Little annoyances eat up time

[feng_shui_house]

Last year I bought a couple mousepads from Shutterfly, a custom printing place, because I'd visited Butterfly World with a friend and she was disappointed that they had a mousepad with butterfly photos at the desk, but none for sale.

I couldn't find any on line, so I organized a bunch of my own butterfly photos and got 2 mousepads, and then proceeded to ignore all the tempting offers Shutterfly sent me.

BUT then! They tempted me with '5 free products of your choice out of 15'. So, as I do, I spent a couple hours selecting five different products and finding just the right photos from ones I'd taken, and setting them up and admiring them... and then discover the 'free' doesn't include $40 shipping/handling... but you know once you get your heart set on it... I went FINE.

For $40 I ordered a reusable shopping bag printed with a glorious anhinga bird spreading its wings to dry, a ceramic mug with my cat Natasha stretched out, a 8X5 notepad with a great shot of a green iguana climbingg a palm tree, a deck of playing cards with a beautiful shot of a black hooded warbler looking like a museum diorama, and another of the butterfly mouse pads.



I mean, I didn't NEED any of it, but it would cheer me up to be expecting something other than bills in the mail (on top of the current situation- which is really awful, I'm hiding in the house cuz the local idiots decided the disease was leveling off, so they opened up things and GOLLY GEE, right after that it's now skyrocketing like 40% increase in new infections...)

Plus this is the time the city has decided it needs to replace the water main in the little street where I live, and it's been... a week goes by, nothing, then big machinery, and holes and block the road so I can't even get mail, and then they put in a pipe. Go away. Come back a few days later, faff around some more. It's crazy. They'll let a week of perfect weather go by and then one Saturday they showed up at 9:30 at NIGHT, to dig up and place three more pipes and didn't leave until after midnight. And then another week of nothing... so half the time they have the road blocked, and no knowing what half...

So, anyway, set up stuff, pay for stuff, wait for stuff, and momentary happiness. No need to think about it. Right?

Everything was delayed, which ok, I expected.

The shopping bag stopped traveling, halfway across the country. Shutterfly was ok, yes, it's past the delivery date and it hasn't moved in over a week, we'll make a new one, expedited delivery, no charge.

Ok, fine.

It was supposed to arrive on July 3, a Saturday before July 4 a National Holiday. So I wasn't surprised when it didn't show up on the 3rd. Today, the 7th, the last of the other things arrived, so I thought I would check the tracking and see...

ARGH. It said EXCEPTION! They couldn't find me because the APARTMENT NUMBER was missing. I live in a single family house. In a single family residential neighborhood. They're not even connected townhouses.

SO, back to Shutterfly LiveChat (so far, they have been very good about wait times) and give the details, including saying 'I do not live in an apartment, there is no apartment number'... so, the person checks with UPS and says' oh, the apartment number is missing'

SO, I turn to ALL CAPS. To reiterate. There IS no Apartment number because the address is NOT an apartment building.

SO, help tries to get to UPS and then tells me, Oh, YOU have to go to UPS website and MAKE AN ACCOUNT and change the address, because with COVID 19 I couldn't get to talk to anyone.

And I'm NO, NO, I am NOT making an account at UPS. I am giving up on Shutterfly, what use is you 100% Happiness Guarantee if I have to fight UPS myself???

Then... lots of ... and more ... and more ... and waiting please...

SO, the upshot is... a THIRD order is being placed for the bag. If it vanishes too, I will just write it off as a jinx and return to doing stuff that doesn't involve arguing over the internet with a company. :^)

Comments

[watervole]

Oh Lord, I HATE arguing with these things.

My own saga is trying to get the gas standing charge removed once my gas supply was cut off (I don't use gas any more, I have a heat pump...)

[jaxomsride2]

Reminds me of when we first moved in. We kept getting gas bills and there was not even a supply connected. They had to send someone out to check and then they didn't stop coming until we sent them a cheque for zero pounds and zero pence because their book-keeping system would not cancel us off until we did!

