Goodbye Waldenbooks

So I didn't feel good this morning, and really didn't want to go in to work today, and I wish I hadn't. Today just went from bad to worse, and it started yesterday.

Yesterday I got a phone call at about 10:30am from Alix because our guy never showed to open this morning, and she got a very irritated message from Susan about it. She wanted to know if I knew who was on, and I gave her the two names I had, and when she asked if I could come in I had to tell her no. I had to refinance my student loan yesterday, so since it was my only day off this week before Saturday, that really had to get done.

Well, he never showed yesterday, and we have not been able to get in touch with him at all. He was supposed to close today as well, but we ended up calling in Huma and Heidi since Megan and Andrew needed the days off. It's an absolute mess. And since this guy also opens on Saturday, we're scheduling someone else his shift because we have no idea if he'll show up then either. I also had to call Andrew to let him know that he was needed for work right after he gets back from vacation. We just can't afford for this right now, so close to packing up.

Speaking of packing up, as if this day could not get any worse...

So not long after I got that phone call about the guy, Alix calls back. As of January 31st Waldenbooks in the Wilton Mall will no longer exist, and neither will any of our jobs. Within five months I was hired, promoted to Assistant Manager, and laid off. Kind of Steve's job in lightning speed. God, I think I'm the only 19 year old in my area right now that can boast that track record. God damn this economy.

So within this month Alix has to shut down and pack up two kiosks and a store. We have three different close dates for the CP kiosk as it is, and no idea what is the correct one. So I told her that we should just say screw it, and pack up next week. If we talk to Susan about it, she won't mind. And then just leave the kiosk for the moving company to pick up later, whenever that happens. That way we can concentrate on the big issue: the store in the mall.

Like, this is just plain madness.

Waldenbooks isn't the only one leaving.

Wilton Mall is also losing Ritz Camera as of the 6th of January, and has already lost KB Toys when they went under, and Carlton Cards. Rumour has it that H+M Block might be closing, and the workers at Bon Ton have worries and suspicions that they might be closing up too. Boscovs also almost went under, and I know that Circuit City has declared bankruptcy. The economy is horrible. Anyone who is still denying that the economy is hurting needs to be kicked in the shins.

So I guess I'm back to square one job wise. And I have a student loan and car loan to pay. God... this sucks. I wanted to go to LA for Anime Expo this summer, but if I can't get a job that's just not going to happen. :<

My cousin is going to help me with State Farm Insurance though. As much as I really despise desk jobs, right now that's the most stable area to be in. And State Farm tends to pay pretty well, so I'm going to try. The important thing right now is to have steady income so I can work on getting out of debt. In the mean time, I'll keep pursuing photography, and documenting what's going on now. Because this is history repeating itself.

Hello Great Depression #2.

And how random is this, just as I started to type this a guy who lost his Waldenbooks in TN contacted me on MSN, who reads this blog. Small world, small world.

Good luck to all my fellow retail workers, there is no job security. I hope your fate is better than mine.

Elementary Caroling... at the mall? oO

So I'm at work right now, and it's freezing and not exactly a holiday rush. Or at least not enough of a rush to stop me from using my laptop and posting here. The day has been pretty slow. :\

But that's not why I'm posting. I'm posting because it's loud and noisy with a bunch of elementary kids.

I thought that all the kids were out on holiday vacation, but apparently not. So here are these kids on a field trip to see a movie at the mall. I know, I don't get it either. We never had field trips like that. We always had to make them educational. Galway be jealous--you guys are having so many budget cuts that there practically are no field trips, where as this school (I think Shen) has been here two or three times on field trips. LAME.

Anyways though, so they did the whole movie and lunch thing. Sure, fine, get out. You're loud and annoying and your chaperones don't watch you well enough.

No, they don't leave. We were hopeful, but instead they sat down on the WET FLOOR in EVERYONE'S WAY and started SINGING CHRISTMAS CAROLS. LOUDLY. We're talking loud enough so that I can't hear my customers. NOT COOL. And Santa is egging them on. -_-;

Like, it's really great that they have so much spirit and stuff, but there is a definite problem when it disrupts mall traffic and sales. And the floor is wet and dirty. Gross.

I'm probably just cranky because I have a cold, it's freezing in here, and they're loud. Who knows. 5:00 can't get here fast enough though so that I can go the hell home. Bleh.

