{Sub-titled: Nothing Is Ever Easy, But Darn This Furniture Is Pretty}
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YESTERDAY ON AS THE WORLD BEAN TURNS…
We left the Beans longing for Carton 2 of 6, unable to determine where it was, or when it might appear at the house.
What will happen next?
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THURSDAY, Day 12 – After posting the above tweet the night before, Ally receives helpful early morning tweet from reputable catalog company asking her to phone them. This pleases Ally, but being an introvert she passes message on to husband to deal with.
Around 11:00 a.m. Ally, sitting in her home office, hears thunk of carton as someone drops off Carton 2 of 6 by the garage door.
No one appears at front door, so no one signs for anything.
FRIDAY, Day 13 – Ally, who had the audacity to leave her house, returns home to find a message on the answering machine from Important Office Guy at reputable catalog company. He is apologizing for the delay and explaining how on the following Monday she’ll receive the cushions lost in transit.
Except the cushions are no longer lost.
Again, Ally the introvert, forces Zen-Den, Esq., to deal with this. And he does, calling Important Office Guy to tell him that all is well here.
We. Are. Happy.
This would be the end of it all, or so you would hope…
WEDNESDAY, Day 18 – Around 8:00 a.m. Ally receives phone call from Worried Manager Guy of the third-party delivery service. He needs her to sign for Carton 2 of 6. Without her signature, reputable catalog company will not pay third-party delivery service.
This situation does not make Worried Manager Guy happy. He asks if one of his drivers could come by the house at 11:00 a.m. for her to sign for Carton 2 of 6.
Ally, who can’t think of a reason why not, figures that’d be ok.
At 8:50 a.m. the doorbell rings and Ally finds Truck Guy from third-party delivery service standing on her stoop, proving that when it behooves them, third-party delivery service can find her home lickety-split.
Truck Guy has packing slip [sans clipboard] + pen for Ally to use to sign piece of paper that confirms Ally did, in the end, after 18 days of messing around with reputable catalog company, and their chosen third-party delivery service, get all of her pretty wicker furniture with cushions.
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THUS ENDETH THE STORY.
Unless, of course, someone realizes that no one signed for the ottoman and cushion, in which case, there will be a sequel to this story.
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Pingback: In Which We Get New Outdoor Furniture & Ally Embraces Social Media, Part 1 of 2 – THE SPECTACLED BEAN
LOL! Some companies are so inefficient. It just makes me chuckle.
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Crystal, you are so right. This whole situation was a comedy of errors that somehow didn’t make me angry. Just made me sigh. 0.o
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Phew- you need a big sit down after all that hoo-ha! Good job you got the new furniture!
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Chez Shea, made me laugh with that one. In the end, we did get our furniture… and a good story out of it, to boot.
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Yay! A happy ending! I love happy endings 🙂
… and it is very pretty furniture.
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joanne, thank you. It’s pretty furniture, comfortable AND comes with a free blog post with every purchase. What more could you want?
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We bloggers are so lucky that way 😉
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Indeed we are!
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I like the furniture (gorgeous view out your back yard) and yes, it did come with a 2-part blog post. (Was that for free or did you have to pay extra?) I also love how you use “cards.” I’ve been known to use the “age” card when I didn’t want to do something but I’ve never used the “introvert” card. Thanks for that tip!
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Kate, the furniture is perfect, both in scale and style, for the porch, so this series of events, which we got for free, is just something that happened. As for the introvert card… Zen-Den has known since before we were married that I hate to talk on the phone. He’s used to me using that card!
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I hate phone conversations too. I always tell my husband that he is more logical on the phone while I get more frustrated.
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That’s my trouble, too. Plus I’d rather read what someone wrote or be face-to-face with someone when they’re communicating with me. But a phone conversation… not so comfortable.
