The Cozy Chicks | Cozy Up To Some Killer Books

The Christmas Gift That Kept on Giving…

…me headaches.

Last week I finally received the last Christmas present I ordered online back in early December.

Here’s why.

On December 21st, a package arrived that I’d ordered through Amazon via a third party. It was a beautiful Galileo thermometer. Or it was until somewhere en route from Nevada to Ohio it was smashed.

Fast forward a little bit—I contacted the vendor who says they’ll gladly replace the thermometer, but it was too late to go out that day (a Friday) and the following week the company had off. A replacement wouldn’t be in the mail until the first week of January.

Ohhhkay.

Fast forward to the end of the first week of January. No thermometer. I contacted the vendor (not as easy as it sounds since email communication was slow and the phone “operator” was somehow always too busy to take my call). Apparently there was a mix-up and the distribution center was waiting for the broken thermometer to be returned before shipping the new one. Finally got that straightened out (new one would be shipped immediately).

Fast forward a week. The replacement arrives. It’s not leaking, which was a good sign, but on closer inspection, I notice the water was yellow. One of the balloons inside the thermometer had broken.

I contact the vendor again, who’s very sorry that UPS wasn’t being more careful. To the vendor’s credit, the box *was* covered in “fragile” and “glass”. We’re hoping the third time would be the charm. (At this point I was debating whether to just ask for a refund, but the person the present was for really wanted the thermometer. So I crossed my fingers.)

Fast forward another week. Another box on my front porch. Carefully, I opened it, holding my breath.

It’s in one piece!!!!!!! And it’s beautiful. Thank heavens.

Now the only thing I have to deal with is what to do with the two broken thermometers sitting in my office, which hopefully means simply tossing them in the trash. I don’t want the headache of having to deal with UPS and sending them back.

Oh, and I probably have to wrap and give the thermometer to its proper owners, which will be hard. I’ve grown attached. But not so attached that I want to go through the hassle of ordering one for myself…maybe someone will get one for me next Christmas. Order early.

~heather

17 Responses to “The Christmas Gift That Kept on Giving…”

Heather,

Beautiful thermometer! I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it before. I’d love to see one up close and personal to see how it works. Heck, this might actually get me interested in weather. Glad you finally got it straightened out. Ordering by 3rd party via Amazon can be a pain. Actually, ordering from anyone privately (Amazon, Ebay, etc.) can be a pain. I even sent someone on Ebay a message after I ordered something for my 2 year old nephew that said basically. “Please do NOT cheat me. This is for a 2 year old. Don’t make me come and hurt you!” Unfortunately, I’ve found you even have to be careful with well-knows stores. My mom had a problem with Target at Christmas. She ordered something from Target for my youngest nephew. It was in stock and the site said it would ship within 3 or 4 days, but her e-mail said 4-6 weeks. So after a couple weeks, I finally said “Why don’t you e-mail them?” She did and they sent it out Express delivery with no shipping cost. She got it to her the week before Christmas.

by Traci on February 1st, 2008 at 2:29 am
Since we moved to Illinois, I have had to order my bf’s pants on line. He’s a 32/40 and only wants Wranglers. Of course, they have to be a certain style as well, so UPS/Fed Ex have been my saving grace.

Where I work, I do a lot of overnighting from drivers to me, from me to the DMV’s and then back to drivers. One day I got a box. Usually, it’s just paper work so I was curious. The driver had sent me the car or machine part he was trying to get replaced rather than the copy of his emission inspection. I don’t think he multi-tasked well.

I am home on a snow day today. 8 inches here in Illinois. So if I’m good, I’ll be writing.

by Lynn on February 1st, 2008 at 7:52 am
And they say shopping online is easy?!?!?!

I must say, that thermometer is so cool!

by debbie on February 1st, 2008 at 8:42 am
I got my husband one the thermometers a few years ago. They are so interesting. We have it in our computer room and when we are both on the comp. the (small) room can get fairly warm, so things start shifting around inside the thermometer. His is clear glass only the little bulbs inside are colored.

by Ealasaid Cameron on February 1st, 2008 at 9:29 am
Theo broke a shoelace a couple of months ago. Similar level of excitement for the reader.

by Theo Epstein on February 1st, 2008 at 10:57 am
I went through the same thing last year with an mini arcade claw machine for one of my kidlets. Shopping online is great…when it works!

