Tribal Class #4, Circuit City, memage
Nov. 18th, 2004 10:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thebratqueenBack from Tribal Class. My headache improved by the time I got there (muchos thanks to ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
laurashapiro for the Advil suggestion) so I was able to enjoy the class in all it's classy glory.
There were two new people in the class, and none of the old ones. At this point I've given up on guessing who's going to be there other than me and the teacher. The owner of the dance school joined us again, so in total we were four.
Because of the new people we went over basic moves - hip bump, pivot bump, choo choo, Egyptian - but we added in more actual dancing than we did in the first class. It was a lot of fun, and I finally figured out why I was a half-beat behind on my Egyptian turns when we did them in actual dancing (the teacher wasn't signaling each turn, and only today thought to mention that once she signals for turns, assume turns until she signals otherwise). That's a big relief to me, as I'm pretty good at Egyptians otherwise, and it was frustrating to not know why I was screwing them up.
Not that I'm perfect. Pivot bumps to the right are difficult, and I'm nowhere near where I could be with my arm movements (graceful arms, I have not yet). OTOH having the newbies there (one slightly older woman who was rail-thin, one woman who was maybe in her 40s who was a little plump) made for a nice ego-boost later because even though I wasn't getting it right, apparently to them I was the star pupil or something. I found that out after class when the teacher complimented me on being able to stay level (ie, keep my head from bobbing up and down as I move) and the older woman added in an admiring "Yeah, you moved so well!" So... whoohoo!
My woes with external hard drives continue. I'd like to take a second here to advise people not to buy from Circuit City. I tried to buy a drive from them via their website which was listed as available for shipping. Only once I got to the final checkout, it very much was not. It was available for in-store pickup... at a store that's not actually near me but qualifies as near given the fact that I've got a car (approx 30-40 min away, according to Mapquest). (Bearing in mind there are other Circuit City stores which are near me, just not this one.)
Hookay, not my ideal choice but the drive had a kick-ass rebate going for it that only CC was offering, and I figured if it was sold out everywhere I should take what I can get. I placed the order and resigned myself to having to go out of my way this weekend (when I do have a lot of plans) to pick it up.
Today I check my email and see a notification about how the drive is now available for shipping. Great! says I. I'll change the order!
Now possibly this was a dumb move on my part and I should've just stuck with the original plan. But I called up the 800 number and explained the situation. I made it clear that I didn't want to cancel the first order unless it was absolutely certain I could get the drive shipped.
No problem! says the guy. It's available for shipping! You can cancel away!
Okay. Order gets cancelled. We then get up to the part about ordering it for shipping. We go to the website for this. The website lists it as being available for shipping... until I get to checkout. Then it's back to the only option being the in-store pickup 40 min away.
Now I get that if it's a popular item it might have sold out in the time it took to cancel my order. Possibly what I should have done was insisted on ordering the shipping version first, but I worried that this would possibly result in the wrong order getting canceled and the guy swore up and down that they were crawling with shipping-available drives. So cancel first, then buy.
Just as I'm prepared to swallow the fact that I might have to reorder for in-store pickup again, I go through the website once more. I then realize what's going on - the drive is listed as being available for shipping in not one but two places. The only time it's not available as such is once you get to checkout. I then realize this is what screwed me up last night. I ordered the thing b/c I actually did have a reasonable expectation that I could have it shipped, then I got screwed over.
So I go over this with the guy on the phone. I have him walk me through the website step by step and sure enough, he's insisting that the item is available for shipping b/c the website says so - in the exact two places where I was reading it as being available. Once we get to checkout, though, it's still not there. The guy's solution? "Try again in a few hours, maybe the database needs to update."
Now this sounds totally bruce to me but it was my lunch break and I was now running late for work thanks to the on-hold time I'd gone through, so I accepted the excuse and went to try again later.
Nothing changed. Not the multiple times I checked from work, nor when I got home just now. But the topper is, what also didn't change is my order. As in the thing that was supposed to be cancelled so I could get my money back.
Call them up again. I give them the benefit of the doubt and call the sales department, asking for help with the shipping b/c the website swears it's available for shipping right up to the point where I try to checkout. Guy checks the databases and nope, not available for shipping. But if I want I can pick it up at a store that's only 40 min from me! I tell him I had an order for that store and it was supposed to be cancelled. The guy checks and nope, it's not. So great! I can go pickup and everything's okay, yes?
Yeah, really no. I tell the guy at that point I'm not loving the bait-and-switch website, nor am I loving the fact that when I get told my order is cancelled and my credit card is getting a refund, that doesn't happen. I don't want Circuit City getting my money, and who do I have to talk to in order to make sure that happens?
Now I'm being extremely polite here. I know that might be hard to imagine given my swear-ridden rants on LJ, but in person I am uber-good with the customer service. I don't raise my voice, I don't swear, I just speak calmly and politely, b/c really what else can you do?
