Tags
bad week, computer issues, freelance writing, Geek Squad, LinkedIn, online writing, poor customer service, Reedsy, resume writing, technology, Textbroker
It was a good news-bad news type of week for my writing work.
I discovered LinkedIn’s ProFinder, a tool to connect LinkedIn members to service providers and was excited to set up my ProFinder profile, offering a range of freelance writing services. The service that drove an immediate response was résumé writing. I am amazed at how many people are updating their résumés right now. That’s the good news. The disappointing part is that out of the ten proposals that I submitted, only one potential client expressed any interest, and several did not even read the proposal. There is a feature that enables the provider to see what was read. The interested party that did connect asked for a call, which we then scheduled for this morning. I got up early and scheduled my morning activities around the call, and he did not show up. Later, he sent me a message that he wasn’t well and has upcoming travel plans, indicating he would reschedule when he returns. Hmm.
My computer has been freezing, badly disrupting the momentum when I am writing. Fortunately, I have a Geek Squad service agreement, which has been a life saver in the past. Typically, a technician will remote in to fix the issue, and I don’t even have to be at the computer. This time, I contacted them and was told a technician would not be available for seven to eight hours, and I would need to be available when they are. The seven-to-eight-hour time range infringed on time allotted for my beauty sleep, and I questioned why the service has changed. The rep was apathetic and told me to contact them again when I can be available for a wide window. What? Who is the customer here? Hmm.
On Textbroker, a ghostwriting platform, I was promoted to level five, the highest ranking available, only to discover there are less writing opportunities at that level. This is probably because most clients would rather not pay the higher fee. But I found a promising order that required a minimum of 1000 words. It took me all day to complete it in between computer freezes and my fruitless attempts at troubleshooting on my own. That was two days ago, and I am still waiting for feedback or acceptance. Does that mean the client is thinking about it, hates it or never bothered to read it? Hmm.
I received an email from Reedsy, congratulating me that I am being featured in their book reviewer directory so authors can contact me directly for book review requests. The message included a suggestion to review my bio and ensure it is updated. I tweaked my profile to comply and also tried adding a background image when I saw that as an option. However, the uploaded image appeared to be hidden behind a gray screen. I reached out for help and was advised they apply a heavy blur filter to ensure there are no distractions on the page and that the navigation bar is visible. Then what is the point of offering the feature? If I can upload a background image to LinkedIn and WordPress, why not Reedsy? Hmm.
I feel a little guilty complaining about non-responsive clients and poor customer service when the world is in crisis. Be assured I am grateful my family, friends and I are well. But what a sad state of affairs it is to end this post but saying, at least we don’t have coronavirus. Then again, I guess that’s where we are today. Hmm.
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