Timing

[susandennis]

My list of things to do today starts off with calling.  So, I along with every other fool in the world am on hold.  First off is TV Guide.  I need to make sure Mom gets her new subscription - her credit card will be rejected when they discover her billing address is not the same as her subscription address.  Their website does not allow for such possibilities.

And, my subscription is up in 2 weeks and their website won't let me renew.

So, now I am on hold.  But, I'm here with a good class of people.  It is NOT easy to find this number or any number for contacting TV Guide.  It's not in their magazine.  I finally dug it out of their FAQ's about 5 clicks into their website.  Then I waded through their annoying voice activated telephone tree.  And then they hung up on me.  Undaunted I went back.  The automated voice told me they couldn't take my call and I should call back.  I'm not on hold - they've already told me that I should call back later in the day and later in the week.  They don't understand that I need to cross this off my list before I can go to the next thing. 

Oh, I just got Jessica who fixed both my problems and was amazingly and incredibly efficient and pleasant.

Now I am on hold with IRobot.  Roomba, as it turns out, has what I think is a fatal illness.  I'm fairly sure that this call is going to be a waste of time.  I probably should just abandon and call Sharper Image.  It's still under warranty.  The problem is not uncommon according to a million places on the web.  Aw screw it.  I'm calling Sharper Image.  Sharper Image brags that when you call their 800 number you are talking with a person within minutes.  I have never been able to prove them wrong.  Not once. 

And, wow.  This time was no different.  I got a nice lady.  I had no invoice or order number.  She found me anyway.  She gave me an RMA number and said she would mail out a prepaid label for shipping the broken guy back.  Once they got him back they would send me a new one. 

I asked her if I could maybe shorten the process by ordering one today and charging it to my credit card and just having them refund the charge once they got the broken one.  Without missing a beat she said she would just order up the new one to ship out in 2 to 3 days and if they did not receive the broken one in 30 days, then they would charge my credit card.  I love Sharper Image.

Ok, two calls down. 

Next I need to call Microsoft card key people. Microsoft's voice activated system is pretty good - especially if you need to talk to a specific person - just say their name and you are connected.  (Of course, Microsoft people are notorious for never answering the phone so it rarely nets you anything, but still....)  Ok, now I just got a person and it turns out the people I need to talk to don't even have a phone.  I'm actually sure they have a phone but the number's not listed.

Ok, dokey.  Now for the rest of the list:

- add latest book to the website
- add new jigsaw puzzles to the website
- catch up finances
- tidy up a bit for ergo lady
- go to Mr. Bulb Man store

At 12:30, Lisa from ErgoFit Consulting is coming over to evaluate my workspace and recommend ways to set it up so I can work here all day without ruining my spine.

And that's my day so far...

Comments

[vasilatos]

So sorry to hear that your Roomba is sick or dead. But glad to hear you're getting good service. I think I bought mine from Amazon, hoping for as good treatment if Roomba - crossing myself, knocking on wood, praying to, uh, the saint of appliances - fails. So far, so good (again with the luck procedure). I've been musing all day about painting him, maybe a ferocious mouth like they had on planes in WWI.

Welcome home. You done good.