At least I got my retouching done. Photo restoration is COMPLETE.

Snowbound

So like... we had a snow storm on Wednesday. Then on Friday. And then today. Well technically, yesterday. And another on Christmas Eve...

Yeah, lots of snow. There's a good two foot in our yard, probably more. The roads just don't stay cleared. And we were actually snowbound today.

I am so glad I went and got my friends from MA yesterday. That 4hr round trip turned into eight REALLY FAST. But! I finally crossed the twin bridges where I had my accident for the first time since. It's been a year, but I did it! In winter, and similar conditions to last time no less! So that was good, though I freaked out the whole time.

And seriously... Vermont just CAN'T PLOW. They had this small strip clear in the middle of the road... and that was it. Well... it wasn't that main of a road, but seriously. This was beyond bad. It really was.

But we made it alive, and we watched it snow all day today again. And if the wind keeps up like this and we get much more snow tonight, I'll be stuck here again tomorrow and unable to go to work.

Which... would be nice because I have a cold. I'm all sniffly. :<

The Dolton Family Portrait

So I did the photos for Pizza with Santa, as you're aware. From that my good friend from High School's (Craig) Mom got in touch with me, and I went and did their family portrait.

I do in home family portraits. I learned how at Hallmark, and honestly, I like them better. They seem so much more comfy and relaxed. Besides, formal family portraits are sooooo yesterday. Right? Right? >.> *cough*

Anyways, it was a blast. The one kid did not want to participate, so we humoured him a bit and he ended up having fun too. I'm getting better with the whole "dealing with kids" thing, since I tend to leave it up to the parents... I'm... so bad with little kids. x'D;;;

But she ordered an 11x14 of her choice (I sent digital proofs via my website) of the proofs, and she also wants some extras. Not only that but she said that a lot of people she had talked to were very interested about the photographer that came to her home to do the portrait! I smell a niche I am filling all by myself. 8D WIN \OwO/

She also wants me to do their portrait EVERY YEAR. *thumbs up* I am all over that baby.

I so hope I get more business out of this. That would be fantastic. And I can't wait to see what the lab does. I'm so excited!

Here is the portrait. Enjoy!


Dolton Family Portrait 08 by *Saknika on deviantART

The Most Touching Xmas Gift <3

This is the most touching Xmas gift I have ever received. I cried while reading the card, I really did. Thank you so much Honey-chan. <3



She writes this:

"To My Dearest Miss Suki,

What words can I say to express how I feel about the beautiful friendship you have given me. I don't think there are any words in this world's languages to describe it right (not even if you combined them into one giant one). You are my hope. And since you've always been so kind enough to endlessly supply me with it, I'm giving it to you in the only form I know how to, as she is a character I made inspired by the wonderful lovely you. I had her made into a figure. I know it's probably not what you were expecting. And maybe not the greatest gift ever, but it would mean the world to me for it to bring you even a little of what you've given me. If you ever loose or need hope I hope you can look at her and gain it. Knowing that you are loved and cherished, and never alone. Things can only get better for a wonderful person like you. Stay strong.

Love always and forever your friend,
Honey-chan"

There are no words to describe how this makes me feel. But I know I never knew I meant that much in anyone's life before, nor did I ever expect to. <3

M.A.R.S

So the other day I received in the mail a promo to a five day photography school.

Yes, you heard me right. FIVE DAYS.

It's the Mid Atlantic Regional School of Professional Photography. And it looks really interesting. Granted, it's all the way in NJ, but I think I could manage. And for $1500 to cover both the cost of learning and the cost of the hotel and meals, well, I think that's pretty damn good. Shit, they even have scholarships, which I totally applied for one.

I... really want to go. OwO; It looks like it'd be so much fun, and I'm all for furthering my education. And for five days, shit, can't beat that.

So cross your fingers and wish me luck. Because I really want to go!

Backdated

I filled in a lot of older stuff tonight. Just look for the entries that say they are backdated.

Speaking of late updates, here are some old photos I just recently found. Enjoy~


Aging Well by *Saknika on deviantART


The Littlest Flower Girl by *Saknika on deviantART

Rotten Roads and a General Update

Right, it's been a while, so here comes a long update.