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So funny! At least the furniture is gorgeous! It’s a wonder some of these businesses stay in business. I also laugh because I, too, would pass off the phone calls to hubby. I’ve never been able to confront people very well, whether it be on the phone or in person. I’ve had to before, but I didn’t like it! Enjoy that new furniture:)
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Beth, the furniture is pretty and comfy, so I’m happy with it. I feel sorry for the company that sells this nice furniture, then must find someone to deliver it. Therein is the problem. As for the phone, Zen-Den, Esq., has more experience and patience than I do… so why not let him handle things? 😉
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Good grief, it’s about time! I’d be tempted to push all the furniture together, curl up in a ball, and have a rest!
It’s going to be great though — so pretty, the furniture and the view! 🙂
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Excellent idea, joey! Lounging on this furniture was THE WHOLE POINT of buying it. 😉 Little did I know that it’d be so eventful getting it here. However, now that it’s here and looks pretty, I’m happy.
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What a huge load of laughs. Glad it all finally came. And it’s gorgeous as well as comfortable! (Always jealous of people who can have lovely cushioned outdoor furniture. Here everything gets wet so often and the mildew/mold is problematic. We had neighbors once that were constantly throwing patio furniture and cushions into their pool so the chlorine would clean it off.)
I’m not a telephone person at all. We have the same arrangement. (Probably comes from childhood with a mom that constantly screamed “Make it brief. It’s a party line and everyone is listening.” Early training is hard to overcome.)
Gee, we can hardly wait to see what you order next – and the adventures it brings!
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philmouse, it was/is a funny sort of story. I mean, the furniture is pretty and comfy and here in its entirety now, so we must laugh. We get some mold/mildew problems here, but nothing like you deal with. My mother was not one to hang on the phone, so I think I picked up some of her attitude about talking on one. Besides, talking on the phone is what Z-D is for, right? 🙂
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Love your furniture and the story that came with it. I came into the party late, so I must now go back to Part 1.
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SD Gates, this is the sort of thing that makes me wonder why I bother. But then when it all works out I’m so happy, that I forget that this is the sort of thing that makes me wonder why I bother! 🙂
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What a headache! I’ve gotta say – the furniture is quite gorgeous, though haha
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Blair, all’s well that ends well. And all is even better when there’s a story to tell along the way. It was troublesome, but now that the furniture is here, I’m pleased.
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I was wondering about the ottoman. *Shakes head.* It is funny in retrospect but I hate to be kept at home waiting for stuff to be delivered. Third party shipping needs to step up its game. Very glad you have your pretty furniture now. I might want to talk to you privately since I am planning on ordering some furniture from a reputable catalog company.
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Zazamataz, this experiences was so stupid that it was funny as it wasn’t– and then was– happening. The irony being that we chose this way of buying furniture because it seemed simpler than going to a store.
[Use my email address located on Connect Here to talk more in detail.]
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LOL as I read your story I have men on my roof tearing shingles off. Hope I don’t have similar blog posts in my future, I’d rather read about your adventures!
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Janet, I have to believe that a new roof will happen faster than getting furniture shipped. For one thing, it’s so obvious when the roof is not there, that the men will have to put a new one on… or else. But lost cushions? They seem to disappear, and re-appear, at random. So ridiculous.
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Ugh. It’s an introvert’s nightmare come true. Not to mention a major headache.
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Carrie, yep. Thank goodness for Z-D and his smooth-talking ways. Plus reputable catalog company did step up after I tweeted, so mistakes happen… We’re happy now & I have a good story to tell.
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That’s perfect furniture for your sun room . . . and a great place to chillax the next time you need to hang around to sign for something.
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LOL here. nrhatch, you’ve made my day. So true.
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All’s well that ends well. 🙂
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Exactly! But it wasn’t the smoothest purchase ever.
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Dammit, doesn’t anyone know how to forge a signature anymore? My doctors never sign any of the orders or scripts they give me… that’s what their staff is for. Doesn’t Important Office Guy have a receptionist who can scrawl your name on a piece of paper?
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evil, you’re so right! I told whomever that the cushions were here, but NO… there had to be one more inconvenience in the story. 😉
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The furniture does look awfully beautiful. What a gorgeous room. I’m glad you got all the parts, though I have to say the signature thing is a little…uhh…unprofessional. I once waited for a fridge that never showed up. That was fun. Eventually it did, but it was dented. So I had to wait for a third fridge.
