WELL, THIS IS A BLOG!

The great thing about a blog is that aside from my travels I get to share every day experiences. Take, for instance, my ordering a futon from Target and doing it online. Seemed perfect for what I want in my living room. Something smaller than a sofa but can convert to a bed of some sorts in case I want to sleep where the air conditioning is in my house.

After placing the order I waited a few days after the emailed confirmation to get a email giving me a tracking number and date of arrival. Now, I must have nodded out when the UPS guy came (I have this extremely conformable chair that is a sort of lounge type one that tends to make me take a nap)I didn't hear the doorbell. He placed this long thin package at my basement door with a note telling me so.

I went downstairs to the basement to open the door. The problem was that he leaned the package against the door so that I was unable to open it. I then had to go out, around and down the steps to move the 45 pound package so that I can go back in through the front door and retrieve it.

Now I have the task of getting it up the stairs. I must say that I questioned the package wondering if they got all of the cushions in it. I thought, "How thin are these farkin pillows and bedding that they are able to slip them in this?"

I then decided that if I opened it and took out each part I could take it up the steps more easily. No cushions are anything futonish. It was simply the metal furniture.

After maneuvering this piece, using the banister as leverage, I sort of slid it up the steps stair by stair. Keep in mind folks, I just celebrated my 62nd birthday and have lost much of my muscles that allow me to lift things, let alone having a bad lower back and a bit of arthritis in one hip.

I now call Target dot com, which I find is outsourced to the Philippines, to get someone who tells me that the second package won't arrive until the next day. The tracking number, however, does not say anything about a second package. The Target person is unable to explain why both packages couldn't arrive at the same time and asked if I want to be connected to the complaint department. I never got a second email from the regarding a second package.

Okay, so the next day, the UPS guy brings it. I alerted him to the fact that his leaning the package the day before was not workable and told him why. He apologized. I have a new guy and it will take a bit of time for him to get the gist of UPS stuff arriving.

It is now in the main entrance of the house and I decided that it would be much easier if I opened it and took in the cushions one or two and a time. The SCHMUCK who did the packaging stapled the staples into the top cushion! Now I have holes in it!!!

I looked up the phone number for the main office in Minneapolis and placed a call. "Don't complain to someone who can't do anything about it" is one of the things I learned when I took EST.

I was trying to get to someone and the person sounded a bit far away. Yes, it was outsourced to the Philippines as well. I told the person that I want to speak to someone in the United States.

After getting nowhere and telling me that I needed to speak to a person at Target Online, I did so. I explained all to the guy and he wanted to see what he could do to correct the situation (I did throw in, "What would you like to do to keep me as a customer"? (Always say that as well as saying, "This is unacceptable".)

He tells me that there are two options. One is that he can get hold of the manufacturer who will send me a replacement or if he does it....now get this one...both packages would have to be sent and then I would need to return the package with the metal furniture. In other words they can't send a replacement for only the package with the cushions!!!

He offered to keep up with communicating to the furniture company, called me the next day and told me that a replacement cushion package would be taken care of. I am so looking forward to seeing, 1)if they send the whole set or somehow has decided which cushion, 2)if they staple into one of the cushions.

Next, the furniture. You have to install the legs and back piece. I did check to see that all of the hardware was there including two types of wrenches to tighten the lug nuts. I did miss the instruction that highly suggested that two people put it together.

I am almost done except for one screw to find that either the screw is not good or the last lug nut as the lug nut will not twist onto the screw!!!! This means that I will have to call them again!!! I wonder what the will have to send in order to get this!!! Tune in on a near future blog.