First and foremost, I got my refund from Tiger Direct finally.

The next order of business is that I'm taking up a weapons class for the next ten weeks at my dojo. Should be fun. :3 I'm totally excited! And I even get my own bokken!!! <3 Brendan is going to participate in it with me, which makes it even better. ^^

Karate has been going well also. I went down this past Tuesday to do some photos for Steve, and we sparred to warm him up, and three funny things happened. The first was that somehow the bone to my big toe managed to hit him in that sensitive area between the bones in the elbow and caused his arm to tingle and get numb. Hahaha. Then, I went to kick him again, and he blocked, and I have this huuuuge bruise on my leg. Bone to bone baby. x'D Oops. But the funniest of them all was that not once, but twice, I got inside his range and punched him in the face. x'D He says it's because he's so used to fighting guys with a longer range that he's still adjusting to my speed. Hey, I'll take any advantage I can get. It was a lot of fun though.

I've also realized that I feel so good about myself after karate that I've come to not need my pills as of late. WHOO! I'll take karate instead of medication, kthnx!

Onto the next thing...

On Wednesday; Megan, Jason, and I were working together and it was a riot. Megan was totally sugar high and just making her own music instead of the Xmas stuff that was playing, and at one point Jason goes "What is that beat to?" Well, I just couldn't resist and I was like "It's stripper music! Let's go Jason, bring in some customers!" and Megan follows with "Yeah, the pole is right there!", since we have a power pole that goes from our kiosk to the ceiling. LMFAO. That was pretty much how the whoooole day went. We were quite the scene to see. xD Good thing Alix skipped out coming in on us, because she wouldn't have known what to do. Hehe. Jason also told me it was "Buy your employees lunch day" and I was like "Talk to Alix, she's the one that hired you". xD It was a good day though.

Tuesday wasn't though, because no one plowed the roads and it was a pretty dangerous drive in. Took me an hour and a half instead of 45minutes. Yuck.

And that brings us to the pinnacle of bad weather today.

Yesterday when the ice and snow storm started, Alix told me to get the hell out of Clifton Park and go home as soon as I did the deposit and Andrew was there. FINE BY ME ALIX. I planned on leaving early anyways! I was going to stay until noon at least though, and get 4/7 hours in, but when I walked out at 11am and it was already sleeting, I changed my mind. So I only worked 3 hours, but whatever. My job is not worth my life.

Today I had to open, so I started out early and took it easy, but it still took a good hour and a half again. Icccccey roads are icey. D: I watched limbs falling, and had to change my route a lot because of downed wires and trees. And most of the traffic lights were out due to wide spread power outages. When I got to the mall it was closed as well due to a lack of power. So I had to go home. I was going to go straight home as well, except I didn't have a signal to my cell phone and I needed to let Saratoga know so that Alix was aware. So, I did what was necessary and hopped on the Northway to go up to Saratoga. Even the lights to the Northway were out, it was a MESS.

I stayed in the middle lane, and was actually able to do 70mph at some points in time. But I'd listened to the radio this morning, so I was aware that there were trees that had dropped limbs into the right hand lane, so I didn't bother getting over there until I needed to get off at exit 15.

Alix, it turned out, was also without power. Bonnie was hecka shocked when I turned up at Waldenbooks though, lemme tell ya. x'D Anyways, Alix told me not to bother going in, and got me the list of who also worked today. Turned out to be Jason and Megan. Before I could even call Jason he called the store, and I talked to him there. I don't think either of them went in. Mostly because I don't think the mall ever opened. I have no idea though because I took a nap when I finally got home after calling Megan and Steve.

The roads were really really bad though. We all did about 25mph down Rt50, and that's a main highway. It was BAD. There were like 265 schools closed because of this.

I was supposed to do karate tonight as well, but due to the power outage we decided we'll do it tomorrow before the weapons class, and both of us will be well warmed up. x'D

But man, talk about rotten weather. Alix figured since she couldn't shower she'd hit up the salon in the mall and tell them she needed a wash. LMFAO And in some areas the power isn't expected back for up to a week. We were not as prepared for this as we thought. Yikes.

That's pretty much all the updates though. I'm going to try to keep up with this blog more often now. x'D Trying not to be too busy!

And for your amusement, here are two new pet photos. Enjoy~!


