Faithful, longstanding readers will know of the longstanding battle I wage with Keith on an almost daily basis about boxes. At the shop, it's no problem. I am getting a real whizz at slicing up boxes that the orders have come in and dispatching them to the bin outside, before Keith has had time to open his mouth to say,
What are you doing with that box?"
At home, however, it's a very different story.
I am forbidden on pain of death (well, maybe not!) not to dispose of any of the boxes which are around the house having, in their previous life, been home to various bits of computer or I.T. related items. Thus we have boxes strategically placed on top of my music centre, on the scanner, hidden away in cupboards, waiting to fall out as soon as the door is opened, and in the box room - how aptly named!
As the house is small to say the least, this is quickly becoming a bit of a problem, a problem which was compounded last week when Keith became the proud recipient of a LARGE box containing a DVD and surround system - 5 speakers and a sub-woofer!
Mad schemes were hatched which involved draping wires across the ceiling and round the lights, drilling holes in walls and maybe through the ceiling as well - who knows???
"And what about the box?" I enquired.
"Oh, that can go by the dining table," was the airy reply. "We might need it. Can't throw it away."
Still, look on the bright side - now that we're not getting the suite, maybe it will come in useful for sitting on!
Josie and Giles
Josie and Giles
Keith's son, Giles, decided he would like to appear in my blog but he didn't want to look threatening. Josie decided she would appear too to give him a bit of moral support. So this is Josie giving moral support and Giles attenpting to look non-threatening. They both work in the shop and this picture is a perfect illustration of the company motto:
You don't have to be mad to work here but it helps! :)
End of saga?
Welcome back to the furniture saga. Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin:
Having tried and failed last night to get any more information about the approaching delivery of our suite, I rang the delivery people this morning to be told that, yes it would be delivered tomorrow (Thursday) between 11.30 and 3.30! You see! If I'd put money on it I'd be quids in now! "No, sorry, I have informed the company several times that delivery needs to be in the morning. There will be no-one here in the afternoon." (In how many languages do I need to say this???)
"Well, that's the slot we have for you," was the reply, whereupon I told her to cancel it as I was now about to cancel the order. My impression was that she was severely underwhelmed by this news.
The shop doesn't deign to open its doors till 10am so I contained my impatience till 10.05 and then rang and was finally put in touch with someone in the furniture department. She told me she needed to refer to her manager on the question of a refund but that there would be no problem and she would ring back. After 40 minutes, I decided they had had long enough to confer and rang back. The man who spoke to me was impressive in his indignation on my behalf. "It is Head Office who have to refund you" he said. "I have explained everything and told them someone has to get back to you within the day." Just in case, I asked him for the contact name and number, as the trend has been increasingly for them not to get back to me.
After a few hours, I rang this number and asked for the person named. After 2 tries, I got to speak to a girl who told me I was actually through to the Customer Services dept; the named person was only a clerk who had no authority to deal with my refund and, furthermore, it was my local store who would have to do that. (True! - I wouldn't have the imagination to make all this up!)
By now, I was beginning to see red and rang my local store back. In touch once more with 'he of the vain promises', I asked him why he had given me a contact number for Customer Services instead of Head Office, as he had led me to believe and why he had told me that he could not deal with my refund.
"They have misinformed you," he replied, when he could get a word in.
By now, red was turning to full-blood scarlet and I let him have it, both barrels in my best Deputy-Head-dealing-with-recalcitrant-pupils mode and 'suggested' that he might care to get things sorted and get someone to speak to me about it before the end of the afternoon - only I didn't quite put it like that!
An hour later, someone else rang and informed me that my refund had been authorised and I would get it by cheque but it would take 10 days. "I have arranged it because we couldn't guarantee a morning delivery for you," he said.
"Not only that," I said, "Are you aware of the full story?"
"Oh, there's no point going through all that again," was the answer.
OK, so...wait a minute.... I can tell you are waiting for something else. Oh yes, an apology? Dream on!
I would also have liked to know why it takes 10 days for me to get the cheque but I was feeling too battle weary by then to bother.
However, the large store in Boughton, outside Chester, whose name begins with A will definitely not be on the receiving end of our custom ever again!
