Anyway, she follows it up with, “My husband and I just recently won our custody battle with our foster daughter and she means the world to us. She’s a beautiful African American girl and her hair looks a lot like yours. But I’m afraid because I don’t know what to do with her hair. It’s a lot different from mines and our other children and we are at a total lost. I’ve tried looking up the YouTube videos and my husband went to the braiding shops so they can teach him how to properly braid her hair, but he’s still pretty new and it will be a while before he gets used to it. Do you have any tips you can give me? If you don’t have the time, it’s okay, really! I just needed a little advice because I want her to look beautiful.”

Y’all. swear I almost started crying on aisle 6. So for the last 30 minutes, I spent my time talking to her and what products to use and how to properly detangle and comb her hair with the proper tools and what not to do with natural hair. And I showed her a bunch of easier to follow natural hair tutorials on YouTube and saved them for her. (I also had to create a YouTube account for her so she could save it for later.) but omfg, she was so sweet, and I could tell that she listened to every single thing I had to say and she took little notes on her little notepad.

And what really filled my heart was the fact that her husband actually taking classes from African braiding shops. And she showed me a picture of him wearing a little sweater vest and loafers in a little shop surrounded by beautiful black women showing him how to braid black hair and even the lady he’s braiding on is guiding his hands. And omfg. Bless these old white people and their black daughter who I know have new loving parents because they are willing to step out of their comfort zone just to make her feel and look beautiful.

and my personal favorite:

Utilities went off without a hitch. So I call my internet company, I don’t wanna be a snitch so let’s just use a made up company name. Like, how about… Verizon? So I call Verizon and let them know that I will be move. I’ve been with them for about three years now, and previously I was on a contract with them, but this past year I have been on a month to month.

So I start speaking with a representative, and he tells me that the speed that my current plan has (75 mbps) is no longer supported by Verizon. They now only have 100 mbps and up. He tells me that I’ll have to upgrade to a different plan and that I’ll have to pay a termination fee to cancel my contract with them.

I’m like um…??? I don’t have a contract with you? I used to have a contract with you, but then I called to renew it and you put me on a month to month. And the guy is like “Well maybe that’s what he told you he did, but he actually put you on a contract”. And I’m like: “But I didn’t sign any contracts, the first contract I did with you guys I signed” and he’s like: “A verbal confirmation over the phone is enough”. And that’s the first point where I’m like, either this guy is new and has no idea what he’s talking about, or something is not right.

So I tell him that I’d be happy to stay on the contract with them. And he says that I can’t, because the place we’re moving only has the 75 mbps and up. And I’m like, “Well how is that my fault? You’re the ones who aren’t supporting my contract anymore. Can’t you just continue my contract and just update the speed?” And he’s trying to tell me that there is no way he can possibly do that. 

And so I ask him for the price breakdown and it’s the monthly price, plus the $90 termination fee, plus a $99 installation fee when the tech comes to set up the router in my apartment. And I’m like “I’m not paying an extra $189 to you guys for essentially the same service because you’re the ones screwing me out of my contract.” And he goes to talk to a supervisor, and they say the same thing. And he talks to another supervisor, and they say they can’t help. So finally I ask to speak to a supervisor.

I explain the whole story to the guy. And he’s like “The system over here won’t let me override this in your contract”. Listen up. Any time a representative that you’re talking to says this to you, ask to speak to someone else. This is complete and utter bullshit. I worked in IT for four years, and let me tell you, if there wasn’t a way to override every single system we used, then we would’ve been in serious shit. Companies will try to tell you that the system won’t let them override what you need done, and the truth is one of two things:

1. The person you’re speaking with doesn’t have the authority to override the system. In other words, they are useless to you. This is not their fault, politely ask them to transfer you to someone who can help.

2. They are deliberately lying to try and ply you for more money. In other words, they are useless to you. This is not their fault, this is what they’re trained to do. Politely ask them to transfer you to someone who can help.

So I was transferred to a different department. And I explained the whole story to yet another representative. And he immediately said: “If you move to a place where the services in your contract don’t exist, then your contract is null and void”. This, my friends, is what I vaguely remembered reading in my original contract with Verizon. So I said: “So you won’t charge me the termination fee?” And he said “Of course not, we’re not allowed to”.

And then he went on to waive half of the installation fee for me for all of my troubles. I was on the phone with this stupid fucking company for an entire hour, but in the end I saved $130. $130! After finally finding the right person to speak to.