Jack's a bit Tired by *Saknika on deviantART


Fluff is as Fluff does by *Saknika on deviantART

One Acts

This entry is backdated.

I went and saw the One Act Plays at Galway tonight, and they were really good! Especially the Seniors, who wrote and performed their own play. They're in wicked trouble now though, because of all the sexual innuendos. Some parents are having a fit. And like, it was no worse than Shrek. Seriously. Mia is upset though.

They were already disqualified though, so it's not like they need to be punished more. But people are dumb and seem to think that these stereotyped teachers and cheerleaders were made to represent certain people... and they weren't.

And of course the usual politics were at play again. My sister received Best Actress Runner-up, since even though her play was disqualified she still did a really good job acting, and this dumb broad who forgot most of her lines and kept screwing up got Best Actress. Know why? Because her mom helped out with most of the sets and with the plays in general alongside Senora Peters and Mrs. Clay. Politics. It was retarded.

But whatever, when that girl goes out into college and tries out for a play and is denied the lead and made to actually act properly and learn her lines, and isn't hot shit because of her mother, then she'll get the picture.

Oh well, the plays were still good. I enjoyed myself, even though I couldn't drive myself there. x'D

Screaming Match

This entry is backdated.

Dad and I had a screaming match last night into this morning.

The day before Thanksgiving I was out with Miss Kurama and Luna-kun, and we were starting up from a light in Saratoga and bumped over something VIOLENTLY. Like... we were laughing, but I was shocked no one was hurt. It was bad. No idea what it was.

Well, yesterday my Uncle Clark comes in and tells me that I need to get the doughnut on my car because the right front tire had a big bubble on it. Uh oh. I knew the rim was bent, but I didn't think that there was any more damage. Guess I was wrong. I mean, Luna-kun nicknamed my car The Hulk because is didn't sustain any major damage.

So I asked my Uncle to help me figure out the tire stuff, and he did, and I waited for Dad to get home from Hunting Camp to help me change it. Because seriously, if he has issues getting the lug nuts off and stuff, there's no way in hell I would be able to do it.

Well, Dad came home in one hell of a bad mood. And when I told him that my tire had a big bubble on it he went off. This is about how it went. Mind you, we were both screaming the whole time after I told him.

Me: Hey dad, can we put the doughnut on my car? Uncle Clark noticed a big bubble on the tire.
Dad: That's just fucking great Sam! I told you last god damn week to take that thing in and get it fixed! What the fuck were you doing!? It's freezing outside! I don't feel like going back out and freezing my ass off right now!
Me: I'm sorry! I've been busy! You know, working 40 hours a week!?
Dad: You had Friday off!
Me: I was barely home on Friday! I had shit to do! Not like you'd know!
Dad: Well you shouldn't have bothered doing some of it then!
Me: Excuse me for having a god damn life!
Dad: Just shut up Sam! I don't feel like freezing my ass off to change your damn tire but I guess I have to!
Me: Well if you're so damn worried about freezing your ass off then you shouldn't go sit for hours in the woods to hunt!

And that was about where he slammed the door to go outside, and I went back in my room in a bad mood. Mom came to my defense later that night because Dad was bitching about it more. At one point he took the saws-all to my car complaining that the lug nuts were wrong and he had no other choice, and I told him if he ruined my car he was paying for the damages.

That man can be so infuriating. And when I left this morning? Oh, he told me that I had better go easy when I asked how fast you could go on a doughnut, and that I needed to contact a garage to get it fixed.

And I asked him just when he expected me to do this, because I had work every day of the week. And he told me whatever, and I left.

Well, he came and got the car later in the day and I had to take the Durango home, but it's fixed now. And he doesn't want to let me pay for the $200 in repairs since the rim wasn't only bent, it was twisted. I guess the whole tire was pretty much a bubble by the time he got to the tire shop as well, and he had to put air in the doughnut three times on the way.

And then when he was talking to someone, he was going on about how he had to put another $200 into my car and my mom jumped in and said "Don't you start! She offered to pay!"

Mom and I are going to work out a payment arrangement anyways. Screw you Dad, it's my car, I can pay for the damn repairs myself. It's called being responsible.

God it was so infuriating. >[

Pizza with Santa

This entry is backdated.

