Still buying it

One way or another, there have been a few new arrivals recently - and there will be more in the next few days. I hope. Many of the arrivals are as a result of departures or breakages.

It all started in January, when my keyboard went in for repair - a free process under the guarantee that should take about 10 days. After a frenzy of wrapping down at Yehlex, it was gone.

I ordered a new card reader for my computer. It arrived, after a couple of weeks. Broken. My new headset arrived last week. Broken, as illustrated. But he nice man is sending out a replacement, this time in a box. The card reader was eventually replaced, after over a month, and not without my earnest urgings via email.

After a month, I rang to ask where my keyboard was. I was told the repair process was progressing well and that I would have it returned very soon. I'm still in love with my keyboard and I miss it.

Our colour laser printer gave up the ghost this easter, and the printer we ordered from Misco was, predictably, out of stock. Naturally, they don't warn you of this when ordering. Misco have this knack of offering stuff very cheaply and then being dazed and confused when people go ahead and order it. This is my third order with Misco - all have gone the same way.

Then my mobile phone broke yesterday - so please don't text me for a few days till I get a new one. The sad thing is that i chose to discontinue my insurance on the basis that I would "probably be getting an iPhone soon" and "What could possibly go wrong in that short time?". I could hardly have been more wrong. Imagine my sense of regret when the Orange customer support agent told me that my protection had evaporated, and that it was all my fault. If I had stumped up the 12 pounds required for the intervening two months, a free replacement would have already been on its way.

After two months without my beloved keyboard, I started to become really concerned that something was wrong. My supplier said all was well, but that Korg had not even looked at it yet. Not the same thing. A week after this they hit me with the news that the faulty key was not covered under guarantee and that they wanted £63 to fix it. This began to smack of extortion, so naturally I paid.

I then heard that Jason had bought the same card reader as me, from the same eBay seller, and that his didn't work either. I don't know what's more worrying: A guy selling from the Channel Islands who doesn't care whether his products work or not - or Jason and myself selecting the same item. Still, a nasty for Jason. I should have blogged sooner and spared him the pain. It's all my fault really.

So, anyway, I have now paid my money to Korg and they have issued my with a tracking number for my keyboard, but UPS say they haven't picked it up yet from Korg. Korg, on the other hand, insist that it has been dispatched. I'm not convinced that this one is going to have a happy ending. I applaud Korg for keeping it for so much of the remaining time of my guarantee. That said, I'm not sure that anything could go wrong with it that actually IS guaranteed. I consider it almost poetic that they would build an object that is just a keyboard and then not guarantee the keys. I mean - what else is there?

I shall ring them today, selfless, cold and composed and see what good it does me - although I reckon I stand about as much chance of getting my keyboard back as I do of meeting Shatner. Watch this space for news that it has finally landed.

All in all, I don't think I've been the luckiest recently. Here's to greater retail success in the coming weeks.

(So then, how many did you count Jason and John?)

Comments

[Jason]

412

[Liz Curtis]

At this point, were I not so sensitive and kind, I would spoil your poetic license by pointing out that as Orange don't supply your phone anymore, you actually benefited from not paying the insurance. However, as I am so caring, I shall, of course say nothing at all.
Jason ... you are not counting the occurence of the letter 'r'.

[Rebecca]

I got third on the Grand National sweepstake. For my pound, I got six back. Lucky....