August 29, 2013

Lite Lift Off

Bedroom bookcase.  The few Hillerman’s are top center on the left.

Continuing my search for gentler books to read in my own bookcases, I discovered I owned only ten Hillerman’s.  Some of these are in late stage mold status.  I must have lost my temper and thrown the rest of the mold away.  That’s all I can think of.

My eye fell on two Knox’s.  My memory tells me that these were really good.  Before I go buy used copies of all these fifty novels, I’d better read one to see if I still like him.  A Scot, he wrote under a handful of pseudonyms for the American market:  Michael Kirk, Robert MacLeod and Noah Webster.  

While I dug among the books yesterday, I also tried to solve the problem of the thousand dollar, miss-billed, ambulance ride.  They said the insurance company denied payment, but they were supposed to bill my medical group.  They didn’t.  In the end, after a series of 1-800 calls, I did get the answer, “If you don’t hear from us, it’s resolved.  Check to see if this has been paid on your “this-is-not-a-bill.”  Gee, that’s not the immediate solution I was looking for. 

Next call I tackled.  With the Mystery Guild quadruple invoicing PayPal, the PayPal folks couldn’t have been nicer.  I’d bought two books before I left for surgery, and something happened to make the transaction incomplete.  I took the transaction was off PayPal’s roster, and I removed them as the payee from the Mystery Guild. 

I didn’t have good luck with the Mystery Guild.  Not only couldn’t I cancel my account, I couldn’t get those two books off the record.  The lady I last talked to insisted the books had shipped, that the web site was down, that I couldn’t’ cancel my account, then she hung up on me. 

I still felt triumphant that I was able to deal with all this without yelling or chafing at being on hold for half an hour.  I am really triumphant that I was able to make the bed this morning too.  I’ve folded up the upstairs walker except for those exercises.  We have lite lift off. 


Life is Really in the Footnotes:
  • Himself:  Makes breakfast, lunch, and dinner, does the laundry and dishes plus won’t let me do anything till next week and I am cleared by the doc.  Later I can make dinner, he tells me.
  • Herself:  Beginning to get bored…a sign that I am getting vastly better.
  • Reading:  Nothing.
  • Balance:  The exercises.
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    10 comments:

    1. Boredom is the sign I wait for too. Amazing patience with the no customer service people.

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    2. I hate hate hate bill issues. I loathe people who are short with their customer service mode. You deserve a medal for holding your temper. I got so mad at an apartment that insisted I had not paid the final rent...even after showing them the canceled check that I wrote them a long complaint and cc'd everyone from the state auditor, the state rental ombudsmen, the BBB and the president of their company...that got me results!

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    3. I am extra careful with direct online payments; I closed PayPal last time I got hacked. To vendors who use PayPal as their "middle man," my perfectly good credit card is rejected. No problem -- I have others.

      That said, the people at PayPal were far nicer than those at Mystery Guild or any of its sister clubs. Without a place for books (or anyone who will carry my old ones to the nursing home or the second-hand shops, I dare not buy books just now. Except when my online friends write them. 8)

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    4. Lift off, indeed! It is a sure sign that you are feeling better, my dear. Marathons soon.

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    5. You are handling this experience like a pro. Not good to lose one's temper. I learned this the hard way. Try Alison Weir. I like her novels and have several on my Kindle for later reading. I passed on all the paperback books to Connie's MIL, age 99, who is in a retirement home now.

      Love your setup in the bedroom. Mine is rather spartan. Dianne

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    6. Actually, I meant Jacquiline Winspear. Don't know why I mix her up with Weir. Dianne

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    7. I don't think there is customer service any more. Most newer hired employees have no idea how to think outside the box to fix a problem ~ and often they are not allowed to do it anyway. But the rudeness of those employees is unbelievable these days. Good luck with your phone calls.

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    8. And she did it all sitting down.

      Muchas Smuchas

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    9. You are much more patient than I am. I've had my share of frustrating calls lately too - customer service is pretty much a forgotten value. So happy to hear that you are doing so well!

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    10. Grrrrr! You were admirably civilized in that Mystery Guild encounter. I, on the other hand, would be emitting loud, uncivilized growls right now on your behalf if I were not at our favorite coffee shop. So I am sitting quietly, adding to their AC costs as steam issues from my ears.

      And bravo on making the bed, retiring the upstairs walker and keeping up with those exercises.

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