Love the thermometer!

by wendy roberts on February 1st, 2008 at 11:31 am
Be glad it wasn’t mailed through the Post Office or you would have been ordered to the Nixie Desk to explain yourself! I had to drive 120 miles to pick up my Mrs. Meyers Organic Cleaning Kit which leaked during a facilities tour and prompted a very dramatic HazMat demonstration. After a flurry of letters and phone calls and the Nixie Manager’s insistence that I must retrieve said package, I did. It was still unopened, so apparently any liquid spill prompts the same reaction. In the end, it all turned out fine. I’m not in prison and Mrs. Meyers has better packaging. Now if I could only get rid of the lingering questions, “we pay these people? And what does “Nixie” actually mean?”

by Dani on February 1st, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Just to let everyone know, the present was NOT wrapped when I received it.

by Mama-poops on February 1st, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Traci, the thermometer is really neat–and pretty. It captures attention, that’s for sure. I’m such a novice where Ebay is concerned. I’m convinced everyone there is out to cheat someone! Nothing like a cynic…

Lynn, LOLOL on getting the part in the mail. I can just see the guy scratching his head wondering why you wanted it! LOL.

Deb, I agree! Though it WAS really easy to order!

by Heather on February 1st, 2008 at 3:15 pm
Ealasaid, there are a lot of great Galileos out there! I can only imagine the condition it would have come in if it was all glass, though! Yikes.

Theo, go make a snowman or something.

Wendy, what I want to know is if your kids ever win anything with the arcade claw machine???? LOL. Whenever I use one, sooooo close, but no. By the way, your book looks great! I need to get a copy ASAP!

by Heather on February 1st, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Oh my gosh, Dani! What exactly is a Nixie Desk? LOL on the image of Haz-Mat. My box never leaked–it was all encased in plastic. But it smelled! Not sure what the liquid is inside those thermometers, but ew. It should be easier to go organic, don’t you think?

Mama, there was a bow on top. That counts.

by Heather on February 1st, 2008 at 3:21 pm
LOL on Mama-poops (and Theo, though I hate to admit it).

I think you should get one too! If nothing else, you could write it off as a tax ded (blog research).

by laura on February 1st, 2008 at 3:42 pm
Nice thermometer, Heather! You should have ordered two — then you could have had double the trouble!

by Diana on February 2nd, 2008 at 1:00 am
Laura, you know I’m always looking for tax deductions, esp. this time of year! But even I don’t think I could pull that off.

LOL, Diana. Thanks but no thanks on the double trouble. One was quite enough!

by Heather on February 2nd, 2008 at 10:48 am
Heather,

Nah! Not everyone is out to cheat you on Ebay. I’ve been buying stuff on their for 9 years now and can count the number of times I’ve been cheated on one hand. And even if you are cheated, you can usually get your money back either by reporting them to Ebay or PayPal (Depending on how you payed for the item). The only thing I don’t like is the feedback feature because if you leave negative feedback for a seller, they can (and have been known to) leave you negative feedback just to get back at you.

by Traci on February 3rd, 2008 at 3:45 am
That’s an interesting story. I’m beginning to wonder about these Amazon “third” vendors. I’ve yet to receive a Roberta Flack CD I ordered for someone for Christmas. Hmmmm.

by Maggie on February 3rd, 2008 at 9:34 pm
Traci, that’s good to know! I hate being so cynical, but it’s that’s me.

Maggie, have you checked on your order? I have a relative who had to cancel a third party order and get Amazon involved in getting their money back after the product failed to be shipped. I hope your CD shows up soon!

by Heather on February 4th, 2008 at 6:13 pm

The Christmas Gift That Kept on Giving…

17 Responses to “The Christmas Gift That Kept on Giving…”

Leave a Reply