be morto then.

Last days of summer vacation - São Paulo

Sun over the yard-arm at 11 am.

It comes with great regret that I must inform you that today is the last day of my kids' summer vacation. Tomorrow they begin the second half of Year 2. Silent cheering is expected and pre-approved.

On one of the last days of vacation, the kids had soccer at 10:30 in the morning. This is not their usual field but the regular classes don't start for another two weeks. The "temporary" field had a bar (closed) and a really nice looking large beer cooler (locked) next to it. My dad mentioned to another kid's father that it was so hot out that morning, he wished he could have a beer. Dad was (mostly) joking.

Two minutes later this kid's father had called over the secretary of the soccer school and asked her if there was any way to get the beer. She said that the area was run by a separate organization and she couldn't help. So we laughed about wanting a beer at 10:30 in the morning and then started chatting about other stuff.

At 11 am, a large really cold beer with two glasses appeared on our table. The secretary had seen the bar guy arriving with a delivery and asked him to open up the cooler. The waiter smiled and served the beer, not blinking an eye at the hour. I declined to participate as I was driving four kids to my house at 11:30. So this father and my father toasted the end of summer, the soccer boys, and, I suppose, life in general.

Add another to the list of things I will miss about Brazil. No, not the beer at 10:30 am. The Brazilian folks who want to accommodate you no matter what you ask for at whatever hour. 

This would never happen in the US. Beer at 10:30 am, locked bar? No.

Daqui um pouco - Sao Paulo

Well, I had a different post planned for today. One titled "Goddess Water" and that sounds fun, right?

Instead I'm at the monster truck dealer again. More problems. The biggest one is when the service rep tells me they are going to work on my car "daqui um pouco" or in a little while. In Brazil, this can mean 20 minutes or two hours. 

Goddess water will wait.

Fine for me - São Paulo

Honda service center--NOT mine. Tampa, Florida photo credit: www.tampahondaservice.com

I have had a couple of cars in my lifetime that have been "important" to me. One was my very first car, a Toyota Corolla hatchback, bought used and given to me by my parents. Eliot, as his name became, was my trusty car from 1987-1995, traveling with me from Wellesley College to San Francisco to Chicago, where the spectacular winters caused his retirement.  My second important car was a very fun red BMW 3-series that my husband and I drove in Miami, like true Miamians (as a friend said, they are the stray dogs of that region. You see them everywhere). Because of my experiences with this Toyota and this BMW, I am likely to look at them first for a new car. Well, not BMW in Brazil which is extremely expensive.

When I bought a new car here two years ago, I went to Toyota first. The dealer in my neighborhood would not let me test drive a car. Yes, true story. She said that they sold so well that they didn't need to do test drives. I said sell it to someone else, chickie. I walked down the street to Honda. My family had two Hondas when I was in high school and we liked them a lot. I bought a Honda. And, frankly, I love it. I haven't named it, but I love it. 

What I do not love is going to the dealer which I will call Honda F. The dealer is trying to wreck my tight relationship with my car. First up was a seatbelt that would lock tight at any bump in the road or even when pulling it across my lap. It started the very first day I took my new car home. I went back and complained. The service person told me I was pulling too hard on the strap and maybe hitting bumps too strongly. What? I asked to see the manager. The manager drove around the block in the car carefully avoiding any bumps and it did not lock. I took the car home; the seatbelt locked. I took the car back. The dealer man himself, president of Honda F. showed up to check it out. He told me I was pulling too hard on the seatbelt. He showed me how to pull it slowly. It locked on him. They fixed the seatbelt.

Why does everything have to be such a struggle? Brazilian husband, now known in the blog as BF, says I have to write shorter posts so I cannot go into some further interactions with Honda F. but I will talk about this week's joy. On Wednesday I brought in my car for its 20,000 km service. It was only at 17,000 km but I wanted to make sure I didn't fall afoul of the law of service here. You must bring it in on the 1 year or 10K mark or suffer the loss of your guarantee. They are not kidding.

So, after my service rep writes up whatever they write up, he says "okay, the 20K service is $640 reais (US$285) -- give me credit here, I did not faint-- and then on top of that you have the R$230 (US$102) "multa" (fine) for being late. I said "huh?" And he said that I was supposed to bring in the car in August, the anniversary of its birth, but I was two months late so I had to pay a fine.  And I said, "wait, so I get my car serviced here at the dealership for x billion more than it costs anywhere else, and for that privilege I have to pay a fine?" I might have been a little more forceful than that. And then I did the American Ugly. Yep, haven't done it in a while, but when pushed into a corner....

I said "Excuse me for saying so, but in the US, this would never happen. You don't get fined for loyalty. What exactly are you Brazilians (yes, sorry, I am cringing now too) thinking?" I might have raised my voice a bit. I might have mentioned the value of customer loyalty and the fact that I buy from LL Bean even when I have other choices because they treat me well. They might have said "who exactly is this LL Bean?" but you get my point.

So, after listening to me blow up for about 5 minutes, my service guy says "let me talk to the manager and see what we can do." And of course the next day when I pick up my car, they have taken off the "fine" from the value. And I say "thank you."  Here is my lesson learned: Fight. All the time. Be cranky. Be Ugly American. 

Frankly, I am tired of fighting. I'm not talking about negotiating like at the farmer's market. It is fighting with the chic store on Oscar Freire because my R$250 vase broke. And they ask if I put water in it, and I say yes, and they say you can't put water in that vase. And I raise my voice and speak in English and I get a free vase. Why can't you start out nice, you shopkeepers and dealers? What is the deal? Also if a vase is not supposed to have water in it, you might want to mention that.

I read an article about customer service in the American Chamber of Commerce-Brazil newsletter here . And the point of it is that "indifference" (read here as bad customer service) is the cause of 67% of customer attrition. That's huge! Not the exorbitant prices, not unhappiness with a product, but the result of bad customer service. Sit up and pay attention, Honda F.

And 95% of those people who get bad service don't complain about it but rather just leave the place forever. I am part of the 5% who complain. Honda F. resolved it and I'm happy about that, but the main reason I will go back there is because they hold the guarantee. And they are four blocks from my house. And I am a black belt in service center fights.