A Comedy of Errors

If only someone had been videoing me getting this new computer.

I'm sure it would be popular on You Tube

A long long time ago in a household far away......

(Que Star Wars theme)

Being that my jalopy of a computer is on it's last life (15 years old, upgraded & fixed several times, & now locking up almost daily) I've decided it's time has come for the "ETERNAL SLEEP" as Yoda might say.

After much consultation & consideration I decided that Best Buy had the right package for me. It was a Hewlett-Packard full package system w/ a Samsung monitor. If you ordered a desktop computer, you could also add Printer/Speaker package for $49.99. The sale started at 8pm Dec 24th (Christmas Eve). I called on the 23rd & spoke to customer service & asked the best way to make sure I get everything I need. The agent said "well you want to make sure you get the computer package so order that 1st, then go back & add you speaker/printer package & you'll still get the deal". So on Dec 24th at 8:00pm I ordered the computer. Then it said I was in the BEST BUY WAITING ROOM which was holding my place in line to check out my item.

It said DO NOT HIT THE BACK OR REFRESH BUTTON AS THIS WILL DELETE YOUR PLACE IN LINE. Then it had a status bar which read 0% complete. It stayed that way for a LONG time. I started to wonder if the computer had locked up, but I just trusted that I had done everything right & waited. Finally at 8:15pm it said I was 1% completed. Another ten minutes went by & finally it said 10% completed & then the status kept jumping at a much quicker pace, so at 8:45pm I was finally at the checkout. Thankfully it said that my computer was in stock & I could purchase it (they were nice enough on the website to say that if after waiting, if you found your item is out of stock you could go back & pick another item & not have to wait again-great thanks for that). Now the 2nd item the printer/speaker combo. Well they have it but it's coming up for an extra $100 then originally told. I called Best Buy (put on hold of course). The agent on the phone said that the 1st agent didn't tell me the right ordering process, but that he would put a note on my file that I get the sale pricing for the combo. He couldn't do it right then because of the high volume of calls & could I call back later in the evening to get it all straightened out. At 11:45pm I called back. Explained to now the 3rd agent what had happened & about the note on my file & the price adjustment. He didn't understand, but said since there's a note he'd honour it & adjust the price (great thanks for that). Christmas was great & I was getting excited for my gift I had bought myself to arrive. I checked my order status online & it said I needed to call & verify my order for the computer but the combo status was unavailable & still wrong pricing for it. Called Best Buy agent #4 (please remember that every time I call I am put on hold for long periods of time). He verified my computer & said yes that I'd get the right pricing for my combo. It would be coming as well & that it's saying that status is unavailable because of the pricing adjustment. A few days later my computer arrives YEAHHHHHHH, oh but wait, no printer/speaker combo. Called Best Buy agent #5 (holds....) she can't figure out why it hasn't come, she sees that it was to be shipped & will have head office contact me. I asked when they will call & she said they'd email in a few days. Well that means I'm not setting up the new computer & risk missing the email from Best Buy Head Office. You know the one that will say it's all straightened out...yeah, not so much. The email comes saying that the combo I ordered is now OUT OF STOCK. Yippeee off I go to call Best Buy agent #6. I must add that all the agents I spoke to were very nice & polite, up until agent #6. I called & explained the situation. She basically told me there's nothing she can do OUT OF STOCK MEANS OUT OF STOCK! I said I understand that, but over the course of all of this all the agents I spoke to said I should have gotten it when I received my computer. I order it within minutes of the sale starting & it was in stock then. I explained that I felt through the pricing errors that my combo got sold to someone else, but I have a confirmation # saying that it was in stock for me. Once again I was told that OUT OF STOCK MEANS OUT OF STOCK! We went around this a few times & I knew I was getting nowhere with her. Not even a timeline of when I could expect it back in stock. I told her that I'm glad Best Buy feels they have no fault in this & that she should have a nice day (click). Now we are up to Jan 2 (yesterday), my old jalopy is now locking up again. I figure I have a brand new computer sitting in my living room. I have read the directions & I know it's an easy set up. Easy set up yeah right! Not if you are 110 pounds trying to set a monitor on it's stand (here come the slapstick part). I can see how it all goes together, but I can't snap the monitor onto the stand. It shows to set it down on an angle, grasp on both sides of screen & pull forward & it will snap into place. Once again, not so much. Try after try it did not work (tiny wrists are not made to do this kind of work). I tried every way I could think of finally I decided to put my elbow on top of the screen & push down with all my upper body weight, while at the same time hoping that I don't break the screen. Thankfully it worked. Now the rest will be a breeze. Can you say NOT SO MUCH along with me? The hookups were fine. The problem was they sent me a wired mouse, but a wireless keyboard WITHOUT the gadget you put on the back of your hard drive to make the wireless keyboard work. After calling my "new pals" at Best Buy (agent #7, holds etc), they said they didn't have the part & to call HP. Yay, making new friends with different technical support people. It's now mid-afternoon. The customer service person at HP doesn't know what I need so she sends me to a department that does. Well I can't hear this guy. I turn the volume all the way up & still he's breaking up. I keep telling him this. Instead of asking for my phone # to call me back, he decides the best course of action is HANG UP ON ME. It's now 3pm & I have to get ready for work. I write down all the info I can listed on my hard drive & keyboard & bring it with me to work. It's slow so I call HP back at 4:30pm (in hopes that if I get the call in before 5pm I can get my piece shipped same day). Well this agent says I have my serial #'s wrong & I'm missing an "X" he thinks one of my "3's" should be an "X". (I know my handwriting is not the best, but I've never mistaken a 3 for an X before) & to call back when I can read them right off the computer. I explain that I don't get home until 2am, he said that's fine 'cause they're there 24/7. HOORAY I get to be on hold forever in the wee hours of the morning! Yes that's exactly what happened. Now when I read the serial #'s to this HP agent, he said yes they are right & no X was required (shocking, I know). Guess what? They can't believe that I got sent a wired mouse & wireless keyboard. So he decided the best course of action is to send me a wired keyboard. It should arrive around JANUARY 12th!!!! Boy was I pleased with that, only having to wait another week. So I decided to hook up my old keyboard so that I could log into my new computer & now I'm back online.
I'm now deciding if I should hook up my old speakers for the time being, as who know when my other items are scheduled to arrive. (Que ending Star Wars music)
I this may not be such a Sunny story for me, but I'm hoping it gives everyone else a chuckle.