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Tuesday, December 29, 2009

That Crazy Lady at the Store Was Actually Me

Today was not one of my better days. I have a billion reasons why, but I will only choose to share a few. It's my blog, so I feel that I have that right. Right? So here goes...

1. The van has been making some crazy tin-y sound. Chris took it in somewhere a few weeks ago, they cranked the engine and didn't find anything to be wrong. My stepdad suggested some "test", Chris performed said "test" and the outcome of the "test" was that it actually needs something fixed - shocks, struts, I don't really know. But whatever. So, because we drive a Saturn and they are virtually defunct in our area we have to take it to a GM Dealer. Which sucks, by the way. So they said to bring it in at 11. An appointment for 11. Only at 4pm today it still hadn't even been looked at. So apparently you need an 11am appointment on Tuesday for it to be looked at on Wed. That's crazy to me. You don't make a haircut appointment for 11am on Tuesday only to be seen on Wed. The world isn't supposed to work like that.

2. I took the girls shopping at a particular store in the mall (alright, twist my arm, it was Justice) to spend gift cards that they got for Christmas. It took us almost an hour for them to decide on what to purchase. Chris had to leave the store. He wanted to put a bullet in his head. Anywho, so there I was, with these girls that were having an incredibly hard time making a decision and trying my very best to be the most patient, loving mom that I could possibly be. This made me super sensitive to what was going on around me - like the fact that the store alarm went off 3 times while we were there because the person ringing people up kept forgetting to take off the security tags. That should have been my red flag. But I was busy dealing with a 7 year old that wanted a sequined, furry phone to put in their room. So, decisions made (2 shirts, a tank top, a head band, pair of socks and gloves) and I went to stand in line. 15 minutes in, I should have just left. The two customers in front of me both had problems, the darling little cashier girl kept having to get help and the answer was always, "I'm sorry. There is nothing we can do at the store level, you'll have to call customer service." So then it was my turn. She rang up the items. I handed her an old gift card that had a remaining balance of a little over $10. Then I handed her one $25 card, and then the second $25 card. She swiped it and said, "I'm sorry this card was declined." Huh? Its brand new. From Christmas. What? So I said, "What? I'm sorry. Its new. They just got it for Christmas." She tried it again and then called the assistant manager who went on to explain that the card must not have been validated when it was purchased, blah, blah, blah. She then called the number on the back of the card and it came up with a $0 balance. I was beginning to lose my cool. I kept having to shoo the girls back over to Chris (who returned just in time for me to check out). The assistant manager then told me that there was nothing that could be done, blah, blah, blah - she sounded like a recording. It was infuriating. So I asked for my gift cards back and left the store. Without making a purchase. So then I had to deal with sobbing hysterical children that had just spent an hour picking out the "most perfect" things. I was quite angry. Now, here's the catch. When I got home, I took the cards out of my wallet - she gave me back 4 cards instead of 3 - one was not what I gave her (different picture on the front), and called the number for the balance on the back of the cards. My three all had balances - including the one she claimed had a $0 balance. The 4th card - which must have been left by the register where she was stacking all of the cards - had a $0 balance. Which then really ticked me off. The girls and I then did our online shopping and I called the store to let them know what the problem had been. The assistant manager then gave me these lines, "I had just come back from lunch and did not know what the situation was when I was trying to help you." "The cashier was new and needed further training." But never once did she say anything that was even remotely sincere, like, "OMG, I am so sorry that happened. Do you remember what you were purchasing? I will pull them and have them for you behind the counter if you would like to come back in." Instead when I told her that I was disappointed in our experience and that I would no longer be a customer at their store, she said that was fine and hung up on me. Needless to say, I have emailed their customer service department. Sheesh.

3. The girls had a dinner invite that was canceled when we were en route to the person's house. Yeah. Good times.

4. Quinn is teething. He had shots yesterday. He has a terrible cold. He is not sleeping. He likes Chris better than me. He cried/screamed from the minute he got home to the minute we put him to bed. He has already been up twice.

5. Tomorrow I'm going to the American Girl Store with the girls. I am *thrilled*.

6. Yes, I know that I am being a sour puss. I can't help it. My Christmas break is spiraling out of control.

1 comment:

Mark Fennell said...

I gotta agree with you about appointments. I can't stand waiting for a service when I have an appointment. It seems like you only have to wait past the time of your appointment when you're paying more money for the service than you make, e.g., doctors' offices, mechanics, etc.

Oh, and btw, malls are really just portals to hell which should be avoided at all costs.