Me vs The Cable Company

This will be a long post, so stop now if you don’t have time to get to the end.

Saturday my sister and I met to do some Christmas shopping. We only went to a few places before I was done. Then we took off to get some lunch. I drove home in pouring down rain and my little bug was covered in ice by the time the trip was over. Of course, I come in and find out that there has been no TV the whole time I am gone. In order to get the full advantage of this tale of woe, you have to know a few things about my DH.

1. He is partially deaf.
2. Technical stuff drives him crazy. Really, really, really crazy…..
3. He hates to talk on the phone. (to anyone except me)
4. Fox News is on all weekend, even if he isn’t in the room

So imagine the horror when the TV went out and I wasn’t home to call the cable company. He dialed the number and got through to a “real person” and immediately handed me the phone. Ha Ha turns out all he had to do was unplug the TV and reset it….LOL My goodness, wonder how much
Fox News he missed for no reason….

So….I took this opportunity to ask the cable guy if they had any upgrade packages to offer. Told him we were looking to change our cable company as we pay too much each month. I really was only trying to see if we could get something free. Hey, you won’t know unless you ask. TIME STAMP - 1:45pm. (remember this, it will come in handy) Cable guy says “sure, we can upgrade you to a DVR for $99 with a $50 rebate and we won’t charge shipping”. Hmmm……sounds like a good Christmas present for the family..
Me - Ok, can you set me up.
Cable - Sure, you are a previous customer so I have to change you over to a different kind of customer and take $18 off your monthly bill.
Me - Ok. (should have asked sooner!!)
Cable - It might take a few minutes so if you will hold.
Me - Ok.
Cable - well, it is taking longer than I thought for the computer to catch up and I go on break in 10 minutes, so let me call you back.
Me - Ok. You have my phone number and we are getting an ice storm, so I will be home all evening.
Cable - Ok…. I will call you back within an hour.
Me - Bye
Cable - Bye

TIME STAMP - 7:30pm
Me- Gee, we haven’t heard from that cable guy. Maybe I should call him back?
DH - Ok…. (don’t we have fascinating conversations?lol)
Me- **calling**
Cable - (it’s a girl this time) Can I help you?
Me - yes, I was calling to order a DVR and this guy said he would call me back in less than an hour and its been since 2pm.
Cable - Hm….let me put you on hold.
Me- ok
Cable - so, you wanted to update to a DVR?
Me - yes
Cable - Hold please
Me - ok
Cable - Did you order it already?
Me - yes, I think
Cable - Hold please
Me - ok
Cable - I don’t find an order for you, lets start over.
Me - ok
Cable - hold please
Me - ok
Cable - Ok, so you want a DVR? Let’s order that now.
Me - ok (I thought we were?)
Cable - can you hold?
Me - ok
Cable - dial tone…………………she hung up on me……………