Good times.
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I.L. Wolf, I like the furniture, so this process was worth the hassle. But all the emphasis on signing for things got to be tedious. Waiting for 3 fridges would make me cranky.
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I sure was! But I think it is worth it, it looks fantastic. But I don’t know if I’d order from them given your ordeal…
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I can understand that. I feel the same way. 🙂
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One year I ordered a jacket for my husband from Academy Sports’ website. They sent it…then a few days later, sent a second one. I called and said they sent an extra and I need to send it back. After having to explain to three people what I was doing, I finally got them to send me a return label. I wrote in big letters “This was sent by mistake DO NOT REFUND ME.” Guess what? They refunded me for the jacket I purchased. Ugh. So I called and tried again to explain that I’d returned the extra jacket, which I never paid for, and now they’d refunded my money for the first jacket, which I’d kept. It took for freakin’ ever to get them to understand and charge my card. I was very frustrated. Do you think they thanked me? Nope. They acted like I was a HUGE inconvenience on them for even telling them about it. No good deed goes unpunished, or so it seems.
Stephanie
http://stephie5741.blogspot.com
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Oh Stephanie, that sounds exactly like something that would happen to me. A thank you gesture involving some sort of discount or free shipping would have been the least they could have done to reward your honesty. But like you said, no good deed… What a mess.
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Whew! I’ve been all over pins and needles, waiting to hear if the situation resolved itself… 😉
It IS pretty furniture. Glad all the chairs are now reunited with their pillows!
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Alice, yes, for a few days there I wondered how this would resolve itself. But after using social media to get attention, voilà! Thanks for your concern.
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Let it never be said that I didn’t have your patio furniture’s back, yo.
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LOL here, Alice. Trust me, I shall never say that to anyone. Thanks for the laugh.
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I love the furniture, and it looks comfortable but WHAT a hassle!! Too much time required for you to do their job for them.
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Margaret, it’s pretty furniture and comfy and seems sturdy/well-made, so I’m happy. But talk about a ridiculous course of events to get it. *shakes head, wanders off to sit on new furniture*
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So they did respond to your Tweet! Ah, Twitter is good for something.
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Karen, that may be the bottom line of this experience: Twitter can be helpful. Who’d of thunk it?
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Isn’t that always the way? Please tell me it wasn’t FedEx.
We had a similar experience recently. Started wondering where a check was that we were expecting in the mail. Called up, made inquiries, they had no clue where it was and were going to start the whole process over, yada yada yada, big sigh. And of course the check arrived in that day’s mail. Still mulling over whether I should call and tell them 🙂
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Lissa Johnston, it wasn’t FedEx, although I’ve had a few “experiences” with them, too. What a mess with your check. Glad you got it, but the question always is: WHY must this be so difficult? There’s no answer to that question, is there? *sigh*
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I’m exhausted! Hey, could you sign for this comment? ~Tara
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Tara, got me laughing on that one. Thanks.
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You sound like me. When it comes to the telephone and the outside world, I hand it over to my husband.
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Sounds like the delivery shenanigans left you exhaustipated – too tired to give a shit…
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Barbed Words, yes the shenanigans almost did me in, but the furniture is pretty & comfortable, so I’m happy. Now.
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hmm…. I’m not a kid, but I did feel like whooping “Yay” on reading this post! I have not read your other posts yet. I think the thing that got me, the delivery fiasco aside, was the humour of the names you give everyone. I LIKE that!
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allah, thanks. All of the people who I dealt with along the way were pleasant enough… just not the most helpful. I tell you, this furniture, while pretty, was an experience from the git go. But now that it’s here, I say “YAY!”
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by the way, it’s ‘E’ llah 😀 ……It’s ok, …. I am very amused by the mistake. ;D
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So sorry. My mistake. ELLAH. Thanks for correcting me.
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;D …. hey, it’s really ok. It made me smile. That is always a good thing!
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