Humorous Customer Service Stories

Our top CEOs slow to move on Twitter

'HOURS queueing in a gale with Jedward fans to see a politician talking outside a bank? There's a metaphor in there somewhere," tweeted Andrew Kavanagh (@kavatarz), CEO of Dublin-based animation and film-production firm Kavaleer Films, as Barack Obama visited in May.

But are the country's top business chiefs tweeting equally witty comments, or making informed and incisive political or economic observations from their iPhones and BlackBerries?

For the uninitiated, Twitter is the social network used by many people from their mobile phones to post short updates on everything from what they had for breakfast to whether Ireland will default, not only for their "followers" but also for anyone with internet access or a smartphone to see, if they haven't made their tweets private.

Mostly, they're not. Despite dozens of internet, IT and tech giants employing increasing numbers of people here -- and of course it's still hoped that Twitter itself will open a European HQ here -- CEO of Microsoft Ireland Paul Rellis (@Paul_Rellis) and Martin Murphy, MD of HP Ireland (@MartinTMurphy), are the only tweeters among the chiefs of our best-known multinationals.

Rellis's most recent tweet, to RTE Dragons' Den entrepreneur and presidential hopeful Sean Gallagher (@seangallagher1: "Great news for you Sean ! Keep the faith!") was on June 20, so perhaps he's simply far too busy to tweet very often.

Having signed up in May, Murphy's most recent tweet was on May 25: "Really enjoyed Enda Kenny 's visit to HP's spiritual home in Leixlip -- he did question my golfing ability, which calls for a rematch!"

Declan Ganley's high public profile since he ran in the 2009 European elections and now increasingly as a TV -pundit on current affairs means a Twitter profile is valuable to him.

But Twitter and other social media can be a threat to corporate culture and their need to control what their CEOs and employees are saying, according to Jack Murray (@mediaflash), MD of Media Contact, one of the country's leading social media training companies.

"A lot of people on Twitter are individuals, promoting themselves or their own brands. There's a lot of control of the message in big corporations. It's harder to manage someone on social media; it's impossible to control.

"If you're a career-focused executive who wants to do well in a company and get promoted to a management position -- or you want to remain in one -- then you're not likely to be tweeting your opinions that might cause controversy," he adds.

Reader Spotlight: Your Funny Couponing Stories : I Heart Publix

There was a nice Depends coupon deal a while back with a Publix and a manufacturer’s coupon that made me $3 for every package I bought. I had my manager order me 30, which pretty much gave me $90 to shop with right from the start!  We were able to buy a bunch of other stuff including meat so it was a great trip for me. Of course the cashiers were laughing (as most of them know me) to see me with a cart full of Depends. I didn’t care as it was $90 bucks in my pocket!!!

Once we left the store we donated the 30 packages to the local Rehabilitation center… but unfortunately now I’m known at my store as “The Depends Lady ”!

A few months ago there was a great BOGO sale on dog food, and there was a high-value coupon out that made each bag about .20. I was so excited I traded for extra dog food coupons with another member over on the forum so I could REALLY stock up. (I have a 95 lb. dog.) I ended up getting 80 lbs of dog food for less than $10.

All went well at first, but after we’d gone through about 3 bags, my dog started giving me this LOOK. Like, “Seriously, THAT stuff again?” Then he just stopped eating. I thought he might be sick, but we tried another brand of food and his appetite came right back. Now I’m stuck with about 10 bags of the food he won’t eat. I’ll donate them to a shelter or rescue, but every time I look at them I’m reminded that the best laid coupon plans can backfire!

I just started couponing about 2 months ago, and am still learning the ropes. When I go in to shop, I try to look out for tearpads and blinkies that I can add to my binder. But I don’t like to collect coupons if I absolutely know I am NOT going to get the product.

I have a 2-yr old and a 9-month old that accompany me on my trips. I didn’t realize how impressionable little children are until I walked in to my Publix and my 2 yr old yells out, “Mamma, coupon coupon!” She made me get EVERY SINGLE blinke we passed by, and still does EVERY TIME we go. If I see a blinkie that I don’t want from the corner of my eyes, I have to run past it… literally!

I sent my mom and brother to Publix at night about a month ago with a detailed – and I DO MEAN DETAILED – shopping list. They were supposed to be getting (8) 12-packs of Coca-Cola products on the B2G2 deal; there were $2/2 peelies on the boxes, and I had written directions for them to peel off four and use at the register. Well, when my mom and brother returned home with the colas, my mom looked completely pole-axed. She handed me the receipt and blurted out, “Something went wrong!” As she told the story, my brother sat off to the side giggling to himself all the while.

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