I mention this because when I politely asked if we could make sure the order that was supposed to be cancelled was cancelled, he got snarky with me and said he'd transfer me, but in the meanwhile could I take down this number so in future I'd know the right people to talk to? Treating me like I was an idiot, in other words.
But whatever, not like that guy being an idiot is the fault of the next guy I talk to. I get transferred and try to explain the situation again. Guy checks database and yup! My order is still there! Hasn't been cancelled in the slightest!
Hookay, can we cancel it then?
Well the store's closed, [TBQ], so the thing you have to do, [TBQ], is call the store yourself, [TBQ], at this number, [TBQ], when they open tomorrow, [TBQ], and have them cancel it, [TBQ].
(He said my name like that the whole time. Which was annoying but OTOH I feel for him, b/c Circuit City clearly uses one of those call centers that is not in the US, and I cringed everytime these guys had to give me a fake "American" name lest I think I'm talking to terrorists or something. The other guys did the same thing but with "ma'am". Having worked shite jobs in customer service, I definitely have sympathy for the stupid speaking patterns that the pointy-haired bosses make the minions use. So I wasn't bugged at him for doing it so much as I was bugged at Circuit City for thinking that telling these guys that saying [name] or "ma'am" often enough would somehow make up for the fact that there was no customer service to their customer service. Call me flaming bitch whore if you want, just do what you promise or give me my money back!)
Anyway, my jaw dropped. They screw up and now I have to take time out of my day to call up this store and cancel? When I was told I could do so via the 800 number not once but twice? Plus call me crazy for thinking that I'm not going to be highly likely to get better customer service at the actual store. It's just a feeling I have.
So that's that saga. I wrote an email to Circuit City via their website, on account of the fact that at this point I highly doubt I can find somebody via the 800 number who could actually do something. I explained everything that happened, and added in the fact that I would've been happy to stick with them and keep the order if somebody had at least done me the courtesy of an apology for the mixup, or tried to explain it or something. But this? Fuck it. I don't care what the rebate is. I'm cancelling the order and I'll get another drive from a store I can trust. It might cost more, but something tells me I wasn't ever going to see the money from that rebate anyway.
Finally, clumped in with all this so I don't spam, we have this meme, which I got viaeliade:
If there is any question you would like to ask me about any one of my fics, then go ahead! What I meant by a particular line, why I chose that characterisation, what I was listening to as I wrote, what crack I was taking and where you can get some...anything. Anything you might like to know about how I wrote a fic, I shall do my best to answer.
It's always more fun to talk about fic =)
laurashapiro for the Advil suggestion) so I was able to enjoy the class in all it's classy glory. There were two new people in the class, and none of the old ones. At this point I've given up on guessing who's going to be there other than me and the teacher. The owner of the dance school joined us again, so in total we were four.
Because of the new people we went over basic moves - hip bump, pivot bump, choo choo, Egyptian - but we added in more actual dancing than we did in the first class. It was a lot of fun, and I finally figured out why I was a half-beat behind on my Egyptian turns when we did them in actual dancing (the teacher wasn't signaling each turn, and only today thought to mention that once she signals for turns, assume turns until she signals otherwise). That's a big relief to me, as I'm pretty good at Egyptians otherwise, and it was frustrating to not know why I was screwing them up.
Not that I'm perfect. Pivot bumps to the right are difficult, and I'm nowhere near where I could be with my arm movements (graceful arms, I have not yet). OTOH having the newbies there (one slightly older woman who was rail-thin, one woman who was maybe in her 40s who was a little plump) made for a nice ego-boost later because even though I wasn't getting it right, apparently to them I was the star pupil or something. I found that out after class when the teacher complimented me on being able to stay level (ie, keep my head from bobbing up and down as I move) and the older woman added in an admiring "Yeah, you moved so well!" So... whoohoo!
My woes with external hard drives continue. I'd like to take a second here to advise people not to buy from Circuit City. I tried to buy a drive from them via their website which was listed as available for shipping. Only once I got to the final checkout, it very much was not. It was available for in-store pickup... at a store that's not actually near me but qualifies as near given the fact that I've got a car (approx 30-40 min away, according to Mapquest). (Bearing in mind there are other Circuit City stores which are near me, just not this one.)
Hookay, not my ideal choice but the drive had a kick-ass rebate going for it that only CC was offering, and I figured if it was sold out everywhere I should take what I can get. I placed the order and resigned myself to having to go out of my way this weekend (when I do have a lot of plans) to pick it up.
Today I check my email and see a notification about how the drive is now available for shipping. Great! says I. I'll change the order!
Now possibly this was a dumb move on my part and I should've just stuck with the original plan. But I called up the 800 number and explained the situation. I made it clear that I didn't want to cancel the first order unless it was absolutely certain I could get the drive shipped.
No problem! says the guy. It's available for shipping! You can cancel away!