Having tried and failed last night to get any more information about the approaching delivery of our suite, I rang the delivery people this morning to be told that, yes it would be delivered tomorrow (Thursday) between 11.30 and 3.30! You see! If I'd put money on it I'd be quids in now! "No, sorry, I have informed the company several times that delivery needs to be in the morning. There will be no-one here in the afternoon." (In how many languages do I need to say this???)
"Well, that's the slot we have for you," was the reply, whereupon I told her to cancel it as I was now about to cancel the order. My impression was that she was severely underwhelmed by this news.
The shop doesn't deign to open its doors till 10am so I contained my impatience till 10.05 and then rang and was finally put in touch with someone in the furniture department. She told me she needed to refer to her manager on the question of a refund but that there would be no problem and she would ring back. After 40 minutes, I decided they had had long enough to confer and rang back. The man who spoke to me was impressive in his indignation on my behalf. "It is Head Office who have to refund you" he said. "I have explained everything and told them someone has to get back to you within the day." Just in case, I asked him for the contact name and number, as the trend has been increasingly for them not to get back to me.
After a few hours, I rang this number and asked for the person named. After 2 tries, I got to speak to a girl who told me I was actually through to the Customer Services dept; the named person was only a clerk who had no authority to deal with my refund and, furthermore, it was my local store who would have to do that. (True! - I wouldn't have the imagination to make all this up!)
By now, I was beginning to see red and rang my local store back. In touch once more with 'he of the vain promises', I asked him why he had given me a contact number for Customer Services instead of Head Office, as he had led me to believe and why he had told me that he could not deal with my refund.
"They have misinformed you," he replied, when he could get a word in.
By now, red was turning to full-blood scarlet and I let him have it, both barrels in my best Deputy-Head-dealing-with-recalcitrant-pupils mode and 'suggested' that he might care to get things sorted and get someone to speak to me about it before the end of the afternoon - only I didn't quite put it like that!
An hour later, someone else rang and informed me that my refund had been authorised and I would get it by cheque but it would take 10 days. "I have arranged it because we couldn't guarantee a morning delivery for you," he said.
"Not only that," I said, "Are you aware of the full story?"
"Oh, there's no point going through all that again," was the answer.
OK, so...wait a minute.... I can tell you are waiting for something else. Oh yes, an apology? Dream on!
I would also have liked to know why it takes 10 days for me to get the cheque but I was feeling too battle weary by then to bother.
However, the large store in Boughton, outside Chester, whose name begins with A will definitely not be on the receiving end of our custom ever again!
Very last photo request
Some nice sheep from the Clwydian mountains.
These 3 photos are in reply to the request from Magz. Sorry about the delay - I've been a bit busy.
Furniture part deux
Just in case you all thought the furniture saga was at an end, it isn't. we are still waiting.....
Last week we had a phone call one afternoon saying that the suite would be with us in an hour. "Oh, no it won't," I said, " There's no-one there, we haven't had any notice and the old furniture is still there so there's no room."
"Oh, no it isn't," they said, after further checks. "That was a mistake. Ha, ha!"
So, EDA is the day after tomorrow, but we were promised a text message again to inform us of the time. That should have arrived today. It didn't so I rang the store. They didn't know so they said they would ring the warehouse and call me back.
They didn't, so I rang them myself, or tried to. After listening to a disembodied voice telling me everyone was busy for 10 minutes .... twice, I gave up.
So tomorrow, I'll start again........... and just wait for them to tell me they will be delivering on Thursday afternoon, when, as I have told them repeatedly, there won't be anyone there!
How these people manage to run a business, I'll never know.
Last week we had a phone call one afternoon saying that the suite would be with us in an hour. "Oh, no it won't," I said, " There's no-one there, we haven't had any notice and the old furniture is still there so there's no room."
"Oh, no it isn't," they said, after further checks. "That was a mistake. Ha, ha!"
So, EDA is the day after tomorrow, but we were promised a text message again to inform us of the time. That should have arrived today. It didn't so I rang the store. They didn't know so they said they would ring the warehouse and call me back.
They didn't, so I rang them myself, or tried to. After listening to a disembodied voice telling me everyone was busy for 10 minutes .... twice, I gave up.
So tomorrow, I'll start again........... and just wait for them to tell me they will be delivering on Thursday afternoon, when, as I have told them repeatedly, there won't be anyone there!
How these people manage to run a business, I'll never know.
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