2004-09-22 - 9:14 p.m.

big whines over trivial issues

So whaddaya want.. happy stuff? Sad stuff? Personal torment stuff? Exasperating and pissing me off stuff?

Oh let's start with the stuff pissing me off. That's easy.

Remember this summer when I mentioned that I bought tickets to a show through a broker, and they put me off and put me off, and finally I got the tickets at the last minute, literally on the day of the show, to find they were in a different section and six rows farther back than what I'd been promised? And then I complained and they said it was their error and they'd give me a refund? And then they only gave me a certificate for $50? And then I kept complaining and they stopped returning my phone calls or emails? And then I called my credit card company and disputed the charge? And when I called the broker and left them THAT message, they suddenly got in touch with me again? And agreed to give me a second refund certificate, which I agreed would settle the matter?

Well if you don't - that's what happened. Actually I'm not sure I ever told that story. So if you don't remember it, really don't worry. Anyway. For my own reasons, I agreed to accept certificates instead of an outright refund. When the manager sent me the second certificate, she told me that normally they don't let people use two certificates on one order, but then when I wanted to use mine, I could use both at once; just mention her name. Well I doubted her... but I said okay, but please put that in writing for me when you send the second cert, and she actually did.

This weekend, I finally had occasion to use the certificates, and I figured I'd better not attempt it online, with just a note in the comments to explain what was what. Good thing I didn't. Once I placed the order, I explained to the person on the phone (Beth) that I had two certificates, and yes I know you ordinarily don't accept more than one per order, but yada yada, because of your error, yada yada, supervisor said, yada. I was very glad that she didn't argue with me herself, but said she'd go check with her supervisor and see how to handle it.

When she came back, she said, "Wow, you're special! We NEVER take two certificates on one order! When I first asked my supervisor, she YELLED at me - 'Are you crazy? We never do that!'" But again, to their credit, instead of just coming back and giving me the big standard NO, Beth must have told her supervisor what I said, and they looked up the history of my orders. I'm imagining the supervisor saying, "Fine, give her both certificates on this order, whatever it takes to make this bitch go away forever so we never have to deal with her again."

And I'm good with that.

So then Beth had the worst time trying to get the system to take both certificates. Or either certificate. She put me on hold again to go ask her supervisor how to do it (accompanied by telling me "she's gonna kill me" before she put the phone down). When she came back, she wasn't quite sure it was working - one screen said I'd been charged the correct amount, and the other screen said I'd been charged the full amount. Beth told me that she didn't want to keep me on hold any longer - which was good, because the call had taken so long already I was almost late checking out of the hotel - and she asked me to call her back before the end of the day to be sure it had gotten done correctly.

I, having a life in progress, didn't have time to get back to her until today. When I called and got her voicemail, I figured I'd go the other route and check with my credit card company to see what I was charged.

So I call my credit card company and ask if a charge has gone through to that company. The person says, "Yes, there is a charge for" and she gives me the correct, discounted amount. Before I can even think about sighing in relief, she continues, "and another charge for $247.45." Um - what? That amount bears no direct relation to the amount of my order, before or after discount; or to the amount of either or both coupons. Other than being hugely more than any of those amounts. But there it is, posted by that company, on the same day.

Sigh. Just when you think it's over.

So I called back and since Beth isn't in today, I talked to Jack. So Jack, bla bla bla, explain whole situation all over again, bla bla bla, wtf with the $247.45? Jack can find no record of any order of mine for that amount (no kidding) and goes to ask his supervisor.

Sigh.

So... Jack reports that while they do have no record of any order from me recently except that one, sure enough they do have the transaction record that they did charge me another $247.45. To quote him, "I have no idea why we charged you that." Well me either, Jack. So he said he'd put through a credit for that amount.

I'll check with the credit card company tomorrow... pleeeeeeeeeease let this be over. If this goes through, I should be able to walk away from these people forever, to my and their great pleasure. They already shipped the tickets to me, thank goodness, so the most potentially frazzling part of the transaction is over. Now if we can fix the drastic random overcharging... that would be great, and I promise not to bother you EVER AGAIN!

my mood -

the mood of the whole world wide bleepin' web -