Holy crap, talk about a MOB SCENE. Laura told me that they took in a record number of people this year, and I believe it!

To start the night off, Brendan and I were going to be late so I did like 70mph all the way to his house, and I called him with two minutes to spare to meet me at the end of his drive way, which he did. It was like a scene out of a movie where the bad guy makes his get-away, because I literally just barely rolled to a stop, he hopped in, and I floored it and we were gone. x'D

When we got there we set up with the help of two kids who had volunteered, and then the crowd started arriving. It was a MESS.

I took 108 photos that night, and in five minutes before we started taught Brendan how to use Lightroom and download photos off a CF card.

During the night I screamed at one poor kid who got behind the barrier and almost knocked my light over. It... was not my finest moment but one light costs close to $1000 so... >.>;

We also had some issues with both the laptop and the printer, because we were trying to go too fast. And it's a good thing I had three CF cards because we had to rotate.

The whole event lasted 2.5 hours, but it didn't feel that long. And hundreds of screaming, crying children are just... @@; Like, I had to finish printing at home because we ran out of ink, and the printer needed its own operator just to get photos out fast enough. It was too much for Brendan to handle alone. So I delivered the prints and printer to Laura later on and she and the rest of the PTSA are distributing them.

All in all though, it went really well. And I got a lot of exposure. A LOT. Like, people were looking at my photo display on the table, and were astounded when I said those were my photos. ^^ It felt so good.

I really hope I get some nice business out of this. I really, really do. I did get a job from my friend Craig's Mom for tomorrow, too. I'm so excited!

As hectic as it was, it was totally worth it! *fist pump*

But there are definitely some revisions we will make for next year. xD Like, I will have someone on the computer, and someone on the printer. LMFAO And we will have a table just for the prints. People will also be done in smaller groups, and we'll try to get a bit longer of a period to do them in. We might also limit people to one photo per child to make it go faster, and try to encourage group shots. Just tiny little things to make it run more smoothly.

Oh, and also, Laura said she heard people saying how beautiful the photos were (since we did get some done that night) and that there were a few that were going to use them in their Xmas cards. I'm so proud of me! And everyone who had a photo done got my business card. HUZZAH!

Busy Girl is Busy @@;

Here was my schedule:

9:30- Woke up
10- Typed up form and printed
10:30- Drove to office
11- Arrived at office, made 200 copies of form
12pm- Karate
1- Finished karate, chatted about weapons class
2- Made the bank, cashed checks
2:30- Grabbed fudge and gifts, ran to the school to deliver them to old teachers I loved, chatted a bit
3:30- Went to pick up Milk and Juice
4- Arrived home, started packing to leave
4:45- FLEW out the door to pick up Trap for Pizza with Santa event
5- Picked up Trap
5:05- Arrived at school, started to set up
5:30- Event started, and we were BARELY ready
[Takes photos of well over 100 screaming and excited children. Lots of computer and printer problems, lots of lines backing up, and it was a zoo]
8:05- Teardown
9- Left and took Trap home
9:15- I got home, brought everything in (lightkit, camera, laptop, printer, display, and handbag)
9:30- Adrenaline started to drain, and made me sick.

So now it's 10:49, and I'm sick as hell, starving because I have eaten a few cookies and had Mountain Dew Livewire as my sustenance for the day, and I am DEAD TIRED.

Being busy is nice... but god. @@;

I will fill in about Gateway and Tiger Direct tomorrow, as well as details about the event, and I'll post back-entries from parties and shit.

GOOD GOD EVERYTHING IS BEHIND.

And I still have printing to do from this event. @@;;;

Here's a recent photo to help make this pretty, or at least shows you where I should be. x'D;;


Eerie Even in the Light by *Saknika on deviantART

Gateway's Response

I received a prompt response from Gateway. Here's what they had to say:

"Dear Samantha Genier,

Thank you for contacting Gateway. I apologize for the inconvenience that you have experienced. I understand how you must feel and I can relate to how inconvenient ongoing issues can be. Unfortunately, the issue with the refund is with TigerDirect and not with Gateway. Please do understand that Gateway does not have control over TigerDirect and such matter should be shoulder by TigerDirect itself.

Again, I apologize for the inconvenience this issue may have cause you.