TIME STAMP 7:45pm
Me - **calling**
Cable - Can I help you?
Me - Yes, I think I have ordered a DVR but the last cable person hung up on me and we didn’t get finished.
Cable - I am sorry, lets see what we have. (doesn’t put me on hold, button must be broken on his phone)
I have your account charged $339.62.
Me - WHAT!!!???? No, no, no,…. it is supposed to be $99 with a $50 rebate and no shipping charge?
Cable - Huh!? Who gave you that information?
Me - The first guy I talked to at 1:45pm this afternoon. I called in to get help fixing the tv and then I talked to him about upgrading to a DVR.
He told me $99 with a $50 rebate and no shipping and then he was going to set me up with an appointment for the tech to run a second line. The DVR takes a dual line. He had to go on break and was going to call me back but never did.
Cable -oh, long pause….. Let me look and see what you have. Long pause….Well, we don’t have an offer like that. Let me see what I can do. Ok, that will be $250 for the HDDVR with $19.99 shipping.
Me - No….it is $99 with a $50 rebate and no shipping.
Cable - We don’t have anything like that. HDDVR’s are very expensive.
Me - What’s a HD DVR?
Cable - for HD TV’s.
Me - I don’t have an HD TV.
Cable - Oh, then the regular (read ol’fashioned) DVR is $129 with $19.99 shipping. But I will give you Cinemax and ShoTime for free for 6 months for your trouble.
Me - I have a 15 year old son and won’t allow either of those channels in my house.
Cable - oh….long pause……how about 6 months free of cable insurance?
Me - no thanks…I want the $99 with $50 rebate and free shipping.
Cable - sorry, I can’t do that. There is no where on my screen to give you that deal.
Me - Can I talk to a supervisor?
Cable - sure, let me get one for you.
Me - Ok.
Wait….wait….wait…..(not long though, I am happy to say)
Cable - I have the supervisor on the line.
Candace - how may I help you?
Me - I called to order a DVR and a gentlemen gave me the offer of $99 with a $50 rebate and free shipping. I want to order that and get an appointment set up for installation.
Candace - We don’t have a deal like that to offer you. I am sorry.
Me - Well, the guy at 1:45pm said that was deal he could give me, but he had to go on break in 10 minutes and would call me back.
Candace - um…the guy said he had to go on break? And he would call you back?
Me - Yes.
Candace - well, that really disturbs me. We have set breaks, but he never should have told you that. I don’t know where he got his information, but he never should have given you that deal.
Me - well, he did and that’s the deal I want.
Candace - Well, I am sorry, but we can’t do that. However, we can do something to help you. I can put in the order for the purchase of the DVR at $129. Then I can give you a rebate of $10 a month for 12 months. Plus I will give you a rebate of the $5.99 monthly DVR charge for 6 months.
Me - ( in my head I am adding up $10 a month/year and $5.99 a month/6 months.) this equals $120+$36 which is $156. The DVR runs $129.…

OK…..order it up….. TIME STAMP 8:30pm

DVR will be installed on Wednesday. I can’t wait…apparently you can stop TV, go to the bathroom and resume it without missing anything….HOLY MOLY….I can now pee during Survivor and Project Runway….

It only took me 7 hours and 45 minutes to order cable.

SOLD !!

Happy Sewing Day!
Nancy

Oh, the weather outside is.....

CRAPPY, and it doesn't look like it will get better soon!! This is ICE, not snow. It started Saturday and continued through Sunday and today. All schools in the area and most of Missouri are cancelled today. We have lots and lots of households without electricity, including my daughter and son-in-law. They are staying with friends until the lines are fixed.(just so you don't think I am heartless, my daughter,son-in-law and grandkids live 90 west of me) Our local town was without power on Saturday as we found out when we slid over there to get some supplies. All was dark.

The Rock Guitarest thought he would be able to play guitar and be on the computer all day. ME? I had different ideas. First he dusted, then he fixed the vacuum cleaner and vacuumed...What a treat. I am doing laundry which is every Monday and after lunch will head upstairs to wrap Christmas presents. I owe someone a birthday present and need to get that done today.

I am on weather watch for DH. If it starts doing anything, he is to be called immediately so he can come home.

Happy Sewing Day
Nancy

Do you think Santa will mind??

When life hands me this....



I want to tackle this....



However, I will have to do this....




Or no one will have these ....



So, I am off to shop today. I HATE to shop...I would buy everything on line if I started early enough. Unfortunately, I hate to shop and put it off until the very last minute and wind up running around like some kind of crazy lady.

You all have a Happy Sewing (or whatever)Day. I will be a grouch this afternoon.

Nancy
PS Please don't leave a comment that says you are tucked in with a quilt and good book. I might have to look you up....

Do not pass GO!! Do not collect $200

Go directly to Pat Sloans blog (http://patsloan.typepad.com/) and leave a comment.
She is trying to get 1000 comments in one day....Hurry....right now.... there will be a random winner of fabric....

GO GO GO ............