[watervole]

Unbelievable.

[feng_shui_house]

Some companies are impossible to deal with. I tried for six months to get one of my utilities changed to my name after my mother passed away. The bill had been in my father's name, who predeceased mom.

I didn't care about it at first, but then they changed the rules about getting an ID card, and I needed, among other things, utility bills with my address and name on. I got several of the companies to change, but this one... I'd phone, and they'd say 'Do X and mail it to us and wait to see the change on next months' bill'... For six months it didn't change and each time I called back they'd say 'oh you also have to do Y'. When It got to the last time, and I explained it all on the phone for the last time- I sent in my request with X, Y, Z, W,T and F, and it's still not changed-

And was told. 'Oh, you have to bring in your father in person to the office to have him verify the change.'

And you know... I gave up. Fortunately, I was able to get enough with the other utilities to obtain my State ID card.

[jaxomsride2]

You could have offered to dig him up/ send ashes - or proof via death certificate - slightly cleaner.

[feng_shui_house]

One of the many things I sent them was a certified copy of his death certificate (TWICE, I sent another copy when they asked for more things). Along with a written (and hand-signed) request according to the specific format I was told, and a photocopy of my current photo ID, etc. etc. I don't even remember what all I sent.

There was just no getting through. It was impossible. *pfft*

If I ever sell the house and move, I suppose the bill will still have my father's name on it...

[watervole]

We hit some problems when my mother in law died, but luckily many utilities have specific departments or individuals trained to handle bereavements, and they were really good.

[vera_j]

Aaarrrrrrrgh!!! THis is totally crazy and more than annoying. Oh my poor friends - I kepp my fingers crossed!

In the meanstime, I am sending you a link to Youtube if you want to see that StarTrek film my friends made 7 years ago - it is finally free!

https://youtu.be/26GzQm1KEB0

[feng_shui_house]

Thank you, but I don't dare open it up-- I tried last time and I don't know if it was bad luck, or my computer just tried to buffer the whole thing, but it messed up my computer and it took me a while to figure out what was wrong and close the tab and clean the cache and restart a few times before it would work properly.

I should probably scrape together the money to buy a laptop because if my desktop keels over I will be really stranded.

[vera_j]

Gosh, I forgot totally, I apologise! Don´get stranded, what would be of me?  ---------- Původní e-mail ----------

[feng_shui_house]

I CLING like a baby koala to the internet... oh, NO, LIGHTNING. Imma gonna shut down and unplug the computer now. :^)

[watervole]

I didn't know you were in it!

[vera_j]

Oh yes, hahaha, playing a crazy and rather silly artist, the captain´s mother, and a Trill:-)
I would be interested in your opinion if you could find some time to watch it!

[jaxomsride2]

Considering how much they charged for shipping I'd demand a refund! If the other stuff arrived, a partial refund seems in order.

[feng_shui_house]

I don't think they have a system that could figure out a refund on 'free' items where the cost was the shipping.

I suppose if I whined enough, maybe they could give me a 'credit' to be applied to a future order.

I'm just going to wait and see if any of the three bags makes it to me. The first one *started* to move towards me, but bogged down again a few hundred miles away. The second one should be fairly close to me so if anyone at the office realizes HEY we HAVE this address correct, it's a HOUSE! it could actually be here within a day.

So, who knows. I might get one. :^)

[jaxomsride2]

Patience might win out but I have discovered that if you start asking for refunds - and postage does count in that if goods don't arrive. It is amazing how soon the products turn up - assuming they actually have them.

[feng_shui_house]

At this point the two earlier orders show up as in the possession of either USPS or UPS and you know, everything's messed up right now- at first I thought the problems would be with so few people flying as passengers, the airlines cancelled a lot of flights that also carry mail.

BUT when a parcel is within truck delivery of me and they still can't do it, I figure the problems are more basic to the delivery companies themselves.

Lightning storm here... gonna shut down and unplug my computer.