Respectfully,
Gateway Online Technical Support"

...I'm sorry you decided to directly link a phone number off your site to Tiger Direct? Seriously, if you're going to do that, obviously they represent you. If Tiger Direct has nothing to do with you Gateway, then they shouldn't be who I got on the phone when using a number off of your site.

Yeah... Gateway might not have any control over them, but they're still responsible for picking reliable retailers. And that's why to me, this is as much Gateway's fault as it is Tiger Direct's.

The Letter to Gateway

So to make Gateway completely aware of everything that is going on, I sent them a nice letter that is a good two pages in MS Word.

Since the only way to contact them at all is through Customer Support, I sent them an email. That way it is completely in writing, and with the confirmation number I was given there is no way they can deny I sent it.

It took me a good hour to compile the letter, since I went back through this blog of angered rants when I had made the calls, my bank account for the transaction history, and even UPS to see just when it had been sent and delivered back to them. I went through EVERYTHING I had, and boy do I have a nice little paper trail.

I compiled all of this information, and then sent the following letter to Gateway:

"I'm starting at the bottom of the chain, because there are no direct ways to get in touch with a manager of Gateway. I do not have warranty coverage at this point, and as of right now I am not going to purchase an extension for it, nor will I pay to speak with a representative because of this.

I am very angry with Gateway, and more specifically Gateway's supplier Tiger Direct. As far as I am concerned, they represent Gateway, which is the parent company.

On October 18th I called your Product Purchase line to order a new power cord for my laptop, because the one I had broke. I spoke with a foreign man with a heavy accent who told me it would cost $92.08 for second day air of the cord. I placed the order, received the confirmation number of P0294322 over the phone, and thought nothing of it.

On October 21st I was charged for $29.98 from Tiger Direct, and finding this odd because it was not the full payment, I checked their website; only to find out that in addition to the power cord, the person I had on the other end of the line had added in the program PC Pitstop without my knowledge. I called about this immediately, and was given a return number, and for the first time I was asked for my email address.

Upon checking her inbox at a later date, since she was the one who ordered my laptop as a graduation gift, my Mother found the confirmation emails about my order. And later on, many UPS return label receipt emails. I was never asked for my email except that one time, and I was never properly sent what I needed because the home phone number lead to my Mother's email. Assumptions such as this are very poor business practice.

I received the package on October 23rd, along with the final transaction of $62.10 for the cord and shipping. When I opened the package containing the cord, it was in fact not the proper one for my laptop, despite haven given Tiger Direct the make and model of both my laptop and the cord I currently had, and I called again that day because it also needed to be returned.

The man on the phone this time was very good about getting me a return number and he is the one who asked for my email address to send me the UPS shipping receipt, and I was told I would be refunded everything--products and shipping costs. That was fine, but as I said many other return labels ended up going to my Mother instead.

My next issue was getting a hold of someone so that I could order the proper cord. I had to call three different numbers and finally ended up in a free chat because, due to the lack of warranty, I could not speak to someone without paying. All I wanted was to purchase a new cord, and it took me at least an hour and a half and my parents getting on the phone at one point to get a link out of someone to directly order the cord I needed. This, with shipping, cost $61.95. It was purchased through Mundo Corp, and I had no issues with them, thankfully.

I dropped off one package containing both the software and the cord to UPS on October 24th and sent it back. I still have the receipt the UPS Store gave me. I had only received one email at this time with a return receipt, so I figured they needed to be sent back together. It was under the tracking number 1Z1W839V9090679676, and delivered to Naperville, IL on the 28th of October. The return number I had been given was 3441998.

I respected the 10 day refund policy, and on October 31st I received a refund for the $29.98 of the software, but nothing else. When November 7th came and passed and I had not received any other refunds as promised, I called Tiger Direct again.

I spoke with a representative who said he was sorry for the wait, it shouldn't have happened, and it took us a little while to get on the same page because the system in his office was pretty much down. So he was working from the web as much as I was. But he assured me that I would have at least the shipping in 48-72 hours, and that it could take a bit longer on the cord because it had to go back to the drop shipper. But that if I didn't have it all refunded by Saturday to call back.

November 12th I received back the $19.11 from shipping and handling.

Saturday came and went with no payment. Sadly, once again I was far too busy with my job and family concerns to call.

