Yesterday I sent in a check to renew a magazine subscription. Today I get an email from the same magazine offering me two years for the price of one if I renew.

Bad timing for me.

I figure I’ll call the company and see if they’ll honor today’s offer. I’ve been on hold on both the live web chat and phone system for minutes listening to a looped message ending with:

“…we truly value your business.”

I’m skeptical.

Inconvenience and long wait times are not proof of that.

For any service provide, the proof of “valuing business” is hiring enough well-trained representatives and instituting good systems and processes to remove inconvenience and waiting.

Otherwise “we truly value your business” is a truly empty phrase.