A Formal Complaint

Original article written by Regina Moore posted 7 years 2 weeks ago

We all know them. People who always have a sour dispositions. Whiners and complainers whose only goal is to have others join them in their misery. In SIM, they show up to comment on the forum only if they want to complain or “yeah, but” somebody else’s enthusiasm or success. Good cheer is their enemy. In their view, a “positive thinking” philosophy is for ignorant suckers who somehow block themselves off from seeing the blatant suffering that is reality.

I am hereby launching a protest against the SIM’s biggest complainer. Ironically, he is one who has never commented on the forum. Even more ironic, he is paid millions every game year to spread his misery to all corners of the SIM. At first glance, he appears affable and competent. But very quickly, as he tells you that you must pay him yet another thousand bucks, his mouth opens to release another stream of misery and the poorest form of customer relations imaginable in the world of small business.

If I weren’t so polite, I would tell him what I’m thinking, even as I continue to hand over enough money, across time, for him to send every relative, a few generations removed, to the most expensive colleges in the world.

POOR CUSTOMER RELATIONS
All I want is to have a veterinarian come and check out my horse. This is typically the greeting I get:

**Good day, Regina Moore, It's a busy season you know, racing, mares foaling, and now you're asking me to check on your horse too!**

Yes. I want you to check out my horse. How selfish and inconsiderate of me to give you my business. Imagine me greeting one of my bookkeeping clients with, “All I do all day is reconcile bank statements! And now, you want me to reconcile YOURS, too?”

Or, he might say:
**I get so tired of this job sometimes, do you know how many horses I look at every day? Tons!**

That’s like a professional basketball player saying, “Sheesh! Every time someone hands me the ball, they expect me to take it down the court and throw it into the basket at the end!” Does Dr. Hacklu not realize how many unemployed people there are who wish that “tons” of others wanted to use their services?

**My wife, Anita, wants me to take her out to dinner. Doesn't she know I'm exhausted from looking at horses like this one**

Sorry to have inconvenienced you, by PAYING you to look at yet another horse “like this one”. By the way, is your wife in therapy to help her deal with your miserable personality?

Then, there’s this lovely greeting:
**I am having such a bad day!**

Well, gosh, spread it around, why don’t you. I can’t imagine greeting one of my customers with, “I’m having a terrible day!” Not their problem, you know? They didn’t call me, and aren’t paying me, to hear about *my* problems. I’m supposed to listen to theirs and see how I can help.

**Hi, Regina Moore, Sorry if I'm in a bad mood, I'm just so tired these days!**

Why bother apologizing for a mood that’s a permanent part of your personality?

**Good afternoon, Regina Moore, I'm not so sure I like this weather, how about you?**

Of course, you don’t. You don’t like anything. It’s against your principles.

**Good morning, Regina Moore, Do you have a favorite band? I don't. I don't like music.**

I didn’t think it possible for Dr. Hacklu to top himself in the misery
department, but he just did! Doesn’t like music? Any music? No wonder he’s such a sour puss! And thoroughly whacked, to boot.

**Oh, hi, Regina Moore, My teenage daughter Talya wants an exracehorse now. No way!**

Nice to know that you’re such a wonderful ambassador of the sport

Every once in a while, he throws me:
**It's a lovely day, isn't it?**

Nice try. Maybe he attended a seminar on customer relations and retained its content for five seconds, but I don’t trust the sincerity of this comment for an instant.

PARANOIA
One doesn’t need to have minored in psychology to know that Dr. Hacklu suffers from severe paranoia.

**Howdy, Regina Moore, Have you seen Clark and Mary recently? I think they were gossiping about me behind my back!**

Of course, they were. You’re such a incredibly interesting, intriguing subject to discuss, after all. (roll eyes)

**That crazy Horse Whisperer guy, Clark Hoss, followed me into work this morning. I think he was trying to find out what type of weather condition suits me best!**

Or maybe he was trying to find out how someone who is as supremely successful as you can have such a miserable disposition.

**Let me know immediately if you see my wife, Anita, hanging out with Mary Weather. They're up to something!**

Maybe they’re having an affair together. Can you really blame Anita for looking elsewhere, when she has to put up with you?

**Did you see the way Mary Weather looked at me when I entered the barn? I don't think she likes me!**

Well, if she’s having an affair with Anita….

CLUELESS
And then he’s just plain clueless.

**Hey you!, Regina Moore, My son Wanton used to want to be a jockey, but he got too big. Now he wants my job!**

I love being called “hey you”. It’s so personable. As for Wanton, he can’t do any worse than you in the customer relations department. I think he should have your job.

**Have I ever seen this horse before? I can't even remember.**

Do you really need to point out to your customers that you don’t remember your patients?

**Caffeine, please! Pop, soda, whatever you call it, I need it!**

I’m not sure what “whatever you call it” is, but I don’t think any type of medication can transform your personality into something that even remotely resembles a pleasant disposition.

**Why yes, I am hobbling, thanks for noticing! My last patient stepped on my foot!**

Maybe your patient considered it to be the equine version of shock therapy.

**Hi There, Regina Moore, I shouldn't be surprised to see you again.**

No, you shouldn’t. I have hundreds of racehorses. They need vet care. You’re a vet. Duh.

**Have you met my wife, Anita, and my children? These are my daughters, Gime and Talya, and my son, Wanton.**

Are they all in therapy, too?

**My daughter Gime got into vet school! I'm so proud I had to tell somebody!**

At least you're capable of pride, if a moment of happiness is forever elusive.

Granted, after I’ve paid Dr. Hacklu yet another thousand bucks, and he has assessed my horse, he does try to be cordial, and say things like, “Have a good week.” But sometimes he just can’t keep his true personality from coming through:

**Take it easy with this horse this week, okay? Have an okay day!"**

He wants me to have an okay day? Just “okay”? He just can’t stand the idea of anyone else being happy, either.

CONTROLLING
Then there’s Dr. Hacklu’s tendency to be controlling in a passive-aggressive manner. He can sometimes lay his finger on exactly what equipment piece your horse needs to help it perform better. But he won’t tell you. Unless he just plain feels like it.

SUGGESTED SOLUTION
Of course, it’s tempting to ponder Dr. Hacklu’s miserable childhood, etc., in the quest to decipher what turned him into such a sour, melancholy person. But whatever therapy and/or medication might be deemed appropriate to ease his suffering, I know of one thing that can have a much quicker, successful result.

Competition.

Dr. Hacklu needs competition. Even a semi-competent vet, who knows just a small inkling of customer relations, would be a huge improvement over Dr. Hacklu. Then, those of us who have many horses, which need routine veterinary care, won’t be subjected to the barrage of misery and discontent that is the personification of the SIM's resident vet.

We need another option.

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