Okay. Order gets cancelled. We then get up to the part about ordering it for shipping. We go to the website for this. The website lists it as being available for shipping... until I get to checkout. Then it's back to the only option being the in-store pickup 40 min away.
Now I get that if it's a popular item it might have sold out in the time it took to cancel my order. Possibly what I should have done was insisted on ordering the shipping version first, but I worried that this would possibly result in the wrong order getting canceled and the guy swore up and down that they were crawling with shipping-available drives. So cancel first, then buy.
Just as I'm prepared to swallow the fact that I might have to reorder for in-store pickup again, I go through the website once more. I then realize what's going on - the drive is listed as being available for shipping in not one but two places. The only time it's not available as such is once you get to checkout. I then realize this is what screwed me up last night. I ordered the thing b/c I actually did have a reasonable expectation that I could have it shipped, then I got screwed over.
So I go over this with the guy on the phone. I have him walk me through the website step by step and sure enough, he's insisting that the item is available for shipping b/c the website says so - in the exact two places where I was reading it as being available. Once we get to checkout, though, it's still not there. The guy's solution? "Try again in a few hours, maybe the database needs to update."
Now this sounds totally bruce to me but it was my lunch break and I was now running late for work thanks to the on-hold time I'd gone through, so I accepted the excuse and went to try again later.
Nothing changed. Not the multiple times I checked from work, nor when I got home just now. But the topper is, what also didn't change is my order. As in the thing that was supposed to be cancelled so I could get my money back.
Call them up again. I give them the benefit of the doubt and call the sales department, asking for help with the shipping b/c the website swears it's available for shipping right up to the point where I try to checkout. Guy checks the databases and nope, not available for shipping. But if I want I can pick it up at a store that's only 40 min from me! I tell him I had an order for that store and it was supposed to be cancelled. The guy checks and nope, it's not. So great! I can go pickup and everything's okay, yes?
Yeah, really no. I tell the guy at that point I'm not loving the bait-and-switch website, nor am I loving the fact that when I get told my order is cancelled and my credit card is getting a refund, that doesn't happen. I don't want Circuit City getting my money, and who do I have to talk to in order to make sure that happens?
Now I'm being extremely polite here. I know that might be hard to imagine given my swear-ridden rants on LJ, but in person I am uber-good with the customer service. I don't raise my voice, I don't swear, I just speak calmly and politely, b/c really what else can you do?
I mention this because when I politely asked if we could make sure the order that was supposed to be cancelled was cancelled, he got snarky with me and said he'd transfer me, but in the meanwhile could I take down this number so in future I'd know the right people to talk to? Treating me like I was an idiot, in other words.
But whatever, not like that guy being an idiot is the fault of the next guy I talk to. I get transferred and try to explain the situation again. Guy checks database and yup! My order is still there! Hasn't been cancelled in the slightest!
Hookay, can we cancel it then?
Well the store's closed, [TBQ], so the thing you have to do, [TBQ], is call the store yourself, [TBQ], at this number, [TBQ], when they open tomorrow, [TBQ], and have them cancel it, [TBQ].
(He said my name like that the whole time. Which was annoying but OTOH I feel for him, b/c Circuit City clearly uses one of those call centers that is not in the US, and I cringed everytime these guys had to give me a fake "American" name lest I think I'm talking to terrorists or something. The other guys did the same thing but with "ma'am". Having worked shite jobs in customer service, I definitely have sympathy for the stupid speaking patterns that the pointy-haired bosses make the minions use. So I wasn't bugged at him for doing it so much as I was bugged at Circuit City for thinking that telling these guys that saying [name] or "ma'am" often enough would somehow make up for the fact that there was no customer service to their customer service. Call me flaming bitch whore if you want, just do what you promise or give me my money back!)
Anyway, my jaw dropped. They screw up and now I have to take time out of my day to call up this store and cancel? When I was told I could do so via the 800 number not once but twice? Plus call me crazy for thinking that I'm not going to be highly likely to get better customer service at the actual store. It's just a feeling I have.
So that's that saga. I wrote an email to Circuit City via their website, on account of the fact that at this point I highly doubt I can find somebody via the 800 number who could actually do something. I explained everything that happened, and added in the fact that I would've been happy to stick with them and keep the order if somebody had at least done me the courtesy of an apology for the mixup, or tried to explain it or something. But this? Fuck it. I don't care what the rebate is. I'm cancelling the order and I'll get another drive from a store I can trust. It might cost more, but something tells me I wasn't ever going to see the money from that rebate anyway.
Finally, clumped in with all this so I don't spam, we have this meme, which I got via
eliade:If there is any question you would like to ask me about any one of my fics, then go ahead! What I meant by a particular line, why I chose that characterisation, what I was listening to as I wrote, what crack I was taking and where you can get some...anything. Anything you might like to know about how I wrote a fic, I shall do my best to answer.
It's always more fun to talk about fic =)