As of today, December 1st, I have still not received the refund for the wrong cord that was sent to me. I called and spoke to another representative at Tiger Direct, and was given the same 48-72 hours nonsense. I have been beyond patient with Gateway and their supplier, Tiger Direct.

I expect that refund by December 5th, 11:59pm EST, or I WILL BE pursuing legal actions. As far as I am concerned, this is extortion, and instance of fraud. And I can't say that at this point I would be satisfied with just a refund due to the amount of time that your company has had my money.

I will be reporting you to the Better Business Bureau either way. And I can't say that I will ever purchase another Gateway product again. Your computers are wonderful, but I am not going to go through such terrible customer service to get it. There are other computers out there (such as Acer) that are just as good as far as I can tell, that probably have much better customer support and product centers.

At this point I'm at the end of my patience. I have been nice about this for as long as I could, and now I'm not going to be any more.

There is no way I will ever recommend a Gateway to anyone ever again. And I will caution everyone I know to never use Tiger Direct

I hope that this finds its way to management, because this is the only place on the site where I am able to contact.

Thank you,
Samantha Genier"

So Gateway is now aware of everything, they know what I have, and they are also aware of my intentions.

I wrote, read, re-read, and had my Mom go over this letter with me before sending it. So it was written once and edited twice. I wanted to add incompetent in there a few times, but I didn't. Have to behave after all, even if I'm angry.

Tomorrow I'm going to submit all this stuff to the Better Business Bureau. It's just too late tonight.

Possibly Seeking Legal Action

So many of you have been reading right along and know of the issues I've been having with Tiger Direct. You have read through about how I went to buy just a laptop cord, and the man on the other end also ordered me a PC program I didn't know about, and never told me. You read about me having to call about that, and then having to call again when the package arrived and it was the wrong cord, even though I gave them my laptop model number. You're aware of me having to call again because they only refunded the PC program within the 10 days stated, but nothing else, and that I got the shipping back but had to wait another 48-72 hours for the last piece, which was the refund for the wrong cord they sent. You know about being run around by Gateway to get the right card, which turned out to be at Mundo Corp. And all the problems that came with that night.

Well, that was all the middle of November. I gave them their time, and then never had a chance to call. Kept checking my bank account though, and never received credit for that cord.

It has been a month since they received that cord and program back. I called them tonight around 8pm.

The man on the other end of the phone gave me the same 48-72 hours bullshit, and I got mean.

I told him flat out that I was pissed off, and exactly why. He said he was emailing his manager right now about it, and that I would have the money within that time. I told him that I'd heard that before, and that I better see it. And I also told him that if it was not returned to me within that time limit, I would pursue legal action. And I'm not kidding, I will.

This is bullshit. They have had that cord back for a month now, and I have not gotten my full refund. There is no reason why I should not have that money back. And I also told him that I was disgusted with them, and that I would not be purchasing anything from Tiger Direct or Gateway again. Tiger Direct is now Gateway's supplier, which is sad because they do make good computers. But I'm not going to go through this again. No way, no how.

I will be reporting them to the Better Business Bureau no matter what. I am also going to contact Gateway, and let them know that if I do have to press legal action, it will be against them because as far as I'm concerned Tiger Direct is their main and exclusive distributor (if you call product purchase, that is who you get), and therefore they, as the parent company, are at fault. And I will let them know just how disgusted I am.

Honestly, I don't expect to see that money back by Thursday; which is when they have until. I'll give them until that evening since I did call after normal business hours. But you better believe that in the mean time I'll be talking to a friend of the family I know who is a lawyer about exactly what rights I have and where this falls, and preparing for Small Claims Court, or wherever it is that I have to take them.

At this point, not only do I want my refund, I want them to pay for the proper cord I had to order. I'm sorry, but I've been far more than patient enough. As far as I'm concerned, this is extortion. They have had my money that was supposed to be refunded to me for a month now. That's wrong. And it's a good $40.00 too, at least. And with the PC program, that's consumer fraud. I was content to just send it back until I made the fourth or fifth phone call to them tonight to try and get my money back. Now my Italian temper is totally fired up, and I'm not backing off. I will call them from work if I have to.

My advice to all of you would be to not buy from Tiger Direct ever. Because this is the shit they pull.

I'll keep you updated.