Kitty Stitching

Well, throughout my #Dell disaster, I did manage to get some stitching done.  I worked up 4 little kitty door hangers:

I want to try to sew these up later this week.  I also started on a pillow:

At the moment, it's a little tough trying to find time to stitch.  We did get the tree up.  Scott put it up last night and I decorated it this morning.  Scott went up town yesterday afternoon and bought the tree.  He got it all set up and I went to look for our lights but I couldn't find them.  Then we remembered that we tossed them because a string had gone out.  Anyway, so up to Home Depot we went last night.  But that's done.  Now it's just a matter of keeping the cats out of it!

At the moment, I'm in the process of baking 6 double batches of cookies.  I've been baking since 11:30 and it's 4:00 now.  I mixed the dough yesterday (thank goodness for my Kitchenaid Mixer!), put it in the fridge and I've been baking it all afternoon.

I guess I'm just trying to get some of these Christmas things done.  I know it's supposed to be fun but it feels never ending.  I guess I'd always rather be stitching!

I got an email from #dell saying that they received my returns.  I'd better have my refund back soon.  If I have to call them again, I will scream so loud, the earth will move!  I still can't believe what a fiasco that was.  I ordered from them on November 10th.  Today is December 14th.  Thanks to their incompetence, I'm still working from my laptop.  Thank goodness I have it!  The Geek Squad man comes on Wednesday.  First thing in the morning.  So hopefully, by noon, I'll be parked behind my desk and enjoying my new Asus system. 

Okay, I have to go pull another pan of cookies!

Almost Done With Dell Fiasco

The Dell fiasco is almost over.  I decided to pack the whole thing up and ship it all back to them.  Monday morning, I spent 4 hours on the phone waiting for return instructions.  I called them at 8:45 am and finally got it all on it's merry way at 4:00 pm. A whole day?  Really!   Now it's just a matter of waiting for my refund.  By the time I got home from shipping it back at Staples, I was so aggravated, I made Scott dinner, took a shower and went to bed and watched TV.

Yesterday morning, I got in my little Fancy Fusion, that's what I call my car, and drove up to Best Buy.  The Best Buy man was awesome!  I gave him the print out of what I had from Dell, whined to him about Dell's customer service (he told me that he hears the same story 10 times a day) and asked him to help me with a new computer.

He said that 5 years ago, Dell was a good company with a good product but they have gone down hill since.  He asked me what I needed to do with my computer, I told him and he recommended a gaming computer with a high quality graphic card.  When he said that, I remembered that I burned out a graphic card years ago on my last computer.  My brother in law replaced it for me and it's been fine since.

So anyway, he suggested an Asus system.  He said they're very reliable computers and I told him that's exactly what I need.  Reliable.  I have no patience for computer problems.  It's a little weird looking.  It kind of looks like something out of Star Wars!!!

I know, it's not like any computer I've ever seen before but I really don't care what it looks like.  All that matters to me is that it's reliable, can handle large image files and lasts me a long time!  I did ask him if he can make it light up in pink but he said that red was the only option!  LOL!!!

Anyway, the monitor is 27 inches instead of the 23 inch monitor that Dell sent.  The speakers are better, everything is better.  All for the the same amount of money that I spent at Dell.  I also have 3 years of Geek Squad service and a 3 year extension on my virus protection.  I use Trend Micro so I'm paid in full on that for more than 3 years!  Wow!

I have the Geek Squad coming next Wednesday to set everything up for me!  It's been a long wait and a frustrating one at that but when I left Best Buy, I felt so much better.  I then went over to Wendy's and got me a little cheeseburger, a small fry and small iced and drove to the park by the lake that we live by, ate my lunch and watched the geese.

So I think all is well.  And I just pray that Dell gets my refund right and that I don't have to call them again because if I do, I will scream!  There is no reason to have to sit and wait on the phone for hours on end only to end up talking to someone who I can't understand.  And every time I asked to speak with someone in the United States, they got mad and sassy with me.

Ironically, Dell sent me 2 surveys yesterday, regarding my experience with them.  Ha, ha, ha!  They're probably sorry now that they did.  They got a piece of my mind!!!