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Happy Birthday to you....

Happy Birthday to you....

Happy Birthday to my sister Carolyn....

Happy Birthday to you....

Hey, you are still the OLDER sister....lol

I feel lucky...I feel lucky....

Remember that song from West Side Story??? This week, I have been singing..."I feel Lucky, I feel Lucky..I feel lucky cause I won three times"....Good thing you can't hear me. LOL

I woke up Monday, got my cup of tea and started reading email and then my list of blogs. I opened up an email from Linda of AllStitchedUp and she was telling me to hurry over to Lynette Anderson's blog. What?? I won?? YIPPEE SKIPPEE, (read her blog here http://lynetteandersondesigns.typepad.com/lynette_anderson_designs/ ) I won a copy of her book Rainbow Cottage. I love Australian designers. They are so imaginative.
Monday was also my quilt guilds Christmas Party. I just joined this guild in October, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I started out by getting lost. My directions said to "turn right at the Purple House". Hm....I wrote these directions quickly during the meeting. So was the "purple house" a restaurant? a gift shop? I am not familiar with this little town so wasn't sure. Well, I shouldn't have worried. The "Purple House" is just that...a purple house. Bright purple I might add. I turned right, and then the directions said turn right again. Ok, I did and now am at a dead end. I circled around to try again. OH!! I must go OVER the RR tracks. Ok.. I am just a little bit late... Drop off my quart of Veggie Soup, my wrapped pot holder and sit down.... I had a great time getting to know some of the other members. As the newest member, I was asked to draw the winning ticket for the raffle quilt. HA HA....remember the purple house? Her daughter WON!! LOL I got a wonderful pot holder in the exchange and then they drew names for the centerpieces. I won a little live Christmas Tree. How cute is this??



Got home right before 3pm, sit down and download email....Guess What?? I won again... This blog http://apronista.blogspot.com/ is having a Holiday Apron Giveaway. Designers are donating aprons that they made and you too could win!! I won an apron designed and made by Pat Sloan. Yea ME!! Pat Sloan is my favorite quilt designer. I love her free, whimsical folk art quilt patterns. Check her out at www.quiltershome.com and she has a yahoo group too... She also blogs...

I really should have dragged my b-tt to the store and got a lottery ticket..don't ya think??

Happy Sewing Day!! I am off to my Redwork Club Christmas Lunch. We are trading red/white items.

Nancy

Quiet Sunday....

Today has been fairly quiet. We (ok, I) decided that today would be Christmas decorating day. We get a live tree so that waits until just a few weeks before Christmas. Don't want a fire hazard!! But, I do like to put all the little "stuff" around and make the house look festive.

This is the mantle in the family room -



This hangs in the dining room -



This hangs in the front hall way -



And this hangs -




Oh, this doesn't hang anywhere. I made this in the sewing room this morning. It is a casserole cover made from one quilted scallop edged placemat from Kohls and one same size mat with Insul-brite inside. I put a loop on it and I will find a big button this week to stitch to the top. This will hold a 9x13 pan very easily.

I am glad almost all of the decorating is finished. I still have a few things to do since I didn't have any of the command sticky things, need some green string and some AAA batteries. Then all will be finished.

The coming week is going to be very busy. Tomorrow is the Christmas Party for the Pike-Lin Quilt Guild. We are to be there by 10 am with a quart of homemade veggie soup and an appetizer. We are to have a pot holder swap.

Tuesday is sewing day with Miss Nancy and Anne. It is also my DH and I 36th wedding anniversary.

Wednesday is Dr's appt. and some last minute Christmas shopping. Then dinner with my sister for her birthday on Thursday. She will go out Thursday night also, but that is a LONG story and you wouldn't believe it if I told you.

Thursday is Patches Redwork Club Christmas lunch at the Mother-in-law house. We will have a Red and White exchange.

Friday is OPEN....(right now)

Hope you had a Happy Sewing Day!
Nancy