alarums and excursions

[lagilman]

For those interested, my new essay is up at The Paranormal Romance Blog, telling "The Terrible Truth About Secondary Characters."

Meanwhile, I am told that the audiobooks for BRING IT ON and CURSE THE DARK will be available in April, with BURNING BRIDGES and FREE FALL in May, and then BLOOD FROM STONE in June. yayyy!



In updates of the Better Homes and Deadlines sort, the CEM is done and will go back to tomorrow morning. Writing will recommence at that point, thank god. Today was spent painting, and being on the phone with the asswipes at Home Depot, who not only can't be trusted to deliver three boxes of tiles within a two week period, but told me a different lie every time I spoke to someone there, from the salesperson who wrote up the order to the person who checked on the order for me on Thursday, to the manager who told me I was SOL today (and took almost three hours to "call me back in five minutes with the information.") And I still don't have a firm delivery date -- "maybe Thursday. Worst case, Saturday." Twenty days to deliver three boxes of very basic ceramic tiles that were supposed to arrive within 7-10 days. So everything's on hold until then, despite the fact that the cabinets are ready, and the appliances are ready, and the granite is ready to be cut, and.... *sighs*

(and yes, I know Home Depot is terrible -- had I another option I would have taken it. They had the tiles I wanted, so it was either them or look at the tiles every morning and think "that's not what I wanted.")

Comments

[shana.livejournal.com]

Maybe you can send some of your secondary characters out to deal with Home Depot.

[lagilman]

Oh, believe me, Home Depot -- that specific Home Depot store -- will come to a Very Bad End, as soon as I can figure out how and where.

[shana.livejournal.com]

Explosions are always good.

[martianmooncrab.livejournal.com]

go online and file a complaint. They are always giving the feedback loop when you buy something, well, start feeding it.

[lagilman]

I already have opened a complaint ticket directly with their main office, over the phone. Their response mainly seems to be to say "I'm sorry you had that experience" which is about on par with "I'm sorry you feel that way" for passive hostility toward a wronged party....

[martianmooncrab.livejournal.com]

and they wonder why when it goes to active hostility.

[burger-eater.livejournal.com]

Twenty days to deliver three boxes of very basic ceramic tiles that were supposed to arrive within 7-10 days.

Write them a letter of complaint. Paper, envelope, stamp, the whole deal, and address it to their corporate office or the company president.

Seriously, I have written many letters of complaint over the years, and only one place has ever ignored it.

Make them send you free stuff.

[lagilman]

When the saga is complete -- with my luck, something Worse will happen right after I mail the letter. But oh yes: I'm slow to anger, but once riled....

[autojim.livejournal.com]

Yet another reason I prefer Lowe's, besides brighter stores that are easier to find things in and more helpful people.

But yes, I know you got the tiles you want for the very good reason that they're the ones you want.

Still, make 'em die horribly in story and hang the individuals out to dry with corporate in real life.

[handlebar605.livejournal.com]

the reason that I call them Home Despot, is because the corporate policy is to come into an area, charge less for goods than the local hardware stores/lumber yards until they go out of business, then jack up the prices to make their money back.

All of which doesn't take away from the fact that your local home despot store is full of liars and incompetents.

[arouraleona.livejournal.com]

I can't imagine a world without PB! Thank goodness he was stubborn enough to keep coming back for more page time!

[lagilman]

heee! Thank you for a response that has nothing to do with my kitchen!

(and yeah, I feel the same way. He's annoying but essential)

[arouraleona.livejournal.com]

You're very welcome!

[fakefrenchie.livejournal.com]

Can't you "borrow" a friend with a car and go and pick them up?

[lagilman]

My contractor would, IF they were somewhere he could get to. The vendor is in Maryland, the truck is taking them to the HD warehouse out in New Jersey, and then apparently it will take the 24-48 hours to "process" and release the tiles.

All this, because HD isn't carrying any flooring in stock any more [which i can understand considering credit crunches and overhead]. But that means that their prices are only slightly cheaper... and it takes longer to get the items than even the boutique flooring stores in midtown Manhattan? Um... as a business plan, that ain't.

[fakefrenchie.livejournal.com]

You would have done better to simply order them from the vendor. Of course, there was no way of knowing that before you ordered for HD. *sigh*

[lagilman]

And if that had been an option it would have, well, been an option. But vendors tend not to sell retail -- they're mostly wholesalers, selling only to the trade.

[fakefrenchie.livejournal.com]

Oh. I didn't know that. Learn something new every day.

[6-penny.livejournal.com]

When you have satisfactorily disposed of the HD in a story, perhaps the gift of a paperback copy, suitably highlighted, sent to the CEO?