Calling Dell Tomorrow

Well, my little old laptop seems to be moving along much faster today than yesterday.  Maybe because I finally have everything updated.  Who knows!  I do plan to replace this laptop over the Summer but I won't be ordering from Dell again.  I'll go over to Best Buy and get a Dell laptop there.

For now, I hope that this one can keep up with me until I finally get things settled with Dell and have my new one up and running!  LOL!!!  Tomorrow I will be calling Dell to send me a replacement.  And they better have it to me by Friday!  I have run out of patience with them now.

Thank you to everyone who sent me their kind comments.  I will never order directly from Dell again.  Live and learn I guess!  From here on in, I will order what I want from Best Buy and have The Geek Squad set it up for me.

As for the magazine, I have 6 more pages to put together but one is the editors info and one is the table of contents.  Those get taken care of last.

I guess I'm just a crazy person when it comes to responsibility.  When I make a promise, I keep it come hell or high water.  I'm very committed to what I do, both with my Etsy shop and now the magazine.  I guess I expect the same sense of commitment from others, esp. big companies like #Dell.  I didn't expect to run into these problems with them.  And I climb the walls in fear of not being able to meet my responsibilities due to incompetence on someone else's part.  It's really sad when money becomes more important than the customer.  I have never run my Etsy shop that way and I never will.  Customer service and satisfaction always comes first.

I know there's a huge difference between my little Etsy shop and Dell computers but big places that like that could learn a lot from little businesses like mine.  Honestly, if you don't take care of the customers first, they don't come back!  It's not rocket science!  It's just common sense!

Dell Fiasco

Well, my new computer came but guess what?  I doesn't work.  The so called "Dell technician" came out to set it all up for me.  He wasn't a Dell technician.  Dell out-sources everything now so basically, he was a computer guy (and not a good one) but that was it.  It was working when he left but when I went back in my office, it wasn't.  I called Dell Support and ended up talking to 4 different people with accents that I couldn't understand.  Spent 2 hours trying to get them to send another tech and they kept telling me that they hadn't determined yet if I needed one. WHAT?  My blood was boiling!

The next day, I called Dell back and spent an hour and 1/2 trying to get them to refund my "Installation fee" which they finally did.  Again, talking to people who were not in the US and had accents that I couldn't understand.  Once I got off the phone with them, I called The Geek Squad from Best Buy.  He came this morning and in 10 minutes was able to diagnose the problem which is not fixable.  And of course, it's Saturday so I can't get in touch with Dell again until Monday.

I wonder how much more fighting I'll have to do with them to get them to send a new one.  Not only that, I ordered Microsoft Office to be installed on that computer before they sent it to me.  It wasn't installed.  They didn't charge me for it but that's not the point.

I'm writing now on my laptop which is also as old as dirt and slower than molasses in Winter.  My old desktop is disabled now and I'm am just livid!

Is there something written on my forehead that says, "Kick Pam in the head, as hard as you can, over and over and over?"  I mean really!  Why couldn't this go smoothly?  Why did this turn into such a fiasco?

Okay so I'm going to try to finish up my last couple of magazine pages on here.  If it pitches too many fits with me, I'll go put them together on my dad's computer.  I just have a couple more to do!!!

Hopefully, these issues will be settled by New Years!  I will have the Geek Squad come out and set it all up once I get things straightened out with #Dell.   The Best Buy man was so professional.  He wore a tie, and put the little shoe thingys on so he didn't mess up my floors.  He was awesome!  So when all is said and done, I'm going to purchase "Tech Support" from them.  Dell's tech support is useless.  And if I may, there are so many people in the US that need jobs.  Why is Dell outsourcing work to other countries?  With people who have accents that I just can't understand?

Sorry, but I'm angry, frustrated and so terribly disappointed.  I know it'll all work out fine but in the meantime, I'm kind of stuck and I hate being stuck!  And I don't do things last minute.  I like all my ducks in a row and I do things well in advance.

I really can't believe all this.  But that's where things are at the moment.